Entertainment players urge J’cans to get vaccinated - Eyeing possible phased reopening of sector

Members of the entertainment industry are siding with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who stressed that one way Jamaicans can get back to normal is by wide-scale COVID-19 vaccination.

Holness, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, said the Government is hoping to usher in another phased reopening of the entertainment sector by summer. He reiterated that while a ban on entertainment events, including parties, concerts and round robins, is still in place, encouraging discussions with key stakeholders could see his team returning to Parliament in another two weeks with a way forward for the industry.

However, he also noted that a large part of the population is still opposed to taking the vaccine. Event promoter and artiste manager Heavy D said Jamaicans "affi take the vaccine". "Jamaicans vaccinated against polio, measles, chicken pox, so why we wouldn't want to get vaccinated against COVID? I don't see what the problem is. We want to get back to normal, and how we ago do dat if we nuh take it? Memba say people nah let we inna dem place if yuh nuh vaccinated innu," he said. "It's just foolish people a talk all kinda thing about the vaccine but just take one second and think. America a get back to normal because a di vaccine. Mi talk to my artiste dem and make dem know say if dem nuh take the vaccine dem nah go can tour. A only so the world ago free up. People affi decide fi take it."

Jr Bloodline, artiste manager and promoter of the Morning Bliss event, encouraged persons to get vaccinated for the greater good. But he suggested finding more encouraging ways to get persons to take the vaccine.

"Jamaicans are a strange people, and if dem feel like yah force supm'n pan dem, dem ago resist it. We affi sell the vaccine better. Make di people dem see how America a move forward and make dem know say a di vaccines a do dat," he said. "Yuh affi market it a way weh people remember say anuh just Jamaicans alone need fi take this innu because every part a di world yuh see a open up right now, it's because of the vaccine."

As of last Friday, approximately 155,683 Jamaicans had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, representing eight per cent of the target population of nearly two million. Also as of last Friday, only 22,206 persons had received their second dose.