TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums US VI and Puerto Rico Covid test timing

Heading down next Thursday 4 Mar to STT. Will pick up a boat to take to Key West. Can’t quite understand the 5 day rule. What is the first day I can be tested? Saturday or Sunday?
G

You can be tested on any of these days: 2/27, 2/28, 3/1, 3/2, 3/3

Thanks!

Just arrived today!
Bring test results. Also USVI APPROVAL/acceptance.
Print out both.

Folks had in phones, but authorities wanted paper proof, kept copy of test USVI approval.

We kept trust results printout

PRINT out 2 copies of each -- trust and use of cell phones here is not always the same as stateside -- Paper work rules!!
It may seem outdated but The USVI is often behind the curve on tech. Just make it easy on yourself -Print !

Does anyone have the website for the portal?

Thanks

Thank you. Are the USVI’s excepting the vaccine in place of a negative test?

Hi Orange - no they are not. All travelers must, at this time, have a negative COVID test (it can, however, be a rapid test) or a positive antibody test. Labs must be CLIA approved. The Tripadvisor forums have many threads on this subject (both St. Thomas and St. John forums). After having used both the BVI and USVI portals, the USVI is much more friendly, with rapid turnaround time (typically).

Thank you MIDiver. I get my second dose on April 2nd, we are traveling April 10th. I was hoping they would accept the vaccine card. Good to hear they will take the rapid test.

Getting concerned because we leave early Thursday morning and for some reason the two different covid test locations we used were very quick to respond with a basic "You're negative" text or portal screen, but even 24 hours later I can't get them to get me an actual test result form showing CLIA# and type of test and all that. Hope the portal response is quick.

Advice to others - make sure your testing location is able to get you a test REPORT in sufficient time, not simply a test result message.

Yes, suggest even a test run. Take the test a few weeks earlier just to see how the results are printed, lab name, CLIA certified, etc.
That is what I did in January before February travel.

What's been everyone's typical time lately to get a response from the portal?

Six of us in late Feb, three couples, two different times. We all received portal approvals more than 24 hours, less than 48. Four submitted five days before. I did it four days, just to hedge in case of airline delay in order to give an extra day window. Still got it late afternoon the following day.

We must have got lucky, all got approved in less than 24 hours

We went as a family in November and got all but 1 (of 6) approval letter back in about 24-36 hours. One was denied because the form didn't specifically say where the test was given and what type of test it was. We resubmitted and all was good. One of the 6 submitted was a positive antibody test and we didn't have any issues with that. I went on my own in February and had to get my test exactly 5 days out due to my work schedule. I then had flight issues and missed my connection in Ft. Lauderdale and had to wait until the next day for the next flight to St. Thomas. I called the tourism board and told them of the situation and they said not to worry about it. When I arrived they didn't even look at the date on my paper or on the approval letter.