Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ charge to fishermen to be careful about venturing into areas in the region where the coronavirus has been reported took a hilarious turn Thursday (March 5) when he sought to address smugglers as well.

Holness was addressing the National Disaster Risk Management Council, at Jamaica House when he made the remark in jest.

“I would urge caution to our fishermen. Many of them are out there doing legitimate fishing; some are out there, not fishermen but involved in all kinds of other things that they take back to Jamaica,” said Holness. “Please do not take back any contraband to Jamaica, including COVID-19.”

To date, there have been 97,878 reported cases of the virus worldwide, including in the Caribbean countries of the Dominican Republic, St Martin and St Barts. Thursday’s meeting was convened to discuss the COVID-19 threat and Jamaica’s level of preparedness.

Holness also called on Jamaicans to take greater responsibility for their personal hygiene, in light of the potential threat posed by coronavirus (COVID-19) locally. The Prime Minister advised persons to wash their hands regularly, use hand sanitisers where soap and water are not readily available, and to cover their mouth and nose with the bend of the elbow when sneezing or coughing, or use a disposable napkin.