CDC includes Jamaica in countries to avoid due to high risk of COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and U.S. State Department has issued a notice saying travelers should avoid going to Jamaica until the COVID-19 situation in the country has improved.

The CDC had classified the Caribbean island as a Level 4, or a country that has a “Very High Level of COVID-19,” the USA Today has reported.

“Because of the current situation in Jamaica, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants,” the CDC said.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Jamaica has reported a total of 72,824 cases of COVID-19 since January of last year, with the number of deaths amounting to 1,646.

The CDC also said that those traveling to Jamaica must ensure that they are fully vaccinated, and must be mindful about the recommendations or requirements in country, including wearing a mask and staying 6 feet apart from others.

A total of 560,898 vaccine doses have been administered in Jamaica, the WHO further revealed.

In its recent vaccination drive, Jamaica has vaccinated more than 2,000 tourism workers, a report by the Carib Journal has revealed.

Workers from the Pegasus Hotel, Sandals Negril, and Moon Palace in Ocho Rios received the inoculations in a bid to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the island as it begins welcoming guests from different parts of the world.

“The initiative is a partnership between the Ministry of Tourism, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and the Private Sector Vaccine Initiative (PSVI) to drive the vaccination of the 170,000 workers of the industry across all sub-sectors,” Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett was quoted as saying.

Last week, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the no-movement days will extend for another two weeks.

Aside from Jamaica, other islands in the Caribbean like the Bahamas, Saint Lucia, and U.S. Virgin Islands were also classified as Level 4 by the CDC.