THIS WEEK’S TOP NEWS STORIES
JAMAICAN GOVERNMENT TO MONITOR HOME QUARANTINE VIA PERSONAL DEVICES
Jamaica’s government plans to monitor people who are quarantined at home through devices that can be attached to their bodies. Dr. Christopher Tufton, Health and Wellness Minister stated that the technological device is not yet available, but when implemented, it will provide a better and safer way to do the monitoring than is now available via the JamCOVID19 smartphone app. According to Tufton, the government intends to use another device that could be affixed to individuals in quarantine to discover if that person moves beyond a particular space or tampers with the device. In such cases, the device would send a signal to the monitoring system to take action. The app’s use in home quarantine is required of Jamaican cruise ship workers who returned to the island from the Caribbean Adventure of the Seas ship.
STUDENTS IN JAMAICA TO TAKE CXC EXAMS AS OF JULY 2020
Jamaica’s students will be able to take the 220 Caribbean Examination Council (CXC( exams in July and August. An announcement from Karl Samuda, Minister of Education, put an end to weeks of uncertainty following an initial decision to stop participation in the exams. The examinations are scheduled to begin on July 27, 2020, and be completed in August.
THIS WEEK’S TOP CARIBBEAN NEWS
ISLANDS IH CARIBBEAN PLAN TO OPEN TO TOURISTS IN JUNE 2020
A their economies are heavily dependent on the tourism sector, Caribbean nations are planning to re-open for tourists as soon as possible. Many, including St. Lucia, Aruba, and Antigua, plan to welcome visitors in June of 2020. Several nations have successfully contained the COVID-19 spread and have relatively low levels of the virus in their populations. Re=opening could begin as early as June 4.
THIS WEEK’S TOP JAMAICAN DIASPORA NEWS
JAMAICANS IN UNITED STATES HONOR OLIVER CLARKE AS NATION-BUILDER
Jamaicans in the United States expressed sadness at the death of well-known business leader Oliver Clarke. The leader of the Jamaica Progressive League, Sadie Campbell, noted that the country had lost “a giant.” The organization is affiliated with Jamaica’s People’s National Party. Campbell noted Clarke’s work and contributions to finance and the preservation of press freedom. Ronnie Hamnick, president of the Ex-Correctional Officers Association of Jamaica, said Clarke was a leader who showed “an unqualified commitment to Jamaica and the development of its people”. He went on to say that Clarke’s passing has left “a void” that will be difficult to fill.
THIS WEEK’S TOP BUSINESS NEWS
PREPARATIONS FOR RETURN OF CRUISE SECTOR BUSINESS CRITICAL FOR JAMAICA AND CARIBBEAN
Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who is also the co-chairperson of the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center, emphasized the importance of the cruise sector to the economies of the Caribbean. He said that action should be taken now to protect the sector in the future. The cruise industry has suffered significant damage from the COVID-19 lockdown policies instituted world wide. A number of cruise ship lines met with no-entry policies at various ports of call in the region. The industry was especially hard-hit by the coronavirus restrictions as cruises tend to attract older people who are more vulnerable to serious health risks from the virus.
THIS WEEK’S TOP ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
HISTORY MADE BY SKIP MARLEY WITH HIT “SLOW DOWN”
Skip Marley’s “Slow Down” hit the top spot on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart. This makes Marley the first Jamaican-born artist of reach Number 1 on that chart. The recording features the Grammy Award winning singer H.E.R. The song is also the quickest-streaming tune in the Marley Family history, with over 162 million streams. Marley is also the first Jamaican-born lead on the Top 15 of Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart in nearly a some 15 years.
THIS WEEK’S TOP SPORTS NEWS
LEON BAILEY QUESTIONS CAPABILITIES OF JFF
Leon Bailey, who plays for Bayer Leverkussen, is facing criticism of his won after questioning the capability of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF). The Jamaican-born Bailey, 22, stated that the JFF would be “to blame” if the Reggae Boyz failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. He may be at risk of punishment from the JFF, as its president Michael Ricketts has called for him to come first to the organization with any problems his has.
