Puerto Rico opened to tourists on July 15th. So I pounced and purchased a round-trip ticket on American Airlines (because I know their covid-19 rules well.) However, now, I regret buying it.

I want to go to Puerto Rico and travel again, but covid-19 is still making things difficult. Even though American Air standards for keeping their passengers safe are excellent, many areas like Puerto Rico have implemented their own regulations for tourists.

This is great because it keeps their residents safe from anyone that might be infected. However, it makes traveling difficult.

I guess the main point of writing this is to hear what other people in similar situations would’ve done instead of canceling?

Puerto Rico and Covid-19 Testing

Puerto Rico recently announced that starting July 15th, they require any tourist to have a negative covid test upon arriving. This is great, but there’s an issue.

My partner recently got a covid-19 test, and he tested negative. This was two weeks ago. 

According to Puerto Rico’s guidelines for travelers, it is outdated and is no longer valid. It makes a lot of sense because you can catch covid-19 right after testing negative. I get it.

Therefore, their rule on testing states your negative test result must not be more than 72 hours old. However, getting your test results within 72 hours is practically impossible.

To start, testing in LA is very backed up which means your appointment will be weeks from now. However, there are some venues where I live that can make it happen. 

My partner signed up, and I went with him to the test site. Right before they swabbed his nostril, they informed him that even though everyone is saying its a 48-hour turnaround, most of the time, your test results will be emailed to you within 5-7 days.

That presents an issue if you’re trying to travel anywhere with a 72-hour rule in place.

How Many Days Later Did He Get His Results?

It took five days for my partner to receive his negative results. Already, his test is invalid. Meaning, if he wanted to travel today as we originally planned, he would be out of luck.

What Else is Puerto Rico Requiring?

Face masks are required all over the island, as it should be. However, they also stated that if you do not have a test, they will test you upon arriving at the airport. That’s awesome news. Although, if you’re positive, you are required to quarantine for 14 days.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the money to quarantine anywhere but my house for 14 days.

So what about this covid test at the airport? Here is where it gets complicated again. You’ll have to quarantine (in your hotel) until you get your results. I’m only there for three nights. If the test results come back in 5 days, that’s my entire trip.

So what is there to do at this point? Should you risk it and get tested at the airport and hope for a negative result?

Even so, how will that play out? What does one do? Are Puerto Rico’s tests rapid? Have you encountered this already? How did it all go down for you? Please let me know in the comments.

I have already canceled my trip. American Airlines’ website makes it very easy to rebook and cancel flights with its new interface.

Now I’m back at square one. Hopefully I can travel to Puerto Rico once things settle down. For now its better to play it safe.

How would you have handled this situation?