To successfully book an appointment for the coronavirus (COVID-19) test via the jamcovid19 website or mobile app, persons will have to follow certain procedures, which will determine their eligibility. This was emphasised by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Dunstan Byran, who informed that persons will first need to be assessed and will be required to fill...

The Government’s COVID Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) Programme has received more than 500,000 applications across the available grant types. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the disclosure while giving an update in the House of Representatives on May 12. He said that given the disproportionately high number of applications for the...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holiness, is calling on Jamaicans who are attending funerals to act responsibly and abide by the gathering protocol, which stipulates that no more than 10 persons should congregate in any public gathering. “I know in some of the rural parts of Jamaica the funeral ritual is very important. We understand that, but I urge...

Minister with responsibility for Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Karl Samuda, has advised that Jamaica will not be able to hold the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), slated for July. According to the Minister, CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Education Ministers and Education Ministry officials met on May 8 and an agreement was reached for...

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and the Ministry of Health and Wellness are collaborating with privately operated golden age homes to conduct testing and establish protocols as measures to protect the elderly, who are most vulnerable to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This was noted by Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, while addressing a meeting of the...

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, says the entity is in “close dialogue” with several bilateral and multilateral institutions to coordinate a response to the negative economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on PAHO member countries. Among these, she said, while speaking at a digital media briefing on Tuesday (May 12), are the International Monetary Fund (IMF),...

More than 3,000 persons have been assessed in the three communities now under quarantine in St. Mary as part of contact tracing for the coronavirus (COVID-19). The quarantined communities in St. Mary are Dover, Enfield and Annotto Bay. They have been placed under quarantine in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. Up to the time of being placed...