Time to reconsider to travel plans for Jamaica and other countries. On January 23, the US State Department issued a level three travel warning. This advisory recommends that residents rethink their travel due to safety and security risks. It is just below the highest level of advice, namely level four, which refers to life risks.
By warning residents of possible violent crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies, sexual assaults and murders, the State Department has saved people that local police do not respond particularly well to serious crime incidents.
The warning note also reminds American citizens who have undergone such accidents, their families will have to wait a year or even more for the Jamaican authorities to issue final death certificates.
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State Department travel advisories explained
Ranked from level one, these tips go up to level four. The first one recommends “normal precautions”, while the level of precaution increases in level 2. Despite the “increased precaution, this evaluation does not completely guide to avoid the country altogether.
On the other hand, countries marked with level four classification are listed as “Do not travel”, while both countries and level three and four are marked as “Reconsider travel”.
Countries listed in Level three US travel advisories
Burundi
Chad
Colombia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Egypt
El Salvador
Ethiopia
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Honduras
Jamaica
Lebanon
Macau
Mauritania
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Pakistan
Papua New Guinea
Saudi Arabia
South Sudan
Trinidad and Tobago
Uganda
Countries with a Level 4 travel warning
Afghanistan
Belarus
Burkina Faso
Myanmar
Central African Republic
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Libya
Mali
North Korea
Russia
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Ukraine
Venezuela
Yemen
Find out more here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/
Safety tips for traveling abroad
US citizens are advised to join the free Step Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) service, which will help you prepare for emergencies. Find out more about it here https://step.state.gov/
Also, other general tips to keep in mind while traveling outside the US are that you should keep an eye out. Pay attention to your surroundings and never travel alone. Be aware of what is happening around you and maintain communication with someone. Make sure you keep a check on the news so that you are well aware of what is happening.
If you are suspicious of something, speak in the report to local law enforcement. To have a contingency plan, you should also know the airports in the region. Keep contact details for the nearest US embassy in the region in case of emergency. You may also want to update your social network so that your loved ones are also in the loop where you are.
