The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be rolling out a series of psychosocial sessions with students in September, to help them cope with their fears and anxieties that have been brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Speaking at a virtual Back-to-School Students’ Sensitisation Session for Primary, High and Tertiary Students, hosted by the Ministry on August 26,...

As at Wednesday (August 26), the country recorded 72 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. These bring the total cases on record for the island to 1,804. Over the same period, recoveries increased by six, bringing total recoveries to 846 (47.8% recovery rate). Of the newly confirmed cases, 45 are females and 27 are males, with ages ranging from 5 years to...

Early registration for the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) online Employee Engagement Seminar Series in October is now open. Employers interested in participating in the sessions, which will be held every Thursday from October 8 to 29, have until Friday, September 25 to access prices and packages at a reduced cost. The early bird offer reflects a discount of $10,000,...

Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Richard Byles, says the Bank will be working closely with authorised dealers and cambios to ensure the smooth and orderly functioning of the foreign exchange market. This, Mr. Byles said, against the background of public concern about the movement in the exchange rate, which, since August 12, “crossed the psychological threshold of $150 to US$1,”...

The National Works Agency (NWA) is set to begin the second cycle of its islandwide drain-cleaning activities. This activity forms part of national preparations for the 2020 North Atlantic Hurricane season. The first cycle of drain-cleaning activities was carried out by the agency in April and May of this year, at a cost of approximately $100 million. Chief Executive Officer...

Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Richard Byles, says the economy is projected to contract by between seven and 10 per cent during the 2020/21 fiscal year, as a result of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Speaking at the Central Bank’s digital quarterly press briefing on Wednesday (August 26), the Governor pointed out that this is a revision of the...

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) is working with Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) to assist members of the disabled community to acquire their tax registration number (TRN). Executive Director, JCPD, Dr. Christine Hendricks, told JIS News that the objective is to enable more persons with disabilities to access the one-off grant of $10,000 that is available under the...