Jamaica Advisories Include 'Do Not Travel' Areas

A leading Caribbean Island destination to about 4 million travelers has recently been the focus of high-level travel advisories by the U.S. and U.K. governments.

Over 225,000 British nationals visited Jamaica annually before the recent pandemic.

On May 10, 2023, Jamaica, a member of the British Commonwealth, was issued a Level 3: Reconsider Travel advisory by the U.S. Department of State, which included numerous Do Not Travel notices for sections of Jamaica, including the capital city of Kingston, home to over 1.2 million people.

Violence occurs regularly in many neighborhoods, communities, and parishes in Jamaica, says the State Department.

Furthermore, U.S. government personnel are prohibited from traveling to many areas of Jamaica.

On April 6, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Kingston announced, after recommendations from the Government of Jamaica, it placed an additional 15 areas on a list of off-limits neighborhoods, parishes, and communities for U.S. government employees. 

These 15 areas are in addition to 29 areas previously made off-limits to Embassy personnel.

For all areas of Jamaica not listed, the State Department advises U.S. citizens to reconsider travel to Jamaica.

If you visit Jamaica, the Embassy suggests enrolling in the Smart Traveler Program to receive alerts during an emergency.

Separately, the U.K's Foreign travel advice says there are high levels of civil unrest, particularly in Kingston.

And as part of security enhancement measures, the government of Jamaica may impose a State of Emergency (SoE) with little warning.

An SoE allows the military to support the police in joint security operations in response to violent incidents, and checkpoints may be established on roads.

From a health perspective, the U.S. and the U.K. recommend various routine and travel vaccinations before visiting Jamacia in May 2023. If you are arriving from designated countries such as Brazil, proof of yellow fever vaccination is required.