VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #1123/01 2481821
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051821Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE 0925
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5376

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 001123 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC FOR MDRO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: AMGT EAID ASEC OTRA CS BB
SUBJECT:  COUNTRY CLEARANCE FOR CARRILLO SEPTEMBER 9-23, 2007 
 
REF: SAN JOSE 01610 
 
¶1.  Embassy Bridgetown warmly welcomes and grants country clearance 
for OFDA Regional Advisor Rene Carrillo to travel to Bridgetown, O/A 
September 9-23, 2007. The purpose of the visit is to provide 
OFDA/LAC coverage (preparedness and response) to the Eastern 
Caribbean during Hurricane Season 2007. 
 
¶2.  Embassy point of contact is James Goggin, USAID Representative, 
tel. 1-246-227-4118, cell. 1-246-243-1499, fax. 1-246-228-8589. 
 
¶3.  No Mission support is requested. 
 
¶4.  Post's resources do not allow us the flexibility to meet and 
assist visitors at the airport.  However, Barbadian Customs and 
Immigration are visitor-friendly.  The taxi rate from the airport to 
the hotel is approximately BDS$30 (US$15).  The exchange rate is 
approximately 2.02 Barbados Dollars for 1 U.S. Dollar.  You should 
bring enough U.S. Dollar bills to pay the taxi.  U.S. currency, 
traveler's checks, and credit cards are routinely and widely 
accepted here. 
 
¶5.  Entry requirements:  A valid U.S. passport is required to enter 
Barbados.  No visa is required if your stay is under six months, 
including those travelers arriving with diplomatic or official 
passports.  For further information, travelers may contact the 
Embassy of Barbados, 2144 Wyoming Avenue N.W., Washington D.C. 
20008, tel. 1-202-939-9200. 
 
¶6.  Restrictions: The laws of Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. 
Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and St. Kitts and Nevis prohibit 
non-military personnel from wearing any articles of camouflage 
clothing. Immigration officers in these countries randomly check 
visitor's baggage on arrival at the airport; if items of restriction 
are found, you will be asked to surrender them to the officers. 
 
¶7.  Departure tax for Barbados is BDS$60 or USD$30. 
 
¶8.  ICASS TYD Policy: Each visitor, regardless of length of stay, 
must bring/forward fiscal data to pay for direct costs of the visit. 
 Each agency, organization or visiting delegation will be charged 
for the actual costs attributed to its visit.  Direct charge costs 
include, but are not limited to:  airport transportation and 
expediting; driving services; American and LES overtime (for such 
services as airport expediting, cashier accommodation exchange, 
control room staffing, representational event support); travel and 
per diem costs incurred by post personnel in support of visitor's 
field travel; rental of vehicles and other equipment; long distance 
telephone calls; office supplies, procurement/small purchasing; 
departure tax and other airport fees.  Post will not provide service 
if fiscal data is not provided for the direct charges. 
 
For TDYers remaining at post over 30 days, there is a charge for 
ICASS support services.  This charge is for the following ICASS 
services:  Basic Package, CLO and Health Services.  Agencies will 
not be billed until the accumulated invoice cost for TDY support 
exceeds $2,500 for the fiscal year.  If your sponsoring agency is 
not signed up for ICASS services at post, please be prepared to sign 
a Memorandum of Understanding for ICASS support services upon 
arrival.  The agency should provide post with a written 
communication, generated by the traveler's headquarters, that 
confirms the agency will pay ICASS charges for the TDYer, provides 
the agency ICASS billing code to which the TDY support charges 
should be applied, and authorizes the traveler to sign the ICASS 
invoice generated by the TDY module.  Where travel is urgent, the 
TDYer should bring this documentation with him/her to ensure there 
are no interruptions in the provision of service.  Post will not 
provide any service to a TDYer staying in excess of thirty days 
without provision of this documentation before day 31 of the TDY." 
 
¶9.  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 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. 
 
FISHER