Pleading on behalf of more than 350,000 Jamaicans who directly make a living through tourism-related businesses, the thousands of families and communities who benefit indirectly, and citing possible irreversible long-term damage to the country’s economy in general, the industry stakeholders throughout Jamaica’s resort areas are cautioning against another lockdown of the nation’s borders.

The

calls also reflect the official advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which

has urged countries to adopt localised strategies as opposed to resorting to

national lockdowns.

“Lockdowns are not something that WHO recommended, but they needed to be used in a number of countries because the outbreaks were growing so quickly,” the organisation’s Infectious Disease Epidemiologist, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove said. “But we’re hopeful countries will not need national lockdowns again”.

Instead,

Van Kerkhove urged countries to use the tools available to adopt a “tailored,

specific, localised” approach to contain new clusters of infections.”

In a series of interviews recently, the

stakeholders say that while they understand the obvious health and safety

concerns resulting from the recent spike in the number of coronavirus cases,

there also has to be a balance where the economy and the “country’s basic

survival” are taken into consideration.

“This would undoubtedly be a massive blow not only to tourism but also the country’s economy on a whole. We at JCAL have never been known for excesses and we are not about to start now. What I can tell you, however, is that any decision to close down the borders would cause a lot of hurt …a lot of pain… and a lot of damaged households right across the length and breadth of this country,” a very concerned Brian Thelwell, president of the Jamaica Co-operative Automobile and Limousine Tours Limited (JCAL), noted.

President of the Ocho Rios Craft Markets

Association, Devon Mitchell, for his part, agreed. According to him, the past

six months, especially during the period where the country’s borders were

closed to international travel, craft traders were brought to “the brink of

extinction” and “have never been this hard hit.”

“To be honest with you we are not prepared

emotionally, mentally and financially to go through anything like that again…at

least not anytime soon,” a passionate Mitchell, who is also the president of

the Dunn’s River Craft Association, argued.

Over at the neighbouring Fishing Village, also in

Ocho Rios, where restauranteurs rely heavily on the tourist business for

survival, the cries are even louder for the authorities not to close down the

borders again. Rather, the call is to place more emphasis on enforcing the laws

and to impose even harsher penalties on those who continue to breach and flaunt

health and safety guidelines.

“Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has been telling us…literally urging countries…not to re-impose national lockdowns in an attempt to bring COVID-19 under control…and if I am quoting correctly…not even due to social and economic repercussions,” explained Marcus King, a popular restaurant owner at the facility.

King said the absence of the cruise ships and the “slow trickle” of guest from the hotels have been very hard on business owners, many of whom have been hard-pressed to pay rent and maintenance at the fishing beach location.

“We are more looking forward to the return of the

cruise ships and an increase in stopover arrivals as opposed to any talk of a

reclosing of the borders,” King added.