COVID-19 Health & Safety Procedures
International Airport Reopening (Phase 3)
The Belize City International Airport officially reopens October 1st, 2020 and we anticipate that the following properties will receive their Belize Tourism Board Gold Standard Certification/Tourism Safe Corridor and will be open for guest arrivals beginning October 15th, 2020. Please contact us for confirmation before booking.
Anil Mar
Coral Bay Villas
Seascape Villas
Solaria Villas
The following properties will open once the last phase (4) of opening is allowed.
Aqua Vista Beachfront Suites
Casita Playa del Parque
Frequently Asked Questions On COVID-19
The most up to date FAQs can be found at the Belize Tourism Board website at the following link.
https://www.belizetourismboard.org/news-and-gallery/belize-covid-19-update/
Click on the plus sign beside the “FAQs Regarding Travel to Belize” section.
The Belize Health App is required to enter Belize and is available for download on Google Play and in the App Store. You can download the App at any time prior to your trip to Belize but should enter your personal information within 72 hours of your arrival in Belize. In the event a new case arises while a visitor is on holiday, contact tracing will be much easier and notification of other parties who may have been within your vicinity will be quick and efficient enabling us to contain any spread of COVID as quickly as possible.
If you are unable to take a Covid-19 PCR test before traveling to Belize, you will be required to take a COVID test upon arrival. The cost of the test is US$50.00, and it will take about 15-30 minutes to receive your results. However, depending on your health screening, you may be randomly selected for secondary testing even if you bring along a PCR test.
All arriving passengers who test positive at the international airport will be placed in mandatory quarantine at your booked property for a minimum of 14 days at the passengers’ expense (see Phase 3 Entry Requirements below for more details). To be cleared from quarantine you must have two negative tests at the end of this period. It is therefore recommended that you explore the possibility of acquiring travel insurance prior to your trip to Belize.
Yes. Children under the age of 5 are not required to present a negative COVID test; However, children 5 years and older must present a negative COVID test.
Belize is reopening its tourism industry using a phased approach. This will allow for the industry to re-open responsibly, to test new entry protocols, and to allow for adjustments as necessary, to ensure the wellbeing of Belizeans and visitors. As we reopen for international visitation, our primary concern is to assure both travelers and residents that Belize’s tourism product is cleaner and safer than ever before.
A series of new enhanced health and safety protocols have been put in place to protect visitors, Belizeans, and our communities. These include:
- Mandatory use of facemasks in public spaces
- Enforcement of social distancing measures in public spaces such as restaurants, bars, grocery stores, retail stores, etc.
- Introduction of a “Tourism Gold Standard” Recognition Program for hotels, restaurants, and tour operators. This 9-point program seeks to enhance the tourism industry’s health and safety standards by adapting new behaviours and procedures to ensure both employees and travelers are confident in the cleanliness and safety of Belize’s tourism product. Some of these new standards include:
Enhanced health and safety protocols for:
Properties
- Online check-in/out, contactless payment systems, and automated ordering/booking systems
- Hand sanitizing stations across the property
- Enhanced room cleaning and increase sanitization of public spaces and high touch surfaces
- Daily health checks for guests and employees
- Designated ‘Isolation/Quarantine rooms’ for suspected Covid-19 cases and action plans for handling suspected employees or guests.
Tours, Archaeological Sites & National Parks
- New capacity restrictions for all tourism sites to ensure social distancing can be maintained
- Smaller tour groups to provide a more intimate tour experience
- Sites and Parks to manage tours by appointment to limit the number of persons on site
- Enhanced sanitization of tour equipment
The Belize Tourism Gold Standard
During these challenging times, we want to reassure our partners that we are taking all necessary and precautionary measures for the health, safety and well-being of our guests, staff and the local Ambergris Caye Community.
All our staff have received extensive training over the last few months on best practices for cleaning, disinfecting, guest safety and personal safety. We continue to review our enhanced procedures, to certify that they are effective in the prevention of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. We follow all BTB, Airbnb, VRBO, CDC and VRMA recommended guidelines to reduce the threat of infectious disease transmission.
Prior to Arrival
Download Belize Health App and complete required information.
Stay at an approved Gold Standard Property.
Travelers are required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 96 hours before arrival in Belize or take a COVID-19 test on arrival in Belize. Rapid Antigen, Sophia, SD Bisensor, ABBOT (Panbio) test results will also be accepted from arriving passengers at the airport taken no more than 48 hours prior to travel. Depending on your health screening results, you may be randomly selected for a secondary testing.
Belize is accepting proof of full COVID-19 immunization received at least 2 weeks prior to arrival. You may still be randomly selected for secondary testing.
Upon Entry
Take double rapid test, if necessary, at traveler’s expense; $50.00USD.
Movements Within the Country
Transported to Gold Standard Property, by approved transport (Tropic Air or Maya Island Air), and participate in approved tours with approved Gold Standard tour operators and guides.
Positive Test Results
Minimum 14-day mandatory quarantine at property at traveler’s expense (see notes below).
Notes on Positive Tests
The airlines will not allow you to fly if positive, hence the need to quarantine for 14 days at the property. Any days required beyond your scheduled stay would be at a 25% discount. Staying at the property beyond your scheduled dates is subject to availability and must allow for a 4 day buffer between your departure and the arrival of the next guest. If that buffer could not be met, you would be transported to an approved quarantine hotel.
If you are in a group, all persons in the group are required to enter quarantine if a person in that group becomes infected. If you do become positive during your stay we will support and assist you to the fullest.
Temperature checks will be administered upon arrival or if exhibiting signs of COVID-19.
All guests will be required to wear a face mask when they are out of their accommodation unit.
In the event a guest presents symptoms or tests positive for the virus, employees have been trained to activate protocols to help contain the infection. Employees will respond by facilitating medical attention and ensuring sanitation of areas that might have been exposed.
All employees are required to take their temperature upon arrival at work in the morning. Any employees exhibiting or exposed to any illness will be isolated. We require all illness-based absences to continue until a sufficient quarantine has been completed in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines. All employees will wear face masks while on-duty and full PPE when in a vacation rental including face mask, face shield, disposable gloves, closed toe shoes.
Housekeeping is now on request only, if you wish to arrange housekeeping during your stay just let us know in advance of your arrival and the frequency of the cleaning required. Please check to see if your vacation rental has housekeeping included in the fees or of housekeeping is an additional charge.
Housekeepers are not permitted into the vacation rental when you are present, you must have left the vacation rental for at least one hour before they can enter. The exception being if you are in quarantine, in which case staff are not permitted to enter the vacation rental.
All cleaning for guest rooms will be done using clinical-grade products to ensure effective disinfection of all surfaces and spaces.
All extraneous items such as books, games (except Shut the Box), decorative pillows, rugs, throws, etc. have been removed from our vacation rentals to ensure proper sanitization of the unit. We do supply a sterilized, vacuum packed package containing dice, sealed playing cards, a pen and a pad of paper for your use; your welcome to take those items home with you.
All towels and linens are washed in water at 140 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
All our vacation rentals have a waiting period of a minimum of 24 hours between guests.
You must make sure to provide the following information through our Mobile Guest App 7 days or more prior to arrival to ensure the check-in process is as quick as expected:
Each member of the party will need to provide the following before you’ll be able access to the vacation rental.
- Title
- First Name
- Last Name
- Nationality
- Date of Birth
- Address
- City/Town
- State/Province/County/District
- Country
- Postal/Zip Code
Declaration that traveler has not had any symptoms related to COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
We recommend that, before your arrival, you schedule your grocery deliveries through Lagniappe Provisioning and your tours and excursions through our reservation’s office. You may also want to browse through our Mobile Guest App before you arrive to decide which restaurants or catering service you may want to deliver meals to your vacation rental.
Virtual check-in will be available at all our Gold Standard Properties. Your key box or electronic door lock codes will provided prior to your arrival. Your check in time must be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance however to ensure the vacation rental is fully ready for your arrival and that your approved transportation is waiting to pick you up at the San Pedro Airport.
Upon arrival at the island airport each member of your party will have their temperature taken and logged and each person will be asked to answer a few COVD related health questions. We understand that you will have probably been asked these several times since your arrival but we ask for your understanding as we are required to complete this process and it is for your safety, the safety of our staff and the safety of our community.
COVID related signs and sanitizing stations are placed around the property, we ask that you pleas follow the instructions on the signs and make use of the sanitizing stations.
The checkout process is just a matter of following the checkout procedures found in your Mobile Guest App. Your transportation to the San Pedro Airport will have been arranged in advance and we will advise you of the time based upon your local flight departure times. All of our process are performed by credit card; if you wish to leave tips for the staff please send us an email indicating the amount, who it is for, authorize us to add the charge to your folio and we’ll add your tip to the staff members pay.
Chaise-lounges, and umbrellas will undergo a daily sanitizing before the start of beach and pool operations and sanitation will continue throughout the day.
The maximum capacity of the pool area will be limited, and the chaise-lounges and umbrellas will be accommodated so that the physical distance guidelines are respected.
Games and equipment such as kayaks, paddles, cornhole and ladder ball will be disinfected before and after each use.
If anyone in your party presents symptoms, please advise us by phone immediately; specific contact information can be found in your Mobil Guest App. We will arrange for a temperature and Oxygen scan and contact the Ministry of Health. You will be asked to isolate in your vacation rental until the Ministry of Health arrives. If anyone in the party presents a temperature exceeding 100 °F, or tests positive for the virus, they will be required to isolate in their accommodation along with all members of their party in the unit until the Ministry of Health arrives to undertake testing for COVID-19. Employees will respond by facilitating medical attention and ensuring sanitation of areas that might have been exposed.
We have certified medical professionals in San Pedro Town who are available 24/7.
Belize Medical Associates is a private hospital and medical clinic. The facility is equipped with the latest medical equipment and the medical team is backed by the experienced staff at the main hospital in Belize City.
We provide complimentary transfers for non-emergency treatments. In case of emergencies where patients need to be transported to Belize City for further hospitalization or medical, Belize Medical Associates has a contract with Astrum Helicopters.
Our policies vary property by property, but we are very flexible and, in all instances.
If the country of Belize is not accepting visitors, you may change your dates without penalty, or a no cash value credit will be issued that may be used for stays within 365 days of your original reservation date. If you test positive during your test for travel to Belize, we offer a no charge date change for a stay anytime within 4 months of the original reservation date. The date change and credit offers have blackout dates for peak periods (Easter, opening of Lobster Season, Thanksgiving, and the Christmas/New Years holidays).
We highly recommend that you invest in travel insurance that provides COVID-19 coverage or CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason) coverage if you are unable to travel for your vacation due to illness.