Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a further pushback of curfew hours as the nation enters the Christmas season, including special arrangements to allow Jamaicans to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s into the early morning.

Addressing Parliament this afternoon, Holness indicated that, as of December 10, and running until January 13, 2022 the start of daily curfews would be pushed from 9 pm to 10 pm, and end at 5 am the next day.

For Christmas Eve, however, the curfew will not begin until 1 am Christmas morning, allowing Jamaicans to enjoy the traditional Grand Market and other activities.

The same will apply for New Year’s Eve, with the curfew not beginning until 1 am on New Year’s Day.

“How well we are able to maintain these hours really depends on how people behave,” Holness said as parliamentarians applauded the special after-midnight curfew for the two holidays.

“So, it is not our intention in any way to deprive persons of enjoying the spirit of Christmas and enjoying the festivities of the season. I am of the view that the country has been under so much stress and so much pressure that people need to be able to enjoy the season responsibly and I think the new curfew hours would faciliate that but people ought to remember that the threat is still very much real, especially with a new variant that spreads rapidly and apparently evades vaccine protection.”

In responding to Holness, Opposition Leader Mark Golding, while appreciating the curfew change, noted that he would have preferred if the curfew hours had been pushed to an 11 pm start to allow persons more time to conduct business and earn in the lead up to Christmas.

Holness noted that, among additional changes to COVID measures, access to beaches, rivers and water attractions would be allowed up to 5 pm, moving from the previous 4 pm closure of such sites.

Also, the mandatory work-from-home order for the public sector will come to an end on December 31, with the prime minister acknowledging that there have been some concerns about the level of productivity that had obtained under the previous arrangement.

He said, however, that work-from-home arrangements were not being abandoned totally as individual ministries and public sector entities will continue to have them as an option, but not a requirement.

“The goal is to return to full productivity effective the first work day in January 2022.”

Holness noted that, with regard to the private sector, companies had followed the lead of the government on work from home arrangements and were encouraged to continue to do what was best for them.

100 LIMIT FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP

Addressing gathering limits, the prime minister said there would be no changes with general public gatherings limited to 10 persons and limits on persons in attendance at a place of worship remaining at 100.

There will continue to be no authorisation for crusades or similar large religious events.

Wedding limits will also remain at 100, as will annual general meetings and other similar events.

Physical attendance at any event hosted by a public entitity will at 50 and by invitation only to persons who have been fully vaccinated.

Burials and funerals will continue to be authorised to have only 20 persons in attendance, including mourners, clergy and support personnel.

Holness said consideration was still being given to what arrangements will be made for individuals to visit infirmaries and that when a decision is arrived at it would be communicated by the relevant portfolio ministers.

With regard to protocols for entry into the island, the prime minister said there would be no change, with individuals being required to provide an negative PCR or rapd antigen test three days prior to entry.

BAN ON TRAVEL FROM AFRICA TO BE REVIEWED

He reiterated that individuals with an negative PCR test prior to travel will not require another PCR test before being released from quarantine if they have also already been fully vaccinated.

The prime minister added that the current ban on travel from several African countries is also being reviewed as the Government has noted that the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which spurred the ban, has now been identified more than 40 countries around the world.

According to Holness, with Omicron so widely distributed around the world, it was clear that at some point a ban on African countries would make no sense, and that it was accepted that it would only be a matter of time before Omicron turns up on Jamaica’s shores.

The ban, he noted, was only intended to give the island some time to learn more about and prepare for the Omicron variant before it arrives in Jamaica.