With eight new additions to the COVID-19 case tally for Jamaica as at Wednesday (August 5), the Ministry of Health and Wellness is stressing the need for consistent physical distancing, the wearing of masks, frequent washing of hands, and obedience to quarantine orders by members of the public. “It is vital that the Jamaican public, residents and non-residents alike, abide...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has pledged $15 million towards the rehabilitation of the Brown’s Town Market in St. Ann. Speaking to JIS News after a tour of the facility on Tuesday (August 4), the Minister said that that $7 million will be made available immediately to commence repairs on the bathrooms, flooring, leaking pipes...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, is urging member countries to take the necessary steps towards achieving a “careful balance” in public healthcare delivery, particularly at the primary level. This, she said, is imperative in light of emerging “warning signs” of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’s “devastating” impact on healthcare services for other ailments, across the region. The...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has been successful in removing tonnes of plastic waste from communities under separation and recycling initiatives. “These are plastics that, if not properly managed, could have ended up in our waste stream,” said Executive Director of the NSWMA, Audley Gordon. He was addressing a recent digital town hall organised by the Ministry of...

Acting Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, says 569 schools will resume full operations when the 2020/21 academic year commences in September. All schools have been closed since March due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. “Some schools will operate normally. This means we will have everybody in the same space every...

General Surgeon at the Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland, Dr. Lincoln Cox, is encouraging Jamaicans with possible cancer symptoms not to put off seeking medical attention, in order to improve their chances of survival if they get a positive diagnosis. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ at the agency’s Regional Office in Montego Bay, St. James, on July...