PRIME Minister Andrew Holness yesterday warned Jamaicans that he could be forced to “take action” should citizens fail to observe protocols concerning the novel coronavirus, noting that since the Government revised the measures last month there has been a slight uptick in the number of people contracting the virus.

At the same time, he pointed out that several countries around the world have suffered setbacks in their fight against the virus as cases started to soar with the relaxation of restrictions.

Holness, who was addressing yesterday’s opening of the newly constructed Mount Salem Police Station in St James, said the only solution to Jamaica overcoming the pandemic was for each person to take personal responsibility.

“As your prime minister, it is my role to balance all the considerations. It is not an easy task. The arguments on both sides are strong and compelling but ultimately, I have a duty to the safety of the population. If it is that your behaviour threatens the safety of the population, then I will have to act and indeed not say anything further on this matter,” Holness said.

The warning from the prime minister came less than two weeks after the Government relaxed the restrictions imposed as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic, giving the citizenry more freedom, including the entertainment industry which had been closed since March of last year when the country had recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus.

Holness said the Government is watching the numbers keenly, noting that a report from Chief Medical Officer Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie during Cabinet on Monday had indicated that there was a slight uptick in the positivity rates and hospitalisations.

He added he sensed that most young people, especially those partying and those on summer break, are failing to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols.

“I have also put out my own feelers, quite separate and apart from the surveillance of the Ministry of Health and the surveillance from ODPEM (Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management), to see what is happening in the parties, the nightclubs, the restaurants and all the gathering spots, and we are noticing, particularly among our young people, those coming back from colleges overseas or those who are on summer break, those who have been cooped up for a long time, that they are not observing the protocols. Of course, it is hard to party and wear a mask but you will note that every time I speak in public, regardless of the restriction on breathing, I wear my mask. I am saying to every single Jamaican, you will decide how this pandemic ends,” stated Holness.

Holness pointed to other countries that are now seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases partly due to the ease of restrictions and new variants of the virus. He argued that Jamaica must be careful as, while approximately 40 per cent of the North American population is fully vaccinated, only about 10 per cent of Jamaica’s population was vaccinated with only one dose.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported yesterday that deaths climbed last week after nine straight weeks of decline. It recorded more than 55,000 lives lost, a three per cent increase from the week before. Cases rose 10 per cent last week to nearly three million, with the highest numbers recorded in Brazil, India, Indonesia, and Britain, the WHO said.

The reversal has been attributed to low vaccination rates, the relaxation of mask rules and other precautions, and the breakneck spread of the more contagious Delta variant, which the WHO said has now been identified in 111 countries and is expected to become globally dominant in the coming months.

According to The Associated Press, the death toll in hard-hit Argentina approached 100,000, while daily novel coronavirus deaths in Russia hit record highs this week. In Belgium, COVID-19 infections, driven by the Delta variant among the young, have almost doubled over the past week. And Britain recorded a one-day total of more than 40,000 new cases for the first time in six months.

Among other countries affected by a spike in COVID-19 cases are the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Argentina, Myanmar, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia, where five million residents will remain in lockdown at least through the end of July, two weeks longer than planned.

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