Businesses beginning to accept stricter COVID-19 measures may need to be reimposed

 

Businesses have started to accept that there may be need to reimpose stricter COVID-19 restrictions amid a surge in cases locally.

 

In the last month, there have been more than 200 new cases, with the tally now at 920.

 

Two deaths were also reported on Sunday, after many weeks without fatalities.

 

Lloyd Distant, President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, said he expects the government's decision regarding more restrictions to be guided by assessment of the risks. 

 

"There may be a need to reimpose some of the restrictions. I do recall when the COVID Resilience Task Force met, there were some specific guidelines and parameters that were used to determine risk levels. Those parameters and guidelines were very much focused on ensuring that the health system is not overwhelmed. So as long as the government is continuing to keep the focus on managing the number of cases going into the health system - so these are critical care bed facilities, number of hospitalised cases - as long as they're maintaining view of that and then taking the necessary steps as proactively as mandated, then we believe that they'll be taking the right steps," he suggested.  

 

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie has said the health authorities have been concerned about the increase in cases and have made suggestions to the government.

 

She said they have been lobbying the government to reimpose some of the measures.