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The U.S. State Department has recently issued several travel warnings asking its citizens to be careful when traveling to Jamaica, and Prime Minister Andrew Holness has tried to assure people that there is no need to worry.
Holness delivered this message to U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Nick Perry on Tuesday during a speech at a ceremony where the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over some of the relief supplies to assist with Hurricane Beryl relief efforts.
“Jamaica is a safe place, especially for American male tourists, our security forces, and our health services. We are a developing country. We face certain realities, but we are building a society, economy and country that is safe for all, and we want to achieve more than just sun, sea and sand, which are the key messages. We have some other messages that we want to add,” the Prime Minister said at the event held by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).
These other messages include words like safe, secure, and seamless.
In a new travel warning issued on July 25, the State Department maintained the island’s Level 3 danger rating but tweaked the wording to note that “violent crime rates are generally lower in tourist areas than in other areas” and that the U.S. Embassy “routinely receives reports of sexual assaults, including by U.S. citizen visitors to resorts.”
Previous travel warnings raised concerns among local officials, noting that sexual assaults “occur frequently, including at all-inclusive resorts.”
Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, believes the new wording represents a softening of the stance, telling The Gleaners “This is not the outcome we wanted, but it is progress,” he said on Tuesday.
She said discussions were ongoing between the Jamaican government and the U.S. State Department to try to downgrade the Level 3 to a Level 2.
“We are making progress, but crime remains a major problem,” she said, noting that the State Department referenced Jamaica’s overall crime statistics in making the decision.
Meanwhile, the United States completed a partial delivery of supplies yesterday in response to the severe damage caused by Hurricane Beryl to Jamaica on July 3.
The U.S. government, through USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), has pledged $2.5 million to support relief efforts. This funding will provide essential relief supplies, emergency logistics, and various forms of support to help affected communities recover.
On Tuesday, some of the air and sea cargo, valued at $360,000, was formally handed over to ODPEM as part of an initial $2.5 million in aid.
Basic relief supplies include: 10,000 plastic tarps, 5,000 tent tie-down kits, 24 water tanks for families in the Clarendon and St. Elizabeth areas, 1,500 gallons of safe drinking water, mattresses, chainsaws, food vouchers, flashlights, battery-powered lanterns, bedding, cleaning tools and hygiene products.
The U.S. government, through USAID, has provided an additional $200,000 to the Jamaica Red Cross, which is working with Eastern Jamaica Emergency Medical Assistance to provide support to families in the hardest-hit parishes of Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth and St. Thomas, and other parishes affected by the hurricane.
The assistance includes food vouchers, basic relief supplies, emergency logistics, telecommunications assistance, emergency social protection and cash transfer programs.
Perry said the United States is committed to helping Jamaica rebuild after the hurricane.
“The United States is committed to supporting all of your ongoing efforts,” Perry said in brief remarks. “The supplies transferred today will play a vital role in meeting the urgent needs of those affected by this disaster to the greatest extent possible.”
“The U.S. government stands in solidarity with Jamaica, not only in this moment of disaster, but also as a permanent friend and partner in the recovery and reconstruction process.”
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