By Fernando Davis

Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels is concerned that the escalating rate of COVID-19 cases in western Jamaica could leave Hanover susceptible to spillovers from neighbouring parishes.

Samuels said he had not wanted to have to make a unilateral decision to cancel the popular December 24 grand market night or New Year’s Eve celebrations and was happy that councilors, on a bipartisan basis, were on the same page in agreeing to postpone the events and revisit them in 2021.

This represented an about turn for the mayor, who had earlier said he would have allowed the grand market but with a strict cut off time of 9 p.m.

However, the police and other councilors had been voicing concerns that such an activity could lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases and urged the mayor to reconsider.

“I didn’t want this to look like a personal decision, so I was happy to put it to a vote so everyone could have their input,” Samuels said.

“It is my view that this decision will potentially save lives and also prevent the spreading of a virus that has a mind of its own.”

The mayor added that the cancellation of the traditional celebrations does not apply to only the town of Lucea, but also the popular areas of Hopewell and Sandy Bay “and for the entire Hanover, as a matter of fact”.

For his part, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who concluded a recent tour of western Jamaica to address the raging COVID-19 situation, said the Government would continue to do what is necessary to stem the pandemic.

Tufton said that, while it is encouraging news that vaccines are now being distributed in both the United States and Great Britain, Jamaica cannot afford to relax its health and safety guidelines, especially since the vaccines might take a while to get to a majority of the local population.

The minister said the surge in COVID-19 cases in Westmoreland, Hanover, St. James, Trelawny and St. Ann is of growing concern and that there was strong evidence that the main problem was that of compliance.

Recently, the Government warned western Jamaica’s residents that they could be faced with increased restrictions under the Disaster Risk Management Act.

Tufton, during a meeting with stakeholders in Westmoreland, reiterated that the parish is COVID-19 ground zero.

“As it stands now, Westmoreland is under pressure and we may have to review the restrictions in that parish and may have to tighten those restrictions,” he said.

Prime Minister  Andrew Holness announced tighter curfew measures for Westmoreland on December 15, as a surge in confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to rock the parish. 

The new daily curfew for Westmoreland is now 7 p.m. nightly.

Tufton said the positivity rate of 17.6 per cent for the parish is disturbing and is a little more than twice the national rate.