There goes the two pandemics theory!

NASSAU| Weeks after he announced that fully vaccinated Bahamians would enjoy certain privileges, including no COVID testing for travel and free travel visas, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis has flipped the script.

Effective Friday, August 6, all fully vaccinated travelers wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a COVID-19 test (Rapid Antigen Test or PCR), with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas.

Traveling will also become more expensive for parents traveling with young children. Kids under age 11 were not required to take Covid-19 tests to travel but that will change on Friday.

All children, between the ages of 2 and 11, wishing to enter The Bahamas will now be required to obtain a COVID-19 test (Rapid Antigen Test or PCR), with a negative result, within five days of arrival in The Bahamas, according to the Office of the Prime Minister.

All children, under the age of 2, are exempt from any testing requirements.

All travelers, entering The Bahamas on a cruise ship, will also be subjected to the testing requirements mandated by the cruise line and approved by the Competent Authority.

The tighter travel restrictions come as The Bahamas sees an alarming increase in new Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Last week, Opposition Leader Philip Davis renewed his repeated calls for Minnis to test all travelers, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, noting that vaccinated persons are capable of not only getting Covid-19 but spreading it to others.