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Chairman of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operationalisation Task Force, Professor Gordon Shirley (second left), is in discussion with other members of the task force (from left) Consultant, Office of the Prime Minister, Alok Jain; Brigadier Markland Lloyd of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF); and President and Chief Executive Officer, ICD Group Holdings Limited, Peter Melhado, during a press conference at Jamaica House on October 27.

Task Force Recommends Vaccination, Testing Protocol For Workers

Chairman of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Operationalisation Task Force, Professor Gordon Shirley, is recommending a protocol for the vaccination or testing of certain categories of workers as part of measures to improve coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination coverage in the country. He...

As hundreds of primary-level institutions prepare to resume face-to-face instruction, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is advising school administrators to ensure that all the necessary protocols are in place. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, announced on Tuesday (October 26), that 376 schools have been selected to offer in-person classes beginning November 8.
The Education Ministry, in a bulletin, said that administrators are required to obtain a satisfactory institutional health inspection and coronavirus (COVID-19)-compliant approval report from the Ministry of Health and Wellness for this new academic year.
In addition, administrators should engage parents in consultation to arrive at a consensus on the start date for in-person learning, which should provide adequate time to prepare the students. They should also submit, to the regional office, a copy of the satisfactory health report and a letter signed by the board chairman, indicating the extent of the parent consultation and the proposed start date for face-to-face engagement. The letter is to outline the schedule for in-person learning, including the approach to be used – whole day or rotational. Where the COVID-19 protocols allow, all the students should be accommodated daily. However, where this is not possible, each year group will be given at least two days of in-person learning each week. The education region in consultation with the Ministry’s Planning and Development Division and the Schools’ Operations and Improvement Services Branch, will provide written approval for the commencement of face-to-face instruction. The region will also provide monitoring support as is customary. — As hundreds of primary-level institutions prepare to resume face-to-face instruction, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information is advising school administrators to ensure that all the necessary protocols are in place. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, announced on Tuesday (October 26), that 376 schools have been selected to offer in-person classes beginning November 8. The Education Ministry, in a bulletin, said that administrators are required to obtain a satisfactory institutional health inspection and coronavirus (COVID-19)-compliant approval report from the Ministry of Health and Wellness for this new academic year. In addition, administrators should engage parents in consultation to arrive at a consensus on the start date for in-person learning, which should provide adequate time to prepare the students. They should also submit, to the regional office, a copy of the satisfactory health report and a letter signed by the board chairman, indicating the extent of the parent consultation and the proposed start date for face-to-face engagement. The letter is to outline the schedule for in-person learning, including the approach to be used – whole day or rotational. Where the COVID-19 protocols allow, all the students should be accommodated daily. However, where this is not possible, each year group will be given at least two days of in-person learning each week. The education region in consultation with the Ministry’s Planning and Development Division and the Schools’ Operations and Improvement Services Branch, will provide written approval for the commencement of face-to-face instruction. The region will also provide monitoring support as is customary.

Schools Advised To Put Protocols In Place For In-Person Classes

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Robert Morgan (left), speaks with Javaughn Barrett (centre) and Nandre Stewart, at the launch of the Optimist International Caribbean District’s flagship project, ‘Mentorship For At- Risk Youth’, on Wednesday (October 27) at the YMCA in St. Andrew.

Over 6,000 Calls To 211 Child Abuse Helpline

State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Robert Morgan

Education State Minister Says Youth Must Have A Voice In Disaster Mitigation

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange (left); speaks with Mexico’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Juan José González Mijares (centre); and General Manager of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Yago Castro Izaguirre, during a visit to Caribbean Cement’s Rockfort complex in East Kingston recently, to view a mural painted on a silo (in the background). The artwork adds to the ongoing ‘Jamaica Creative: Paint Up Yuh Creative Space’ mural project, which commenced in December 2019, and has been engaging communities in the Kingston Metropolitan Region through strategically located works of public art, while simultaneously providing economic opportunities for artists.

PHOTOS: Minister Grange Views Mural At Caribbean Cement Company

An image of a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine

5 years ago COVID-19 VaccinationHealth & Wellness

First Shipment of Pfizer Vaccines Arrives

Some 45,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccines arrived in country at approximately 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday (October 27) at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston. This shipment, a gift from the Government of Suriname, represents a portion of the 145,000 does that are expected to arrive by the end of this week. As previously announced, the Ministry of Health...

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to Jamaica Ms. Mariko Kagoshima, speaking at the Youth Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean held Tuesday (October 26) at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston.

5 years ago Weather and Climate ChangeYouth

Youth Voices Needed In Battling Climate Change

There are increased calls for youth in Jamaica and the region to engage in the decision-making process for local and national risk-reduction strategies in relation to climate change. This was disclosed at the Youth Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas and the Caribbean, which took place Wednesday (October 26) at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The Special...

: Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, Hon. Marsha Smith.

5 years ago Finance & Public ServiceTechnology

More Jamaicans Encouraged To Do Digital Banking

More Jamaicans are being encouraged to become a part of the formal banking system by reaping the rewards available through digital banking. The call came from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service at the second staging of their virtual Wealth Summit on Wednesday (October 20), with a focus on Digital Financial Inclusion. Delivering opening remarks at the event,...

President of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI), Karen Brown, addresses a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, which was held at the agency’s Montego Bay Regional Office in St. James, recently.

5 years ago AgricultureHealth & Wellness

Backyard Poultry Farmers Urged To Get Butcher’s Licence

President of the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI), Karen Brown, is encouraging backyard poultry farmers to obtain a butcher’s licence. Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank at the agency's regional office in Montego Bay, St. James, recently, Ms Brown said that while licensing is not yet mandatory for this group, it is important in order...

Camrie Hines (left) of Westmoreland, accepts his award for Public Health Inspector of the Year 2021 from Director of the Environmental Health Unit in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Everton Baker. Occasion was the Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI) 75th Annual Educational Conference opening and awards ceremony at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (October 25).

5 years ago Transport

Motorists Advised to Check Speedometer Reading on Fitness Certificate

Motorists are being advised to ensure that the speedometer reading on their motor vehicle corresponds with that on the fitness certificate that is issued at the examination depot after the vehicle has been tested. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Island Traffic Authority (ITA) Director, Kenute Hare, said it has been observed that a large number of persons have...

5 years ago Finance & Public Service

TAJ to Host Vaccination Blitz at Spanish Town And Portmore Tax Offices

Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) will continue its national vaccination drive at the Spanish Town and Portmore Tax Offices where they will host a three-day vaccination drive from October 28 – October 30, 2021. The blitz activity is scheduled to take place at the Spanish Town Tax Office on Thursday, October 28 and Friday, October 29, 2021 beginning at 8:30am and...

A cruise ship docked at the Old Naval Dockyard in Port Royal, Kingston.

5 years ago Economic Growth & Infrastructure Development

Cruise Operations Expected to Resume At All Ports By December

The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) is working assiduously to ensure a safe and secure return of cruise operations at all the island’s ports by early December 2021. Assistant Vice President, Marketing Communications at the Port Authority, Kimberley Stiff, said that the entity is hosting a series of meetings “to apprise various interest groups and the communities in which we...