Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories You Missed The Week Ending February 25th, 2022 - Jamaicans and Jamaica

Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories You Missed The Week Ending February 25th, 2022

THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES

weekly news stories you missed this week 3 — Top 7 Jamaican & Caribbean News Stories

JAMAICA TO END PRE-TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION REQUIREMENT ON MARCH 1, 2022
The pre-travel authorization requirement imposed by Jamaica’s government to stem the spread of COVID-19 will be dropped on March 1, 2022, making travel to the island much easier for visitors. According to Prime Minister Andrew Holness, it is time to begin removing some of the COVID-19 protocols. The authorization required visitors to provide personal, health, and travel information that would be reviewed by Jamaican authorities who performed a health-risk assessment. If approved, the visitors would receive an authorization code to show airline agents when checking in for flights. While this requirement will be removed, the pre-travel testing requirements will remain in operation, said Holness, while the government reviews these to determine whether they should continue or be modified.

JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT PURSUES ALL EFFORTS TO EVACUATE JAMAICAN STUDENTS FROM UKRAINE
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness reiterated that the government is making all efforts to evacuate the 26 Jamaican students who remain in Ukraine as the Russian invasion continues. Twenty-five of the students are located in Kharkiv, and one is in L’viv. Fifteen of the 43 total students who had been studying in Ukraine have already left the country, while two have not given any information about their location. Holness said the government is utilizing all of its efforts, channels, and connections to ensure the students leave Ukraine. He also condemned the Russian attack and added that Jamaica supports respect and adherence to the principles of international, respect for the integrity of territories, and the sovereignty of all nations.

THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS

The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) reports that the Caribbean region remains at risk of high rates of COVID-19 infections in spite of a 28-percent drop in number of cases in the past week. Many Caribbean countries are still vulnerable as over half of the 13 nations and territories reporting a rise in death rates were in the region. According to the director of PAHO, Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, many locations are still experiencing the Omicron surge, and the inequalities of the region have made it difficult for some areas to cope with the pandemic effectively. Dr. Etienne made special mention of the difference in vaccination rates between the Cayman Islands, which is 91 percent fully vaccinated, and Haiti, where fewer than one percent of the population has received all their vaccine doses. Of the 13 countries and territories in the Americans that have failed to reach the 40-percent vaccination coverage goal imposed by the World Health Association (WHO) 10 are in the Caribbean.

THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS

SOME JAMAICAN STUDENTS STILL IN UKRAINE SEEK SAFETY UNDERGROUND AS RUSSIA INVADES THE COUNTRY
According to Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, there are still 26 Jamaican students in Ukraine, 25 of them located in Kharkiv, and as Russia continues its military attack on Ukraine, some of the students have taken refuge in the country’s underground train system. Reports of missile strikes and explosions in and around major cities have proliferated. One student told IRIE FM News that he was afraid for his safety and was near one of the explosions. Some individuals who identified themselves as Jamaican nationals have posted to Twitter their displeasure with the efforts of the Jamaican government in trying to help them leave the country, saying these efforts were inadequate.

THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS

RESUMPTION OF IN-PERSON LEARNING EXPECTED TO BOOST SALES FOR MANUFACTURERS
Manufacturers are hoping that the return of some 500,000 primary and high school students to in-person learning in schools in the near future will fuel increases in sales, which have lagged for the two years of shut-down resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies like Caribbean Flavors and Fragrances reported reduced demand for raw materials after the schools closed in March 2020. Derrimon Traders also reported a major downturn in its beverage business due to the closures, and Jamaican Teas also noted that its Shoppers Delite supermarket made reduced contributions to the group results because of restricted hours of operation and the closure of most schools. The resumption of face-to-face classes is expected to boost the recovery of these firms, however. Schools are slated to fully reopen for classes in April of 2022.

THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

VETERAN REGGAE ARTIST BERES HAMMOND MARKS 13TH TOP SINGLE ON SOUTH FLORIDA REGGAE CHART
A collaboration with deejay Wickerman has brought veteran singer Beres Hammond his 13th Number 1 single recording, “Me Deh Ya Again,” on the South Florida Reggae Chart. According to broadcaster Clinton Lindsay, who has compiled the chart since 2003, this is just one of Hammond’s many successes on the chart. His first Number 1 hit occurred in 2003 with “Good Ole Dancehall Vibes,” followed by “God is Good” with Popcaan, “Call to Duty,” “I’m Alive,” “Fight This Feeling” with Shaggy, “There for You” with Annette Brissette, among others. On other regional charts, “Glory to Jah” by Mykal Rose tops the Foundation Radio Network Music chart, and in Canada, “Unity” by Chester Miller is Number 1 on the Rebel Vibez Top 10 Canadian Reggae Chart.