Arrived 7/16 - Smooth Experience

Wanted to share my experience traveling into MoBay yesterday. Landed at 2:15pm, was greeted by Club MoBay rep and escorted to the Covid-19 "question station". On the way there, your temperature is taken and written on a paper.. There are two lines entering the qustioning area. One is for general passengers and the other is for Club MoBay. They alternate the lines from which passengers are called from. I was the third person in the Club MoBay line with about 6 passengers behind me while in the general passengers line, was about 40 passengers long by the time I was called. I was called within 5 mins of me getting in line.

I answered about 6 questions regarding my exposure to Covid, and signed a statement saying I would not leave my resort property :biggrin-new:;):eagerness:s

From there, I was escorted to immigration, but not the lines I have used in the last 20+ visits to Jamaica. As this was my first time using Club MoBay, I discovered they have a separate immigrations line with no wait! I then stopped at the Duty Free shop since ATL Airport's stores were closed....

Grabbed my luggage, no wait at customs, and met my long time driver Chris (Big ups to TCJ) who was waiting in our usual meeting spot.

I didn't even use the Club MoBay lounge on my entry since my driver was waiting, but I will use it on my departure in a few weeks.

Overall the $80 for Club MoBay was worth it. The key is to get through the covid question station ASAP... after that its a breeze since most passengers are stalled at the questioning areas...

By 3pm I was in Iron Shore eating at Scotchies... then...OTW to Negril...

Hope this helps anyone concerned about the experience with this new phase of re-entry protocols.

One other tip I would suggest, is to check the MoBay airport flight arrival schedule to see what other flights are arriving around your flight, that will give you an idea of the traffic to expect. Our flight seemed to have arrived before others did, as the line for the Covid questions was empty when our flight arrived.

Why would you not be able to leave resort? I thought tourist could travel within the resilient corridor? Did you question this?

Didn't question it since I am not staying on a "Corporate" resort and in Negril there is no real way to stop me from walking the beach/strip...

I believe that message is to encourage noobs and help reduce the desire to roam the corridor... as you see the smiley faces in my post... that rule didn't apply to me...lol.. but i just needed to get out there. Asking questions would have wasted my time...

I have boat tours and excursions scheduled while here... gotta support the locals.. cant keep me at White Sands this whole time..

Gabriello, what kind of questions were asked at the airport (6)?

Totally understand. Just makes things confusing for tourists who come and are under the impression they can travel within the corridor to be asked to sign a paper saying they won't leave the resort. What about those who's hotel may not offer meals.....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fargoman

Gabriello, what kind of questions were asked at the airport (6)?

---

Have i been tested?
Have I been in contact with anyone with Covid?
Do i take care of people with Covid?
Have i received a flu vaccine recently?
If i display symptoms, will I contact their health dept. immediately?
Etc..etc..


Some repeated questions that you answer to get the travel authorization. Basic stuff... this process is nothing to be worried about... very simple... hardest part is getting results from Covid-19 tests within 10 days if you live in a high risk state... but that has nothing to do with Jamaica... all US issues... Jamaica is handling this thing very well...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Barb111

Totally understand. Just makes things confusing for tourists who come and are under the impression they can travel within the corridor to be asked to sign a paper saying they won't leave the resort. What about those who's hotel may not offer meals.....

---

You are right, this can confuse tourists.... Some resorts like Sandals are not letting their guests leave the property (corporate resort) whereas Air B&Bs, (private in some cases) you have no choice but to survive outside of your accommodations to get meals beverages etc...

I think its just a blanketed statement, however tourists have to understand what's realistic. No one is arresting people off properties...

Gabriello, did you get the idea that if you did not pretest, you would be considered high risk? Also, flu vaccine? Hmmm...wonder why?

How can Sandals not allow guests to leave? Isn’t that kidnapping, lol?

I find it interesting how comfortable you are with blatantly lying and seeming to be proud of it, or maybe just find it amusing. If you start to show symptoms, will you contact the health department, or was that also a lie? And I would expect that no matter where you are staying, you could order meals to be delivered if you cared to, rather than just declare that the rules you agreed to follow are unrealistic.

Reading this thread and the attitudes you express makes me think I need to be much more cautious about travel.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Barb111

Gabriello, did you get the idea that if you did not pretest, you would be considered high risk? Also, flu vaccine? Hmmm...wonder why?

---

Although I did pretest, but did not get my results until after I got on the island (10+ days since I tested), I replied that I did NOT test since I didn't have results in the instance they asked for them...


The flu question is probably for statistical purposes...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Barb111

How can Sandals not allow guests to leave? Isn’t that kidnapping, lol?

---

It is... I have an employee staying in Sandals MoBay and she and her party cannot leave the property until they check out... Do believe that the corporate resorts have way more influence on the island than most would believe. Imagine if one of the big resorts had an outbreak...they are going above and beyond...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wrtiii

I find it interesting how comfortable you are with blatantly lying and seeming to be proud of it, or maybe just find it amusing. If you start to show symptoms, will you contact the health department, or was that also a lie? And I would expect that no matter where you are staying, you could order meals to be delivered if you cared to, rather than just declare that the rules you agreed to follow are unrealistic.

Reading this thread and the attitudes you express makes me think I need to be much more cautious about travel.

---

I agree, it's this type of arrogant attitude that will get the whole island shut down again.
Perhaps someone should pass this thread on the the health authorities.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by airswift

I agree, it's this type of arrogant attitude that will get the whole island shut down again.
Perhaps someone should pass this thread on the the health authorities.

---

Don't worry, they already know about the thread. The JTB has been checking out our site for decades.

I was talking with some higher ups at the JTB last night - will write more shortly.

It's too bad that there are some people who think that the rules and guidelines do not apply to them. They just affect things negatively for everyone else. Jamaica is handling this pandemic well, and it is because of these rules and guidelines that the death toll has remained at 10. Let's all follow the guidelines and adhere to the rules so that Jamaica can also recover from the economic impact of this virus and everyone, visitors and residents alike, can be as safe as possible. WM

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Weathermon & Mi Lady

It's too bad that there are some people who think that the rules and guidelines do not apply to them. They just affect things negatively for everyone else. Jamaica is handling this pandemic well, and it is because of these rules and guidelines that the death toll has remained at 10. Let's all follow the guidelines and adhere to the rules so that Jamaica can also recover from the economic impact of this virus and everyone, visitors and residents alike, can be as safe as possible. WM

---

Not only do they think the rules don't apply to them, they go ahead and post it on the message board including where they are staying.
"you just can't fix stupid"

Our experience on Saturday the 18th was a little confusing. All went well until the very last checkpoint in front of baggage claim. This is where they ask you where you are staying for the last time and if you are in a hotel they tell you to go right and collect your bags and if you are staying in a private villa or residence or you are a Jamaican returning you go left to some tables to receive further information. Even though Rondel Village comes right up as a recognized hotel when you type it in on the travel authorization website, the person who asked us didn’t recognize it as such and sent us to the wrong line where we were given a 14 day checklist to record our temperature and a list of symptoms twice daily and we were instructed to download the JamCovid19 app. We were also instructed not to leave the residence. During this whole process we kept telling them we were not supposed to be in this line and that we were staying in a recognized resort, but no one would listen. The whole process took us about 20-25 minutes. Finally at the last table an MP asked us for our names, contact numbers and where we were staying. When Melo told him that we were staying at Rondel Village “right in the middle of 7 mile beach in Negril” the MP replied, “you shouldn’t be here!” We were like, we know, we read Negril.com...he then instructed us to stay in the corridor and that we could delete the app. So be careful when naming your hotel if it’s not Sandals or Beaches or any other large all-inclusive resort. Without this hiccup we would have been out of the airport in under an hour. We did use Club MoBay and they saved us a little time in the line and they filled our large insulated tumblers with rum punch before we left the lounge.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wrtiii

I find it interesting how comfortable you are with blatantly lying and seeming to be proud of it, or maybe just find it amusing. If you start to show symptoms, will you contact the health department, or was that also a lie? And I would expect that no matter where you are staying, you could order meals to be delivered if you cared to, rather than just declare that the rules you agreed to follow are unrealistic.

Reading this thread and the attitudes you express makes me think I need to be much more cautious about travel.

---

Please consider that not only hotels are open but also businesses that offer excursions are open.. both approved by JTB.. so how can excursion companies be approved to open (with Covid restrictions), while at the same time ALL visitors are supposed to stay on their hotel property???? Common sense people... The same JTB that certified the hotels, certified the excursion companies… SMH

I have a residence in Georgia an was leaving out of ATL, where the the Mayor requires masks in public places, and at the same time the Governor was suing her... clearly heading in a direction of being added to the high risk list, I went ahead and took pre-test while not required as an insurance policy against stupid leadership of the state...

So had I not been considerate of the conditions and the risk... I would not have ever taken the test.... but as my post said.. my family is from the island and I am not here as a mere tourist, but my knowledge of how the island works I :

1 - Took the precautions of taking a test while not required
2 - Answered the question as if any other person who would NOT been required to take the test would have answered, since I could not respond with a test result...

I am proud of having knowledge of how the island works and knowing and understanding how "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing".

As for ordering meals... hahahaha.. no I prepare my meals in my apartment. If the Prime Minister and the Jamaica Tourism Board are not on the same page with regulations and restrictions, do you think that the unregulated "Jamaica Uber" could ensure produce and/or meals are delivered with sanitary protocols being adhered to? Gimme a break...

If you have any doubts in vacationing in Jamaica because of someone who has experience in traveling here shared some common sense... Then stay your ass at home...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rob

Don't worry, they already know about the thread. The JTB has been checking out our site for decades.

I was talking with some higher ups at the JTB last night - will write more shortly.

---

Rob - With all due respect... Masks have been required since the country re-opened.. yet I do not see you reporting these in your posts as "Tourists" for not being within protocol...


https://negril.com/forum/showthread....ht=white+sands

Did JTB come and get them??? Did you assist in capturing the violators?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Monty&Melo

Our experience on Saturday the 18th was a little confusing. All went well until the very last checkpoint in front of baggage claim. This is where they ask you where you are staying for the last time and if you are in a hotel they tell you to go right and collect your bags and if you are staying in a private villa or residence or you are a Jamaican returning you go left to some tables to receive further information. Even though Rondel Village comes right up as a recognized hotel when you type it in on the travel authorization website, the person who asked us didn’t recognize it as such and sent us to the wrong line where we were given a 14 day checklist to record our temperature and a list of symptoms twice daily and we were instructed to download the JamCovid19 app. We were also instructed not to leave the residence. During this whole process we kept telling them we were not supposed to be in this line and that we were staying in a recognized resort, but no one would listen. The whole process took us about 20-25 minutes. Finally at the last table an MP asked us for our names, contact numbers and where we were staying. When Melo told him that we were staying at Rondel Village “right in the middle of 7 mile beach in Negril” the MP replied, “you shouldn’t be here!” We were like, we know, we read Negril.com...he then instructed us to stay in the corridor and that we could delete the app. So be careful when naming your hotel if it’s not Sandals or Beaches or any other large all-inclusive resort. Without this hiccup we would have been out of the airport in under an hour. We did use Club MoBay and they saved us a little time in the line and they filled our large insulated tumblers with rum punch before we left the lounge.

---

This further proves my point that "The Right hand does not know what the Left hand is doing"... If you are familiar with the island or travelling throughout the Caribbean, then common sense tells you to go through the path with the lease resistance...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gabriello

Please consider that not only hotels are open but also businesses that offer excursions are open.. both approved by JTB.. so how can excursion companies be approved to open (with Covid restrictions), while at the same time ALL visitors are supposed to stay on their hotel property???? Common sense people... The same JTB that certified the hotels, certified the excursion companies… SMH

I have a residence in Georgia an was leaving out of ATL, where the the Mayor requires masks in public places, and at the same time the Governor was suing her... clearly heading in a direction of being added to the high risk list, I went ahead and took pre-test while not required as an insurance policy against stupid leadership of the state...

So had I not been considerate of the conditions and the risk... I would not have ever taken the test.... but as my post said.. my family is from the island and I am not here as a mere tourist, but my knowledge of how the island works I :

1 - Took the precautions of taking a test while not required
2 - Answered the question as if any other person who would NOT been required to take the test would have answered, since I could not respond with a test result...

I am proud of having knowledge of how the island works and knowing and understanding how "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing".

As for ordering meals... hahahaha.. no I prepare my meals in my apartment. If the Prime Minister and the Jamaica Tourism Board are not on the same page with regulations and restrictions, do you think that the unregulated "Jamaica Uber" could ensure produce and/or meals are delivered with sanitary protocols being adhered to? Gimme a break...

If you have any doubts in vacationing in Jamaica because of someone who has experience in traveling here shared some common sense... Then stay your ass at home...

---

Oh your such a sweat heart. I bet Georgia really misses you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by airswift

Oh your such a sweat heart. I bet Georgia really misses you.

---

Not as much as Jamaica misses me... that's why I'm HERE!!!

Your American arrogance is pouring out. You fly from a high risk area (as far as I understand Atlanta and Georgia in general is the epicenter of the virus in the south USA) and then lie on an official government document. It doesn’t matter if one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing or common sense tells you to go through the path with the lease resistance... the fact of the matter is your American arrogance is putting others at risk and may result in the government having to shut the country down again.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by brownsd54

Your American arrogance is pouring out. You fly from a high risk area (as far as I understand Atlanta and Georgia in general is the epicenter of the virus in the south USA) and then lie on an official government document. It doesn’t matter if one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing or common sense tells you to go through the path with the lease resistance... the fact of the matter is your American arrogance is putting others at risk and may result in the government having to shut the country down again.

---

I agree. Perhaps someone from jTB should have a word with this person.

"Your American arrogance is pouring out" implies all Americans are arrogant, I beg to differ. Arrogance and ignorance are found everywhere, including Manitoba.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by phineasfreakears

"Your American arrogance is pouring out" implies all Americans are arrogant, I beg to differ. Arrogance and ignorance are found everywhere, including Manitoba.

---

That is very true. Lying on an official government form to be self serving happens all the time. It's human nature. Posting on social media, laughing and LOL'ing about it, blaming others for what they do, and then downplaying it as the government doesn't know what they are doing, is arrogant. Questioning Rob, who has done more for the promotion of Negril than any other person ever, because, what was it, Rob wasn't promoting the wearing of masks. That is inexcusable and arrogant.
I didn't mean to say all Americans were arrogant, just the poster here.
Oh ya BTW, Manitoba has 374 cases, 318 recovered and 7 deaths. Georgia has 139,000 cases, unknown number recovered, and 3,264 deaths. There might have been just a wee bit of arrogant's seeping from your post phineasfreakears

People can come from covid hot spots and still be relatively safe depending on their behavior. It's pretty clear how to avoid getting infected if you don't have a risky job. Those of us who haven't been infected yet are probably doing something right.

First of all, when did I not promote masks? I have been wearing them since April and expect others to protect themselves as well as others.

And being born American, chill out my fellow country men and women. One of our literary greatest gifts to humanity, Mark Twain wrote about the concept of the "ugly American' about 150 years ago in "The Innocents Abroad ". Don't take offense, it is part of who we are, and apparently have been for at least 150 years.

And for those not American, we already know this so we don't need to be reminded. You are wasting your time anyway. :beguiled:

Lying to government officials is a perfectly excellent topic of what not do, but I have seen visitors from all corners of the world do the same thing. I even ran into a group not from America passing counterfeit US$20. There are all kinds of people breaking the laws here.

If you leave your resort BUT follow all the sanitizing, social distancing and masking rules, you may be breaking the law but others are doing worse than that today. If you're not following the sanitizing, social distancing and masking rules, then you may be responsible for someone's illness and/or death. For that there is no excuse.

At this time, I cannot say for certain what the actual law is about the Corridor. There is contradictory information which all seem official, so as I suggested the other day, the best I can say is to stay on your property. I am still trying to seek the actual rule.

During this pandemic we should all be on the same side, obey the common sense rules. This is a real virus with real deaths. Sanitizing, social distancing and wearing a mask is how we are going to prevent this thing from spreading. Treatments and vaccines are a ways off, so until then we simply follow the obvious preventative measures.

And WE ARE ALL in this together.

Most of what the original poster has said here is counter productive.
It might be time to hit the off switch.
Thanks Rob for all your help.
Be safe everyone.