The first 200 of the 1,044 Jamaican ship workers disembarked the Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas, docked at the Falmouth Pier in Trelawny, on Thursday, May 21. The men and women underwent various stages of screening and processing by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), and the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), after which they were taken to...

As at Thursday (May 21) another 10 Jamaicans have recovered from COVID-19, bringing recovery numbers to 181 and pushing the island’s recovery rate to 34 per cent in the last 24 hours. The number of deaths remain at nine or 1.7%, even as there are no seriously ill persons at this time. Also in the last 24 hours, five (5)...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, has underscored the need for member countries to safeguard the welfare of their most vulnerable populations in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and place the region on a path to recovery. Among the most vulnerable groups, she noted, are women and individuals with underlying health conditions. Dr....

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says now is the time for community bars and taverns to regularise their operations, in light of the findings of a survey conducted by the Social Development Commission (SDC) on the Ministry’s behalf. “Of the survey that we did across the country, 80 per cent of our bar operators are...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, says self-quarantine at home will become part of the new way of life as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. "The reality is that in the future, home quarantining will become the norm rather than the exception, and in a sense, we are gradually moving in...

Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Richard Byles, says the anticipated gradual recovery of economic activity from the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is expected to result in improvements in the current account deficit of the balance of payments (BOP). He was speaking at the Central Bank’s digital quarterly press conference held on Wednesday (May 20). Mr. Byles noted that due...

Jamaica is getting additional funding from the European Union (EU) to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic through an €8-million grant for regional countries. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, told JIS News that the funds have been approved and will be channelled through the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), and Jamaica has...