(Jamaica Observer) MINISTER of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton last evening said the decision taken by the United Kingdom to advise its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Jamaica is one we have no choice but to accept.
“We have to respect the rights of all countries to do what is in the best interest of their population. So one has to accept if in their judgement that is their most reasoned position or position that they’ve justified,” said Tufton.
He was speaking at a health ministry virtual press conference called to discuss the spike in COVID-19 cases after the country yesterday recorded 66 new cases, pushing the total number to 1,870 since the island recorded its first case in March. Of that number, 846 have recovered.
The UK yesterday issued a travel advisory to its citizens against all non-essential travel to Jamaica, stating that it was based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks in the country.
“The FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) is not advising those already travelling in Jamaica to leave at this time. You should follow the advice of the local authorities on how best to protect yourself and others, including any measures that they bring in to control the virus,” the office told its citizens.
It added that citizens returning to the UK from Jamaica on or after August 29 may need to self-isolate on return.
The advisory could deliver a further blow to the Jamaica’s tourism sector, already hobbled by the pandemic.
The BBC has estimated that approximately 200,000 British tourists visit Jamaica every year.
The Government of Jamaica in March restricted travel to and from the United Kingdom as the island stepped up measures to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19.
At that time, the Government indicated that the move was part of the prevention and containment strategies that were being employed to deal with the pandemic.
Jamaica’s first two confirmed COVID-19 cases originated in the UK.
Yesterday, the health minister said Jamaica, too, will have to make decisions as cases surge.
“We, clearly also have to make our own decisions, and we have made decisions that have sought to balance lives with livelihoods, which is why the ‘living with COVID-19’ theme has become a dominant part of our approach,” he said.
Tufton said accommodation has been made for tourists, alluding to the COVID-19-resilient corridors established in June when the country reopened its borders to visitors, after closing them in March.
The corridors restrict the movement of visitors to the northern and southern ends of the island, as well as New Kingston.
“With that kind of lifting of restriction, whether for tourists, nationals or non-nationals, comes risks, and the numbers we’re seeing today are a direct reflection of increased risks associated with balancing lives and livelihood by allowing more people to come and go,” Tufton said.
“The risks associated with that is that other jurisdictions may look on and feel less confident that positive cases coming out of Jamaica are likely to reach their shores. It’s a catch-22 [situation]. You’re either going to shut down and then have none and then minimise that risk, or you’re going to gradually open up and increase the possibility of that risk,” he said.
At the same time, he said Jamaica has its own concerns about individuals coming out of the UK.
“We have put some measures in place. Over time, things will become aligned as we work together as a world to find better solutions to COVID-19, as technology catches up, but for now the sort of motivation to manage — based on what is in one’s best interest at the national level — is something that we can’t frown on because, frankly speaking, our perspective is not much different,” he said.
