The first Covid testing lab set within a Caribbean hotel has opened at The Crane Resort in Barbados, turning results around within hours.
The state-of-the-art lab was established following WHO guidelines for PCR testing facilities, allowing guests of The Crane Resort (as well as other visitors, expats and citizens) to get their PCR tests taken and processed quickly.
The Barbados Government is currently testing all passengers on arrival at the airport for free, for border entry, post a negative PCR test taken 3 days prior to arrival. However, this facility will prove appealing to non or partially vaccinated travellers, who can release from quarantine quicker after booking their mandatory 2nd PCR test on Day 5 of arrival, free of charge if staying more than 6 nights.
The resort also has a luxury “isolation suite” available to fully-vaccinated guests in the event that they test positive.
Paul Doyle, owner of The Crane, says: “Barbados has done an amazing job in controlling the spread of COVID-19 on the island, with current positivity rates less than 0.2%. We know that very accurate and speedy PCR testing will continue to be an important tool to keep visitors and Barbadians safe. Having our own automated PCR lab allows us to play an important part in this effort. New variants and – paradoxically – fully vaccinated visitors with a lower viral load in the rare instance they are positive, make high quality tests more critical than ever. In addition, we know that visitors who have been in lockdown and have waited a long while for their holidays will appreciate a hassle-free airport experience and speedy test results. We decided to help by building our own PCR lab.”
