COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR SCOTT BAILEY TO

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000197 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ABLD AMGT ASEC BB SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED FOR SCOTT BAILEY TO TRAVEL TO BARBADOS REF: STATE 014371 ¶1. Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance for Stronghold Engineering personnel Scott Bailey. The purpose of this trip is to survey current construction operation during the period Feb. 08 2006 - Jul 31 2006. Please be informed that safety shoes are required to gain access to the site. ¶2. Hotel accommodations and transportation will be arranged by Stronghold Engineering Inc. ¶3. Entry requirements: Valid passport should be used by all travelers on USG official business. No visa is required. For further information, travelers may contact the Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, telephone 1-202-939-9200. ¶4. P O C is OBO Project Director, Jorge Vazquez Tel.1-246-427-6819, Cel. 1-246-243-3335 Fax.1-246-427- ¶6826. ¶5. Departure tax for Barbados is $25.00 BDS or $15.00USD. ¶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. Laptops/Palm Pilots may not be brought into the Embassy without the prior approval of the Regional Security Office. Personally owned laptops/palm pilots may not/not be utilized inside the Embassy. USG-owned laptops may only be used in controlled access areas (CAA); i.e., areas where classified information is discussed, processed or stored, if the use certifies that the computer has been under the personal control of a cleared American throughout transit. If this requirement is not met, the laptop can only be utilized outside of the CAA. USG-owned palm pilots are under the same restrictions as cellular phones, and may not be utilized within a CAA. 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, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent 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 repellant. 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