Kralendijk- Attorney-a-law and US Resident Lonny R. Hoover, who since some years owns a home on Bonaire, has written a letter to Island Governor Edison Rijna, with what he calls a ‘safe approach to the reopening of flights out of North America’.

Hoover starts with congratulating Rijna for the job done so far. “Bonaire, under your leadership has been a shining model of excellence to the rest of the world. You have managed to keep your citizens healthy, however I am sure your economy is suffering terribly”, writes Hoover.

Hoover also notes that he wised the United States had taken the virus more serious from the beginning.

Hoover who has been visiting Bonaire since 1988, has visited the island more than 96 times since then, writes in his letter to Rijna that his dream is to return to his favorite destination, Bonaire, ‘as soon as possible’.

Safe alternatives

According to Hoover his intention is not to criticize the position taken by Bonaire so far, but rather to help providing some ideas about how Bonaire could reopen in a safe manner to air traffic from North America.

“This plan would be similar to the precautions Bermuda has implemented. First, you could require anyone traveling to Bonaire to have a current negative Covid-19 test that is no older than 72 hours upon arrival at the airport. Second, you could implement a mandatory admission protocol that would require visitors to be tested on the third day after arrival and again on the seventh day after arrival.   If necessary, you could also require an additional test on the 10th day. If anyone tests positive they and those in their party would be required to quarantine at facilities acceptable to Bonaire, at the expense of the traveler”.

According to Hoover, a program similar to this would come as close as possible to assuring the local citizens that they would be safe from viral spread from foreign travelers and would allow Bonaire to reopen it’s economy to the world in a safe and effective way. 

The attorney notes that, while the reopening of the island to flights out of Europe may have helped ease some of the strain on the local economy, it is probably by far not enough.     

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