Jamaica has just announced its newly revised measures, which apply to international travelers arriving on the island as of July 15, 2020. The current set of regulations will remain in effect through July 31, being reassessed and adjustments made as needed by the Jamaican government in alignment with the ongoing evolution of the global pandemic situation.
“Health and safety are paramount as we reopen our tourist industry on a phased basis,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism, Donovan White. “Risk assessment is an important part of preventing further spread of COVID-19 and ensuring that our visitors and residents stay safe. We have developed and are implementing procedures throughout the visitor journey that ensure a seamless process so they are able to enjoy what our island and its people have to offer.”
All inbound travelers are required to complete an online Travel Authorization application. Those who are approved are issued a travel certificate, which they must present during the airline check-in process in order to board their flight, as well as upon their arrival in Jamaica, either in print or electronically.
Requirements:
Those coming from high-risk areas of the globe (as determined by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness) must complete the questionnaire between two and five days prior to their intended arrival in Jamaica, and will receive their approval or denial in the 48 hours following form submission. All other travelers can complete the form at any point from five days prior to arrival, and receive immediate approval or denial through an automated scoring algorithm.
Travelers bound from high-risk regions are required to upload their negative COVID-19 PCR test results to receive a Travel Authorization certification. These must be no more than ten days old from the date that the sample was collected to the date of their arrival in Jamaica and must come from a College of American Pathologists (CAP) accredited lab.
Areas of the United States currently designated as high-risk amid rising COVID-19 case numbers are Arizona, Florida, New York and Texas.
All visitors will still be screened when they arrive in Jamaica by undergoing non-invasive temperature checks, observation for symptoms and a brief interview with Health Officers. Leisure travelers originating from areas that aren’t currently considered high-risk may be subject to swab-testing at the airport, based upon any presenting symptoms or their responses to risk-assessment queries.
Short-term business travelers entering the country are exempted from this requirement, but they must submit to a rapid-result swab test upon arrival at the airport and must remain quarantined until their results become available.
Stay In The Zone:
Those who pass health checks and test negative on swabs may proceed to enter the country, but must adhere to the ‘Stay in Zone’ order, which mandates visitors to remain at their hotel or resort—only those that are state-approved to operate and located within Jamaica’s ‘Resilient Corridor’—for the duration of their stays. Those whose symptoms or screenings make them suspect for infection will be swab-tested at the airport and must quarantine in their hotel rooms until their results become available.
Visitors who are considered to be high-risk and will be staying somewhere outside of the Resilient Corridor will need to take a COVID-19 PCR test once they arrive in Jamaica and must then quarantine at their personal accommodations until results arrive. Anyone who tests positive must undergo intensive isolation at home or in state-approved facilities (at their own expense), as determined by health authorities. Those who are deemed low-risk staying outside the Resilient Corridor won’t have to test, but will need to self-quarantine for fourteen days.
For more information, visit visitjamaica.com.
Source: Read Full Article