It has been about 167 years since Jamaican nurse, Mary Seacole, demonstrated acts of kindness to the sick and dying in the Crimean war in the mid-19th century. Now, the Mary Seacole Foundation (MSF) will be introducing programmes this year to honour and preserve her legacy. Initiatives being embarked on by the MSF, which was launched in August 1998, include...

The dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has been wreaking havoc throughout the local economy, is testing the mettle of Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson. In addition to her responsibility for the Ministry, which is the Government’s link between employers and workers, Mrs. Robinson is also the Member of Parliament for North East St. Ann, one of...

When Ricardo Allen declined his Fulbright Scholarship, little did he know he would be helping to further the educational development and achievement of thousands of secondary students across the Caribbean, by creating One on One Educational Services Limited. Since its inception in 2014, the company has provided e-learning assistance to more than 50,000 students across the region, even in the...

When Joe* took up a job opportunity to teach English in Zhejiang province in the People’s Republic of China, he never envisaged being at the epicentre of one of the most devastating global pandemics ever – the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Joe, who commenced the temporary teaching post in September 2019, had only been in China for five months when...

With a well-documented history of assistance to the island’s health and education sectors, the Issa Trust Foundation, under the leadership of Chairman, Paul Issa, and the patronage of Their Excellencies, the Most Hon. Sir Patrick and Lady Allen, has joined in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Foundation, the non-profit arm of Couples Resorts Jamaica, has donated US$238,000 (J$32...

Several private sector companies are implementing the safeguards and health protocols announced by the Government to contain the outbreak and reduce transmission the Coronavirus (COVID-19). This is evident at businesses and financial institutions where sanitising stations have been set up or personnel assigned to administer sanitising products; space demarcations for client queues, in keeping with the social distancing policy; and...

The Government’s decision to impose nightly islandwide curfews from April 1 to April 8 to slow down the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has received the support of business leaders. The virus has, so far, claimed one life and infected 36 persons locally. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, who announced the measure at Monday’s (March 30) virtual press...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been working assiduously to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which is infecting thousands of persons worldwide and leaving a trail of death in its wake. Jamaica’s response, which has been considered quick and effective, has earned high commendation internationally, the most significant of which is the World Health Organization (WHO),...

Small Business Association of Jamaica (SBAJ) President, Hugh Johnson, says he is “very optimistic” that the country can recover from the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. He tells JIS News that while further slowing down of economic activity is anticipated, “I do not think an outright lockdown is looming”. “We have a cadre of leaders instituting interventions, who I...