AS entertainment players continue to react to the suspension of activities associated with the industry, reggae singer Junior Reid says the absence of live music will have negative effects on the mental health of Jamaicans.

“Kingston is the birth of reggae and dancehall and it was very strange that you couldn’t find live music in Kingston. We were worrying about that (the lack of live music) and as soon as we start to get back to normal, the lockdown came and messed up things. People cannot take it; they are social beings who need entertainment and want to be able to socialise so the lockdown is going to see major impact and they will soon start to react (negatively) to it,” he told the Jamaica Observer yesterday.

Reid is conceptualiser of Friday Night Live in the City held at 39B Eastwood Park Road in St Andrew. So far, he has held two staging: on July 23 to mark the 129th birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie and the other on July 30.

“We need fi get back together again fi keep the people dem nice. Whether it’s concert, karaoke, live music…anything to keep the people nice and maintain the peace. The people cannot live like this,” he said.

He added that his live shows were well supported.

“We did not go over the limit [stipulated by the prime minister], so we had about 80 people at the shows. It was a good vibe. Everybody enjoyed it,” Reid said.

Junior Reid is in Atlanta to perform at Reggae Music Live in the Park tomorrow.

He, however, hopes he will be able to host his show in his homeland again.

“I flew out to perform but it’s not the same. I want Jamaica to free up so we can have our live reggae and dancehall music again,” he told the Observer.

Reid (given name Delroy Reid) hails from Waterhouse in Kingston. He is a former lead singer of Black Uhuru. He is best known for songs including One Blood, and Foreign Mind. In 2007, Reid and rapper MIMS went number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with This Is Why I’m Hot. It’s Okay (One Blood) was a sizable hit for The Game and Reid.

In an effort to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, on Wednesday, all social gatherings have been prohibited under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA).

Curfew times have also been adjusted from 8:00 pm on weekdays to 7:00 pm. Saturdays’ curfew hours have been adjusted from 8:00 pm to 6:00 pm, while on Sundays it is slated to start at 2:00 pm. All curfews ends at 5:00 am the following day.

Up to yesterday, Jamaica recorded 56,165 cases of the coronavirus with 1,268 fatalities.