Beginning November 1, visitors to Jamaica may be able to purchase a health insurance and repatriation plan, prior to their arrival in the country.
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Jamaica’s Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has announced that the government is fine-tuning the process of introducing the program, calling the Caribbean state the most COVID-19-resilient destination in the Caribbean — a claim that would undoubtedly be challenged by some neighboring islands.
“By the first of November we hope to inaugurate in the world a complete and comprehensive, end to end health insurance, repatriation and logistics programme for all visitors coming to Jamaica,” Bartlett announced.
He explained that visitors will buy the health insurance policy — which will be attached to their flight ticket — to provide them with full health coverage prior to their arrival in Jamaica.
“For a small cess on their ticket they will be able to come to the country, ensure that their testing is done...whatever health requirements are needed when they are here on the island will be covered,” the tourism minister stated.
Minister Bartlett further explained visitors will be able to make arrangements for repatriation on a plane with paramedical facilities should they become seriously ill while under the health insurance coverage.
“If they [visitors] become seriously ill there is a repatriation arrangement, as a plane will be on the AM tarmac ready and appropriately appointed with paramedical arrangements to take them back to their destination in a prescribed arrangement in that destination. And, Jamaica will be the first country in the world to have that end to end health security for visitors coming to our country,” Bartlett stated.
It is unclear whether the policy will be available to all visitors or limited to citizens of certain countries.
Following the phased reopening of the island to tourists on June 15, Bartlett announced that the visitors could leave their COVID-19-approved hotels using similarly approved tourist transportation to visit approved attractions, while remaining within the resilient corridor connected by point-to-point protocols.