While American officials said they’re working with local authorities to determine if there’s a connection between the deaths, both the U.S. and Canada have avoided issuing travel advisories to the Dominican Republic.

The Canadian government does advise, however, that travelers “exercise a high degree of caution in the Dominican Republic due to a high crime rate.”

In terms of overall safety, Ingle said there are a number of steps travelers can take to protect themselves including:

  1. Watch what food and drink you consume
  2. Be aware of your surroundings
  3. Don’t do things you wouldn’t do in your home country
  4. If you feel unsafe somewhere, leave
  5. The biggest don’t in the Caribbean is don’t drink the tap water.

 Know The Emergency Numbers And Embassy Addresses

In the rare event of an emergency, the number to call in the Dominican Republic is easy to remember: 911.

Also, note the address of your country’s embassy down and contact them if needed. Below are the web addresses of several of the embassies in the Dominican Republic.

Note, that EU citizens can contact any EU-member’s embassy for assistance.