1/4/2023 0 Comments Jamaica lockdown![]() ![]() Pandohie, who is also the CEO of Seprod Limited, says Jamaica continues to be reactive to the developments of the pandemic, despite getting a preview of what to expect before the virus got to our shores. “But the fact that we just don’t seem to have a coherent strategy moving forward.” “The frustration is not so much the lockdowns, which I do not think are sustainable,” Pandohie said. Outgoing president of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), Richard Pandohie, agrees that the Andrew Holness administration needs to go back to the drawing board. He added, “It would have been more effective for a one-week lockdown and then allow movement to resume.” NO COHERENT STRATEGY “This is my home now, I am not an immigrant anymore, and we are having a hard time predicting future business.” “This is the general view of the Indian community.We are not impressed,” said Vangani. ![]() Vangani, who was forced to close his Ocho Rios, St Ann, operation last year as the pandemic intensified, is hoping that the lockdowns will not extend beyond September 14. “In fact, the way the lockdowns are being done is creating more harm than good because markets, banks and supermarkets are jam-packed on the movement days, creating a greater superspreader environment.” Sign up for The Gleaner’s morning and evening newsletters. “We are suffering a lot because we are not making enough over three and a half days to cover our expenses,” Vangani told The Gleaner. With over 74,000 infection cases and approximately 1,700 deaths, and those numbers increasing rapidly with the Delta and Mu variants now in Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the country can expect tight restrictions until the numbers trend down to an acceptable level.īut popular Montego Bay businessman Sunil ‘Danny’ Vangani, who has been operating several businesses along the north coast for the past 25 years, says no business can survive on three and a half days of commercial activities. The measures are in place until September 14, unless there is an extension. Investors across several sectors are calling on the Government to rethink its infection control strategies employed to counter the rapid spread of COVID-19, as the no-movement days are sending them to the brink of bankruptcy.Ī sharp increase in coronavirus infections, hospitalisations and deaths, since the Jamaican independence celebrations in August, resulted in the Government implementing stricter measures that included four consecutive weekends of three-day lockdowns, longer curfew hours, and businesses closing earlier. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |