My Fellow Jamaicans at home and in the Diaspora. For the past two weeks, our nation has been gripped by fear, panic, and uncertainty as the dreaded COVID-19 virus reached our shores. I am using this opportunity to speak to you, not only as your Governor-General, but as a husband, father, brother, friend and concerned citizen. Firstly, I thank the...

Our government’s decision to close our air and sea ports to incoming people traffic as of tonight is a necessary measure to help contain the spread of COVID-19. This decision has several implications, including for members of our entertainment community who are overseas. I have been in contact with several of them and some are scheduled to arrive today before...

The unprecedented spread of Covid-19 has created a global health crisis. Each day brings new developments as countries around the world seek to “flatten the curve” and achieve “social distance” which is significantly, sharply and suddenly curtailing economic activity around the world. The Jamaican government, led by the Most Hon. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has taken strong action to protect...

To advance further understanding as it relates to the implementation of measures in the public sector to encourage “work from home”, Permanent Secretaries are required to consult with department and agency heads to determine certain functions which could be carried out from home for seven days starting Wednesday, March 18, 2020 to March 25, 2020. The objective is to reduce...

Thank you for joining us this afternoon for what is an important development with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Jamaica today confirmed its first imported case of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) here in Kingston. The patient is a Jamaican female who had travelled from the United Kingdom, which has cases of COVID-19. She arrived in the island on March 4,...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness and, in fact, the whole of Government is making every effort to safeguard public health, as the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) remains a clear and present danger to the island. We now have a COVID-19 Comprehensive Response Plan, which has received the approval of the Prime Minister Andrew Holness-led National Disaster Risk Management Council. This...

The new Coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread to more than 60 countries, fueling widespread anxiety, as many consider the implications for public health. Here in Jamaica we understand that anxiety and wish to reassure the public that we are, even now, enhancing our readiness for the very real possibility of the virus coming to our shores. Up to March 1, there...