COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO EARLE TO TRANSIT BARBADOS TO

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 001452 SIPDIS SIPDIS AIDAC E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: ASEC EAID OTRA AC DO XL SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO EARLE TO TRANSIT BARBADOS TO ANTIGUA AND DOMINICA REF: E-MAIL BLACKWOOD/MOTES 08/16/06 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance to Peter Earle, to travel to Antigua August 25, 2006 and to Dominica August 26, 2006. The purpose of this travel is to conduct training sessions for numerators for the baseline survey. ¶2. Please note that traveler will be staying at the Cortland Hotel in Upper Gambles, St. John's, Antigua and the Fort Young Hotel in Roseau, Dominica. Embassy point of contact is Mansfield Blackwood, phone: 1(246) 228-8070, fax: 1(246)228-8589. ¶3. The exchange rate for Antigua and Dominica is approximately 2.70 Xcd (Eastern Caribbean) dollars for 1 U.S. dollar. U.S. currency, traveler's checks, and credit cards are routinely and widely accepted here. ¶4. Entry requirements: A valid U.S. passport is required to enter Antigua and Dominica. No visa is required if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official passports. For further information, travelers may contact the Embassy of Antigua and Barbuda, 3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW 20016, tel: 202-362-5122 and the Embassy of the Commonwealth of Dominica, 3216 New Mexico Avenue, NW 20016, tel: 202-364-6781. ¶5. Departure tax for Antigua is XCD$50.00 (Eastern Caribbean) dollars or US$19.00 and for Dominica is XCD$16.00 (Eastern Caribbean) dollars or US$10.00. ¶6. The following is general information pertaining to security and health consideration throughout the Eastern Caribbean: Security -------------- In the Eastern Caribbean, foot travel outside of well-established tourist areas are not generally recommended, especially at night. Be vigilant when using public telephones or ATM facilities near roadsides or quiet areas. As in many U.S. Metropolitan areas, wearing expensive jewelry, carrying expensive objects, or carrying large amounts of cash should be avoided. Visitors should also safeguard valuables while at the beach. While hotels are generally safe, many visitors have experienced loss of unattended items. Hotel burglaries are not uncommon, and all valuables should be locked in room safes. Health information -------------- Throughout the Eastern Caribbean, the most likely threat to a visitor's health is sunburn. It takes several weeks to become accustomed to the heat and humidity. Prolonged exposure to the sun, without protection, causes sunburn and may ultimately result in sun-damaged skin or even skin cancer. Sunscreens should be used for protection. In Barbados the major health threat is dengue fever, transmitted by mosquito. Dengue cases are most often seen in the summer months. Persons should therefore protect themselves with insect repellent. There is also a growing number of HIV/AIDS cases reported. The Eastern Caribbean enjoys clean and safe drinking water. Only routine boosters for immunizations, (i.e. tetanus, diphtheria, and oral polio vaccine) are required when traveling to this region Barbados has the best medical facilities of all the islands in the region and most of the medical specialties have practitioners here. KRAMER