Puerto Rico s experience in crisis management has been sorely tested during Covid-19.
The pandemic struck as earthquakes were battering the south coast and parts of the island had not yet recovered from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Discover Puerto Rico last week convened a diverse group of tourism professionals to assess how lessons learned from the island s crisis preparedness and recovery strategies will play a role in the post-Covid era. There is nothing more critical than learning from the challenges that Covid-19 has presented our industry, said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico.
Maintaining constant communication with the local Puerto Rican business community was essential to balance the health crisis with the pandemic s economic impact, according to Manuel Laboy, executive director of Puerto Rico s Central Office of Reconstruction, Recovery & Resiliency.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its travel guidelines this week, reporting that people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 may travel safely within the United States and its territories.
There are three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the U.S. and Puerto Rico markets. Both the Pfizer and Moderna options require two doses distributed at least two weeks from each other. Meanwhile, the vaccine distributed by Johnson & Johnson only requires one dose. The CDC said that people who have received all doses of the respective vaccine choice should be able to have more liberties when traveling, although they would still be subject to state and federal laws.