Mauritius is set to end arrival testing for fully vaccinated travellers from Friday (1 July).
The island will also drop quarantine for unvaccinated visitors and mandatory mask wearing around hotels on the same day. Face coverings will remain in use in public areas such as hospitals, airports and public transport.
Testing for non-fully vaccinated visitors will be kept.
The Mauritian government said the move to further ease Covid restrictions had been made due to the country’s “successful vaccination campaign and resultant low infection rate”.
Prior to the impending rule changes, vaccinated travellers were required to undergo lateral flow testing when arriving at their hotel, while non-fully vaccinated visitors had to self-isolate for seven days and test at the end of their quarantine period to be allowed to move around the destination.
Mauritius reopened its borders on 1 October 2021 and has since welcomed more than 500,000 visitors.
Arvind Bundhun, director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority, said he was “extremely pleased” by the island’s progress since reopening, adding: “I am confident our post-pandemic recovery is well underway and with the easing of measures, bookings for the second half of 2022 will be stimulated.”
Sarah Archer, UK sales manager at Beachcomber Tours, which operates eight resorts on the island, said the company was “delighted” by the announcement.
“We have many clients poised to travel in the next few weeks who will welcome this news,” she told TTG. “It’s also a very positive step forward that those who are unvaccinated will now also be able to enjoy a holiday on the island and agents have already been calling today to book their unvaccinated clients.
“Our paradise island is returning to normal and that’s a cause for celebration,” added Archer.
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