Canada issues travel advisory for Jamaica’s Montego Bay

State of emergency declared after spike in violent crime in Caribbean country

Montrealers planning to visit one of Jamaica’s most popular resort areas were being warned on Friday by the Canadian government to stay within the confines of their resorts and to exercise caution while travelling to and from any point outside of them.

The federal government issued a travel advisory to Canadians noting that on Thursday, a state of emergency was declared by the Jamaican government for St. James Parish, which includes Montego Bay, as a result of a significant increase in violent crime.

Military forces have been deployed to the area in an attempt to stabilize the situation.

“If you are staying at a resort in the affected area, restrict your movements beyond resort security perimeters. If you do travel outside these perimeters, use transportation arranged or provided by the resort. Use organized tour operators for excursions and travel to and from the airport. If you are in the affected area, be extremely vigilant, follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor local news.”

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness had said escalating criminal activity was endangering public safety, necessitating a state of public emergency and the deployment of military forces.

A married couple from Winnipeg was found dead this month while visiting Jamaica.

According to reports in Jamaican news media, the state of emergency declared by the government follows a two-year increase in violent crime capped most recently by the murder on Tuesday of one man and the wounding of two others when the car they were in was riddled with automatic weapons fire in what local police suspect was a flare-up in gang violence.

Last year, more than 300 murders were recorded in St. James Parish.

There are more than 60 countries where the Canadian government warns travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution,” including other Caribbean nations such as the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.