Government of Jamaica to tighten the COVID-19 restriction again: PM Holness

Prime Minister of Jamaica ordered to implement the strict COVID-19 restrictions on citizens to mitigate COVID-19 spread in the country. The decision has been taken after experiencing the rise in COVID-19 positive cases on the island, alarming the third wave in Jamaica.

An average of 135 cases are being reported daily in Jamaica. Whereas there have been 1,318 new COVID-19 cases recorded in the month of July

While addressing the whole nation, PM Holness said that after noticing a rapid rise in the COVID-19 cases in the country, now the government needs to act. Mainly on the decision that the face to face education would get resumed in school from September.

PM Holness, while explaining at the press conference, said that what they had done has to bring forward some of the measures that they had planned to put in right after the Independence period, because of how fast the upturn in numbers were taking place.

PM Holness said that those were really preliminary measures. Come the 11th (of August). They would have to take even tighter measures to ensure that they do not see a massive spike.

According to PM Holness, the new measures would be applied for the coming two-week period from Tuesday, July 27, to August 10, 2021.

PM Holness announced that from Tuesday, July 27, new measures would come into effect. The nightly curfew timings have been changed from 8 pm to 5 am from coming Mondays to Saturdays. During Sundays and public holidays, the curfew hours would be from 3:00 pm, and 6:00 am.

For the holiday period, the curfew would run from 3 pm to 5 am on Emancipation Day, Sunday, August 1, as well as Monday, August 2, when the holiday would actually be celebrated. For Independence Day, Tuesday, August 6, the curfew will begin at 3 pm to 5 am.

In relation to beaches and rivers, the new operating hours are Mondays to Saturdays from 6 am to 4 pm, and on Sundays and public holidays from 6 am to 2 pm.