LOCKDOWN - Restrictions hit St Catherine as 5th person dies, COVID-19 cases balloon to 105
Published:Wednesday | April 15, 2020 | 12:00 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
In the wake of a fifth COVID-19 death and a dramatic 44 per cent spike in cases in Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has announced a one-week lockdown for the parish of St Catherine beginning at 5 a.m. today until a similar time on April 22.
A fifth patient, a 63-year-old woman from Portland, died yesterday.
Of the 32 new cases, 31 are from the Alorica call centre in Portmore. This new development has sent jitters throughout St Catherine, which has a number of key corridors interlinking the capital, Kingston, with central and western Jamaica.
According to 2018 data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, St Catherine has 521,249 residents – or 20 per cent of the national population of 2.7 million. The bustling commercial and dormitory community of Portmore alone has around 200,000 residents.
Speaking from Jamaica House yesterday during a digital press conference, the prime minister said that he asked the commissioner of police and the Ministry of Health & Wellness to investigate the circumstances under which 31 persons at Alorica contracted the disease with a view to pursuing charges if the Disaster Risk Management Act was breached.
The jump in COVID cases locally increases Jamaica’s tally to 105. Of the 32 new cases, five are men and 27 women between the ages of 19 and 70. The confirmed cases are from St Catherine, Kingston, and St Andrew. The health ministry says 34 cases are now under investigation.
He said that many players from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector have observed the various protocols, with 10,000 of the approximately 40,000 workforce asked to work from home.
NOT FAITHFUL
However, Holness argued that “it is clear that there are some operators who were not following the protocols, who were not faithful in observing the protocols.
“We cannot take this thing lightly and consequences must fall where we can establish culpability,” he warned.
Alorica has a staff complement of 787. The ministry has interviewed and tested 258 employees.
“Sixty-five of those tests have come back, and of that number 33 samples have come back positive. Two were announced a few days ago,” Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton reported.
Alorica has since closed its Portmore and Kingston offices following the revelation of positive cases.
The St Catherine lockdown, according to Holness, is being imposed to slow the spread of the virus, which has infected nearly two million people and killed 125,000.
Holness argued that with 33 positive tests from the call centre, “you can use your own imagination to figure out how many persons have been contacted, the areas that people would have travelled to, and the potential spread that can come from that.
“Technically, you could be looking at as many as 1,000 persons contacted in close proximity,” he explained.
The prime minister said that a GIS mapping of the addresses of the affected employees from the call centre showed locations in St Catherine, Kingston, and St Andrew.
He hinted at broader and tougher measures.
“I am putting Jamaicans on notice that we have entered into a new phase,” the prime minister said.
Giving details of the ground rules, Holness said that persons who have flu-like or respiratory symptoms must stay home.
The prime minister made it clear that the only exception to the lockdown was for persons to get medication, make emergency visits to the doctor, or to get essentials such as food. Breaches of the order will attract penalties.
Holness urged Jamaicans to travel with a passport, driver’s licence, or national ID. “We would also consider Ids issued by various ministries, departments and agencies,” he said, in addition to ID issued by a registered tertiary institution or school.
Persons 65 years and older will be allowed to get the essentials of life between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Medical emergencies are not subject to this order.
Further, residents in St Catherine whose surnames begin with the letter ‘A-M’ will be allowed to get their food stock or medication between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Only one person from each household is allowed to visit the shop or supermarket. And, persons with surnames starting with the letter ‘N-Z’ will be allowed to carry out a similar exercise from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Suppliers of goods to supermarkets and shops will be exempted on days to be specified by the Government.