Jamaica Eases Travel Restrictions For Fully Vaccinated Tourists
After 20 months of strict COVID-19 restrictions, Jamaica is finally dropping the quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers staying outside the ‘resilient corridor’.
Under the current rules, travelers have to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine if they are staying outside of the ‘resilient corridor’. The ‘resilient corridor’ is an area of Jamaica with a rigorous set of COVID-19 rules and regulations.
The nation created the ‘resilient corridor’ for segments along the nation’s popular southern and northern coasts. The new changes do not affect travelers staying within the resilient corridor, which will continue to have strict COVID-19 protocols.
Travelers staying in the tourism corridor below will NOT have to self-quarantine but do have to provide proof a negative Covid-19 test.
- Part 1: A Northern segment stretching from Negril in Westmoreland across the northern coastline to Port Antonio in Portland.
- Part 2: A South Coast segment running from Milk River in Clarendon westward to Negril in Westmoreland.
The New Entry Requirements
Travelers can skip the mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers staying outside of the ‘resilient corridor’ if they are fully vaccinated.
Fully vaccinated travelers can now leave the isolation period early if they take a negative post-arrival PCR test. The nation asks all travelers over 12 to show proof of a negative antigen or molecular test within three days of traveling to the country.
But from now on, the nation will allow travelers staying outside the ‘resilient corridor’ to skip the quarantine if they take a negative PCR test before arriving in the country. Unvaccinated travelers staying outside the resilient corridor will still need to quarantine for 14 days.
Jamaica asks all travelers to provide a travel authorization form before boarding. The form asks travelers to give their name, address of where they’re staying, and whether they’ve been possibly exposed to COVID-19.
However, the CDC suggests Jamaica has a “high level” of COVID-19 cases and advises all U.S travelers to be fully vaccinated before traveling to the country.
COVID-19 Situation In Jamaica
Jamaica has endured relatively low cases of COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. There have been 3 waves in the previous two years, with two bigger waves in 2021 following the emergence of the Delta variant.
Despite the CDC suggesting Jamaica has a “high level of COVID-19 cases, the current 7-day case average is only 71 with 56 new cases on November 25th. The 7-day case average in September peaked at 769 cases.
There have been 90,961 cases of COVID-19 and 2,367 deaths in Jamaica since the pandemic began. Jamaica has currently fully vaccinated 18.3% of its entire population, after administering 1.09 million vaccine doses to 501,000 citizens.
The COVID-19 Restrictions Within Jamaica
Although Jamaica is open for travelers, there are still many COVID-19 restrictions within the country.
- Jamaica currently has a nighttime curfew in place from 9 pm to 5 am the following day.
- The maximum number of people allowed at any gathering is 10 people
- Bars, restaurants, and gyms have a limited capacity of only 50%
- The government has made it mandatory to wear a face-covering in public
- Social distancing laws suggest travelers must maintain a minimum distance of six feet between each other
- Everyone over 60 who aren’t fully vaccinated must stay at home
- The nation restricts places of worship to a maximum of 100 people
- Nightclubs and amusements are closed
- The government has closed amusement arcades
- The government has banned concerts and boat parties
In addition, all travelers with cold, cough, or flu symptoms must stay at home until they’ve received a negative COVID-19 test.
Hotels and private rentals are open nationwide, but they are subject to guidance from the Jamaican government which may result in changes. The Jamaican government advises all travelers to confirm their accommodation arrangements before entering the country.
Source: https://bit.ly/3reps96
