Category Archives: Health

Guy welcomes plans for expanded COVID-19 testing

OPPOSITION spokesman on health, Dr Morais Guy has agreed with the Ministry of Health’s expanded testing approach for COVID-19 by sampling all new hospital admissions. At the same time, he has cautioned against the move becoming a triage process, and noted that there could be fewer hospital admissions due to the recommendation for individuals to […]

Wear more cloth masks, Dr Whylie urges public

Senior medical officer (SMO) of the Kingston Public Hospital, Dr Natalie Whylie, is appealing to ordinary Jamaicans to opt for cloth masks instead of surgical and medical grade N95 mask respirators which she says are not unlimited in supply and should be left for health care workers who need them more. “I see a lot […]

Not all clergymen saying amen to new church protocols

LUCEA, Hanover — There were mixed reactions yesterday from ministers of religion here in western Jamaica to Government’s decision to remove the limit on the number of worshippers allowed inside churches, but with strict protocols, for a 14-day trial, starting this weekend. Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who made the announcement on Monday during a digital […]

Leave the teaching to teachers, says parenting support head

HEAD of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) Kaysia Kerr is urging Jamaican parents to leave the teaching to teachers, even as their children remain at home because of the novel coronavirus. Kerr told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that parents, frustrated because of their inability to help children with their schoolwork, are among the many […]

Jamaican medical student in Cuba readies for Spanish Town Hospital mission

THOUGH restricted in movement by the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba-based Jamaican medical student Oraine Darren Lynch is biding his time, as he prepares for a final-round push towards a mission that will decide his future. On the verge of completing six years of a seven-year programme that would see him acquiring his bachelor’s degree in medicine […]

J’can students will sit CXC exams in July

JAMAICAN students will sit secondary level exit exams in July, Karl Samuda — the minister overseeing the education portfolio — announced yesterday. According to Samuda, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) papers, both administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), will begin on July 27. “It takes about a […]

Set a date

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) yesterday called on the Government to give the nation a clear indication of the reopening timeline for the country’s borders and the resumption of both local and international tourism. Pointing out that other Caribbean countries have already made known when they intend to reopen air and seaports, the […]

Business leaders urge caution on return-to-workplace approach

SOME business leaders are urging companies to examine their individual situation, and have employees who are now working from home resume duties at the physical plants safely, and as is necessary. This as the Government has advised that individuals are allowed to return to work as of June 1, following the expiration of the work-from-home […]