The National Surveillance Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness has advised that 23 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Jamaica, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 196 as at Sunday (April 19). There are now 34 imported cases; 43 are contacts of a confirmed case; 6 are local transmission with no epidemiological...

The number of confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Jamaica has risen to 173 over the last 24 hours. There are now: 34 imported cases; 25 that are import-related; 6 that are local transmission with no epidemiological link; 14 that are contacts of cases not epidemiologically linked; and 6 that are under investigation. Eighty-four (84) are Alorica workers and...

There is uncertainty whether Jamaica’s next housing and population census, slated for 2021, will be held, in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey, which captures data on the total number of citizens and households in the country, is conducted every 10 years by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). Director General, Carol Coy, says COVID-19, among other...

The quarantine imposed on the Corn Piece Settlement in Clarendon has been lifted. The community was put under quarantine for an initial 14 days on March 19, following the first confirmed Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) death – a 79-year-old man with a travel history from New York – in Jamaica. The quarantine was extended for a further two weeks on Friday,...

Jamaica now has 163 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), following 20 new additions over the last 24 hours. Details on 17 of the 20 new cases will be provided over the next 24 hours. The other three are from St Catherine. Two of that number are workers – both females, aged 33 and 19 years – of...

We wholeheartedly share the concern expressed by some Members of Parliament regarding the closure of Compassionate Grant applications under the Government of Jamaica’s CARE Programme that was announced yesterday. The CARE Programme was designed with the vital social mission of providing support to the most vulnerable in our society in light of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. To...

The Ministry of Tourism has announced a six-month moratorium on the payment for licences and of fees by entities in the tourism sector. Making the announcement during a digital press conference today (April 17), Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said a total of $9.7 million will be given up for the period ending September 2020. “This would give some level...