Tourists May Need COVID ‘Passport’

[airswift]

A COVID Passport is a really stupid idea.
Must be a Ganja moment

[justin_a_lyesse]

Requiring at "COVID passport" will eliminate 90% of the tourists from coming to Jamaica. We tourists cannot get tests to begin with unless we are symptomatic. And even those who get tested PRIOR to getting on that aircraft have no guarantee that they will be COVID free once they land in Jamaica. We can get infected anytime after getting tested, in the 72 hours before leaving, in the airport, on the plane etc.

So, the only real way for Jamaica to even come close to controlling the infection is to have tests ready at the incoming airports and test EVERYONE coming in on flights. They could take the passengers info as to where they are staying and notify them as soon as positive results are returned and instruct them on next steps (isolation etc). It's not ideal as an infected tourist could be spreading the virus while in JA, but with social distancing and requirements to wear masks when out in public as much as possible would reduce the spread rate as much as possible.

Of course they would also have to disinfect passengers and luggage upon entry.

[Marko]

this COVID-19 passport thingy has been beaten to death online for two months now....not going to work anytime soon......nuff said
do the temp check thingy and ask some questions and get the tourists to their hotels...period

Cool Runnings, Marko

[Captain Oil]

There are many countries in the world that require PROOF of vaccinations against all viruses (small pox, chicken pox, measles, SARS, MERS, etc...) before you are allowed in the country. No proof no entry.

Everyone knows vaccinations are not 100% effective, but they are better than nothing. The idea of a 'clean test passport" is not 100% perfect either but it is better than nothing.

[flhrbill]

I agree with the vaccine proof but since there is no vaccine your can not get vaccinated. The idea of requesting a negative test for the covid virus is ludicrous One can become infected minutes often testing.

[Sand gravity]

I would disagree that a covid visa is a ganja induced idea. It is true that there is currently no vaccine and you could become infected 10 minutes after the test, or from sitting in a plane or standing for an hour in close contact waiting to get through customs. But we are heading into a new phase- what public health types call harm reduction.

Humans are social beasts. We miss and desire going to crowded bars or concerts or basketball games or churches or visiting grandkids/grandmas or meeting someone to fall in love with ( for a night or a lifetime). For me it's sadness at realizing it may be a long time before I can spend 6 hours on packed jets to get to Jamaica. Isolation can cause strong physical and psychological damage. That is why even in prisons, solitary confinement is usually reserved for the most despicable behaviors.

But it will be impossible to maintain social isolation forever. As we learned from failed experiments with combatting HIV and substance abuse - deeming some behaviors as shameful and demanding strict abstinence will fail, and only drive those behaviors underground. Since all humans from time to time do stupid and risky things (sometimes even chronicled in this forum) short of a cure/vaccine that can be quickly distributed to billions world wide, lessening the likelihood of infection is the short term goal. Covid pre boarding visas will cut down the risk of transmission- weeding out the non-symptomatic spreaders from getting on the plane - but not zeroing it out. Wearing masks, staying farther apart, no handshakes or fist bumps, avoiding crowded rooms filled with sneezing shouting or even breathing humans, and rapid spot quarantining will lessen the likely spread of contagion, making the outbreaks more manageable but still deadly.

I just looked at the Gleaner headline that stated that there were 2 new covid cases on an island of 3 million people, and a death toll of just over 100. I live in a hotspot- Connecticut (pop 3.6 million) We are seeing infections go down after 2 months of shutdown but still have almost 100 deaths a day. The union that represents nursing home workers in Connecticut, mostly women of Jamaican descent, has seen at least a dozen members die and hundreds infected. While the Jamaican economy would like my tourist dollars, I seriously doubt it would welcome an influx of Connecticut residents potentially carrying covid returning without some serious restrictions.

Wisconsin will likely prove in the next month that saying "lets party like its 2019" will be a disaster. Not picking on Wisconsinites- here in Connecticut tattoo parlors ( I mean I like tattoos but come on that's probably one of the least essential service there is) are demanding to be re-opened. We are all grappling with the new normal, where almost every aspect of our lives will need to be re-engineered in the coming months and years. It will require painful sacrifice and change.

Sorry if this post is long or a bummer. Lurking on Negril.com has always been a pleasant and needed diversion for me for the 51 weeks a year that I am away from Negril. Stay safe and I hope to be back in Negril someday soon.

[Rob]

Just to clarify, Jamaica's covid death toll is 9, not 100. We have has 121 recoveries out off some 524 cases total.

[Accompong]

Just to clarify, Jamaica's covid death toll is 9, not 100. We have has 121 recoveries out off some 524 cases total.

Being an island and being able to lock-down, test and isolate has been pretty successful. Opening up to visitors from countries where they have totally or mostly mismanaged their responses is a decision that can't be taken lightly.

I still find it hard to believe that borders will be fully open before November or later of this year.

JMO

[Sand gravity]

Hi Rob - Thanks for the correction. I am glad your island has been spared the health crisis we face here in the tri-state area

[Rob]

Being an island and being able to lock-down, test and isolate has been pretty successful. Opening up to visitors from countries where they have totally or mostly mismanaged their responses is a decision that can't be taken lightly.

I still find it hard to believe that borders will be fully open before November or later of this year.

JMO

Food for thought.... why in the western parishes, where tourism has the largest percentage of workers and a huge influx of visitors and did not close the boarders until mid-March are there so few currently active cases?

Zero in Trelawny, 1 in St. James, zero in Hanover, zero in Westmoreland and zero in St. Elizabeth. People from all these parishes travel through the eastern island Covid hotspots every week heading to Kingston, yet no active cases?

With over 500 active cases island wide, what could be preventing the people in the western parishes not becoming sick with Covid?

Food for thought....