By NAN STAFF WRITER
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Jan. 25, 2022: The U.S. State Department is now warning against travel to six Caribbean destinations.
The U.S. on Monday updated its travel advisory to warn American not to travel to Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélemy, Guadeloupe and Martinique.
The advisory comes on the heels of the US Centers of Disease Control, (CDC)’s labeling of the destinations as Level 4 countries meaning they have a very high level of COVID-19. Americans are being urged not to travel there due to health and safety measures and COVID-related conditions.
The news comes the Dominican Republic added over 2,400 new COVID-19 cases Monday to reach 542,056 since the pandemic begun and as Jamaica reached 119,565 cases and nearly 2,600 deaths. Guadeloupe now has 94,765 cases; Martinique, 71,193, Saint Martin, 9,143, and St. Barts, 9,143.
Meanwhile, Jamaican authorities say based on the new recommendations announced recently by the CDC, U.S. travelers who test positive for COVID-19 in Jamaica, can now exit isolation after 5 days provided that the person is asymptomatic or has had mild symptoms that are resolving (as per physician’s evaluation).
“We are very pleased to be able to offer U.S. visitors who test positive while on island the possibility of a shorter isolation period in keeping with the new CDC guidelines,” said Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica. “Jamaica remains open for business and continues to welcome visitors safely through our comprehensive Jamaica CARES program. Our Jamaica CARES protocols were designed to be agile and adapt to changes in the marketplace, so we can now offer potentially reduced isolation times to give even more peace of mind to anyone considering a visit to Jamaica.”
The isolation period begins the day after the positive test is taken. For individuals who remain symptomatic after 5 days, the ten-day quarantine period must be completed.
