KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, says the welfare needs of Jamaican students in Barbados are being addressed.

Providing an update on the students, in the Senate on March 27, Johnson Smith said Barbados has instituted daily curfews to minimise the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and some of them are getting anxious.

They are being accommodated at the University of the West Indies halls of residence, and they are in touch with members of the Jamaica/Barbados Association that is offering counselling. Their phones have been topped up and they have been provided with groceries,” she said.

The minister added that the Honorary Consul is working day and night to ensure that everybody’s needs have been addressed.

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, said the curfew is slated to last until April 14.

The foreign minister urged Jamaicans at home and abroad to look out for each other and assist where possible. She reminded Jamaicans that travel has become “very risky” and called on them to be aware of their circumstances and surroundings.

“The Consular teams overseas have been incredible and I want to place on record here the thanks of a grateful nation for their efforts for Jamaicans in distress overseas,” she said.

For her part, Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Donna Scott Mottley, urged Jamaicans to stay at home and abide by the rules of the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

“We don’t know who we are coming in contact with,” she said.