Jamaica has officially ended its ban on travel from the United Kingdom.

The island had banned flights from the United Kingdom at the end of 2020 amid concerns over a new strain of COVID-19.

“This will enable the critical gateways of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, to have transit for passengers coming through and who are fully compliant with health and safety protocols required for international travel,” said Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett.

Since Jamaica reopened its borders to tourism last summer, the island has welcomed around 1.5 million visitors.

Jamaica’s position at this time is critical in relation to the opening up of the summer tourist season and in fact, the importance of enabling the diaspora, particularly the strong British clientele that have always come to the island,” Bartlett said. “The lifting of the ban is also against the background of the improved vaccination programme in the UK and the fact that pretty close to 50% of UK residents have received their second dose of vaccinations.”

For more on the health protocols for visiting Jamaica, see here.

— CJ