On completion of the island-wide vaccination programme, St Helena has opened its doors once more to overseas visitors.
The second most remote inhabited island in the world, guests will be able to enjoy beautiful landscapes, outstanding marine life, historic heritage and the warm and friendly local community spirit typical of the British Overseas Territory.
St Helena Island, in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, has remained to date Covid-19 free with no reported cases since the global pandemic took hold last year.
This week the island announced over 95 per cent of its adult population is now fully vaccinated against Covid-19; with 98 per cent having received the first dose completing the vaccination programme ahead of most of the world.
By the end of April, most of the adult population of 3,708 had been fully vaccinated with the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine.
Since 2020 the weekly flights from the UK were reduced to every five weeks due to world lockdowns and border closures.
However, life for the locals, known as ‘Saints’, continued as normal on the sub-tropical Island, with very few restrictions and no need for social distancing, masks or lockdowns.
St Helena government repealed immigration and travel restrictions with effect from April, and the tourism providers on island and locals alike are gearing up to welcome international visitors to the Island once more.
The governor of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Philip Rushbrook, commented: “It has been a privilege to oversee such a comprehensive vaccination programme on St Helena.
“Since the onset of the global pandemic, we have remained totally Covid-19 free and now our population is fully vaccinated we look forward to a continuation of that status.
“Approximate monthly flights from London Stansted are operational and we hope to welcome British travellers who wish to enjoy a little bit of sub-tropical paradise here on St Helena after such a tough year in the UK.”
