Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries that have contained the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and plan to open their borders or have already done so are being urged to exercise caution and remain vigilant against potential resurgences in outbreaks. PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, notes that most countries across the region of the Americas have implemented effective public...

A new management team has been put in place to ramp up the monitoring of the coronavirus (COVID-19) resilient corridor, which confines the movement of visitors to the northern end of the island, in keeping with the phased reopening of the tourism sector. This was announced by Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, who said the team will be led...

Markets across the island will now open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday to Saturday. This is an extension of the previous restricted hours from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., put in place by the Government as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The additional hour will also apply to vending in public arcades...

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is warning Jamaicans that in spite of the relaxation of some of the measures by the Government in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19), the outbreak is not over. The CMO told a recent JIS ‘Think Tank’ that in her experience with the management of infections, people generally become desensitised over time, and...

Effective July 1, persons who are applying to travel to Jamaica from high-risk states in the United States (US) will have to pretest for the coronavirus (COVID-19) and submit the results in order for their application for entry to be considered. Visitors from Florida, Arizona, New York and Texas, which have been declared as high-risk areas by the Ministry of...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, is expected to make a statement in Parliament on Wednesday (July 1) outlining measures relating to the opening of beaches and rivers. Speaking at a virtual media briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday (June 29), Mr. McKenzie informed that visitors to beaches and rivers were not...

As Jamaica continues to relax coronavirus (COVID- 19) restrictions, public gatherings have been increased to a maximum of 20 persons for the next two weeks. In March, when the Government started implementing measures to contain and reduce the spread of the virus, public gathering was reduced to no more than 20 persons, and was further restricted to no more than...