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We are coming down on Dec 1st for a weeks stay at COCO in Negril....... I always rent a car while there at the Airport for transportation to Negril and then Dinner at different restaurants along the beach and the Cliffs........ This season with all the Covid requirements is there going to be a problem with the rental ????
Ken
kwhizz,
I would use the email opportunity at the visitjamaica.com website for your specific question. There was a thread on Trip Advisor yesterday with the same question....the email back from the Minister of Health that it was NOT allowed.
There was another post on Trip Advisor this morning about a couple that landed at MBJ to be told that their accommodations were not approved and that they were not allowed to rent their car either.
Ken...under the guidelines of Jamaica's Covid-19 Tourism protocols....there's a entire section devoted to being able to rent cars. The rental company has to follow their guidelines and be Covid compliant.Quote:
Originally Posted by kwhizz
Jamaicajeanne....I'm not sure why MOH would tell someone they can't rent a car nor would I send an email to them asking this question....Ministry of Health says No to everything. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by jamaicajeanne
I'd be more inclined to email the question to the Ministry of Tourism at Visit Jamaica.com...as you've said above.
Bnewb,
There are now 2 posts on TA regarding the denial of a rental car...one is the experience AFTER landing and being informed that they are not allowed to rent a car.
This is what visitjamaica now says for Cat 2 visitors...
This measure applies only for tourist visitors who are staying in the “resilient corridor” designated for tourism purposes. Under this measure, persons are required to remain at their hotel/resort within the corridor for the duration of their stay. They may, however, leave the hotel/resort to visit any tourist attraction, that is certified by the Jamaica Tourist Board to be a COVID-19 Resilient licensed tourist attraction located within the resilient corridor. The list of such attractions is available on the visitjamaica.com website. All travel to and from the attraction must be on transportation licensed under the Tourist Board Act.
From the FAQ section on visitjamaica.com..
• Can I leave my hotel if I am staying along the Resilient Corridor?
o If you are a visitor staying along the Resilient Corridor you will be under the Stay
in Zone order. This means you will be allowed to leave your hotel/resort to visit
approved COVID-19 Resilient attraction. A full list of COVID-19 Resilient
attractions can be found at
http://www.visitjamaica.com/travelau...tion/#Approved
o All travel to and from the attraction must be on transportation licensed under
the Tourist Board Act.
From a thread on TA....
2. Re: Covid requirements and experience
Nov 18, 2020, 9:17 PM
I just arrived in Jamaica today, and found it to be a terrible experience. We got our tests, completed our travel authorization, checked with our airbnb that they were in the resilient corridor, etc. No one ever checked our Covid results except the gate agent in SFO. In Montego Bay, we were corralled into a tiny area with far too many people crammed in. There was plenty of hand sanitizer, but no social distancing. Our health agent told us that our airbnb wasn't on the "list" and that we would not be able to rent our car that we already paid for, and if we did pay the $300 taxi fare for one of the companies they force you into (but they don't tell you until you commit!), we wouldn't be allowed to leave the house at all, not even to get groceries. We said in that case we will just fly back to America, and they said no you can't do that because there are no flights today and you can't stay in the airport. It was a terrible experience of rules that no one understands. A different airport agent said you're allowed to go to the grocery or pharmacy once a day. After several hours of being in limbo, we just said "Okay yes" and were allowed to leave the airport. We didn't know how to get to our original airbnb, so we accepted the offer of one of the many oppressive drivers who come at you as you leave the airport, and just booked a new place in Montego Bay. We're probably going to lose the $1000 we spent on our rental car and airbnb. The rules are so unclear and not standardly enforced.
We went to Tahiti in August. Everything was so well-organized, the people were so friendly, it was beautiful, and the vibes were all positive. I do not recommend traveling to Jamaica at this time.
From another thread....
FYI - no rental cars are allowed for category 2 travellers
Nov 17, 2020, 2:27 PM
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Hello All, I know I asked tens of questions and had very great discussions but I just got this bad news from the "Visit Jamaica". I am not sure if they are considered official but I'd think they are.
I asked if I can drive rental car to approved attractions / beaches / or anywhere else. They answer was a No. Can't even go anywhere outside the property without an authorized taxi. I think this is just a money grabbing technique to recover from the downtime. Sad but true! I am re-evaluating and 90% in favor of cancelling Jamaica after this news.
The response was as below which honestly don't make sense to me. Because of below reasons:
1. Driving a rental car is much safer for everyone. Much safer than taking tours and shuttles no matter how approved / authorized they are.
2. This means, category 2 is not allowed to go to any beach front if it is NOT within their accommodation. So no walking miles on the beach is allowed.
3. This also means, Category 2 is not allowed to walk to a restaurant or a super market even if it is 100 meters away. They will need to take an authorized taxi.
4. Basically this means you are trapped. Something Belize tried to do but failed to attract tourists then eventually removed it.
"Under the current Covid-19 measures;
All visitors to Jamaica are required to quarantine for 14 days, this include residents and non-residents, except for Business travellers and Category 2 travellers: Non-residents who would be staying within the resilient corridor. They would be able to utilize all the resources that the hotel/resort provides, visit any approved attractions within the corridor using transportation licensed under the Tourist Board Act. This may be done for the entire duration of their stay.
You are required to use Tourist Board licensed transportation to move around within the resilient corridor, so to answer your question, no rental cars are allowed for category 2 travellers."
The one thing that is very clear is that if you aren't staying at a covid certified property, you will be quarantining....they should have checked that out first and foremost. If you are traveling to a foreign country, people need to do their homework and research on the rules and regulations before committing their money and time to travel.
fargoman, I completely agree!!
When we applied for our travel authorization, we were required to fill in where we were staying and what transportation we would be using....
Bnewb,
Could you post or point us to where it says you can rent a car? I have read visitjamaica until I am bleary eyed and find noting about renting a car and freely driving in the corridor.
Lol...JamaicaJeanne...I saw those posts.😏
Considering the Tahiti person didn't follow protocol, I'm surprised they let them in at all...and their post was very, very contradictory.
The person that asked the question directly to VisitJamaica.com...this is line that caused the "no" response....
"I asked if I can drive rental car to approved attractions / beaches / or anywhere else."
They cannot drive just "anywhere else" or to "approved attractions"...
but, you can still rent a vehicle and drive yourself around inside the resilient corridor as a category 2 tourist.
And, quite frankly...if anyone has truly been refused the chance to use a rental car...maybe they were deemed high risk in disobeying protocols and the Gov't/MOH made the choice to not allow them a vehicle rental. They have that option!
Thanks Bnewb,
I agree with you, however, I cannot understand how the Tahiti person received an approved travel authorization without listing a certified property or transportation.
Jamaicajeanne....my info comes from a download that was distributed to businesses of over 130 pages...😵 Covid-19 Tourism Protocols.Quote:
Originally Posted by jamaicajeanne
Around page 105 is the protocols for transportation...
https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/sim...969c1844e4.pdf
Thank you Bnewb,
With all due respect, the info you posted only address the how the car rental employees are supposed to perform. It does not address (at least what I read) where the visitor can drive their vehicle.
We traveled when you had to upload your results and wait for authorization. We followed protocol to the letter and had no issues with approval, entry or our stay.
At this time, I find it frustrating that logical information is not posted in one place like visitjamaica.com I completely agree with your assessment of the posts that I shared here...but I do not see how an inexperienced traveler can successfully plan their vacation. I can also appreciate that it might be impossible to think of every scenario, but I do feel the information could be more precise and available in one place. The suggestion has always been "follow the protocols listed at visitjamaica.com".....But, not all of the necessary information is listed there.
I also find it strange that you have to apply for entry, but apparently you get your approval immediately regardless of what you have listed for your place of stay and your transportation. So ultimately what is the purpose for the travel authorization?
It is a difficult conundrum and I respect what Jamaica is trying to do.....
Good luck and safe travels everyone!
Jamaicajeanne....it's a guide for tourism! The Tourism Ministry spent countless hours, days etc. writing out protocols for the tourism industry. It's not a guide for how to handle Jamaica citizens. Vehicle rentals are addressed in the Covid-19 Tourism Protocols.Quote:
Originally Posted by jamaicajeanne
As far as getting approval immediately after applying for the Travel Authorization...you only get a positive, immediate response if you answer correctly and comply with their stated protocols. I see it as an improvement...not something negative.
The DRMs (Disaster Risk Management amendments) state every new rule as well as exactly where you can go...they've amended the original Resilient Corridor to having 3, including the south coast. Sometimes there's confusion with updates on the various and separate websites because this is an incredibly fluid situation. Nothing like this has happened before. It can be frustrating...but so are the times we're in!!
I appreciate all of the work everyone has done in opening Jamaica to tourism and I can appreciate that not every situation is the same....I may not be expressing myself correctly as I never said anything about handling Jamaican citizens....I was only discussing the protocols for tourists.
All is well, I was just expressing a frustration with the information flowing easily to a new traveler. I am not a new traveler and I followed the protocols precisely and had no issues, however, I did not rent a car...I used approved transportation from the list.
We are definitely living in a strange world right now! Thank you for your time.
Safe travels everyone!
No worries, Jamaicajeanne....I fully understand your frustration!!Quote:
Originally Posted by jamaicajeanne
And maybe to clear up the rental issue, G.A.S. Rental Car and Financing is an approved Transportation operation.....
Gotcha! Thanks to both of you.
I have never found transportation in Jamaica to be an issue and thus have never rented a car. I wish that we could see the Tahiti poster's application to see precisely where they failed....Yes, reading comprehension can be an issue, LOL!
Its always best to go to the source, from the Government about tourists renting a car:
"Yes, they are. They just have to stay within the resilient corridor"
So there you have it!
Jamaicajeanne...just an fyi..since ya made me look at TA...lol 😱 ...please note that SOE's have not been in effect for over a couple of months...before the election here.Quote:
Originally Posted by jamaicajeanne
There are no State of Emergency military checkpoints anywhere...only normal policing stops.