Holness to announce stronger COVID-19 restrictions Sunday
/ Our Today
administrator
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness is to address the nation during a press conference Sunday afternoon (March 21), at which he is to announce new, stronger coronavirus (COVID-19) infection prevention and control measure as the nation continues to reel from daily deaths and a high infection rate.
The press conference is scheduled to get under way at 5 p.m. and will air on local broadcast media.
Just today (March 20), the Ministry of Health and Wellness reported another five deaths and 695 new cases over the previous 24 hours.
Jamaica has now recorded 34,665 infections and 524 deaths in total.
HOSPITALISATIONS EXCEEDING CAPACITY
While making his contribution to the 2021-2022 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Holness reported that the decision to strengthen the measures came against the COVID-19 hospitalisations now exceeding the number of beds available by as much as 15 per cent in some instances, the daily COVID-19 positivity rate averaging 30 per cent “and our estimated infection reproduction rate continuing above 1”.
“(Stronger measures will) protect our healthcare system and save lives in the short-term, which eventually protects and preserves our economy and livelihoods in the long-term.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness
“This means that someone who needs to be taken in on a ward may not have a bed readily available and may have to wait. This places great strain on our already overburdened doctors and nurses [and] could potentially impact on the mortality rate,” the prime minister said.
Bed capacity has increased from 15 in March 2020, when Jamaica’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported, to 600 currently.
Holness said the stronger measures to be introduced are intended to “protect our healthcare system and save lives in the short-term, which eventually protects and preserves our economy and livelihoods in the long-term”.
LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH COVID-19 TICKETING SYSTEM
Holness also noted that Desmond McKenzie, the minister of local government and rural development, on Thursday tabled amendments to the Disaster Risk Management Act to implement a new ticketing system for enforcement of infection prevention and control measures.
The prime minister said the Government was prepared to have the Bill reviewed by a joint select committee over the weekend and debated and passed next week.
“This would make the new measures to be announced more effective,” he said.
Comments