KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness this afternoon urged Jamaicans not to consider coronavirus a death sentence.

“The disease is not a death sentence…if you follow the recommended procedures it is highly likely you will not get the disease,” he told journalists assembled at Jamaica House for an emergency post Cabinet briefing.

He said that the briefing was for reporting on the earlier Cabinet consultations, but it also offered an opportunity for the Ministry of Health and Wellness to update the media on what has happened since the last briefing on Tuesday.

He said that, as much as possible, the Government will be updating the country to ensure that it receives accurate and reliable information and need not rely on false news.

“We have to do this because there are, and will be, some deliberate attempts at misinformation, but there will always be a certain element of panic and fear which is natural and we understand,” the prime minister added.

Balford Henry