KINGSTON, Jamaica; June 02, 2020 (JIS NEWS): The Ministry of Tourism has provided 10,000 masks for frontline industry workers as part of safeguards against the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), when the sector reopens.

The masks, one element of the personal protective equipment (PPE) used in the fight against COVID-19, were handed over to industry representatives by Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett.

The presentation was made during a virtual ceremony at the Ministry’s offices in New Kingston on Friday (May 29).

“We are recommending that all the workers of the tourism industry should wear their mask. The Prime Minister [the Most Hon. Andrew Holness] has already made that a condition for all of us, and the medical fraternity has supported that; so we want to assist in ensuring full compliance,” Minister Bartlett said.

The wearing of masks in public spaces globally has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), as part of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

According to Mr. Bartlett, this latest initiative, being undertaken through the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and Tourism Linkages Network, a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is another Ministry intervention aimed at safeguarding workers’ wellbeing.

“We are spending just a little over $5 million in this exercise and we are excited that it will do a number of things,” he said.

The Minister explained that not only will the initiative facilitate the provision of much-needed protective cover, but will contribute to economic sustainability by generating opportunities for small enterprises to create a cottage industry through the making of masks.

“So far, we have some 22 small entrepreneurs who are making masks for us to make up this 10,000, and we are going to add some more as we go along,” he informed.

Mr. Bartlett also explained that due to the industry’s vulnerability to pandemics and epidemics, rigorous development of safeguards, such as screenings, is consistently being undertaken to protect locals and visitors.

He said that until a vaccine is found “we have the responsibility to manage the risk that this virus is causing in our own space and build layers… of protection so that the risk can be reduced”.

“The Ministry of Tourism continues to create innovative and game changing policies and strategies while we manage the virus. We are committed to making sure that of all the people who have to interface with the industry… that the workers, in particular, are protected because they are our frontline people,” Minister Bartlett added.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 13, 2020: Tourism Minister Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry hired international crisis recovery expert Jessica Shannon, to the COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Task Force’s secretariat, in an effort to strength the country’s resilience plan for the sector.

Speaking at a digital press briefing hosted by the Tourism Ministry earlier today, Bartlett noted that, “she comes to us with a wealth of experience in crisis management. Her work with PWC internationally is going to play a big role in our being able to draw on international best practices, based on her own experiences.”

Shannon is a Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Advisory Partner and has served as their deployed point partner throughout the Ebola crisis, focusing on the response and recovery efforts in West Africa. In this context she served as a senior advisor to private companies and government organizations in the design of strategy, policies and protocols as well as risk identification and monitoring. 

“She was very essential in working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention among others to work out the protocol for the Ebola pandemic…. So, bringing her on board, particularly for her to focus on fine-tuning the protocols over the next few days, is going to be seminal, in terms of enabling us to deliver that protocol the Prime Minister wants in short order,” he added.

In addition to her current client engagements, she is part of a small task force established to refine and drive the implementation of PwC's global near- and mid-term strategic transformation in the wake of COVID-19.  

She has been a Subject Matter Expert for the G20 think tank on economic and financial resilience and a speaker at conferences hosted by Harvard University, the World Bank and the United Nations.  Prior to PwC, she gained strategy experience as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and on the global leadership team at EY. She also has an MBA from Harvard Business School.  

This is the second addition to the committee from Price Waterhouse Coopers, as it also includes PWC’s Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, who chairs the COVID-19 General Tourism Working Team sub-committee.

Baghaloo was also the Co-Chairman of the Tourism Working Group for the Jamaica Tourism Linkages Committee which assessed how to ensure more local linkages to tourism industry and the development of local supply industries to the tourism sector.

The Ministry established the Covid-19 Tourism Recovery Taskforce last month, with a public-private sector collaboration consisting of key stakeholders from the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism, and Agencies of the Ministry. It will be supported by two Working Teams – one for general tourism and another for cruise tourism – and a Secretariat.

The Task Force has been tasked to bring about a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

“It is an honour and a pleasure to support the Jamaican tourism sector in this regard. I appreciate the opportunity… I have worked in a number of different crisis response situations to support Governments and the private sector,” said Shannon.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; May 12, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett says his Ministry remains committed to facilitating the reopening of the tourism industry in a safe and seamless manner, in the post COVID-19 world.

He noted that this move is being guided by his Ministry’s Tourism Recovery Task Force, as well as the recently announced Tourism Industry Post Covid-19 Protocol, which was developed to ensure the safety of the workers in the industry, as well as to build confidence among travellers to adapt to “the new normal” of additional health and hygiene practices.

“As we adapt to the new normal in the travel industry, we know that in order for us to reopen, we have to be proactive in our approach and ensure that Jamaica’s tourism and hospitality is COVID secure. We want to make certain that our workers are safe, while also restoring the much-needed confidence of our visitors to come our destination when the borders of the world fully re-open,” said the Minister.

The protocol document is consistent with guidelines from the Ministry of Health and Wellness, to reduce future risk of infection and to provide a higher level of safety for both visitors and citizens of Jamaica.

Protocols for the management of Post-Covid-19 were established to guide operations for: Airports; Cruise Ports; Accommodations; Attractions; Tourism Transportation Operators; Craft Traders; Water Sports Operators; General Security and Public Safety; and Mega Events.

“The process, which will be managed by the Tourism Product Development Company, entails a whole range of responses that the workers of the industry will have to make and also quite a bit of infrastructure adjustment that the hotels will have to make, as well as the transportation subsector. It will also involves some changes at the airports and the seaports. So, it’s a pretty comprehensive set of protocols covering all points of entry, as well as the experience of the visitor within the destination,” said the Minister.

The Minister also provided an update on the Tourism Recovery Task Force, noting that Jessica Shannon, a Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Advisory Partner based in Jamaica, is the newest addition to the Secretariat.

Shannon served as PWC’s deployed point partner throughout the Ebola crisis, focusing on the response and recovery efforts in West Africa; in this context she served as a senior advisor to private companies and government organisations in the design of strategy, policies and protocols as well as risk identification and monitoring. 

In addition to her current client engagements, she is part of a small task force established to refine and drive the implementation of PwC's global near- and mid-term strategic transformation in the wake of COVID-19.  

Shannon has been a Subject Matter Expert for the G20 think tank on economic and financial resilience and a speaker at conferences hosted by Harvard University, the World Bank and the United Nations.  Prior to PwC, she gained strategy experience as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and on the global leadership team at EY. 

This is the second addition to the committee from Price Waterhouse Coopers, as it also includes PWC’s Senior Partner, Wilfred Baghaloo, who chairs the COVID-19 General Tourism Working Team sub-committee.

Baghaloo was also the Co- Chairman of the Tourism Working Group for the Jamaica Tourism Linkages Committee which assessed how to ensure more local linkages to tourism industry and the development of local supply industries to the tourism sector.

The Ministry established the Covid-19 Tourism Recovery Taskforce last month, with a public-private sector collaboration consisting of key stakeholders from the tourism sector, the Ministry of Tourism, and Agencies of the Ministry. It will be supported by two Working Teams – one for general tourism and another for cruise tourism – and a Secretariat.

The Task Force has been tasked to bring about a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 29, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has branded future travelers as Generation- C amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Minister did so today at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) UK Chapter’s Annual General Meeting, where he poke in depth about the advent of a new type of post-pandemic traveller.

Invited to the CTO’s AGM as the keynote speaker, Minister Bartlett was interviewed by Travel Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief, Lucy Huxley, on the key challenges for the Caribbean region facing COVID-19 and measures in place for recovery. He defined the term Generation-C or GEN-C as intergenerational, a merging of the demographics the island traditionally targeted and importantly one which was essentially ageless.

Minister Bartlett said, “We as an island and as part of the global travel and tourism industry need to adapt swiftly to the requirements of this new type of traveller post pandemic. GEN-C will be unsettled by the crisis they have lived through this year, they will need reassurance and evidence that their experience overseas will enhance their lives, not put their loved ones at risk.”

The global tourism industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic with tourism related activities coming to a halt as countries try to contain the spread of the disease.

“We are working hard to create new protocols for our industry to be implemented as soon as we can safely welcome visitors back.  These measures will tackle sanitation and hygiene requirements, protocols for behaviour at swimming pools, on our beaches and in our restaurants.

They will respond to the new sensitivities of the post-COVID-19 traveller and will be holistic covering all aspects of the vacation experience.  They will be measures that without a doubt will become the new norm,” added Minister Bartlett 

During the interview, Minister Bartlett also spoke of the new online training programme and certification courses that have been rolled out to thousands of out of work tourism workers in Jamaica in an effort to fortify the industry for a strong economic future. 

“Our online training programme which is being offered by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation forms a part of the overall recovery strategies being implemented to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic so when we emerge out of this disruption we will be ready and better able to manage when the sector reopens,” said Minister Bartlett.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 26, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has announced that registration for the recently launched free online training for tourism workers closes today, Sunday, 26^th April, 2020 at 4pm.

So far, over 6500 tourism workers have registered since the programme launched on Wednesday April 22 with all courses being oversubscribed. The cut off is to accommodate the official start of the online programmes on Monday April 27.

Under the program, tourism workers are being offered 11 free online courses to hone their skills and improve their qualifications.

“The responses for this free online training for our tourism workers have been overwhelming and shows that our workers see the value in getting certified. I am pleased that our workers are taking the initiative to access these courses which will provide them with stackable credentials,” said Minister Bartlett.

The initiative, which is being driven by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is geared towards assisting tourism workers, who were laid off as a result of the closure of hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The courses that were offered are as follows: Laundry Attendant, Guest Room Attendant, ServSafe Training in Food Safety, Certified Hospitality Supervisor, Introduction to Spanish, Public Area Sanitation, Hospitality Team Leader, Certified Banquet Server, Certified Restaurant Server, and DJ Certification. These are certification programmes, which means that only candidates will actual work experience are eligible.

“We are aware of the high traffic the website experienced due to the high interest of our workers to register and will be looking at how we can expand the programme,” added Minister Bartlett.

The programme is being administered in collaboration with our major partners.  HEART/National Service Training (HEART/NSTA) Trust, will be offering courses free to candidates and paying all the tutors.  The National Restaurant Association (NRA), the owners of the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI), will be offering their signature ServSafe Certification, and the Universal Service Fund (USF) will be supporting individuals who need access to the Internet.

All courses will include certification examinations and successful candidates will receive certificates from certifying institutions, including the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and HEART Trust/NSTA.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 23, 2020: Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett has officially launched free online training for tourism workers. The initiative, which is being driven by the Jamaica Centre of Tourism Innovation (JCTI), a division of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), is geared towards assisting tourism workers, who were laid off as a result of the closure of hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the programme, tourism workers are being offered 11 free online courses to hone their skills and improve their qualifications.

The Ministry is reporting that so far, 2,279 users have registered since the programme launched yesterday afternoon, with several candidates placed a wait-list, given the high demand for specific programmes (such as certification in Hospitality Team Leader, Restaurant Servers, Hospitality Supervisor and Spanish).

Speaking after the digital launch, Minister Bartlett said, “We are very proud that the programme is so well-received by our hospitality workers.  In fact the portal crashed moments after our launch, due to the influx of interest, but I am happy to report these technical issues have been addressed. So I encourage all hospitality workers to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Minister added that this initiative was very important because he wanted the workforce to be more qualified after the period of this pandemic, than when it started.

“The COVID-19 crisis has hit our tourism sector hard. As hotels and attractions have shuttered operations and borders have closed all of the 160,000 workers directly employed in tourism have been impacted in one way or another. Forty thousand remain employed while 75% [120,000] have been laid off.

Therefore, I am pleased to announce that we will be offering our tourism workers a lifeline. There is no better time than now for them to retool and upskill. It is a smart investment in staying resilient, which will pay handsome dividends when the tourism sector returns to normal,” he said.

The programme is being administered in collaboration with our major partners.  HEART/National Service Training (HEART/NSTA) Trust, will be offering courses free to candidates and paying all the tutors.

The National Restaurant Association (NRA), the owners of the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI), will be offering their signature ServSafe Certification, and the Universal Service Fund (USF) will be supporting individuals who need access to the Internet.

“The USF, in particular, is a critical partner as we seek to ensure access for those who do not have the technology at home. The USF has 193 functional Community Access Points (CAPs) throughout Jamaica, each with 25 computers with internet access,” said Minister Bartlett.

He further added that, “The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), will be partnering with the USF to use select CAPs in Trelawny, St. James, St. Ann and Westmoreland so that students without access to a smartphone will be able to utilize the CAPs in these parishes to participate in the courses and access course material.”

The JCTI initiative includes 11 free online certifications, which will ensure the continued advancement of local tourism workers despite the challenging circumstances.

The courses are as follows: Laundry Attendant, Guest Room Attendant, Kitchen Steward Porter, ServSafe Training in Food Safety, Certified Hospitality Supervisor, Introduction to Spanish, Public Area Sanitation, Hospitality Team Leader, Certified Banquet Server, Certified Restaurant Server, and DJ Certification.

These are certification programmes, which means that only candidates with actual work experience are eligible.

All courses will include certification examinations and successful candidates will receive certificates from certifying institutions, including the National Restaurant Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute or HEART Trust/NSTA.

Registration continues at www.tef.gov.jm/jamaica-centre-of-toursm-innovation

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 17, 2020: Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett has announced that his Ministry will be offering a six-month moratorium on licenses and fees that are to be paid by certain tourism entities.

Minister Bartlett made this announcement earlier today during a digital press briefing hosted by his Ministry to update stakeholders.

According to the Minister, the categories of entities that are set to benefit include all accommodation and  Ministry approved places of interests that have to go to the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Tourism Product Development Company for licenses.

“The accumulative revenue that we forego for that six-month period, which will end in September of the year, will be J$9.7 million. This will give you some level of reprieve and hopefully help with the cash-flow situation for a number of our partners,” said Minister Bartlett.

This six-month moratorium will be reviewed depending on the length of time it takes for the country to recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the briefing the Minister also announced that Professor the Hon. Gordon Shirley, President and CEO of the Port Authority of Jamaica, has agreed to chair a cruise recovery programme for COVID-19.

“The panel that we have established is a very eminent one, which includes some of the best minds in the cruise sector and we are hoping to have them begin to work, as early as next Monday [April 20]. This will allow us to start putting protocols in place and begin engaging with our partners, to get that sector back on track as quickly as possible,” said Minister Bartlett.  

Minister Bartlett also provided an update on the Tourism Recovery Task Force, which was first announced during a digital media briefing on April 9.

“We will be working on a hard 2-week drive, to get the framework of the recovery ready, for first discussion with a major international company. This company will be working with us to develop the technical aspect of the plan.

We are going to be taking that plan to our partners... We want to create a new tourism after COVID-19 because we recognize the changes that are going to take place,” said the Minister.

The task force will consist of two layers of partners whose mandate is to, among other things, provide a recovery and growth stimulation framework for the sector.

It was created to establish a realistic view of the sector’s baseline or starting position; develop scenarios for multiple versions of the future; establish the strategic posture for the sector as well as a broad direction of the journey back to growth; establish actions and strategic imperatives that will be reflected across various scenarios; and establish trigger points to tackle action, which includes a planned vision in a world that is learning to evolve rapidly.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 16, 2020: Tourism Minister, Hon Edmund Bartlett says the initial $250 million of the $1 billion committed to long-awaited Tourism Workers Pension Scheme by the Government has been paid over to the newly selected-fund manager, Sagicor Jamaica Limited.

“The long awaited Tourism Workers Pension Scheme has reached another milestone. We can now announce that we have an Investment Manager, which is Sagicor and finalizing arrangements with a Fund -Administrator. Additionally J$250 million of the J$1 billion from the Ministry’s injection has been disbursed to seed the fund to ensure these workers have a pension,” said Minister Bartlett.

He noted that he is currently awaiting the House’s approval of the regulations, which will pave the way for the Scheme’s implementation, once industry workers return to their jobs.

“The well-being of our workers in the industry remains a priority for us at the Ministry of Tourism. We are forging ahead with this scheme because we want to ensure that after the coronavirus (COVID-19) has passed, the pension programme will be in place,” said the Minister.

The pension scheme is a defined contributory plan supported by legislation and will require mandatory contributions by workers and employers.

The Tourism Workers Pension Scheme is designed to cover all workers ages 18-59 years in the tourism sector, whether permanent, contract or self-employed, the ministry said. It further noted that this includes hotel workers as well as persons employed in other tourism subsectors such as craft vendors, tour operators, red cap porters, contract carriage operators and workers at attractions.

Benefits will be payable at age 65 years or older.

The Ministry of Tourism is providing $1 billion to seed the fund, so that immediate benefits can accrue to qualified pensioners, who have met the vested period of five years.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 10, 2020:  The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) recently upgraded the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to the Caribbean Region to Very High. The projection is now that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Caribbean economies could be worse than that of the 2008 Global Recession. The tourism sector is likely to be the hardest hit of all the major economic sectors in the region.

Before the full onslaught of the pandemic, it was projected that Caribbean tourism would grow by 5 to 6 percent in 2020. Various destinations have, however, since revised their projections to reflect the declining fortunes that most destinations have been witnessing over the past several weeks and will continue to experience indefinitely in the coming months to years.

The entire tourism industry in many destinations is now facing imminent closure as a consequence of  the strict measures being adopted by authorities both domestically and externally to contain the spread of COVID-19. The imposition of international travel restrictions in many source markets has forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and advance reservations.

Major hotel chains across the region have reacted by announcing suspension of their operations and have sent home thousands of workers. Jamaica is projected to lose US$564 million in 2020 as a direct impact of the virus while the Bahamas faces a US$2.7 billion in lost tourism revenues if the pandemic shuts down stopover visits for the rest of 2020.

The socio-economic fallout from any prolonged disruption to the tourism sector will be dire for the region. The tourism sector supports 16 out of 28 economies in the Caribbean. The Caribbean is, in fact, the most tourism-dependent in the world with 10 of the 20 most tourism-dependent countries in the world being located in the region led by The British Virgin Islands with 92.6 % dependence. Jamaica is listed among these 10 Caribbean countries.

Overall, Travel & Tourism contributes 15.2% of the Caribbean’s GDP and 13.8% of employment. However, in around half of the countries analyzed, the sector accounts for over 25% of GDP – more than double the world average of 10.4%. In Jamaica, tourism directly employs 120,000 people and generates another 250,000 indirect jobs, equivalent to 1 in 4 Jamaicans.

The pace and consistency of tourism growth in the Caribbean has outpaced most other sectors in the region. The data indicate that in virtually all Caribbean countries the contribution of agriculture to GDP has fallen over the past 5 decades. The mining and manufacturing sectors have witnessed similar patterns of decline. In contrast, the tourism sector has been growing at an estimated rate of 5 percent per annum since the 1970s.

Tourism in Jamaica has expanded by 36 percent of the last 10 years relative to total economy growth of 6 percent. More importantly, tourism has established valuable linkages with the manufacturing and agricultural sectors as well as several others including transportation, telecommunications, utilities, banking and finance, food and beverage, and culture and creativity.

Evidently, a healthy tourism sector is indispensable to the region’s sustained economic progress. In recognition of this fact, efforts must be doubled to expediate the recovery of the sector. Ideally, recovery interventions should  be based on intensified partnerships between government and the private sector aimed at protecting the livelihoods of workers, providing fiscal support through the extension of vital, interest-free loans to tourism entities, and injecting liquidity and cash to support tourism enterprises of all sizes, as well as offering targeted support to severely-affected segments within the sector.

Ultimately, the magnitude of the impact of COVID-19 on tourism will depend crucially on not only the spread of the virus and the duration of the outbreak but also on the measures countries in the region and elsewhere undertake to save the sector from indefinite uncertainty.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; April 09, 2020:  Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett has announced that the Government of Jamaica has received over 7,000 applications on the website for the COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme, which was launched earlier today.

Speaking at a digital press briefing, the Tourism Minister said, “I am pleased to advise that as of now, the Government of Jamaica’s site for the stimulus package has had 7,000 applications and 6,500 of those applications have already been approved.”

The Government of Jamaica, through the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, launched the programme, to offer financial assistance through grants and relief packages across various sectors.

Tourism is currently one of the most affected sectors by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, The CARE website includes special components to assist the tourism sector. These include the Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash), the Tourism Grant, and the Supporting Employees with Transfer of Cash (SET Cash) Programme, which can also be applied for on the WECARE website (www.wecare.gov.jm).

The Tourism Minister explained that through the CARE programme, 19 categories of businesses/workers in the industry are set to benefit. These include:

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced hotels

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced attractions

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced villas 

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced apartments

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced water sport operators

·         In-Bond Merchants

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced tour operators

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced guest houses

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced homestay businesses

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced car rentals

·         Jamaica Tourist Board licenced bike rentals

·         Travel Agency Companies

·         Raft Captains

·         Craft Vendors

·         Craft Producers

·         Contract Carriage Businesses

·         Airport Red Cap Porters

·         Golf Caddies

·         Tour Guides

“These categories are in our direct and indirect tourism partners. We then have the induced, such as the thousands who are involved in agriculture, manufacturing, the service industry and a number of other key areas that are central to the tourism delivery system.

They are also going to benefit, based on the document we have received from the Ministry of Finance in the other broad areas,” said Minister Bartlett.

As part of the COVID-19 Taskforce, the Tourism Ministry will be driving the implementation of the stimulation package for our tourism stakeholders. The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) and the Jamaica Tourist Board have been collating data from our subsector suppliers (craft-vendors, transportation operators etc.) through Destination Assurance Managers who will need to access these benefits.

“It has become clear, that the pathway for the tourism recovery is being laid – it begins with the workers of the industry. I am proud to say that my Government has made the first and important move, to secure the well-being of the workers in the tourism industry and also for all workers of Jamaica,” said Minister Bartlett.

Applications for the COVID-19 Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme will close by June 30. Beneficiaries are expected to receive payments within 30 days after application and confirmation that all eligibility requirements are met.

The Ministry of Finance and Public Service has noted that the high number of applications has resulted in users experiencing glitches on the site. However, the team is working assiduously to have the problems resolved.