News from the OPM

The passing of Michael Gordon represents a loss to the pool of professional photographers in journalism. Michael was always meticulous about his job. He exuded a sense of pride in his work and a passion for the profession of photojournalism which will not be forgotten. His work won him the admiration of many and awards and accolades from professional bodies. For his distinguished contribution to the field of photography in media, the Government in 2016 awarded Michael Gordon the national honour of the Order of Distinction. I extend to sincere condolences to Michael's family, friends and colleagues in media particularly at the Jamaica Observer and the Jamaica Information Service where he worked.

It is with sadness that I note the passing of Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry Fredrick Hickling. Professor Hickling was one of the preeminent voices in the field of Psychiatry in Jamaica and the Caribbean. He had more than 100 publications and was a leading member in the University of the West Indies (UWI) community. In 2012, Professor Hickling received the Order of Distinction (Commander) for his globally recognized, pioneering research work in community mental health and advocacy in the field of psychiatry from the Government of Jamaica. He was Head of the Department of Community Health and Psychiatry at the UWI Mona and also served as Executive Director of the Caribbean Institute of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. He died yesterday, (May 7) at 74 years old leaving a legacy of fearless revolutionary work on mental health and human behavior. I offer my sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of Professor Hickling.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced an extension of the nightly islandwide curfew for a further seven (7) days as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country. The extension of the nightly islandwide curfew takes effect at 6:00 PM Wednesday, May 6 and expires at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement last night (Monday, May 4) during a virtual press conference at the OPM Media Centre. Further to the announced extension, Prime Minister Holness said the Disaster Risk Management Order No. 4 will be extended until May 31st. Those enforcement measures include; The duty of employers to provide transportation for exempt workers within curfew time.  Persons 70 and over are to stay home  Gatherings in public places should not exceed 10 persons  Social distancing of 6ft apart  Mandatory wearing of masks in public  Operating hours for markets, supermarkets and corner shops, gas station and public transportation  Restrictions for hairdressers and barbershops  Work from home  Closure of bars, nightclubs, places of amusement and beaches  Regarding bars, Prime Minister Holness said they will remain closed however Cabinet will continue discussions and will give an update on the operations of…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the 24-Hour curfew for the parish of St. Catherine will be lifted tomorrow, Friday, May 1st. The recent three-day extension of the 24-hour curfew for St. Catherine began on Wednesday, April 29 at 6:00 PM and will be lifted as at 6:00 AM tomorrow. In the meantime, St. Catherine residents are no longer restricted in movement, however they are being advised to revert to the general measures under the Disaster Risk Management Act. These measures include; Observing the nightly islandwide curfew of 6pm to 6am each day Wearing masks in public Social distancing of 6ft apart Stay-at-home if over the age of 65 Work from home for non-essential services Further measures under the Disaster Risk Management Act can be found in the Jamaica Gazette on the official website of the Office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister will provide further updates in subsequent media conferences.

I have received a preliminary briefing from the Minister of Health, Dr Christopher Tufton on the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of a mother after giving birth. My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of young Jodian Fearon. Indeed, the entire nation is rightfully disturbed, alarmed and saddened by the reports in the media so far. The Government of Jamaica will offer all necessary support to the family at this critical time. In that regard, Minister Tufton has assured me that a thorough investigation of the matter has been undertaken, including a review of all established protocols in and between the public and private healthcare systems to identify any possible general system weaknesses or specific operational breakdowns in the handling of this case. We are aware that the COVID19 epidemic is placing additional strain on our resources and increasingly complicating our response systems and daily lives, however as a people we must never allow the epidemic to cause us to lose sight of our humanity.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government will refine the measures for restocking during the St. Catherine Lockdown. He says the new measures will allow more time for shopping and better promotion and enforcement of  social distancing. The Prime Minister’s comments came yesterday (April 18), while touring areas of Portmore and Spanish Town for the purpose of evaluating the implementation of the lock-down measures. “The number of persons shopping inside the shopping district in both Portmore and Spanish Town was overwhelming today. Normally you would have had persons leaving Portmore to shop in Kingston or who would have already shopped  in Kingston, in addition, some persons would be taking precautionary measures by stocking up. As a result  there was a greater than normal demand today and on Wednesday. We expect that this will moderate as the measures are extended,” said Prime Minister Holness. In that regard, Prime Minister Holness stated that by Monday, the Government will review and implement more convenient measures that citizens can comply with. The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of balancing the adjustments to be sensitive to the needs of the low-income earners who make a living through their day to day economic ventures. Importantly, Prime…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that all Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operators in St. Catherine have been closed effective yesterday, April 15, 2020. Prime Minister Holness explained in Parliament yesterday (April 15) that the closure is to facilitate an investigation into the management structure to identify the cause for the rapid COVID-19 spread. “The closure is necessary for us to access and determine whether or not there was a systemic breakdown in the management, supervision, and practices in BPO operations in the parish and to contain the spread of the virus within the sector as we know that staff is circulated to branches,” said Prime Minister Holness. According to Prime Minister Holness, all employees at the affected call centre have been placed under quarantine for 14 days. The Prime Minister also advised other BPOs in operation across the island that it is in their best interest not to accept any employee from the St. Catherine BPO in question until the quarantine period has ended as it would put them in violation of the quarantine act. Moreover, Prime Minister Holness announced an extension of the time for restocking to limit crowding in public places on Wednesday, April 15 and Saturday,…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced that the parish of St. Catherine has been placed under lockdown for seven days from 5 am Wednesday, April 15 to 5 am Wednesday, April 22, 2020, to slow the spread of COVID-19. The announcement comes on the heels of Jamaica reaching 105 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a recent 33 coming from St. Catherine. The health officials have traced the recent jump in cases to a call centre operating in Portmore. The objective of the lockdown is to slow as much as possible the spread of the virus,” said Prime Minister Holness During the lockdown, one person from each household will be allowed to conduct the essentials of life on Wednesday, April 15 and Saturday April 18, 2020. In addition; If a person is ill with respiratory illnesses or flu-like symptoms, they are required to stay home and isolate themselves from others in their household. All persons in St. Catherine out in public places must have an ID with a visible photograph. Acceptable IDs include; voters ID, passport, driver’s license, ID from a Ministry or Agency, University ID, and School ID. Medical Emergencies will be facilitated as they arise. Persons 65 years and older, pregnant…

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has donated US$3000, from his Foundation, Positive Jamaica, to the Jamaica Telethon. The fundraising effort is aimed at raising $10 Million USD to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the country’s health care workers on the frontline battling the COVID19 pandemic in Jamaica. During an interview with Jamaica Telethon yesterday, Easter Sunday (April 12), Prime Minister Holness said the Government is being very strategic to put in place end to end protocols to ensure that when the borders are reopened, there is no community spread of COVID19. He encouraged Jamaicans in the diaspora overseas to be patient. “The Government is working overtime to ensure that we can bring you back home. It’s a very difficult thing because the transmission of the virus here in Jamaica has largely been traced to persons coming in. So, we are being very careful [and] very strategic, I know it is very difficult but I ask you to be patient. We will put in place end to end protocols to ensure that when you come into Jamaica there is no community spread,” said Prime Minister Holness. According to Prime Minister Holness, while most Jamaicans are adjusting to the new normal, the…