There is uncertainty whether Jamaica’s next housing and population census, slated for 2021, will be held, in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The survey, which captures data on the total number of citizens and households in the country, is conducted every 10 years by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN). Director General, Carol Coy, says COVID-19, among other...

The quarantine imposed on the Corn Piece Settlement in Clarendon has been lifted. The community was put under quarantine for an initial 14 days on March 19, following the first confirmed Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) death – a 79-year-old man with a travel history from New York – in Jamaica. The quarantine was extended for a further two weeks on Friday,...

Jamaica now has 163 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), following 20 new additions over the last 24 hours. Details on 17 of the 20 new cases will be provided over the next 24 hours. The other three are from St Catherine. Two of that number are workers – both females, aged 33 and 19 years – of...

We wholeheartedly share the concern expressed by some Members of Parliament regarding the closure of Compassionate Grant applications under the Government of Jamaica’s CARE Programme that was announced yesterday. The CARE Programme was designed with the vital social mission of providing support to the most vulnerable in our society in light of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. To...

The Ministry of Tourism has announced a six-month moratorium on the payment for licences and of fees by entities in the tourism sector. Making the announcement during a digital press conference today (April 17), Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, said a total of $9.7 million will be given up for the period ending September 2020. “This would give some level...

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. the Hon Christopher Tufton, says the number of ventilators on the island are set to triple, due in part to the number of donations from private entities over the past few weeks. The Minister was addressing journalists at a press conference held recently at the Sandals Inn in Montego Bay, St. James. “We have...

The Ministry of Health & Wellness has been advised that one of its employees assigned to the Head Offices has tested positive for COVID-19. In keeping with its own established protocol for infection prevention and control, the Ministry has decided to suspend operations at the Head Office Buildings in New Kingston on Friday, April 17, 2020. This suspension of operation...