COVID-19 warning
Published:Friday | March 20, 2020 | 12:29 AM
Prime Minister Andrew Holness yesterday gave an ominous warning that cases of COVID-19 in Jamaica could surge, based on what has occurred in other countries.
“From the data, and looking at the experience of other countries, it is my duty to prepare the minds of the Jamaican people to understand that cases of COVID-19 will increase, and there may be even instances of rapid increase,” he declared yesterday in his contribution to the Budget Debate in Parliament.
However, the prime minister has moved to allay fears in the public health sector about the lack of appropriate gear for health personnel treating persons who have tested positive for COVID-19. He announced yesterday that the Government had secured 400,000 N95 masks and other personal protective equipment for persons in the health sector.
Holness said that his administration has spent $547 million to procure drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
Further, the Government is spending more than $150 million to develop new quarantine facilities to house an additional 150 persons.
The prime minister told his parliamentary colleagues that more than $287 million was being spent to retrofit public hospitals and health facilities to accommodate patients during the peak of the epidemic.
Another $198 million is being spent to acquire ventilators for the high-dependency units in various hospitals.
Holness also pointed out that his finance minister, Dr Nigel Clarke, would announce the full package of benefits to the poor and vulnerable when he closes the Budget Debate next Tuesday.
With concerns being raised by at least one lawmaker about the sitting of Parliament in light of the restrictions on the gathering of more than 20 persons, Holness said that he would consider amending the Standing Orders to allow the Economy and Production Committee to provide parliamentary oversight for COVID-19 by deliberating via Skype or Zoom.