Act like everyone has COVID - Health officials issue dire warning

Health officials have warned Jamaicans to operate as if every person with whom they come in contact has been infected with the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.

The directions come as the number of persons infected with the disease continues to rise, in the process reducing the ability of health workers to provide care in hospitals.

1,870 cases

Jamaica yesterday recorded 66 new confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed positives to 1,870.

Thirty-five of the 66 newly confirmed cases are females and 31 are males, with ages ranging from seven years to 88 years.

"The system does come under additional pressure when you have more cases to deal with," Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said. "The fact that we have more positive cases means that our frontline staff are more exposed." The island's new cases have addresses in Clarendon (12); Kingston and St Andrew (32); St Catherine (14); Manchester (one); St James (three); St Mary (two); Westmoreland (one); and St Ann (one).

"One of the new cases is imported from a flight from Nicaragua, and the remaining 65 cases are currently under investigation," Tufton added.

On Thursday, the United Kingdom (UK) placed a travel restriction on its citizens travelling from Jamaica starting Saturday.

According to the BBC, the UK considers imposing quarantine conditions when a country's rate of infection exceeds 20 cases per 100,000 people over seven days.

In Jamaica, the seven-day rate rose from 4.3 on August 20 to 20.8 on Thursday - a 382 per cent increase.