Holness re-introduces strict COVID-19 measures as third wave looms
/ Our Today
administrator
Not a month since Prime Minister Andrew Holness introduced more relaxed COVID-19 containment measures, and already a recent spike in coronavirus cases has forced the Government of Jamaica to reverse course.
Addressing an Office the Prime Minister press briefing this evening (July 26), Holness noted: “From the experience of other countries and indeed from our own experience of how insidious this virus is and how quickly spikes can occur, the significant increase in all our early warning indicators suggests that we are in the early stages of our third wave.”
Highlighting that he was always aware of the possibility of a third wave, which both he and Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton warned of on previous occasions, the prime minister stated: “The only way to avoid spikes during this new wave is for every single Jamaican, every man, woman and child… to take personal responsibility to exercise extreme care, caution and diligence in observing the protocols.”
Given the country’s current COVID-19 climate, which has been marred by a rapid increase in all key indicators, Holness stated that the following measures will come into effect as of Tuesday, July 27, 2021, and will expire on August 10, 2021:
| CURFEW HOURS | 1. Effective Tuesday, July 27 weekday curfew hours will begin at 8 pm and end at 5 am the following morning ending 5 am on August 11. 2. On weekends, curfew hours will begin on Saturday at 8 pm and on Sunday at 3 pm ending at 5 am the following morning. 3. Similar to Sundays, the curfew on Public Holidays will begin at 3 pm ending at 5 am the following morning. (With Emancipation Day falling on Sunday, August 1, the following Monday, August 2, will be recognised as a treated as a public holiday) |
| WORSHIP SERVICES | The maximum number of persons physically present will be determined as 50 per cent of the capacity which is calculated based on one person for every 40 sq ft of the designated worship area. (Reduced from 70 per cent) |
| BEACHES and RIVERS, GYMS, DINING ESTABLISHMENTS | 1. Opening hours: Beaches and rivers will be open from 6 am to 4 pm on Monday to Saturday and 6 am – 2 pm on Sunday. |
| SMALL EVENTS | 100 persons or 50 per cent of the capacity of the venue, whichever is lower. (Reduced from 60 per cent) |
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