Visitors to wear masks at Jamaican Embassy in DC

Washington, DC:

Jamaica’s Embassy in Washington, DC, which had been closed for the last three months due to a lockdown of the United States capital as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, reopened on Wednesday.

The embassy will operate between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. All persons visiting the embassy will be required to wear a mask.

Ambassador Audrey Marks, who announced the reopening, said that the embassy will gradually ramp up services and will be moving back to full operations soon. Bilateral and multilateral meetings to support Jamaica’s COVID-19 recovery programme are now the embassy’s top priorities.

While the embassy is currently processing online consular appointments, the consular section will not be opened to the public for in-person applications until July 15. During the closed period, the ambassador said, existing applicants will still be allowed to collect passports and documents.

All applications and documents are to be mailed or placed in the mail drop area until the section is opened for in-person applications.

SYSTEM FOR WALK-INS

An appointment-based system for managing walk-in applicants will be available for every 30 minutes beginning at 10 a.m., with the last appointment taken at 12:30 p.m.

Marks said that walk-in applicants are strongly encouraged to carry fully completed application forms, along with pertinent documents, including passport-size pictures, for the necessary verification.

Up to six persons will be allowed in the waiting area at any given time. One applicant will be allowed in the interview room. If the applicant is a minor, then one parent or guardian will also be allowed.