Fitch Rating Agency, today, April 10, 2020, revised the country’s outlook to “Stable” from “Positive”, while affirming its Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at B+. The Rating Agency indicated that the revised outlook reflected the shock to Jamaica from the on-going global Corona Virus (COVID-19) health crisis. Fitch indicated that due to the pandemic, the country will experience a...

Farmers affected by the closure of hotels due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), will receive assistance from the Tourism Linkages Network to offload their produce. This was disclosed by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who noted that through the use of technology, the Network will be supporting small famers to connect their supplies to market. “Now that...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is anticipating that the tourism industry could begin to recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in another five months. “I think at about September, we will begin to see the turnaround and I think borders will begin to open and airlines will begin to make initial forays. This is not to say that they’ll...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, continues to implore Jamaicans to obey the measures put in place to contain transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19). These include an island-wide curfew, stay-at-home orders, having non-essential persons work from home, restriction on public gatherings, social distancing measures, adjusted market hours, closure of schools, among other safeguards. “Some people are not taking it...

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has donated US$3000, from his Foundation, Positive Jamaica, to the Jamaica Telethon. The fundraising effort is aimed at raising $10 Million USD to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the country’s health care workers on the frontline battling the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica. During an interview with Jamaica Telethon yesterday, Easter Sunday (April 12), Prime Minister...

The Ministry of Transport and Mining advises that all driving examinations will be suspended by the Island Traffic Authority (ITA) island-wide until further notice. This is an extension to the 14 days which became effective Monday, March 30, 2020. These tests include the Provisional Drivers (Learner’s) Licenses, yard and road tests. During this period, the adjustment in procedure for testing...

The newly established COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Task Force will consist of two layers of partners whose mandate is to, among other things, provide a recovery and growth stimulation framework for the sector, said Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. Speaking at a digital media briefing on April 9, he explained that the “first layer is going to be what we call...