News from the OPM

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has extended congratulations to President-elect of the United States of America Joseph Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Mr. Biden, was announced as President-elect this morning (November 7) following the November 3, elections in the United States, making him the 46th US President. Prime Minister Holness said: “On behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, I extend heartiest congratulations to the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States Joseph R. Biden and Kamala Harris. The United States of America will have its first woman and person of colour as Vice President in Kamala Harris. We are proud that she has Jamaican heritage. Her ascension to the role of VP is a monumental accomplishment for women all over the world and I salute her. Jamaica looks forward to the continued strong bilateral relations with our largest trading partner, the US, particularly as we work to stimulate our economies in the face of the COVID19 pandemic.”

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government has mobilized resources to assist those severely impacted by the heavy rains. The Prime Minister assured the nation that as soon as there is a break in the current weather conditions, the Government will deploy resources to ensure that critical infrastructure is repaired, and residents are assisted. Speaking yesterday (November 4) at a ceremony for the handing over of 43 devices under the Government’s Tablets in Schools Programme, at the Seaward Primary and Junior High School, Prime Minister Holness stated that the Government is carefully watching the rains to do further assessments and reallocations in the budget. “The Ministry of Agriculture is now in the process of doing their assessment, and we will very shortly have a programme in place as to how we will assist our farmers and fishers to recover from the damage,” said Prime Minister Holness. He further stated, “For persons who suffered the loss of stock, we have made some allocations through the Ministry of Labour and Social Security to provide as much care and support as we can”. In that regard, Prime Minister Holness noted that the Government is prepared to respond because the Administration has been good…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is cautioning parents against sending ill children to school, ahead of the start of the Government's pilot project for the resumption of face to face classes in 17 public schools. The Prime Minister stated that this is one risk that can be addressed by parents as Government seeks to find the best methodologies to open schools. In that regard, he added that parents have an integral role to play in mitigating the risk by ensuring their child, other children who attend the school, and teachers are safe. “If your child is ill, then you have to ensure that based upon the Disaster Risk Management Act and the Orders in that Act, that you don’t send an ill child to school. I use the term ‘ill’ because if it is any flu-like symptoms: you should err on the side of caution and not send that child to school. Get medical attention before you venture out because we know that some parents will just carry the child to the school gate and leave the child,” said Prime Minister Holness. The Prime Minister was speaking yesterday (November 4) at a ceremony for the handing over of devices under the Government’s Tablets…

On Tuesday November 3, 2020, members of the National Identification and Registration Bill committee provided an update on the NIDS Bill. Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated "I want to assure the people of Jamaica that the identification information they provide will be accorded the highest level of safety and security in accordance with international security standards for collecting, storing and securing critical information."

The Government has allocated funds for repairs and rehabilitation projects in response to the heavy rains that have caused damage to some infrastructure in the island. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, October 27, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that $1 billion will be allocated for repairs by the National Works Agency (NWA), and each constituency will be allocated a total of $3M to respond to areas adversely affected by the heavy rainfall. The Prime Minister indicated that the $3M for each constituency will be broken down as follows: $1.5M will come from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for rehabilitation grants for the neediest cases. $1.5M will come from the housing fund to assist with repairs to housing infrastructure that has been brought to the attention of the Member of Parliament. “We will budget to expend 1 billion dollars for damage due to rains, and this is to be used by the NWA in areas of greatest national need and strategic importance to the productivity of the economy. We will be looking at clearing blocked roads, desilting, and clearing drains and patching roads, but the overall focus will be on the areas of greatest need,” said Prime Minister Holness. In…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced an extension of all COVID-19 measures under the Disaster Risk Management Act until November 2020. Some of the measures have been extended to November 16 while others were extended to November 30, 2020. Speaking yesterday at a media briefing to update the nation, Prime Minister Holness acknowledged the issue of COVID-19 fatigue and asserted that it is no excuse for disobeying the law and disrespecting law enforcement officers. "We told the security forces to maintain the Orders and increase their presence. There are other ways of dealing with the stress of coping with these restrictions and managing the pandemic. As a Government, we will never countenance any action that results in the breaking of the law threatening the lives of our law enforcement officers and first responders,” said Prime Minister Holness. The extended measures are as follows: The islandwide curfew will remain at 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM daily until November 16, 2020. Persons 65 and over must continue to stay at home but will be allowed to leave home once each day for the necessities of life until November 30, 2020. The limit for public gatherings remains at 15 persons. Public passenger motor cars…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced additional COVID-19 restrictions for the communities of Whitfield Town in St. Andrew and Waterford in Portmore St. Catherine amid the rise in positive cases in the areas. “These defined communities (Whitfield Town and Waterford) will have longer periods of curfew, reduced gathering limits, and strict enforcement of all protocols. In these areas, persons are allowed to undertake productive activities such as going to work, taking public transportation, carrying out their essential activities of daily living such as shopping, visiting the doctor, and their business activities,” said Prime Minister Holness. Speaking yesterday (October 6) in Parliament at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Prime Minister Holness stated that some sections of the island pose greater concern. He added that Kingston and St. Andrew and St. Catherine account for 70 percent of the new cases in September. The measures for Whitfield Town and Waterford are as follows; The curfew began at 6:00 pm yesterday October 6, 2020, to 5:00 am the following day each day ending at 5:00 am on October 20, 2020. During curfew hours, essential workers with proper identification will be able to enter and exit the defined areas. The gathering limit will be no more than six…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced extensions to some COVID-19 measures under the Disaster Risk Management Act until the end of October. The measures have been adjusted to help to control the spike in positive cases and flatten the curve. Speaking yesterday (October 6) in Parliament at the Jamaica Conference Centre, the Prime Minister noted that more adjustments are being made to address community transmission. In that regard, he encouraged citizens to be cautious. “Given that we are now in the community transmission phase, we have to assume that everyone we come into contact with is carrying the virus. This means that each citizen must take responsibility for their protection by following the protocols that we constantly repeat, wearing your masks, maintaining social distance, sanitizing your hands, and staying at home,” said Prime Minister Holness. The new measures are as follows; The island-wide curfew time will remain at 8:00 pm to 5:00 am day to day until 5:00 am on October 18, 2020. The curfew hours during the Heroes Day weekend will be from 3:00 pm on Sunday, October 18, 2020, ending 8:00 am, October 19, 2020. The curfew will resume Monday, October 19, 2020, at 3:00 pm and will…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says his Administration is moving with alacrity to establish the National Identification System (NIDS) in Jamaica by the end of this year. Speaking yesterday (September 29) at the first official sitting of the new Parliamentary term at the Jamaica Conference Centre, Prime Minister Holness asserted that as policymakers, Parliamentarians must ensure that they put in place the legislation necessary to ensure citizens can receive the highest level of service from the State by, passing the legislation for NIDS. In that regard, the Prime Minister outlined the benefits of the NIDS for individuals, institutions, and the country. “By implementing a voluntary system to manage the life cycles of citizens and residents' digital identities, the NIDS will address two significant challenges that we currently face; how to verify and identify users digitally and securely and how to sign documents digitally. The NIDS will create immense economic value for both individuals and institutions. For individuals, it will enable and increase the use of financial services, improve access to employment and time and cost savings,” said Prime Minister Holness. The Prime Minister further stated that “for institutions in both Government and the private sector, it [NIDS] will provide cost savings,…