Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced a tightening of the islandwide curfew as the country continues to tackle the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The new curfew hours are from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. daily, beginning Wednesday, April 22 and will run for 14 days. At the same time, the work hours have been adjusted to between 8:00...

The Scout Association of Jamaica has been supporting the Government’s efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by donating sanitisation products valued at some $100,000 to childcare facilities and golden age homes across the island. In an interview with JIS News, Chief Commissioner of the Association, Garth Russell, said that distribution of bleach and disinfectant commenced earlier...

Jamaica has recorded 27 new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), which brings the total number to 223. This update was given by Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, on Monday (April 20), during a virtual press conference at Jamaica House. “Of those 27 new cases, 19 are females [and] eight are males, and 26 of them...

The Government notes the unprecedented collapse in world oil markets today (April 20) where prices collapsed more than 99% before going negative. Over the past few weeks, we have had a small team from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service working with our bankers and multilateral partners on the possibility of hedging Jamaica’s future oil supplies. The team...

Teachers are benefiting from virtual professional development online workshops delivered by volunteer instructors in the diaspora. This is being spearheaded by the Jamaica Diaspora Taskforce Action Network (JDTAN) through its ongoing weekly workshops, titled, JAMINARS. More than 2,000 teachers have registered for JAMINARS to date. The next JAMINAR, ‘Coping with COVID-19 – Selfcare for teachers and parents’, will be held...

The annual Child Month celebration in May will look a little different this year due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With Jamaicans instructed to avoid mass gatherings as part of measures to contain the spread of the virus, activities have been scaled back with some events, including the national church service, to be held virtually. Chair of the National Child...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness will be seeking the assistance of general practitioners (GPs) in facilitating expanded testing for the coronavirus (COVID-19). This was noted by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie, who said this is being done to capture persons who are self-isolating by staying home and not visiting...