Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has joined the call for social distancing among Jamaicans.

Bartlett said that it is

important for everyone to follow the guidelines and the protocols that have

been established by the government to contain the spread of the coronavirus

(COVID-19).

“We want, in tourism, to

re-emphasise the critical importance, especially during this period of

sensitivity where community spread is likely to begin, for everybody, not just

those who feel they have a symptom but everybody in Jamaica, to respond

positively to the position that the government has taken and the direction that

is being given for social distancing,” the minister said.

“To use a nice Jamaican phrase that we all love so much, ‘Tan a Yaad’, because this is one of the surest ways of containing the spread of this virus and enabling an early return to economic activities so that you can continue to earn and to develop your own well-being,” he added.

The Minister said the

impact of COVID-19 on tourism has been huge for Jamaica and all the other

tourism-dependent countries in the Caribbean.