Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke announced the waiving of all application and processing fees for new loans from the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) for the 2020/2021 academic year. He made the announcement during the debate on the first supplementary estimates for the 2020/21 fiscal year in the Lower House of Parliament last evening....

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, hailed the work of the United Nations (UN), noting that for 75 years, the organisation has been in the vanguard of efforts to improve lives worldwide. “In spite of some scepticism, it has provided food to millions, authorised 72 international missions to foster peace and security, worked...

As at Wednesday (June 10), there were no new confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded for Jamaica. The total confirmed cases, therefore remain at 605. At the same time, two more patients have recovered and have been released from care, bringing the total recoveries to 407 (67.2% Recovery rate). Jamaica has 104 imported cases; 218 contacts of confirmed cases; 27 local transmission...

The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) has embarked on a series of sensitisation workshops to highlight coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols, which will govern the tourism sector when it reopens on June 15. These workshops target tourism workers as well as other stakeholders in the sector and will be held over the course of six days, from June 8 to June 15,...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Alando Terrelonge, has lauded the ancillary staff at the Bridgeport High School in Portmore, St. Catherine, for keeping the institution clean. During the closure of the school, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff spent several days cleaning the school, and during the last two weeks leading up...

Jamaica and other Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) member countries will benefit from the entity’s acquisition of additional personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies, valued at more than US$100 million, to bolster the response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak across the Americas. PAHO Director, Dr. Carissa Etienne, said the provisions, which were sourced from suppliers in Asia, include gloves,...

The Ministry of Health will be increasing the deployment of health personnel across the island, in preparation for the reopening of the country’s borders to international travellers on June 15. “We are now employing another 1,000 community health aides across the country, and that will bolster the number of persons we have,” said portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton....