Belize drops last Covid border rules

The government of Belize announced the end of all remaining Covid-19 border rules on 15 July, effective immediately, including the requirement to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result upon arrival.

In addition, the Belize Travel Health Insurance Requirement, which has been mandatory since the country reopened its borders on 15 February 2022, is also now optional.

Effective immediately, proof of vaccination or negative COVI1-9 test is no longer required for any person traveling to Belize. The Belize Travel Health Insurance Requirement, which had been mandatory since the country reopened, is now optional, as well.

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness for Belize, said: “With the emergence of weaker variants of COVID-19 and with the global trend of restrictions being relaxed, the time has come to take the pressure off of our health systems. We've reached a level where it's now everyone's personal responsibility to decide whether they want to be vaccinated or not.”

CDC removes Covid cruise ship data from its website

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has ended its pandemic-era program to monitor the spread of coronavirus on cruise ships in US waters on Monday 18 July. The decision was confirmed in a post on the CDC website, and data previously available on the site which detailed the spread of the virus on ships has been taken down.

Speaking to the Washington Post, CDC Spokesperson Kristen Nordlund said: “CDC has determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools (e.g., cruise-specific recommendations and guidance, vaccinations, testing instruments, treatment modalities, and non-pharmaceutical interventions) to prevent and mitigate Covid-19 on board.”

In addition, it was determined that with the end of standardised screening testing standards, the program was now unhelpful because potential variations between cruise lines prevented easy comparisons. However, the CDC website says that cruise lines will continue to report cases to the agency.

Guidelines for cruise lines outlined by the CDC became voluntary on Saturday 15 January, meaning that cruise ships in US waters. The agency also previously dropped its Covid advisory warning for cruise travel on 30 March 2022.