MONTEGO BAY, St James – The Chinese business community in Montego Bay has thrown its support behind the Government’s raft of initiatives to contain the spread of the much-feared COVID-19.

Up to today there were eight confirmed cases on the island.

“In the wake of heightened tension over the coronavirus,  a number of Chinese haberdashery merchants in Montego Bay have taken a joint decision to close their businesses for up to the next 14 days,” Yangsen Li, a Chinese merchant who operates Beauty Queen, told the Jamaica Observer.

Checks carried out by the newspaper revealed that many of the Chinese haberdashery businesses in the resort city, were in fact closed.

“The singular focus is on the health and well-being of everyone in the communities we serve, namely our staff, our customers, the wider Jamaican public and ourselves,” he argued.

Yangsen Li said the merchants are also dispelling rumours being circulated on social media that their closure is as a result of any member of the community being affected by the virus.

He said among the stores being closed temporarily are Top Mart, Super 88, Beauty Queen, Wolfcreek, Golden Eagle, Pop Fashion and Seven Wolf.

He stressed that the merchants have emphasised that their action was being taken in support of national effort to manage the spread of the virus.

Yangsen Li said the closure of the stores followed discussions with their employees who were assured that they will reopen as soon as the health authorities indicate that it is safe for all to do so.

He noted that with the closure, false reports have been circulating on social media targeting the Chinese merchants. 

“They (Chinese merchants) have indicated that they are now fearful for themselves and their staff, and are appealing for this to stop and the fake news removed from Facebook and other media,” he said.

Yangsen Li added that the Chinese community is concerned about the adverse effect the false reports on social media could have on their stores, as public belief could cause a serious downturn in business when they reopen.

Stressing that none of them or their staff have shown any signs of contracting the virus, the merchants are urging the public to pay close attention to official authentic information and to follow the guidelines set out by the ministry of health and wellness.