SEYCHELLES TAKES ADDED PRECAUTIONS AS OVERALL CASE NUMBERS GO ABOVE 5000
(Posted 25th April 2021)
As overall #COVID19 case numbers now exceed 5.200 across the Seychelles Islands, is the government trying to keep new mutant species of the virus out of the country and in particular halt traffic from some of the most affected countries around the world. While over 50.000 of the adult population of the Seychelles have now been vaccinated twice, does the country have some way to go still until the often cited ‘herd immunity‘ can be achieved, which scientists from around the world peg between 70 and 85 percent of a country’s population.
Traffic to and from South Africa remains banned but during the week have India – hitherto a key source country for visitors to the archipelago – Pakistan, Bangladesh and Brazil been added to the list from where no passengers are allowed into the Seychelles unless they can provide proof of full vaccinations at the time when applying for a travel / entry permit.
It is worth noting that full vaccination cover is only achieved 14 days after a second dose has been administered, the same for vaccines which require only a single dose such as Johnson and Johnson.
Meanwhile has Turkish Airlines resumed services to the islands from Istanbul, offering passengers from across their global network once again connectivity to the islands. The first flight landed on Friday and the airline will also operate a Tuesday flight, i.e. two departures per week – for now – from Istanbul.
Aeroflot has since the relaunch of flights now also added a third frequency for their services between Moscow and Mahe. Russia has now become a leading source market for tourists visiting the Seychelles alongside the United Arab Emirates and Israel. Aeroflot now lands in the Seychelles every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Other countries such as France and Germany struggle to retain their lead positions as a result of the difficulties to travel, among them mandatory PCR tests on return and often quarantines for returning travelers.
