Puerto Rico has eliminated most of its local COVID-19 restrictions, including requirements for domestic passengers and on-island mandates, according to the U.S. territory’s DMO, Discover Puerto Rico.
"Traveling to Puerto Rico is becoming easier as the island continues to lead vaccination efforts and contagion rates continue to decrease," said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. "The announcement lifting entry requirements for domestic travelers and reducing restrictions on-island will bring a new travel experience to those visiting. As the pandemic evolves, so will our efforts surrounding the health and safety of visitors and residents."
The following measures will go into effect beginning March 10, 2022:
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Events
- As of March 10, the mask mandate for both private and public establishments will be lifted.
- As of March 10, venues will no longer be required to operate under a capacity limit. Events of over 1,000 people will be subject to situation-specific guidelines provided by Puerto Rico's Health Department.
Arrivals
- Domestic travelers will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result.
- International travelers are still subject to U.S. entry requirements as mandated by the U.S. federal government.
Establishments
- Mask requirements will be removed for both indoor and outdoor establishments. Masks will still be recommended for situations where vaccination status cannot be guaranteed.
- Capacity limits for both private and public establishments, such as restaurants, bars, theaters and event venues, will no longer be in place.
- Patrons of private and public establishments, including lodging establishments, will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result upon arrival.
- Individual businesses still reserve the right to establish their own health and safety guidelines and operations.
[Related: Hawaii to End Major COVID-19 Restriction for Domestic Travelers]
The island benefited from a very robust vaccination program, with more than three-quarters of its population being fully vaccinated, compared to the overall U.S. rate of 65%, according to New York Times databases that track the pandemic.
According to Puerto Rico government website pr.gov, as of March 8, 95.3% of the eligible population (5 years or older) have at least one dose and 85.7% of eligible individuals are fully vaccinated.
A full overview of the revised measures and arrival requirements is available via Discover Puerto Rico’s travel guidelines.
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