Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness is hailing Jamaicans, who have taken the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinate as heroes and is urging them to go back into their communities and encourage others to get the jab. “You, who are here, are the heroes. You have looked past all the naysayers, all the negative, all the mischief information that is out...

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information will be continuing its targeted community intervention plan this school year, which is aimed at reaching those students, who are not engaged through any of the remote learning modalities. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Fayval Williams told JIS News that the intervention involves the direct engagement of students in their communities by Ministry personnel. “We...

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is reminding Jamaicans that pretesting for the coronavirus (COVID-19) is not required before vaccination. “However, we are advising persons [who] have been exposed [and] have tested positive for the infection to wait until they have recovered from the acute illness [to be vaccinated],” she said. She said that these persons must also meet the...

The Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) is reminding persons that the deadline to apply for the Jump-Start Scholarship is September 30, 2021. The free scholarship provides students with $300,000 to assist with tuition and other school-related expenses.  It is not a student loan and, therefore, does not require repayment. SLB Jump-Start is designed to assist financially challenged students leaving secondary school...

The National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank) is encouraging exporters to take advantage of its Trade Credit Insurance (TCI) facility to protect their goods and services. Speaking in an interview with JIS News, Manager, Business Origination at EXIM Bank, Allan Thomas, explained that TCI is a tool that an exporter or supplier can use to protect his/her business against...

Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, says adequate supplies of medical oxygen are available for the treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients. “Coming out of the weekend of [August 27 and 28) we had about 84,000 litres of oxygen that were brought in to supplement the 50-60 litres that IGL Limited could produce in-country. This week we [received] the same amount...

Regional planning for forest-cover protection is important, says Principal Director, Forest Science and Technology Services Division, Forestry Department, Donna Lowe. Speaking in a recent interview with JIS News about the country’s hosting of the 32nd meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Forestry Commission (LACFC), Ms. Lowe explained why such a meeting is important for both Jamaica and the region...