CTO Notes Few Coronavirus Cases, Says the Destination Is Open

On Thursday morning, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) issued a statement on COVID-19 (coronavirus), which has officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The CTO continues to closely monitor the coronavirus virus (COVID-19) situation,” the statement reads. “We continue to engage our member countries, as well as the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and our tourism partners, to inform travel-related health measures that are proportionate to the public health threat and based on local risk assessment.

“While there continues to be a limited number of imported coronavirus cases and no cases of local transmission in the region, the health authorities across our membership are taking the necessary steps to limit the number of new cases and to curb the possible spread among our populations from the confirmed imported cases.

According to Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, the following countries have reported cases of coronavirus: Cuba (three), Jamaica (two), the Dominican Republic (five), Saint-Martin (two), St. Barth’s (one) and Martinique (three). There are no reported cases in any other Caribbean islands.

The statement continues, “The CTO would like to emphasize that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not called for any travel and trade restrictions as a result of the coronavirus. As a matter of fact, the WHO continues to advise against such restrictions. Local populations and visitors alike are assured that the Caribbean remains open for business.”

With that said, the U.S. State Department recently issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory worldwide due to the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

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