The parish of St Catherine will be placed on lockdown for seven days as of 5am, Wednesday, April 15 until 5am, Wednesday, April 22 as the government scrambles to contain an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) on the island.
The announcement was made Tuesday evening by Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a digital press conference from Jamaica House.
It followed a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 cases from 73 to 105 in less than 24 hours, with 31 of the cases being linked to the Portmore-based Alorica call centre.
Portmore residents had been on edge since early Tuesday afternoon as news circulated in the municipality and beyond that dozens of Alorica employees had tested positive for the respiratory virus. The call centre had been closed for business after two employees had earlier tested positive for COVID-19
The worrying news was confirmed by Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, who provided the numbers during the press conference.
Holness warned that “During the lockdown, everyone is expected to stay in their premises”.
He said persons who are ill, or exhibiting flu-like symptoms such as a fever, cough, a cold or the sniffles, must also stay at home.
“Tan a yaad. More than that, isolate yourself,” the prime minister stated.
He explained that during the lockdown, persons will be allowed to “pursue the essentials of life”. However, this must be done in an orderly way to limit movement during the seven day period.
As such, Wednesday and Saturday have been set aside for shopping, including going to the pharmacy.
Persons 65-years and older, those who are pregnant, and persons with disabilities will be allowed to go to the supermarket, corner shop or pharmacy to make their purchases between 8am and 10am on shopping days.
Persons with surnames A-M, who are younger than 65 years, will be allowed to shop between 10am and 1.30pm. For those with surnames N-Z, shopping will be allowed between 1.30pm and 5pm.
“Everyone who is going to venture on the road or into a public space must take with them some form of identification,” said Holness
Additionally, during the period of the lockdown, persons must wear a mask while in the public space and all the social distancing rules will apply.