good afternoon I am and wretches on with
the midday news a special welcome if
you're watching on one spot Mediacom a
financial analyst is this afternoon
objecting to a total lockdown of the
country to contain the spread of a Kobe
19 where the 25 confirmed cases Prime
Minister Andrew Holness told Parliament
last evening that if there's a
significant increase in the coronavirus
the government would have no choice we
are now getting close to what is the
inflection point on that curve yes so so
the idea started to call it increase
increase rapidly to be prepared for it
because once it starts to spike we are
ready for financial analyst Dennis
strong the period for an effective
lockdown to curb the spread of Kovach 19
has passed mr. Chung is of the view that
they should have been done when the
crisis started he says a total lockdown
would not be feasible for the economy
yes not you don't but what we need to do
very importantly is enforce the orders
strictly so if someone is caught if
someone reports that someone is valid in
the order you move being a person right
away a lot of that person if
government's economic stimulus to
cushion the effects of coab 819 fails
its prepared to suspend Jamaica's fiscal
responsibility
finance minister dr. Nigel Clark said
the suspension would allow the country
to deal with emergencies and severe
economic contraction therefore want to
assure the people of Jamaica that should
things take a turn for the worse mr.
speaker beyond what we all currently
envisage and beyond the economic
measures we've put in place we stand
prepared mr. speaker to invoke the
clauses into law invoke the causes in
law that allow for its suspension and
that require very importantly the
independent verification of the Auditor
General and act accordingly
within that law it is important to put
this on the table mr. speaker hopefully
we will not need it but if we do I want
the country to be assured that Jamaica
has options that many of our neighbors
do not mr. speaker and that is something
dr. Clarke was closing the budget debate
in Parliament on Tuesday
under the Kovach stimulus program 200
million dollars has been set aside for
small farmers 150 million to the local
government ministry for poor relief
programs and 200 million for the
constituency development fund 1.2
billion dollars will also be set aside
for businesses in the tourism and
related sectors people who lose their
jobs may get fifty four thousand dollars
from the government over three months
and in addition to the Cova 19
restrictions the government is to
improve care for the vulnerable more
from Giovanni Dennis ask Ovid 19
restrictions tighten everyday movements
concerns have been raised about care for
Jamaica's vulnerable last night answers
were provided first of the homeless with
immediate effect the local authorities
will be providing clear packages on a
deal
for all persons living on the streets
across the country mr. McKenzie says
drop-in centers will be made available
for homeless persons to visit and be
checked by health authorities they will
also be given two meals daily next in
line the elderly beginning on Monday the
30th a special sanitation program
involving all infirmaries and Golden Age
homes will be implemented over three
days concluding on April 3rd this
program will provide 100 jobs for
persons to work at Golden Age homes and
infirmaries and will last for three
months
additionally 3,000 students under the
poor Relief Department's portfolio will
receive lunch on a daily basis he also
spoke on provisions for water the
Municipal Corporation are removing to
provide water to parishes which are
affected by severe drought conditions
and will ensure not all our facilities
across the country of adequate water the
ban on visits
infirmaries will be extended the barn
that was placed on the visits to
infirmaries have now been moved from the
original date which was 14 days to no 60
days you know I should say the 30 days
and the ban on new admissions have been
pushed to 60 days the ban on new
amusement licences will be extended and
the markets will continue to open from 6
a.m. to 2 p.m.
Giovanna Dennis TVJ news meanwhile the
Prime Minister is appealing to younger
Jamaicans not to abandon senior citizens
those 75 years and older are being told
to stay at home unless it's absolutely
necessary to leave so we expect
them to stay in as much as possible
distance themselves as much as possible
even from family but it is still
important that the community around it
Tears for them keeps in touch with them
and help them during this difficult time
with food getting their medicines for
them very important but our humanity and
our love for each other should bring us
to share whatever little we have and
where the several reports over people
being physically and verbally abused if
they sneeze or coughing Public Health
Minister dr. Christopher Tufton is
warning against stigmatization if a
person gets copied 19 adjust their minds
to the reality of kovat 19 and to place
yourself in the context of a year from
now not a prophet but I am prepared to
say that kovat 19 would be no different
from h1n1 or some other form of
influenza in other words people are
going to get it or avoid it with a
vaccine or treat it if they have it and
life will go back to normality right now
it is being treated as leprosy or
something that you have to run away from
not just from getting it which we
appreciate what run away from people who
might have it or you suspect have it to
the point where persons are being
abusive and even threatening and it
really is not the approach that we would
like to adopt we want you to be
concerned but you don't we we don't want
you to treat people as outcasts because
you suspect that they have it and it's
time for a break here on the midday news
but stay with us we have more stories
right after these messages
welcome back and we're continuing the
news a policeman and a soldier were shot
last night at a checkpoint along Spanish
Town Road Saint Andrew it's understood
that about 10:00 p.m. members of the
security forces were doing spot checks
along : when a taxi drove up a man armed
with a gun exited a vehicle and opened
fire hitting the police and soldier the
gunman escaped head of the Criminal
Investigation Branch Assistant
Commissioner Clinton Lang told tbj news
that a 16 year old girl who was
reportedly in the company of the suspect
has been taken into custody he's urging
persons with information to call
one-one-nine or the Huntsville police
two brothers are dead following a crash
along the Golden Grove main road in st.
Thomas Tuesday night
dead are 30 year old Adrian Williams a
bus driver and his brother 29 year old
lander Williams a security guard there
are both of wheeler Field in the parish
reports are that about 8:30 the
motorcycle which was being driven by
Adrian was heading towards Golden Grove
when the driver reportedly lost control
and collided with a Toyota rav4 which
was traveling in the opposite direction
president of the st. Thomas taxi
Association Kurt Braun had a reminder
for motorists we are encouraging our
members on all the drivers
in Jamaica we'll be careful and drive on
the road
this is serious time coronavirus is
already a problem we can save life it's
understood by the motorcycle was being
driven without a light when it collided
the driver of the rav4 was rushed to
hospital stakeholders in Manchester have
completed a review of their response to
a deadly fire in the parish they say
they have learned lessons which will
help to in future disasters more for
machine masters it's been weeks since
that fire the fiscal gas station in
Mandeville Manchester but the incident
is still fresh in the minds of those who
responded particularly the emergency
crews that's why the leaders of a fire
and police departments sat down with
local government authorities and other
stakeholders to review the response to
the fire and plan for future disasters
we will be engaging more of the
simulation exercises and that we could
even do better part of this response is
triage which is very important
I mean determining who needs critical
care first and what errors they should
be treated in and as mr. Miller
suggested we do have backup mechanisms
that if we're overwhelmed with what we
can deal with locally we do reach out to
the other hospitals in the regions
whether it's to transfer a less critical
patients out or to bring staff and
resources in for the fire and police
departments their business is saving
lives and property a big part of that is
quick response to a signal but one
concern from the fire department stems
from weather residents can even be
depended on to report disasters such as
far as any more on social media what we
got received no one took the time of the
call the fire brigade I'm saying that
this society that we are living you know
is I don't think it's a matter of
Chinese it's a culture hence of a need
for members of a public to be sensitised
on health and safety measures there is
really the need for the public education
awareness as said by doctor earlier and
for CEO hospital that when there is
danger we should actually move away from
the danger instead of moving towards
danger the far the fiscal gas station
claimed one life and damaged over dozen
cars two persons injured in the fire
remain hospitalized over month later
machine masters TV genius and a time now
for a preview of all of what's coming up
in this evenings health report in the
next edition of the health report we'll
look at ways in which persons can boost
their immune system in light of kovat 19
if you eat a diet rich in fruits and
vegetables and lean proteins with some
wholesome starches staple ground
provisions your body will receive all
these vitamins and minerals that's the
health report this evening in primetime
news and to know for today's healthy
living tip don't take your supplements
on an empty stomach space out your
supplements when you take them and talk
to your doctor about what you're taking
in regional news Barbados on Tuesday
recorded another case of Kobe 19
bringing the number of confirmed cases
to 18 the latest case is as 36 year old
man tracing has started to identify all
persons he came in contact with in the
meantime the 35 Trinidad and Tobago
nationals who were stranded in Barbados
are now in quarantine journalists at CBC
TV 8 barbados ryan boom gave an update
this morning on t v-- j smile jamaica
they are here still there in mandatory
quarantine their own expense however but
we but they
two leaders on both sites have been in
discussion about that situation now TVJ
sports understands that a window between
July and October has now been identified
for the staging of the Jamaica
International Invitational meet a source
close to the meet told our NewsCenter
that the May 2 event will be postponed
due to the spread of Kovac 19 in Jamaica
it's also understood that organizers
will make a decision on a date when the
new demand Li calendar is made available
after the first three meets on the
schedule were postponed
it's believed diamond league organizers
are looking to schedule their meets
between July undocked and October and we
expect that an official release will be
expected to a new center in the coming
days and that's it for the midday news
I'm Andrea Chisholm join us at 7:00 for
the prime time news package on behalf of
the news sports and production teams
good afternoon
