Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, warned August 6th that stricter measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) are coming, following another spike in new cases to push Jamaica’s tally to 958.
He made the announcement during a digital press briefing at the Office of the Prime Minister Media Centre in Kingston, where he also reported that 745 persons have recovered from COVID-19, leaving 149 active cases.
Mr. Holness said due the recent uptick in cases, which has been a cause for concern, and the flouting the safeguards and protocols by persons in different areas, the COVID-19 Sub-committee met on Thursday and has decided to institute stricter measures for churches, funerals, the entertainment sector, and beaches, details of which the Jamaica Government Information Service is holding close to its chest.
Meanwhile several Adults Only resorts have reopened, and it is not clear whether they will be covered by the new restrictions.
“I’ve always said that if the situation warrants it, then we will have to extend existing or implement new restrictive measures. We have spent a lot of time and effort and resources on moral suasion, asking you the citizens, appealing to your good conscience and your reasonableness, to observe the protocols. With what is happening now, I think we are at the limit in moral suasion,” the Prime Minister said.
“So, where we are now is that we’re going to move into a different phase of the management of the pandemic, that is strict enforcement because it is now clear to us that, despite our best efforts and despite the best efforts of the majority of Jamaicans, as my grandmother said to me when I was a child, ‘If you [can’t] hear, you will feel’,” he added.
