Jamaicans urged to take extra COVID precautions during ‘Emancipendence’ festivities
/ Our Today
administrator
Amid ongoing festivities to mark the Emancipendence holidays, Jamaicans are being encouraged to participate but take the necessary precautions against the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, warned the island is experiencing an uptick in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and urged persons, especially those most vulnerable including children, pregnant women, the elderly and immuno-compromised, “to employ infection-prevention-and-control mechanisms”.
The ministry, in its weekly situation report covering July 18-24, confirmed 178 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing Jamaica’s overall total to 155,860. Of this number, Jamaica is managing some 290 active infections.
At a recent JIS Think Tank, Lenford Salmon, executive director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), said that “personal responsibility will play a major role in controlling the spread of the virus during the celebratory events”.
“We are asking people to exercise due care in how they conduct themselves in coming to the [National] Stadium. Walk with your sanitiser, avoid going into very close spaces with people who are not from your own little bubble, and take all the precautions you can,” he implored.
Individuals who are sick should stay at home, while those attending the events are advised to wear a mask and practise proper hand and respiratory hygiene.
A range of activities are slated to be held from August 1 to 6 island-wide to mark Jamaica’s 61 st year of Independence, under the theme ‘Jamaica 61… Proud and Strong’.
“We can’t accommodate everybody in all the physical spaces, but we will accommodate you in the virtual space,” Salmon said.
He noted that events will be carried live on the two national television stations and on the social media pages of the JCDC as well as the Ministry of Culture and Entertainment.
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