To the millions of workers trapped at home through the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of moving to a Caribbean island for a year seems like a dream.
But now it could come true.
Barbados plans to introduce a 12-month visa that would allow remote workers to exchange city apartments for white sand beaches, the blue sea, and year-round sunshine.
The scheme, known as the “Barbados Welcome Stamp”, will be released in August and will be open to anyone earning more than $ 50,000. The scheme is designed to provide a much-needed boost to the island’s tourism-dependent economy, while taking advantage of the change in work patterns fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.
“There is nothing like waking up and seeing the sunlight. And there’s nothing like being able to work and go take a bath in the sea and come back and work the second shift, “Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley told NBC News.” You can do all of that, without leaving of doing the things that you’re doing in London or New York, “he added.
Tourism represents 40 percent of Barbados’ economy, and employs 26,000 people according to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association. Mottley said unemployment had “practically marked” during the pandemic, leading to a 31 percent decrease in government revenue.
“Obviously, short-term travel stopped in March for us. We will continue to see the decline, ”he said.
“We feel that perhaps the best thing for us is to open our travel opportunities to people who wanted to stay longer and who could work from another place, particularly with the technology platforms that provide us with that opportunity now. “
The Barbados Welcome Stamp would give visitors the right to work in the country for up to one year, regardless of where their employer is located. It is expected to cost $ 2,000 for an individual and $ 3,000 for a family visa, regardless of how many children that family has. Participants in the plan must purchase health insurance.
Barbados, with a population of 286,000, has confirmed only 104 cases of COVID-19 and seven deaths, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The island partially reopened its international borders on July 12, and flights resumed from Canada. Flights from the United States will resume on July 25, with four weekly flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and flights from Miami starting in August.
The Barbadian government has already put in place measures to try to limit the risk of infection posed by the return of foreign visitors. Travelers are expected to obtain the results of a negative COVID-19 test, taken no more than 72 hours before arrival.
Otherwise, a test will be performed on landing and the traveler will be quarantined for two days while waiting for the results. Visitors must also undergo a temperature check upon arrival and must wear a mask at the airport.
Mottley said the relatively low infection rate in Barbados, in contrast to rising case numbers in the US and widespread fears of a second wave, could help persuade people to accept the Welcome Stamp offer.
“Given that a second wave is anticipated, particularly in Europe in November or December, we believe we can offer people who have the ability to work from home a different perspective, particularly given the mental health problems associated with this physical pandemic . “
Santiago Ibarguen, 39, a disaster preparedness consultant, moved to Barbados from Washington, DC, with his wife and two children.
He said the benefits of living and working in Barbados are clear: “Here is this saying that we live as a vacation because literally every Friday, once you leave work, it is your vacation until Monday.”
