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Jamaican Govt quarantines communities in St. Mary due to COVID-19 due to spike in positives

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#Jamaica – May 7, 2020 — The Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the National Emergency Operating Centre at the ODPEM has reviewed the situation in St. Mary this morning.

In consultation with the Local Health Authority, North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), a Quarantine of areas in the parish of St. Mary comprising Dover, Enfield and Annotto Bay (the Communities) (as specifically identified below) for 14 days will take effect from Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 6:00 AM to Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 6:00  AM.

The following are the key points to note:
There are a total of 13 persons who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Communities and our investigations show that there is considerable movement of the affected persons which has increased the risk of exposure to the all persons in the  Communities.

Exposed persons in the Communities may develop infection and cause spread to other members in the Communities resulting in a rapid increase in the numbers of positive cases.  This is due, in the main to the high movement of persons within the affected households within the Communities; the high population density of two of the Communities identified and the high vulnerability of persons within the Communities to severe illness due to age, comorbidities and other socio-economic factors.

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The quarantine of the Communities is to restrict movement of members of the Communities to slow or prevent new exposures and hence new infections by:

(1) Further testing of members of the Communities;

(2) Close monitoring of members of the Communities for development of symptoms;

(3) Early containment of newly detected cases;

(4) Prevention of new exposures and transmission of disease; and

(5) Education of members of the Communities of Infection Prevention and Control measures.

Boundaries for the Quarantine are outlined below: 

ANNOTTO BAY QUARANTINE AREA (PART OF ANNOTTO BAY) – The area of interest spans 0.13 Sq. km and is bounded by a 1.72 km perimeter. 
EAST
 
The boundary will run from its start point at the Pencar River Bridge (Top Bay) and head in a northerly direction along the western edge of the Pencar River towards the coastline.
 
NORTHIt will then run in a westerly direction along the coastline for approximately 0.8 km to a point where a stream from the Pencar River enters the sea (Bottom Bay).
 
WESTThe boundary will continue in a southerly direction along the stream to the bridge at Bottom Bay.
 
SOUTHThe boundary will then run in an easterly direction along the Annotto Bay to Portland Main Road to the start point at the Pencar River Bridge (Top Bay).
 
ITER BOREALE QUARANTINE AREA – The area of interest spans 1.1 Sq. Km and is bounded by a 4.31 km perimeter. 
EAST
 
The boundary will run from its start point along the Enfield Main Road at its junction with a minor road approximately 150m south of the North Coast Highway, in a northerly direction towards the coast for a distance of 0.53 km.
 
NORTHIt will then run in a westerly direction along the coast for 1.64 km.
 
WESTThe boundary will then continue in a south-westerly direction for a distance of approximately Two Hundred and Thirty (230m) to a point south of the North Coast Highway.
 
SOUTHThe boundary will then run in an easterly direction along the southern outskirts of the community to the start point along the Enfield Main Road.
 
JUNO PEN (PART OF ENFIELD)– The area of interest spans 0.47 Sq. km and is bounded by a 2.24 km perimeter. 
EAST
 
The boundary will run from a point along the Enfield Main Road 0.23 km north of the Juno Pen Bridge east for Forty Meters (40m), then in a northwesterly direction for a distance 1.33 km.
NORTHIt will then run in a westerly direction for approximately 0.37 km across the Enfield Main Road to an open lot west of the said road.
 
WESTThe boundary will then continue in a southeasterly direction for a distance of approximately 1.42 km to a point west of the starting point.
 
SOUTHThe boundary will then continue in an easterly direction to the start point at the Enfield Main Road.
EPSOM/DOVER QUARANTINE AREA – The area of interest spans 0.83 Sq. Km and is bounded by a 5.34 km perimeter.   
EAST
 
The boundary will run from its start point where the Dover to Portland Main Road intersects with the Parish Boundary, in a northerly direction along the Parish Boundary, for a distance of
0.23 km.
NORTHIt will then run in a westerly direction for approximately 2.29 km to the
north-western boundary of a property north of the Dover to Portland Main Road.
 
WESTThe boundary will then continue in a southerly direction across the Dover to Portland Main Road for a distance of approximately 0.34 km.
 
SOUTHThe boundary will then continue along an imaginary line along the southern outskirts of the community to the dry gully south of the start point, and then in a northerly direction to the start point.
 

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Caribbean News

CANARI outlines climate priorities ahead of Cop28

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Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

 

The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) informed that the Caribbean Climate Justice Alliance, in preparation for the upcoming annual COP28 in 2023, launched its “Caribbean Climate Justice and Resilience Agenda,” outlining the priorities for climate justice and resilience in vulnerable Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS).

 

In a press release, CANARI highlighted that the agenda recognizes the major threat of climate change to the region as well as aims to louden the voices of the at-risk groups “on the frontlines of the climate crisis and catalyze actions for climate justice and local resilience in the Caribbean SIDS.”

 

The priorities stated under the agenda are:

 

  1. Curbing emissions to limit global temperature

increase to 1.5 ̊C

 

  1. Scaling up locally-led solutions for adaptation and

loss and damage

 

  1. Improving access to and delivery of climate finance

for frontline communities, small and micro enterprises, and civil society organizations as part of a ‘whole of society’ approach

 

  1. Scaling up just, nature-based solutions for resilience

 

  1. Supporting a just transition for pro-poor, inclusive,

sustainable and resilient development

 

  1. Promoting gender equity and social inclusion

approaches to climate action

 

  1. Promoting youth and intergenerational equity as

core to the climate response

 

  1. Integrating a rights-based and earth-centered

approach in addressing all these priorities and ensuring climate justice

 

The at-risk groups referred to in the release include small-scale farmers and fisherfolk, rural women producers, income-poor people, elderly and disabled people, Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, migrants, and LGBTQIA+ people.

 

Being cognizant of the severity of the effects of climate change on the Caribbean, CANARI referred to the fact that the very existence of the region is on the line.

 

“If greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated and global temperature exceeds 1.5 ̊C, the impacts of rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, rainfall variability, ocean acidification, and other changes threaten the very existence of our way of life in the Caribbean and other SIDS that have contributed the least to global emissions.”

 

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Bahamas News

CARICOM Sec Gen speaks on Gender Based Violence

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Rashaed Esson

 

Staff Writer 

 

“Everyone must continue to invest in preventing violence against our women and girls (VAWG). It is an investment in our shared future,” were the words of Dr. Carla N. Barnett, CARICOM Secretary-General, as she reiterated the need for solutions against VAWG.

 

She called attention to VAWG as she gave a speech surrounding the annual campaign “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” which runs from November 25 to December 10, 2023.

 

Barnett expresses the well-known fact that VAWG is one of the most prevalent issues affecting all corners of society.

 

“VAWG remains one of the most pervasive forms of human rights violations in the world and cuts across all races, cultures, genders, and educational backgrounds,” she maintained, as she continued to point out the sad reality that this is still a major issue despite regional and global policies.

 

“Despite the existence of regional and global policies and legislation to combat VAWG, weak enforcement and discriminatory practices remain significant barriers to ending VAWG.”

 

The Secretary-General highlighted statistics for VAWG, bringing attention to how serious and embedded this issue is in society.

 

She said that globally, 736 million women—nearly one in three—have experienced violence—physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or even both.

 

For the Caribbean region, she said surveys conducted between 2016 and 2019 inform us that one in two women experience intimate partner violence, which is higher than the global average. 

 

In continuation, Barnett expressed that the campaign calls everyone to action against VAWG, including “development partners, civil society organizations, women’s organizations, youth, the private sector, and the media.”  Also, world governments are being asked to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention.

 

Ending her address, the Secretary-General urged everyone to wear the color orange for the duration of the campaign, as well as on the 25th of each month, “as a symbol of hope for a brighter future where women and girls live free from violence.”

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Caribbean News

Support for Flood-Affected Farmers

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#Kingston, November 26, 2023 – A total of $157 million is to be provided by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, to support farmers affected by the recent heavy rains from Potential Tropical Cyclone 22.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the announcement during a National ‘Eat Jamaican Day’ ceremony in Portland on Friday (November 24).

The Minister lamented that the country had moved from a period of harsh drought to the next extreme – flooding.

“A number of our farmers suffered tremendous loss and the team from RADA (Rural Agricultural Development Authority) has been out since last week Saturday, trying to quantify what has been the losses that have been suffered by our farmers,” he said.

According to the Minister, preliminary figures reveal that $274 million in damage was done to the agricultural sector, with livestock farmers suffering about $25 million in losses; equipment loss of over $10 million; $173 million in crop loss; and $64 million in damage to the farm road network.

“The good news is that we are not going to leave our farmers alone and we know, as they said to the Prime Minister when he toured last week, that once they get some support, they are willing to go back out and farm,” Mr. Green indicated.

The $157 million support package from the Ministry will be used in several ways. A total of $70 million is to be provided for crop support – inputs, seeds, and fertilizers – and another $8 million for equipment support.

A total of $15 million will be expended for support to livestock and $64 million will be used to rehabilitate farm roads.

Minister Green also announced that resulting from a gift from the Kingdom of Morocco, 24,000 bags of fertilizers will be distributed among farmers over the next two weeks.

The Minister informed that the parish that was most affected by the recent weather event was St. Thomas and that, “almost every farming community in St. Thomas suffered from flood damage.”

Farming communities in St Andrew were also cut off because of landslides.

 

Contact: Mickella Anderson-Gordon

 

Photo Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green.

Photo by Mark Bell

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