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KINGSTON, Jamaica, June 1, 2020 (CMC) – The government plans to reopen the country’s ports of entry for the repatriation of Jamaicans, on Monday, and to international travellers on June 15.
The announcement was made to tourism stakeholders, in a letter, signed by Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett.
This comes as Jamaicans head back to work, today, and various agencies of the State resume operations, on a phased basis.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Health Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, reminded Jamaicans that it is now, more important than ever, for everyone to remain “vigilant in their infection-prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19″.
“Everyone must understand that, as more persons return, from overseas, our numbers of positive cases will go up and there will be increased likelihood of spread at the community level. We can however, stop the spread, if we apply the measures of physical distancing and personal and environmental hygiene,” the Health Minister advised.
Tufton also reminded the public, that the outbreak is not over, and everyone must persist in measures, such as: staying at home; avoiding crowds; maintaining a physical distance of six feet from each other; frequently washing and sanitising hands; and cleaning surfaces, where droplets may fall.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has recorded six more cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s tally to 581.
It said two of the new cases are men, who recently returned to the island, under the government’s controlled re-entry program.
A 75-year-old woman, from the central parish of St. Catherine, is also among the six new cases. There are now 84 imported cases.
The Health Ministry says its testing numbers are now up to 12,389, with 11,758 persons testing negative. To date, there have been nine deaths.
