More than 300 employees of Moon Palace Jamaica in Ocho Rios and nearby companies were vaccinated on Wednesday as Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) members and tourism industry partners intensify their support for the Ministry of Health and Wellness in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

Moon Palace was the latest hotel to host an on-site “Vax Day” for the benefit of its employees and those of nearby companies and organisations, following initiatives already hosted at Sandals Ocho Rios, Sandals Montego Bay, and Couples Negril.

More on-site hotel Vax Days are being scheduled for hotels and airports in Negril and Montego Bay in the coming weeks.

The Vax Days are being hosted under the Private Sector Vaccination Initiative (PSVI) established to support the ministry’s national vaccination plan by mobilising collective resources and increasing the roll-out of the vaccination programme across the country.

According to JHTA President Clifton Reader, the association is doing its part by bringing the vaccinations to people. “These Vax Days not only benefit our staff, but we have invited our partners, including tour companies and craft vendors, to register with the PSVI and take advantage of the mechanisms being provided at our hotels,” Reader said.

“In keeping with health and safety protocols, including social distancing protocols, our larger properties are hosting these Vax Days which are also open to smaller hotels and other employees in close proximity,” Reader added.

“The medical teams that manage the process at the hotels are all registered with the Medical Council of Jamaica and supervised by the Ministry of Health and Wellness. We have the required facilities in place for the post-vaccination observation, including emergency supplies in the event of adverse reactions to the vaccine,” the JHTA president said.

Pointing to the increasing incidence of COVID-19 in Jamaica and the confirmation by the minister of health and wellness that the Delta variant is in Jamaica, Reader said, “The JHTA is committed to doing everything we can to respond to the needs of our employees and their families, our guests and our communities. We have previously hosted testing sites and now we are hosting vaccination sites as we work with the health and other authorities to beat the pandemic. I hope that in making it easier for persons to be vaccinated we can achieve the herd immunity required to reduce the spread of the virus and save lives in Jamaica.”