U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow issued the following statement on recent developments with the Zika virus, including its appearance in north Miami and Miami Beach:
"The U.S. travel community remains in close contact with state and federal public health experts, and is committed to disseminating their most current counsel with regard to Zika. As of this moment, the experts' counsel that Zika is a concern for women who are pregnant or hope to become pregnant, and that those specific individuals should avoid a one-square-mile area in north Miami and a 20-block area of Miami Beach.
“We are confident that authorities are doing all they can to prevent the need to expand that advisory. Our understanding is that not-at-risk parties—i.e., the vast majority of the populace—should feel free to go about their business, as Greater Miami, the beaches and the state of Florida are open for business.
"Meanwhile, we renew our call for Congress to finally reach agreement on a Zika research and prevention funding package, so that the global public can see that the matter is being proactively addressed and the situation does not devolve into needless alarm."
In other news, the Associated Press reported that officials believe “Zika won’t hurt South Florida tourism in the long run,” and The New York Times shared what travelers need to know about Zika when traveling to Miami.
Last week the CDC added the Cayman Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Turks and Caicos to its Zika virus travel alert list. Other Caribbean islands and territories already on the list include: Barbados; Bonaire; Aruba; Curacao; French Guiana; Cuba; Dominica; Belize; U.S. Virgin Islands; Martinique; Saba; St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Guadeloupe; Puerto Rico; St. Martin; Saint Maarten; Trinidad and Tobago; Guyana; Haiti; Dominican Republic; Anguilla; St. Lucia; Grenada; St. Eustatius; Suriname; St. Barthelemy and Jamaica.
