KINGSTON, Jamaica – Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, is calling on Jamaicans to adhere to the COVID-19 measures implemented by the Government, and exercise greater vigilance to control the spread of the virus during the festive season.

People can protect themselves from exposure to COVID-19 by adhering to the established infection prevention and control measures.

These include wearing a mask while in public, maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other people, frequently washing and sanitising hands, and not gathering in groups of more than 15 people.

“Now that we are starting to see a rise in the number of cases, we are also seeing a rise in the number of deaths, and so again a word of caution to all people that at this time when we are expecting to see the numbers go up, we must make every effort to protect the vulnerable people… the elderly people, so that we do not see an increase in the number of hospitalisations and the number of deaths,” she said.

Dr Bisasor-McKenzie said the rise in numbers is related to the increase in travel during the holiday season as well as an increase in end-of-year activities.

The CMO was speaking at the final digital ‘COVID Conversations’ press briefing for the year yesterday.

Meanwhile, she is urging COVID-positive people to take the necessary precautions to prevent and limit the spread of the virus in their homes and communities.

“A lot of the cases we are seeing in Westmoreland come out of the homes of people who are sick and having symptoms, but we recognise that the people within their homes are not taking precautions, and so we want to emphasise that sick people are to stay home and precautions must be taken within the home,” Dr Bisasor-McKenzie said.

“This is especially important at this time as we approach the Christmas season and you may have families that are visiting. Precautions must be taken in the homes to prevent the spread of the disease. Not because you are at home you should feel comfortable. Sick people should stay away from other people and all other people should wear their masks and practise all the [measures],” she added.

Meanwhile, the CMO said almost every community within the country has been affected by the virus.

“The number of cases that we see, the number of people that are tested, the number of cases that we report, are really just a tip of the iceberg. This gives us an idea of trends, but not every case is detected,” she said.

The CMO pointed out that not all people report for testing, while some are asymptomatic.