Last Updated on May 6, 2020, 6:34 AM AST by Anthony Morris
The national daily 12-hour curfew that was slated to end this Wednesday has been extended by seven days until 6 am on Wednesday, May 13.
The curfew, which runs from 6 pm to 6 am daily, was scheduled to end on May 6. It was implemented as the Government took steps to mitigate against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Jamaica.
The tally of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country has risen by two to 471 over the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement Monday evening during a digital press conference at Jamaica House.
He also announced that other measures would remain in force such as the stay-at-home orders for the persons aged 65-years and over, the wearing of masks in public, the observance of social distancing guidelines, as well as gatherings of no more than ten persons.
The guidelines relating to barbershops and hairdressing salons will remain in force until May 31 and waterways, rivers and beaches remain closed until that date, Holness said.
The prime minister said the Cabinet has been examining the closure of bars, aware of the fact that there are some 10,000 bars that employ several thousand Jamaicans.
He said that an announcement regarding bars would be made in a matter of days.
Meanwhile, Jamaicans are encouraged to continue working from home where possible, and the protocols for the business process outsourcing sector will remain in place until May 31.
The two new cases of the novel coronavirus are a 12-year-old male from St Catherine and a 20-year-old female from Clarendon. Both are contacts of confirmed cases and were identified through contact tracing.
At the same time, eleven more persons have recovered from the respiratory virus, bringing to 49, those now deemed to be free of the dreaded disease.
There are now 221 confirmed COVID-19 cases related to the Alorica call centre in Portmore, St Catherine which constitutes the majority of cases in Jamaica.
Presently, there are 35 imported COVID-19 cases, 168 are contacts of a confirmed case, nine were locally transmitted, and 221 are linked to Alorica while 38 cases remain under investigation.
Of the total number of cases, 291 or 62 per cent are females while 180 or 38 per cent are males with ages ranging from two years to 87 years. Nine persons have succumbed to the disease.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
