Travelers to the Bahamas can bypass quarantine from November

Visitors to the Bahamas will no longer have to quarantine upon arrival as the government prepares to introduce new pre-travel regulations.

From November 1, visitors to the islands of the Bahamas will no longer have to quarantine provided they test negative for COVID-19 before and during their stay. Under new protocols visitors, and returning citizens, will need to present a negative result taken from a PCR lab test no more than seven days before traveling to the Bahamas. Additionally, arrivals must undergo a rapid antigen test in the airport, and a final test about four days into their trip if they are staying longer than four nights and five days. Children under 10 won't have to be tested.

Beaches and tourist attractions are open in the Bahamas ©Getty Images

The Bahamas officially reopened its borders on July 1, but suspended travel from the US on July 22, due to a spike in COVID-19 cases there. The ban was lifted less than a week later, but arrivals were required to follow the "Vacation in Place" rule for 14 days or the duration of stay, whichever was shorter.

But once the "Vacation in Place" rule is scrapped on November 1 and new testing protocols come into play, travelers will have the freedom to move about the islands with ease. However, all visitors are required to complete an electronic Health Visa before departure to help with contact tracing and once they're on the islands they must adhere to mask and social distancing guidelines.

Travelers will have the freedom to move about the Bahamas with ease provided they follow public health guidelines ©Getty Images

The Bahamas' new travel protocols comes as American Airlines announced it will begin offering pre-flight COVID-19 testing for passengers traveling to Jamaica, Hawaii and the Bahamas. "Our plan for this initial phase of preflight testing reflects the ingenuity and care our team is putting into rebuilding confidence in air travel," American Airlines President Robert Isom said in a statement. Testing is an option, not mandatory, and travelers would have to cover the cost themsevles. Results would be available in about 48 hours and testing must be completed by passengers within 72 hours of a flight.