In the largest fiscal stimulus package in Jamaica’s history” the government has outlined a J$25-billion fiscal stimulus package to cushion the impact of the coronavirus.

Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke  outlined the special measures in the House of Representatives:

The Special Consumption Tax on approximately 100,000 litres of alcohol for use in making (or substituting for) sanitisers that will be donated to the National Health Fund and Ministry of Health is being waived. This will ensure that sanitisers remain available in Jamaica.

The government will waive Customs duty on the importation of masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and liquid hand soap for a 90-day period.

Commercial banks will be asked to provide temporary cash flow support to businesses and consumers in affected sectors through deferral of principal payments, new lines of credit, and other measures.

The Covid Allocation of Resources for Employees (CARE) programme which will be introduced has four elements:

a.) Business Employee Support and Transfer of Cash (BEST Cash), which will provide temporary cash transfer to businesses in targeted sectors based on the number of workers they keep employed;

b.) Supporting Employees with Transfer of Cash (SET Cash ), which will provide temporary cash transfer to individuals where it can be verified that they lost their employment since March 10 [the date of the first COVID-19 case in Jamaica] due to the COVID-19 virus. This will be available for a specific period;

c.) Special soft loan fund to assist individuals and businesses that have been hard hit; and

d.) Supporting the poor and vulnerable with special COVID-related grants.