As of the evening of Friday 20 March, Honduras and the Bay Islands were under a state of emergency due to last until Sunday 29 March at 1500 at the earliest.

The Governor of the Bay Islands has said that anyone who is stuck in the islands as a result of the state of emergency and whose visas/cruising permits expire will not be fined.

Foreigners are apparently permitted to leave, but we haven’t investigated from whom we would need to obtain permission to do so.

There is a daily curfew which runs from 2000-0600, though fishing pangas seem not to be heeding it. No entry/exit to/from the country and/or the islands is permitted at present, nor inter-island movement, and yachts are not permitted to move between anchorages on the same island. Government offices (including customs and immigration) are closed. Taxis and buses are forbidden to run.

In terms of groceries, Eldon’s the largest store on the island has announced that orders can be placed remotely using WhatsApp, payment made by credit card and the goods will be delivered.  It looks as if they have been rather overwhelmed by the response to this so it may take a while for them to bottom out their processes for this. Small groceries are open for business on reduced hours.

In West End the store that sells potable water in jerry jugs is open for business but the petrol/gas station is closed, apparently for the foreseeable future; the ATMs have no cash in them (though banks are permitted to open under the government edict so hopefully this issue will be resolved); and, as yet, we are unsure whether or not the propane filling trucks will continue to circulate as they normally do.

Here in West End we had a couple of thefts last night, so the yachts in the anchorage have organised a night-long security watch system. There is also a daily VHF net and a Messenger Group to keep all the crews informed of the latest Government decrees and updates etc.

Here are some quotes from the recap of the Bay Islands’ Governor’s video conference last night (Sat 21 Mar):

• Still ZERO cases of confirmed COVID-19 in the Bay Islands (11 tested 2 still pending)
• STATE OF EMERGENCY: We were not expecting it and we understand that most of you were not prepared for the announcement of a STATE OF EMERGENCY. We are working with essential businesses to see how we can keep them open via delivery or provide other alternatives. We know some of them are already providing this service.
• The STATE OF EMERGENCY is for the entire community – all of the Bay Islands and the entire nation. This is to protect the health of our community. Please be patient.
  State of Emergency = STAY HOME unless it is an emergency, you are leaving on a scheduled flight, or going to a local community pulperia (During the hours the stores are open). Otherwise, we must rely on delivery. Propane can be delivered. We do not know when banks will reopen (ATMs should be working). Working on water and grocery deliveries, etc. These will evolve over the next few days.  Everybody is working together to make this as smooth as possible for the community.
• This is not a vacation. Please stay home. Do NOT go to the beach. We ask business owners to advise all tourists still on the islands to stay put and not go to the beach. We are in a State of Emergency. Please STAY HOME

As to an ‘end’ to this – well, I guess we’ll see.  Our worst case option for the forthcoming hurricane season is a very long sail back to the UK.  Hopefully it won’t come to that!

There is a useful Facebook page for updates on what’s going on in the Bay Islands: https://www.facebook.com/Covid19Roatan

Nicky Barker
Blue Velvet of Sark
Read the blog at www.blue-velvet-exploring-the-world.blogspot.com/

• Honduras Biosecurity Details
• More COVID-19 Field Reports
•  COVID-19 Coronavirus: Special Procedures Being Introduced in Ports of Entry Worldwide

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Please share your current experience with COVID-19 restrictions and how it has affected your cruising plans. Contact Sue at [email protected] with your field report.

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The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.