It isn't just the poorest Jamaicans complaining about the curfew...

But the daughter of the President of the Jamaican Senate has addressed the situation as she sees it. From the Observer:

"One of those persons who is hitting out at the government after the announcement of the more restrictive measures is Leah Tavares-Finson, the controversial and outspoken daughter of noted attorney-at-law and President of the Senate, Tom Tavares-Finson.

Ms Tavares-Finson wants the Government to “admit” that the granting of permits for big entertainment events was a mistake as they were likely super spreader events that would have contributed to the surge in COVID-19 cases that the healthcare system is now grappling with.

Writing on her Instagram page, Tavares-Finson said she is “yet to hear the Jamaican government admit that it was a mistake to have granted permits to these super spreader events”.

She suggested that the reopening of the entertainment sector effective July 1 was “...just to ease the pressure from a handful of greedy promoters and a few thousand careless party goers!”

She added that this was “disgraceful...no accountability at the highest level...so disappointed in the current leadership”.

“Mr Holness why do we have to suffer the consequences of YOUR careless decisions? The kids can't go to school in two weeks, why?” Tavares-Finson asked. “Shameful! I would like you to address Dream Weekend and its impact on the country's well-being. As a people we deserve that much. Three days of no movement (is) total rubbish. The entire country now suffers. No sir, that is not ok”.

At Thursday night's press conference where he announced the more restrictive measures, Holness brushed aside claims that the Dream Weekend party series was allowed to go ahead despite the surge in virus cases, to satisfy well connected persons.

The prime minister pointed out that after the decision was taken to reopen the entertainment sector to allow persons to earn, permits were granted for 20 large events including Dream Weekend.

"Once we gave that period that we were approving small and large events and the approvals were granted, we thought it best not to withdraw the approvals," said Holness while explaining that organisers would have already expended large sums of money for the various events.

“We had to bear all those kinds of considerations (in mind)," Holness argued.

Neither government nor the healthcare authorities have stated whether Dream Weekend contributed to the alarming spike in coronavirus cases being seen in the western end of the island, specifically in the parishes of Hanover and Westmoreland.

The Savanna-la-Mar Hospital in Westmoreland is bursting at the seams with COVID-19 patients.

Around the world, events which attract large crowds are classified as super spreader events. This is more likely when those in attendance refuse to wear masks or practice proper social distancing. It is even more problematic in a country like Jamaica where only five per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.

It has also now emerged that the more contagious Delta variant of the virus had been circulating in the western end of the island from as early as July 4, more than a month before the Dream Weekend series started.

Meanwhile, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie told a COVID press conference on August 9 that in terms of adherence to the COVID protocols, the big events were rated at 59.3 per cent which he described as fair. However, as it relates to mask wearing and social distancing, he admitted that those were virtually non-existent."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.jam...COVID_measures