COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO JONES AND MORALES FOR

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 001475

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OTRA EAGR BB
SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO JONES AND MORALES FOR
TRAVEL TO BARBADOS

REF: SANTO DOMINGO 02688


1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants clearance to
Dr. Eloisa Jones, Area Director for USDA APHIS, and Paula
Morales, Agriculture Specialist, to travel to Barbados from
September 5-12, 2006, for the purpose of attending meetings
at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and with
Embassy personnel.


2. Per reftel, Embassy understands assistance with
appointment requests with Embassy personnel is requested and
no further assistance is required. Information was not
provided pertaining to hotel accommodations or a
point-of-contact number while in Barbados.


3. Embassy Bridgetown has scheduled the requested meetings.
They are as follows: Ambassador Kramer-scheduled for
September 8 at 11:00 am; Deputy Chief of Mission
Gilory-scheduled for September 8 at 1:00pm; Economic/Labor
Attach Strong-scheduled for September 8 at 10:00 am; and
USAID Director Wisecarver-scheduled for September 8 at 2:00
pm.


4. Entry/departure requirements: Mission policy is that all
USG travelers to the region be in possession of a valid
passport. Visas are not required for short visits. Visitors
are granted up to 28 days upon entry, which can be extended
through the Barbados Immigration Department for up to six
months. Barbados has a departure tax of 25 Barbados dollars
or 13.00 U.S. dollars.


5. The exchange rate in Barbados is two Barbados dollars for
one U.S. dollar. U.S. currency, traveler's checks, and
credit cards are routinely and widely accepted.


6. The following is general information pertaining to
security and health considerations throughout the Eastern
Caribbean:

Security
--------------

In the Eastern Caribbean, foot travel outside of
well-established tourist areas is not generally recommended,
especially at night. Be vigilant when using public
telephones or ATM machines 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 if possible.

Health
--------------

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, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines 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 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