Government shuts down JFF training camp with immediate effect
Published:Friday | February 5, 2021 | 7:08 PMRachid Parchment/Assistant Sports Editor -
The Ministry of Sport has ordered the immediate shut-down of a training camp being hosted by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) at the UWI/JFF/Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at the University of The West Indies, Mona Campus.
Sport Minister Olivia Grange wrote to JFF President Michael Ricketts with the cease and desist order which contained instructions from the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
The letter said that all activity must cease with immediate effect and that all participants in the camp must remain at the facility to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.
The JFF was also instructed in the letter that it needs to submit an application to the Ministry of Sport, to host the camp. The letter suggests, however, that the JFF did submit a request to host the camp, but was not given approval by the Ministry.
"We are now in receipt of the application for hosting the training camp to commence tomorrow, February 6, 2021, which was dated February 4, 2021," Grange wrote. "Please note that training cannot commence without the approval of the Director General, Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, with the Ministry of Health and Wellness advising that there is no breach and it is safe to resume. Therefore, there can be no training today or tomorrow and not until approval has been given."
Grange said that the Government is concerned about the training camp, especially because of confirmed COVID-19 cases among players.
Although the Ministry of Sport said on Friday afternoon that it will allow the approval for sporting events to resume on a case-by-case basis, there is now more focus on the spread of COVID-19 as Jamaica recorded 263 new cases on Thursday, and close to 900 new cases in a single week. Thursday's count represents the highest count for new cases in a day, since the virus was first detected in Jamaica on March 10, 2020.