Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a disaster area. A move which he said: “means we can do whatever is required to control the spread of this disease”. 

Holness announced the measure yesterday and activated the 2015 Disaster Risk Management Act, the Emergency Powers Act and the Public Health Act. 

Jamaica currently has eight cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and the Government has also quarantined the communities of Seven and Eight Miles in Bull Bay, St Andrew as they try to mitigate the local spread of the virus.

The police and military have also been deployed to the area to support other state agencies. 

Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, also revealed that more than 30 people have had contact with the first patient who was confirmed on March 9 with the virus.

She said:“A lot more households than the ones we have interviewed have been affected. It is, therefore, important for us to try to restrict the movement of persons to prevent further spread.”