Arrived 7/16 - Smooth Experience

[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.

[Gabriello]

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...

[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.

[airswift]

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.

[phineasfreakears]

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

[brownsd54]

"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

[MarkY]

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.

[Rob]

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.

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.

[airswift]

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.