Jamaica announces 7-days of "no movement days" everything to remain shut

Prime minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness on Thursday announced a lockdown following the recent surge in coronavirus cases.

Friday, 20th August 2021

Jamaica announces 7-days of "no movement days" everything to remain shut

Prime minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness on Thursday announced a lockdown following the recent surge in coronavirus cases. He said these seven days would be "no movement days". Essential services including urgent medical care will be available during the "no movement days" and people with travel plans will be allowed to go to the airport. Prime minister said other essential services including farming, fishers, factories, BPOs, media and those involved in the maintenance of infrastructure of financial services will be allowed. The curfew will remain for 24-hours, starting from August 22 and September 5 2021. From August 25 to September 7, 2021, a maximum of 15 persons will be allowed at a burial, including mourners, officiating clergy, gravediggers and undertakers. "As a reminder, burials will be allowed from Mondays to Fridays only (excluding no-movement days) during the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The time for conducting the burial is not to be longer than 30 minutes." the new guidelines read. The Prime Minister said despite the extended curfew hours, the vaccination programme will continue and some immunization sites will remain open even during the seven day extended curfew period. "Persons with appointments to receive a the vaccine shot will be permitted to do so even during the curfew hours. They will be asked to present evidence of the appointment (text message or email) to the police." added the PM. [caption id="attachment_36963" align="alignnone" width="1926"]

Dates of "no movement days"[/caption] Andrew Holness said the seven-day shutdown would break the rapidly growing transmission of coronavirus across the country. "We hope this is what will happen, but if people decide they are not going to follow the advice and instructions of the government, then all of this will be wasted," said Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a press conference held on Thursday. He said the sacrifices of people following the rule would be wasted by those who avoid following the health protocols. "If everyone corporates and make these no movement days a success, we can win." said the Jamaican Prime Minister. He also said police would be closely monitoring the situation to enforce the no-movement days. The new guidelines noted that, on Sunday, August 29 and Sunday, September 5, places of worship will be allowed to have 20 persons physically present in church. Persons who leave home on these two Sundays will have to carry on their person, an authorisation form issued by their place of worship. This will be similar to the Gazetted Form that was used earlier this year, in March-April.

Monika Walker

Monika Walker is an experienced journalist specializing in global political developments and international relations. With a keen eye for accuracy and analysis, Monika has been reporting for over a decade, bringing stories to light that matter to readers around the world. She holds a degree in International Journalism and is passionate about giving a voice to underrepresented communities through factual reporting.