Tougher COVID-19 Measures Coming – PM

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has advised that he will be announcing new and stronger coronavirus (COVID-19) infection prevention and control measures, when the current provisions expire on March 22.

He was making his 2021/22 Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 18), under the theme ‘Recovery: Faster, Stronger, Better’.

Mr. Holness said the decision to strengthen the measures comes against the background of COVID-19 hospitalisations now exceeding the number of beds available by as much as 15 per cent in some instances, the daily COVID-19 positivity rate averaging 30 per cent “and our estimated infection reproduction rate continuing above 1”.

“This means that someone who needs to be taken in on a ward may not have a bed readily available and may have to wait. This places great strain on our already overburdened doctors and nurses [and] could potentially impact on the mortality rate,” he noted.

Bed capacity has increased from 15 in March 2020, when Jamaica’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported, to 600 currently.

The Prime Minister said that the stronger measures to be introduced are intended to “protect our healthcare system and save lives in the short-term, which eventually protects and preserves our economy and livelihoods in the long-term”.

Meanwhile, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, on Thursday tabled amendments to the Disaster Risk Management Act to implement a new ticketing system for enforcement of infection prevention and control measures.

Mr. Holness said the Government is prepared to have the Bill reviewed by a Joint Select Committee over the weekend and debated and passed next week.

“This would make the new measures to be announced more effective,” he noted.