These six islands have some of the lowest Covid-19 rates in the world

Micronesia has confirmed only one case of Covid-19 to date. The Polynesian island of Samoa and the South Pacific island of Vanuatu have just three cases each.

Sounds like safe travel choices? There’s just one problem — none are allowing in tourists.

Many islands that opened to tourists during the pandemic experienced rising coronavirus infection rates shortly thereafter.

But there are exceptions.  

The following destinations kept Covid rates low by imposing stringent protocols, which often include “vacation in place” requirements.

Travelers to the British Overseas Territory, located east of the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, must be pre-approved to enter and test negative for Covid-19 before arriving, upon landing and again after a “stay in place” period of either 10 or 14 days (depending on from where travelers are visiting).

During that period, travelers can stay in hotels and villas and dine in restaurants, provided they are “Safe Environment Certified,” according to Anguilla Tourist Board’s website. They can also golf, scuba dive and make offshore excursions, as long as those are government-certified too.

Travelers can apply for a “short stay” (less than three months) for around $250 per person. Remote workers, students and their families can apply under a separate “digital nomad” program, which costs $2,000 to stay up to a year.

Vaccination rate: 26% of the population has had at least one dose as of Feb. 26 (unless otherwise noted, all vaccination rates are from the Our World in Data website).

When it reopened its borders more than four months ago, the dual island nation didn’t assign risk levels to travelers from different countries because “all visitors are considered as arriving from an area of significant risk,” according to its tourism authority’s website.

All incoming travelers must be approved to enter and must test negative before arriving, including children and vaccinated people.

But Saint Kitts and Nevis is more particular about testing than most. The pre-departure testing window is short (between 48 and 72 hours prior to departure), and tests must be nasopharyngeal RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests “taken at laboratories which have an ISO/IEC 17025 standard,” according to the website.

“Those traveling from the U.S. should look for laboratories that are CLIA-certified (CDC approved) and those from the U.K. should refer to UKAS approved labs,” it reads, the latter referring to the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, a national body that assesses testing and other services.

The website states that test results from American laboratory company LabCorp are not accepted. However, a Saint Kitts’ tourism representative told CNBC Global Traveler that this information is “outdated” and is no longer applicable, and that travelers can email questions about tests in advance.

Travelers arriving via plane must stay in their hotel for the first week of travel, though they can interact with other guests and take part in hotel activities. Those who test negative on the eighth day can move around the island to select locations, including the Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the historic sites in the capital city of Basseterre. Note: Travelers from the U.K. must quarantine at their hotels and are currently not allowed to “vacation in place.”

Guests who test negative after 14 days on the island can integrate into the local population, which has about 53,000 residents.

Vaccination rate: Around 10% of the population as of March 10 (according to a tourism representative for the country).