KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) has expressed disappointment at the staging of Mocha Fest in Negril in breach of COVID-19 safety protocols and said that the matter will be investigated “with the objective of ensuring that appropriate sanctions are enforced” as no permission was given for the event.

The party held at Rick’s Café, was attended by large groups of visitors to the island but has triggered public anger with Jamaicans accusing the authorities of double standard over the staging of entertainment events in breach of COVID-19 regulations.

Following is the full text of the JTB’s statement:

The Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is extremely disappointed to learn from videos in circulation on various social media platforms that proper observance of COVID-19 protocols was not in full compliance during an event held at Rick’s Café. It is our further understanding that “Mocha Fest,” an event which the JTB has endorsed in past years, was party to the event displayed in the video evidence.

We are further disturbed that the Jamaica Tourist Board logo was included in promotion of these events. The JTB has given no undertaking for sponsorship or endorsement of such activities since the start of the pandemic. Therefore, no permission was given to these, nor any other promoter of events, to use the Jamaica Tourist Board logo.

The visitjamaica.com platform hosts a calendar for all events staged in Jamaica that are endorsed by the JTB. The dates for these events are typically set years in advance and listed on the site to facilitate pre-planning for visitors and travel agents that sell the destination.  We regret the oversight that the events section has remained on our website during the pandemic and we’ve made the decision to disable this section on the site until further notice.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the JTB and Tourism Product Development Company (TPDco), in conjunction with the Ministry of Health & Wellness, created clear guidelines to protect the health and safety of both our visitors and tourism workers. Based on the videos circulated, the promoters and the venue in question were in clear breach of these guidelines, which is unacceptable.

Accordingly, TPDco has commenced investigation into the matter with the assistance of local authorities. The investigation will include the sequence of events that led to this alleged breach with the objective of ensuring that appropriate sanctions are enforced.

Moving forward, we want to assure the public that we take the health and safety of every Jamaican and every visitor to the country very seriously. We will ensure the corrective actions are swift and send a strong message about the importance of following the required protocols to safeguard the public and the integrity of the sector.

Read: Jamaicans outraged at alleged Mocha Fest event in Negril

Read: Rick’s Cafe apologises as Mocha Fest party fuels fury