MEASLES AND CORONAVIRUS
UPDATE.
MEASLES REGULATIONS -
ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CASES OF MEASLES IN THE SOLOMONS
AT PRESENT, THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WANT TO MAKE SURE VISITORS CANNOT
BRING THIS VIRUS INTO THE COUNTRY. PASSENGERS
ARRIVING INTO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS WILL NOW BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE
A HEALTH QUESTIONAIRE REGARDING IMMUNISATION AGAINST MEASLES.
RESIDENTS OF OR VISITORS FROM SOME COUNTRIES NOW NEED TO PROVIDE
PROOF OF VACCINATION AGAINST MEASLES. AT PRESENT UK RESIDENTS
ARE NOT INCLUDED, UNLESS YOU ARE ARRIVING FROM ONE OF THE AFFECTED
COUNTRIES (see list here) BUT THIS COULD CHANGE AT ANY
TIME. IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, WE RECOMMEND TAKING A DOCTORS' LETTER WITH
YOU, IN CASE REGULATIONS CHANGE WHILST YOU ARE
ENROUTE.
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS
(2019-nCoV) - AS OF 1ST FEBRUARY 2020, THERE ARE NO CONFIRMED CASES
WITHIN THE ISLANDS. HOWEVER, ANY PERSON ARRIVING IN THE
SOLOMONS, WHO HAS FOR 15 DAYS PRIOR TO ARRIVAL, BEEN IN A COUNTRY
WHERE THERE IS A CONFIRMED CASE OF CORONAVIRUS, WILL BE SUBJECT TO
ASSESSMENT BY HEALTH OFFICIALS AND IMMIGRATION. VISITORS MAY
BE ALLOWED TO ENTER NORMALLY, BUT ANYONE THEY THINK MAY POSE A
RISK, MAY BE SUBJECT TO QUARANTINE RESTRICTIONS. FURTHER, ANY
VISITOR WHO HAS TRAVELLED TO OR VISITED ANY AREA OF CHINA, WILL BE
SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL CHECKS
***************
SOME HOTELS IN THE SOLOMON
ISLANDS ARE CLOSING TO GUESTS TEMPORARILY DURING THIS UNPRECEDENTED
SITUATION. MOST RESORTS ARE NOT TAKING ANY NEW
RESERVATIONS FOR THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE, AND AS GUEST NUMBERS DECLINE
AS THEY ARE MORE RESTRICTED WITH FLYING AND TRAVELLING, MORE
RESORTS AND HOTELS WILL MOST PROBABLY CLOSE FOR A SHORT
TIME.
WE WILL ADVISE ANY
CONFIRMED CLOSURES AS WE ARE ADVISED OF THEM.
*****************
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CLICK HERE
Click HERE for a map of the Solomon
Islands
The Melanesian nation of the
Solomon Islands is located 1300 miles north-north east of Brisbane
and 600 miles north-north west of Vanuatu. This island
nation was part of the British Empire from 1900, and
gained independence within the Commonwealth in July 1978.
The country's 100 islands of
varying sizes contains rain forests, mountains, lagoons and
deserted coral sand beaches. The climate is tropical, very
warm and humid, and is ideal for insects, particularly mosquito, to
breed, especially in the jungles and away from the coast. We
recommend taking insect/mosquito repellant and bite relief cream
with you, as it it would be highly likely you will come into
contact with them at some point during your stay.
The population of almost half a
million people are spread throughout the many islands and speak
over 87 different dialects. In many ways the Solomons are very
similar to Vanuatu, and its people are very much in touch with
their history and culture, so a visitor is offered an insight into
a way of life that has changed very little over the centuries.
During the Second World War,
the islands were a scene of ferocious fighting between the American
and Japanese forces, on land, sea and air. Even today there
are still war relics to be found throught the islands, but the real
legacy of this period are the shipwrecks that are to be found
throughout the waters of the Solomons. In the sixty
years since the end of the war Mother Nature has worked her miracle
on the wrecks, turning them into spectacular artificial reefs,
teeming with aquatic life, which compliment the natural reefs
making the Solomons one of the world's best scuba diving
destinations.
The two main diving centres are
Honiara, the country's capital, on the island of Guadalcanal, where
the live-on board cruise boats operate from, and Gizo, on the
Western region island of Vellalavella, in the New Georgia
group, where a major dive centre has been developed.
It was on a small island near Gizo
that US president John F. Kennedy was marooned with the crew of his
torpedo boat after they were sunk by a Japanese destroyer,
It's worth a visit even though the island is now much
smaller than in was in 1943 due to tidal erosion, so visit
soon before it disappears altogether!
Currently the tourism structure in
the Solomons is evolving, the main hotels that are
available in Honiara are clean and pleasant but mostly
basic. There is one new hotel that opened in Honiara in
August 2009, that is more luxurious, The Heritage Park, and
although listed as a 5 star, by western standards it is
probably a 4 star. So if you are looking for 5-star resort
with all the luxuries and top-class service expected in Europe or
the USA, then maybe the Solomons would not be for you.
However, on the plus side, there
are a number of new, small boutique Eco Beach properties that have
been opened in the past few years that will tick all the boxes if
you are looking for that away from it all, back to
nature experience, with a little bit of TLC. They
are located mainly on the islands within the New
Georgia group, in the western region, which is a short flight up
from Honiara.
So, if you are into scuba diving or
are interested in WWII battles, or want to experience real
Melanesian culture with a white sand beach and a palm tree nearby,
then a visit to the Solomons is a must!
Currently, there are no locally
based cruise companies offering cruse itineraries around the
Solomon Islands. There are a few major cruise companies
operating the large luxury liners, who offer itineraries
across and around the Pacific that will visit some of these
islands, but they are not frequent or on a regular basis.
There are a number of live-aboard
dive boats, that provide a cruise base for scuba divers, but
they are not in our opinion suitable for clients who may just
want to cruise.
Please note: We are constantly updating the prices
shown on this website, but due to volatility of the currency
exchange markets at the moment with the UK Sterling rates, prices
may vary from those shown. If you wish to confirm any prices
shown here, please contact us directly.
Click HERE to see the UK
Foreign Office's latest advice for visitors travelling to Solomon
Islands.