For over 30 years, veteran public health nurse, Charmaine Vassell-Shettlewood has dedicated her life in service to her country. She tells JIS News that nursing is in her blood and has been a passion since childhood. She is one of four siblings, who pursued nursing careers and has a niece, who is a medical doctor. “I believe that I am...

When the coronavirus (COVID-19) began its dreadful spread across the United Kingdom, Michael Forrester and his elderly mother wanted to return to their home country, Jamaica. However, with Jamaican borders closed on March 24 in an effort to control the local spread of COVID-19, they thought there was no hope of returning home. With plea calls coming from stranded ship...

The Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), under the Ministry of Tourism, is providing an opportunity for workers within the sector to upgrade their skills and develop professionally. The centre, which is a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), was launched in 2017, to facilitate the certification and licensure of employees, as well as support innovation within the sector....

With schools being closed as part of measures to control and prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many students have been unable to keep up with their schoolwork due to the lack of access to the Internet and other necessary resources. Detective Inspector of Police Pilmar Powell, who has been assigned to the Kingston Western Police Division since 2018,...

The Kiwanis Club of St. Bess has been actively making contributions and raising the morale of persons working on the front lines in Black River and its environs in St. Elizabeth as Jamaica continues to grapple with the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The six-year-old service club, comprising 26 members, has over the past few weeks been making donations...

Since 2007, the International Health Regulations have been adopted by World Health Organization (WHO) member States, including Jamaica, to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the spread of diseases. According to the WHO, this is done in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks, and which avoid unnecessary interference with international...

As the country deals with the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Government has put in place measures to protect consumers from price gouging as they purchase products to protect themselves from the virus. Price gouging is the practice of increasing the price of an item that is in demand in the midst of a disaster (natural) or emergency...

Several micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) have answered the Government’s call to provide innovative solutions in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) by producing protective face masks. Technical Services Manager, Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Colin Porter, tells JIS News the Corporation has been working with its MSME clients to produce face masks using the recommended health and safety specifications....

As the world grapples with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government recently engaged children and youth in a special digital town hall meeting to address their questions and concerns. To support their participation in the event, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) solicited questions through its social messaging tool, ‘U-Report’, which is used to learn more about the views...