Mauritius Reaches 60% Vaccination Goal a Month Ahead of Schedule

(Bloomberg) -- Mauritius vaccinated 60% of its population a month ahead of target and now plans to halve the number of days tourists will need to isolate on the island nation after arrival.

The “milestone comes ahead of two major steps to reduce restrictions on inbound international travel,” the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority said in an emailed statement Tuesday. 

Inoculated tourists will have to spend seven days in a a so-called resort bubble hotel from Wednesday, down from 14 days now, before they can travel freely. From Oct. 1, they will be free to explore the Indian Ocean Island nation without restrictions. That’s provided they submit a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival, the agency said.

Arrivals in the tourism-dependent nation are forecast to reach about 325,000 in 2021, according to Statistics Mauritius. The bulk are expected in the final quarter of this year, during the start of the nation’s high season.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck, as many as 1.4 million tourists per year descended on the country’s pristine beaches, accounting for 10% of gross domestic product. The industry is set to rebound by 4% in 2021, compared with a year earlier, while the economy is forecast to grow by 5.5%, the Bank of Mauritius said on Aug. 4.

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.