Jamaica Now Requires a COVID-19 Test Taken Within 72 Hours for Travelers

Posted on : 03/04/2021
Jamaica Now Requires a COVID-19 Test Taken Within 72 Hours for Travelers
Travel 

After a recent rise in COVID-19 cases, Jamaica is tightening its testing restrictions for visitors.

Starting March 10, anyone arriving in Jamaica will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test, taken within three days of their arrival. Previously, tests were accepted from up to 10 days before. The order applies to all travelers aged 12 or older.

Travelers can use Jamaica's Online Test Calculator to determine when they should take their tests before their trip. Jamaica will only accept PCR, NAA, RNA or antigen tests for entry.

Before visiting, travelers must complete an online travel authorization form anywhere from two to five days before their trip. After completing the form, travelers will undergo a health risk assessment, then receive their travel authorization form which they must show at the airport in order to enter Jamaica.

Jamaica

Travelers to Jamaica are only permitted to stay at approved hotels within the "Resilient Corridor," stretches of land on the island's north and south coast that includes the most popular vacation destinations like Montego Bay, Negril, and Ocho Rios. A list of COVID-19 Protocol Compliant Approved accommodations and activities is available online. Only businesses that have received this approval are permitted to serve tourists.

Visitors are also required to sign up for the Jamaica Cares insurance program, which, for $40, will cover travelers for illness, including COVID-19, and natural disasters while visiting the island.

Jamaica's number of COVID-19 cases began to spike in early February. The country now reports an average of 297 new cases per day, according to Reuters. In the last two weeks, Jamaica reported more than 4,000 new confirmed cases. Over the course of the pandemic, Jamaica has reported a total of 24,103 cases and 435 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University which has been tracking cases of COVID-19 all over the world.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.

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