Mr Speaker I stand today at the cusp of a new phase of the implementation plan for the COVID-19 management for Jamaica. As you may recall the Ministry of Health and Wellness at the beginning of this experience outlined 4 phases for the plan. Those being: 1. Inter-Pandemic Phase 2. Alert Phase 3. Epidemic phase 4. Recovery Phase While the...

Progression of the Epidemic It has now been 70 days since our first case of COVID-19 on March 10, 2020. I am pleased to report that we had no new confirmed cases over the last 24 hours and there are 4 additional persons who have recovered and been released. This means that we now have 520 confirmed cases, with 131...

The Government of Jamaica from the outset of the COVID19 Pandemic has been exploring ways to safely return home our Jamaican Nationals stranded in foreign countries or on ships overseas. To achieve this, we established a controlled re-entry process which has to date seen over 350 Jamaicans return home in accordance with our quarantine regulations. We want to get our...

The Government’s CARE Programme has received over 500,000 applications across the available grant types. Given the disproportionately high number of applications for the Compassionate Grant (over 400,000), processing and payment of these has taken precedence. Given the unprecedented size and scope of this social intervention programme, and the speed with which it has been designed and implemented and my desire...

Nurses – Our Health Heroes The year 2020 has been dubbed by the World Health Organization as the Year of the Nurse and Midwife. Rightfully so, as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the important role that nurses play is even more evident in these challenging time. In light of this, International Nurses Day, which also celebrated on the...

Mr Speaker, the team at the Ministry of Health and Wellness is saddened at the passing of Jodian Fearon, who was transferred from the Andrew’s Memorial Hospital to the Spanish Town Hospital and then to the University Hospital of the West Indies. On behalf my own family, as well as the entire team at the Ministry; we extend our sympathies...

Mr. Speaker, I rise to update this Honourable House and the people of Jamaica on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). Mr. Speaker, as of Wednesday, April 15, the National Surveillance Unit has advised that there are 125 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Jamaica. The 20 additional confirmed cases...

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...