on Negril Today!
https://negril.com/nt/nt102920.html
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on Negril Today!
https://negril.com/nt/nt102920.html
******* This is a heavy read, but I think necessary *******
The latest strategy of the Jamaican Government regarding tourism is their Jamaica Cares Plan. It is not just travel insurance, but a full service way of managing unfortunate problems that a tourist might encounter. It is a med-evac, emergency care, hospitalization and Covid coverage. From the time you board your flight to the moment you arrive back home, it is an "end to end" service.
There have been thousands of hours put in designing the Covid Resilient Corridor concept. Creating Covid protocols, approving properties for their Covid protocols, altering the protocols to meet the ever changing risks Covid poses and setting up and streamlining the Travel Authorization process. And more hours in negotiations to create the Jamaica Care Travel Package costing the government time and money to accomplish these nearly impossible goals.
I have read remarks mainly from people claiming to have the true interest of the Jamaican people at heart. They want to discourage visitors because they might bring Covid down with them. Since Covid is already on the island and in what is called "community spread", this is very disingenuous.
Jamaica wants and needs visitors to visit our sunny shores! The Government would not have gone through everything it has if this was not necessary. Four hundred thousand people are employed in the tourism sector. Most of them have families to take care of and feed. Being unemployed means no wages. No wages means no food. No food means starvation. Starvation means death.
Living here on daily basis, seeing and feeling first hand the struggles that Jamaicans are going through is something I thought I would never see. The Ministry of Health has set up mental health hotlines because being unemployed and not being able to provide for your family puts an enormous strain on your mental well being. I am seeing the toll it is taking on my friends. I am hearing things I never thought I would.
Covid is already here and everyone has the chance to catch it. Catching it is not an automatic death sentence, The vast majority survive and many with no symptoms at all. Being out of work, not being able to provide for your family leads to starvation, which is a death sentence. And Jamaica does not have the ability at present to grow enough food to feed the entire population.
If the safety of the country relied on closing the borders, the government would do it again. But they know it is not. The cure cannot be worse than the illness, Holness has said this many times.
So please forgive the naysayers for they know not what they speak of about this issue. Anyone able to see the whole picture knows the government is doing the best for Jamaica.
So come on down and be welcomed wholeheartedly and allow us to see more Visitors Visiting! We need you now more than ever and want you to be safe, secure and have an incredible time in our tropical home!
So well said Rob. For those of us that have our safety nets through personal savings or government programs helping us out, easy to forget that countries like Jamaica don't have these things. I am looking forward to seeing my old friends and making new ones and contributing to the economy and doing what I can. See you guys in 2 months!
Yes Rob, we’ll said!! We are so impressed with the way Jamaica has dealt with the pandemic. The whole Jamaica Cares Plan is a brilliant idea. I think it will go a long way toward easing the minds of people still on the fence about traveling. As will seeing people on the beach and reading trip reports. Four weeks from today is US Thanksgiving and God willing we will be lounging on and strolling that beach!!
Very well said Rob and so true. There are more people dying because of covid than there are of covid. Of course, if you uttered those words in the good old USA, you would be crucified. I board in 63 days and 21 hours. Beach House Villas, here I come.
I understand your concern however the whole world is suffering under the conditions brought about by covid 19. In the U.S over 200 thousand dead and an infection rate out of control. Perhaps your right, " the naysayers know not what they speak of " Stay safe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob
Well said Fargoman. You are an alright guy!
In line for our covid test. 9 days we will see you!
The Jamaica infection rate is going down here and more important is the hospitalization rate.Quote:
Originally Posted by airswift
The recovery rate is going up. More people are testing Covid free.
The expected spikes from both the early August Emancipence week and the early September election are subsiding.
If the government were to close the border at this time, more Jamaicans would die because of Covid, not due to it. Lax is correct.
It is a shame you are not here so you cannot see the mental stress taking its toll. The hopefully more active Winter season is providing that sense of hope.
If Jamaica closed the border today it would be catastrophic. Less are dying now because of the implemented protocols that the government has developed.
I wish you were here to see it with your own eyes....
Me too Rob, me tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Rob
It was announced by the Minister of Tourism yesterday that in September there were still some 230,000 tourism workers unemployed.
Imagine the mental stress of being out of work for seven months, no chance of finding another job and having no unemployment benefits...