Seychelles has announced new travel measures on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, following an increase in outbreaks in several countries. With immediate effect, visitors from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh traveling to Seychelles have to be vaccinated.
Travelers will only be permitted entry after taking their two doses, and a minimum of two weeks has elapsed after their final dose. A copy of the certificate should be presented when applying for the Health Travel Authorisation (HTA).
The travel authorisation is mandatory for travel to Seychelles and will be requested by the airline company at check-in; visitors will not be allowed to board a flight otherwise. Vaccination certificates can be subjected to verification and approval by the Public Health Authority upon entry in the country.
Additionally, Brazil has now been added to the list of countries currently not permitted to travel to Seychelles, along with South Africa. However, this list remains subjected to revision as the global infection rate evolves.
Visitors are being reminded that they must all have valid travel health insurance to cover potential COVID-19 related costs, incurred during their stay in Seychelles.
These measures do not apply to Seychellois citizens and permanent residents, who are permitted to travel and enter and must quarantine on arrival in accordance with Public Health Authority instructions.
The new measures come almost a month after Seychelles reopened its borders to all visitors except those directly from South Africa to relaunch its tourism industry which was severely affected by the downturn in travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, in the latest update on the vaccination uptake in Seychelles, 50,524 people out of the entire population of 98,462, have received two doses of either the Covishield or Sinopharm vaccines. This is 51 percent of the whole population.
The target population to achieve herd immunity is 70,000. Currently, 66,433 people have been vaccinated amounting to 95 percent of the target.
The vaccination campaign of the island nation started on January 10 and there are two vaccines being administered, Covishield and Sinopharm.