Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says that since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government has been providing more than 30,000 meals per day for poor and vulnerable persons in communities islandwide. The meals are being provided at drop-in centres and other facilities across the country. Minister McKenzie informed that more than 2,000...

Visitors to Jamaica now have authorised access to the southern end of the island, as the Government has implemented the second phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Resilient Corridor, in keeping with the phased reopening of the tourism sector. Dubbed the ‘South Coast Resilient Corridor’, this new segment became effective on Tuesday (July 15), spanning Milk River in Clarendon to Negril...

A special allocation of $308 million has been made by the Government to implement measures to alleviate prevailing drought conditions across the island. Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, in a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 14), said that the provision will ensure adequate access to water...

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) has revised the Consumer Price Index (CPI), using the 2017 Household Expenditure Survey. Introduced in April 2020, the new CPI series reflects the expenditure patterns of low- to middle-income households in Jamaica. The CPI measures the movement of prices of consumer goods and services purchased by private households and is one of the most...

Educators at the August Town Primary School in St. Andrew were today (July 15) presented with 18 computer tablets under the ‘Tablets for Teachers’ programme. They are the latest group to receive devices under the initiative, which falls under an agreement between the Government and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) signed in May 2018. A total of 25,000 devices will...

Four more COVID-19 patients have recovered and have been released from care as at Wednesday (July 15). Recoveries now stand at 647 (84.8% Recovery Rate). At the same time, one new case of COVID-19 was recorded today. The island’s case count now totals 763. The newly confirmed case is imported, having arrived on a flight from the USA. The case...

The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reporting that the inflation rate for May was 0.1 per cent. Speaking during STATIN’s quarterly digital media briefing on Wednesday (July 15), the agency’s Director General, Carol Coy, said the out-turn was largely driven by a 1.1 per cent increase in the heavily weighted ‘food and non-alcoholic beverages’ category of the Consumer Price...