Jamaica: Bartlett, Tufton and Health Officials meet at COVID-19 Emergency Operation Center

Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton and senior Health Ministry officials today held an impromptu meeting to detail operations of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Emergency Operations Centre in New Kingston and also further tighten coordination between the Health Ministry and the wider tourism sector.

Senior Strategist, Delano Seiveright noted that “Minister Bartlett and the Ministry’s leadership has been working closely with the Ministry of Health over the last several weeks. This was further deepened following Prime Minister Andrew Holness chaired National Disaster Risk Management Council meeting on COVID-19 recently and now established tourism health protocols that have been adopted by all tourism entities. The Protocols cover three basic elements – developing the required infrastructure, providing support to the Ministry of Health and educating all stakeholders about the COVID-19 virus.”

Specially assigned staff-members of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), who are a part of the newly developed Stakeholder Risk Management Unit, will closely monitor the implementation of the protocols.

“Already issues of concern brought to our attention by Tourism stakeholders have been promptly dealt with by the Health Ministry.”, Seiveright further noted.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4926-30, Fax: 920-4944