The CDC on Sept. 7 raised Jamaica from level 3 to level 4 on its travel advisory list, which signifies “very high” Covid levels and warned Americans to avoid traveling there due to rising cases.
“If you must travel to Jamaica, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel,” the CDC said in an advisory on its website.
Travel Weekly is tracking the latest Covid-related requirements for entry into Caribbean islands.
At the same time, the U.S. State Department also raised its travel advisory for Jamaica to level 4, which means “do not travel” due to Covid as well as crime in certain urban areas, including Montego Bay and Kingston.
Jamaica’s current entry protocols for all U.S. citizens, regardless of vaccination status, require an online travel authorization form within seven days of travel date, proof of a PCR or antigen test taken within three days of arrival and proof of accommodations within the “Resilient Corridors” along the north and south coasts.
Jamaica had low cases of Covid-19 during 2020, but cases began rising in 2021 with a peak of 600 per day in March, according to reports. The current wave is the most severe with new cases averaging 670 day. The island has fully vaccinated approximately 10% of its population of 2.9 million.
- Related: Puerto Rico, Jamaica start curfews and other Covid measures
“The health and safety of every Jamaican traveler and every visitor to our country remains our top priority. We expect that the level 4 designation by the CDC will be short in duration,” said minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett.
“While Jamaica is one of 77 countries around the world, including many of our Caribbean neighbors, to receive the level 4 designation, we remain confident that our Resilient Corridors and protocols will continue to take us on the right path,” he said.
Bartlett pointed out that Jamaica’s protocols were among the first to receive the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Safe Travels recognition “that safely allowed us to reopen in June 2020,” Bartlett said.
Source: Read Full Article