Amid intense backlash for the hosting of Mocha Fest in Negril, Westmoreland, the Jamaica Tourist Board says it is “extremely disappointed” social media videos from the event highlighted an abandonment of anti-coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols.

The JTB, in a statement on Friday (May 28), while not denying the event’s approval by the tourism ministry, said the breaches are unacceptable and has launched a full investigation through the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

In a brief statement with Our Today, Health Minister Christopher Tufton said he received video footage clips of Mocha Fest and his understanding is that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is investigating.

The festival, which was initially cancelled in 2020 due to the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic, was scheduled to run for the entirety of the Memorial Day holiday observed in the United States from May 24 to 31.

See the statement in full below:

“The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is extremely disappointed to learn from videos in circulation on various social media platforms that proper observance of COVID-19 protocols was not in full compliance during an event held at Rick’s Café.

It is our further understanding that “Mocha Fest,” an event which the JTB has endorsed in past years, was party to the event displayed in the video evidence.

We are further disturbed that the Jamaica Tourist Board logo was included in promotion of these events. The JTB has given no undertaking for sponsorship or endorsement of such activities since the start of the pandemic.

Therefore, no permission was given to these, nor any other promoter of events, to use the Jamaica Tourist Board logo.

The visitjamaica.com platform hosts a calendar for all events staged in Jamaica that are endorsed by the JTB.

The dates for these events are typically set years in advance and listed on the site to facilitate pre-planning for visitors and travel agents that sell the destination.

We regret the oversight that the events section has remained on our website during the pandemic and we’ve made the decision to disable this section on the site until further notice.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JTB and Tourism Product Development Company (TPDco), in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, created clear guidelines to protect the health and safety of both our visitors and tourism workers.

Based on the videos circulated, the promoters and the venue in question were in clear breach of these guidelines, which is unacceptable.

Accordingly, TPDco has commenced an investigation into the matter with the assistance of local authorities. The investigation will include the sequence of events that led to this alleged breach with the objective of ensuring that appropriate sanctions are enforced.

Moving forward, we want to assure the public that we take the health and safety of every Jamaican and every visitor to the country very seriously. We will ensure the corrective actions are swift and send a strong message about the importance of following the required protocols to safeguard the public and the integrity of the sector.”