THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICA WANTS HELP FROM INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
Jamaica is seeking financial aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help address the coronavirus pandemic. According to Dr. Nigel Clarke, Jamaica’s Minister of Finance, the government has asked for access to the agency’s Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI). This provides financial support to members of the IMF without requiring a “full-fledged” IMG program, continuing reviews, and specific conditions.
HOLNESS SAYS JAMAICA WILL NOT USE ANTI-VIRAL DRUG FROM CUBA
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that the country will not use the anti-viral drug Interferon Alpha 2B from Cuba to treat COVID-19. The action was taken at the same time that the United States blocked test kits for coronavirus destined for Jamaica. While the Cuban drug has been shown to be effective against coronavirus, the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacqueline Visasor-McKewnzie has advised against it.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS FROM CUBA SENT TO FOUR COUNTRIES IN CARIBBEAN
The government of Cuba has dispatched health professionals to four Caribbean countries to provide help in battling COVID-19. Cuban medical workers are being sent to Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Dominica. The physicians and nurses sent to these islands have experience in addressing critical health situations. Over the past several weeks, Cuba has sent its health professionals to numerous countries around the world to provide aid in handling the coronavirus pandemic.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
AMBASSADOR AUDREY MARKS OFFERS ADVICE TO JAMAICANS OVERSEAS
Audrey Markets, Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States, is providing advice to Jamaicans living overseas. She has established an emergency contact center featuring a team of some 15 members who are working to provide exit paths for Jamaicans with temporary status.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
JAMAICA PREPARES TO BE KEY PLAYER IN POST-COVID-19 TOURISM REVIVAL
According to Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, the country will have an important role to play on the global tourism scene once the coronavirus pandemic is over. Jamaica is not only working to secure its own tourism sector, but also seeking ways to help other countries in the Caribbean and in other destinations around the world to recover as well. Jamaica will use its Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center in Kingston to address the potential rebounding of the tourism sector.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
GIL BAILEY RECOGNIZED FOR HIS PIONEERING ACHIEVEMENTS
Gil Bailey, a pioneer in reggae radio broadcasting, has died in New York. Known as “Godfather,” Bailey had thousands of fans who tuned in to his broadcast. Soon after his passing, his grandson Faulks revealed he had died of COVID-19 and that his death had a major impact on the family. Bailey, originally from Jamaica, had a 50-year career on radio in New York City, where he earned the title “Godfather of Caribbean Radio.”
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
SAME CLAYTON JR., MEMBER OF 1988 JAMAICA BOBSLED TEAM, SUCCUMBS TO CORONAVIRUS
A member of Jamaica’s original Olympic bobsledding team, Sam Clayton, Jr., passed away in March 2020 from COVID-19. He had achieved fame in the reggae music industry as a producer, but became known worldwide when he joined Jamaica’s iconic1988 bobsled team that competed in the Winter Olympics.
