Jamaica: Government again imposes ban on the entertainment sector

The Government of Jamaica again imposed a ban on the entertainment sectors just after easing the measures for this particular sector a month ago. Due to a noticeable hike in the cases of COVID-19 in Jamaica.

To mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the country, PM announced that the nightly curfew would run from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. from Mondays to Fridays for August. On Saturdays, the curfew will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 5 a.m. On Sundays, the curfew will be from 2 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Monday.

Beaches would only be allowed to open from 6 a.m to 4 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. On Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., Rivers are ordered only to be used for domestic purposes and rafting.

The stakeholders of the entertainment industry started building pressurePM Holness-led Government. During that time, the entertainment industry was under 15 months closure. So Government of Jamaica reopened the industry on July 1.

After opening the entertainment sector and easing the curfew timings on the island, Jamaica is now recording the massive cases of COVID-19. The Ministry previously warned about the hike of Health and Wellness. First eight days of August, Jamaica was recording 1,903 new cases analysed to 1,572 new cases for the entire month of June. August 8, the island reported 379 new cases with this, wh1ich shows the positivity rate of 37.8%, and it was noticed as the highest since March.

Many hospitals had reached their capacity. These hospitals include Cornwall Regional Hospital, University Hospital of the West Indies, Mandeville Hospital, and Spanish Town. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has passed the orders that all healthcare workers who have gone for a vacation should report back to work, as it requested all hands on deck to deal with the current crisis.

PM Holness, while talking about the events, said that no small or large events, like concerts, parties, tailgate parties, round robins, would be permitted. These measures will stay in place until August 31. Still, the Prime Minister warned that the Government could impose a no-movement day if the cases continue to increase.