Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, revealed today (March 23), that two additional cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed, bringing the total number of infected persons to 21. Speaking at a press conference at Jamaica House, the Prime Minister said that beginning on Wednesday, March 25, there will be restriction on persons 75 years old and over,...

The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry is imploring business operators to comply with the measures announced by the Government to curtail the spread of COVID-19. Chamber President, Janet Silvera, told JIS News that there has been “blatant disregard” for health and safety guidelines by many operators, particularly as it relates to social distancing. “We find that the behaviour...

Chief Executive Officer of e-Learning Jamaica, Keith Smith, says Cabinet has approved the procurement of 40,000 tablet computers for students and 25,000 devices for teachers, under the Tablets in Schools Project. “We are now finalising contracts with the vendors,” he told JIS News in a recent interview. A new phase of the project, which is to be renamed ‘Technology in...

Executive Director of National Integrity Action (NIA), Professor Trevor Munroe, has commended the island’s judiciary for exceeding local and international case clearance rates. Supreme Court statistics for 2019 indicate that Jamaica’s parish courts have a case clearance rate of 101.6 per cent. Three of the top-performing parishes are St. Mary, with a clearance rate of 125.6 per cent; St. Catherine,...

The Island Traffic Authority (ITA) has made a change in procedure for testing motor vehicles for certification of fitness. This has been implemented as a precautionary measure to safeguard customers and workers from the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Acting Director of the Island Traffic Authority, Donald Henry said the changes are for a...

Ministry of Health and Wellness officials on Wednesday (March 18), received training on how to use Go.Data, an outbreak investigation tool that collects field data during a public health emergency. National Epidemiologist in the Ministry, Dr Karen Webster-Kerr told JIS News that the tool has been customised to track cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). She said it includes functionality...

E-Learning Jamaica Company Limited (e-LJam) is seeking to increase the availability of virtual learning platforms for students, amidst the closure of schools, due to the threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Chief Executive Officer, e-LJam, Keith Smith, told JIS News that specific emphasis will be placed on the exam cohort of grades six, eleven, twelve and thirteen. He informed that collectively,...