Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says he will announce the protocols that have been established for the reopening of nurseries and day-care facilities shortly. "Day care and nurseries – it's a big issue; we spent some time last week discussing them – the Ministry of Health (and Wellness), the Ministry of Local Government and [Community Development] and the...

Bank of Jamaica announces its decision to hold the policy interest rate (the rate offered to deposit-taking institutions on overnight placements with Bank of Jamaica) unchanged at 0.50 per cent per annum. The decision to hold the policy rate unchanged is based on the Bank’s continued view that monetary conditions are generally appropriate to support inflation remaining within the target...

The National Surveillance Unit in the Ministry of Health & Wellness has indicated that there are two new confirmed COVID-19 cases as at Monday (June 29). The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Jamaica is now 698. At the same time, one additional patient has recovered and has been released from isolation, bringing the total number of recoveries to...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced new curfew measures for the month of July. Speaking at a virtual press conference at Jamaica House on Monday (June 29), the Prime Minister said the new curfew times will begin at 11:00 p.m. on June 30 to 5:00 a.m. July 1, 2020, and this will continue daily until 5:00 a.m....

St. James Street and Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay have been sanitised by the parish’s municipal authority as part of ongoing measures to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19). The exercise was carried out on Sunday (June 28) in partnership with Caribbean Cement Company Limited and Premix Jamaica Limited. Mayor of Montego Bay, Homer Davis, said the activity started from the...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, says that as the country learns to live with COVID-19, the Government, through the Health Ministry, is seeking to engender a sense of personal responsibility among the population. This, she said, will be a key component in the country fighting the disease as a unit, pointing out that working together yields better results...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is fostering a new wave of entrepreneurship and innovation among Jamaicans, many of whom are staying at home or are out of work. One such individual is St. Ann early-childhood teacher, Racquel Davis, who has created an alternative source of income, through her recently formed business ‘Racquel’s Smart Start’.   Mrs. Davis, who teaches at the...