It’s time you reconsider your travel plans for Jamaica and other countries. On January 23, the US Department of State issued a level three travel advisory. This advisory recommends residents to rethink their travel due to arising safety risks. It comes right below the highest advisory level, i.e. level four, which lists countries under the ‘Do No Travel’ mark.
Warning residents of the possible violent crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults and homicides, the Department of State has cautioned people that local police doesn’t always respond well to severe criminal incidents.
The warning note also reminds US citizens that if subjected to such accidents, their families would have to wait a year or even more for the Jamaican authorities to issue final death certificates.
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State Department’s travel advisories explained
Ranking from level one, these advisories go up to level four. The first one recommends “normal precautions”, whereas the precaution level heightens in level 2. Despite the “increased precaution” warning, this rating doesn’t fully guide one to avoid the country altogether.
On the other hand, countries marked with the level four rating are listed as ”Do Not Travel”. Both level three and four countries are marked under “Reconsider Travel”.
Countries listed in the Level three US travel advisory
Burundi
Chad
Colombia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Egypt
El Salvador
Ethiopia
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Honduras
Jamaica
Lebanon
Macau
Mauritania
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Saudi Arabia
South Sudan
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Countries with Level 4 travel warning
Afghanistan
Belarus
Burkina Faso
Burma
Central African Republic
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Libya
Mali
North Korea
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Venezuela
Yemen
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Safety tips for travelling abroad
US citizens are recommended to join the free service of the Step Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which will help you prepare for emergencies. Find more about it here
Additionally, other general tips to keep in mind while travelling outside the US are as follows. Keep an eye out. Pay attention to the surrounding and never travel alone. Be alert of what’s happening around you and keep communicating with someone. Make sure to keep a check of the news so that you’re well aware of what’s going on.
If you spot something suspicious, speak up by reporting it to local law enforcement. In order for you to have a contingency plan, you should know about the airports in the region as well. Keep contact details for the nearest US embassy in the region handy in case of emergency. You may also want to update your social media so that your loved ones are in the loop about where you are.