Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) Governor, Richard Byles, says the economy is projected to contract by 5.1 per cent for the 2020/21 fiscal year, consequent on the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but will bounce back in 2021/22 with growth in the range of 2.5 to 5.5 per cent. He was speaking during the BOJ’s digital quarterly press conference on...

Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Jamaica and the Honourable François Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, co-chaired a meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends of Sustainable Development Goals Financing on Tuesday May 19, 2020. The meeting brought together Ambassadors from across the membership of the United Nations...

A total of 85 nursing homes, to date, have been deemed satisfactory in meeting the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention guidelines and protocols. This was disclosed by Director of the Standards and Regulation Division in the Ministry, Cynthia Lewis Graham, at a virtual meeting of the Special Select Committee on COVID-19 at Gordon House on Tuesday (May...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is building out the necessary protocols for coronavirus (COVID-19) antibody and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said developing the testing protocols is in keeping with measures to ensure that “we can provide the support that is necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the society”. “Within...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is in discussions with the private sector to ensure that the most appropriate protocols for the return to work arrangement can be put in place. Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said organisations such as the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has credited the Government’s policy measures, including early planning and response to perceived threats, in enabling the country to flatten the coronavirus (COVID-19) curve up to this point. Dr. Tufton, in a digital presentation to the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) on Tuesday (May 19), said that Jamaica’s response was...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is to employ an additional 1,300 community health aides (CHAs) as part of a strategic framework to prepare the population to live with the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Ministry has already received approval from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service for the undertaking, and the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) have begun the process...