COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO HUBERT WRIGHT

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000300 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC OTRA BB ST XL SUBJECT: COUNTRY CLEARANCE GRANTED TO HUBERT WRIGHT FOR TRAVEL TO SAINT LUCIA REF: 151403Z FEB 06 ¶1. AmEmbassy Bridgetown grants country clearance to Mr. Hubert D. Wright, Engineer for travel to Saint Lucia February 22 - 24, 2006. The purpose of this mission is to visit the Humanitarian Assistance Program (HAP) Warehouse sites and meet with Embassy and contractor personnel on changes and work progress. ¶2. Understand Embassy assistance is not required. Points of contact are CDR Peter Kilfoyle, Chief, Military Liaison Office, (246) 436-4950, ext 2300 and Major Curtis Schmucker, Deputy Chief, Military Liaison Officer and HAP Manager, Eastern Caribbean, (246) 436- 4950, ext 2284. ¶3. Entry requirements: A valid U.S passport is required to enter Saint Lucia. No Visa is required if your stay is under six months, including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official passports. ¶4. Departure tax for Saint Lucia is $45.00 ECC (Eastern Caribbean Currency) or $17.00 USD. ¶5. 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 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 if possible. 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, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, the major health threat is dengue fever, transmitted by the aedes aegypti 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, pertussis 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