Special Cabinet Unit Formed to Bolster Government’s COVID-19 Response

A special Cabinet unit has been established to further bolster the Government’s strategies to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Jamaica.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the announcement during a digital press conference at Jamaica House on Friday (April 3),

He said the unit will undertake detailed reviews and deliberations of engagements and decisions by Ministries and the Government’s response, in general, to COVID-19, noting that the members have already held their first meeting.

“[With this group,] we are better able to manage [and] spend quality time thrashing out all the details of decisions that have to be made. [The unit, which will] focus on areas that are not adequately covered by one particular Ministry, is charged with working in ensuring that those functions that are not in the remit of a particular Ministry, have no slips in implementation,” the Prime Minister outlined.

Mr. Holness said the group will, additionally, offer support in relation to policy implementation.

“We need to be spending time at the policy level to get [that aspect] correct. We have to ensure that we are reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the implementing arms, making sure that [where there are] bureaucratic obstacles, those are removed,” he added.

Jamaica has, to date, recorded 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which seven of the persons infected have recovered.