Those visiting the Caribbean island of Jamaica will be required to buy two travel insurance policies as of November 2020.
The news comes as Jamaica introduces a new ‘Jamaica Cares’ travel insurance policy, which comes as part of the countries travel authorisation application for holidaymakers visiting the island.
The policy will cost $40 (around £31) and is included in the holiday application process price. Cover in the policy includes:
- An ‘all-hazards’ component covering field rescue, emergency transport, and oversight services from personnel at Global Rescue and other partners
- International health coverage up to $100,000 for visitors travelling to and from Jamaica
- On-island health coverage up to $50,000
While this cover is definitely a step in the right direction when it comes to providing reassurance and encourages tourists to go on holiday again, those visiting Jamaica simply cannot rely on buying this cover alone.
The policy does not offer any protection against lost or damaged items, delayed baggage, cancellation, or missed departure which is some of the key aspects of any travel insurance policy. There’s also a limited amount of medical coverage compared to the amount included in many UK policies.
Therefore, in order to protect all aspects of your trip, we would recommend that anyone visiting Jamaica invests in an adequate travel insurance policy, as well as the mandatory ‘Jamaica Cares’ scheme.
Additionally, while no other countries have introduced their own travel insurance policy as of yet, we have seen reports of other countries such as Thailand and Costa Rica, making it compulsory that visitors arrive with a medical cover of up to $50,000 (just under £40,000) on their own travel insurance policies.
Most travel insurance policies include well over £40,000 in emergency medical expenses (usually it’s around the £10,000,000 mark). However, we would always recommend that you check your cover limits in your policy wordings and ensure that you declare any medical conditions to your travel insurance provider, to make sure you’ve got the exact cover required.
For more information on what medical expenses cover you for click here.
