OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Quanetta McNeal is hoping the Government’s e-commerce platform, ENDS (E-commerce National Delivery Solution), will save her restaurant which, like many other businesses, has been hard hit by the recent no-movement days implemented to reduce spread of the novel coronavirus.

It remains to be seen, though, whether the parish has one of the vital components needed to make ENDS work — a reliable delivery system.

“The persistent need to implement tougher restrictions due to COVID-19 continues to impact our business. A host of suppliers — especially our small farmers, local fisherman, independent suppliers of other goods and services — rely on us to keep their respective business open and thriving,” said McNeal who is managing director of Spring Garden Seafood and Steakhouse restaurant.

“My staff have to deal with a reduction in their hours and they are struggling to put food on their table,” she explained.

McNeal questioned why, during curfew hours and on no-movement days, some fast-food establishments were allowed to serve customers in Kingston but not in St Ann.

“They were listed on the ENDS platform as participating locations but not opened in St Ann, and I don’t understand why,” said a frustrated McNeal. “The lack of communication with stakeholders in St Ann is crippling. Whenever we are having the lockdown days and the curfew I lose a lot of revenue that cannot be made back up. My business depends on outsiders as well; I get a lot of customers from Kingston and MoBay, so when they don’t have a chance to come in, that is a lot.”

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of National Security Senator Matthew Samuda, who has oversight for the ENDS programme, explained that some parishes are better positioned to take advantage of the platform than others.

“There are a lot of parishes that don’t have a robust delivery system so ENDS hasn’t worked for everybody,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “Remember, ENDS is all about businesses that have the facility to get their quick service delivered so that persons can get their [products] without leaving their homes.”

The online-based platform allows registered businesses and delivery stakeholders to operate up to midnight during curfew hours and is also available for use on no-movement days. Users can order everything — from fast food to newspapers. Though unable to give the exact number of registered businesses using the platform to date, Samuda said it was being used extensively across the country.

“There are businesses in every single parish operating under ENDS; some parishes have gravitated towards it more than others,” he said. “The initiative has been rolled out nationally and there are businesses from St Ann who have registered on the ENDS platform. There is nothing stopping any business nationally from registering and seeking approval to operate in curfew.”

To McNeal, who is looking to ENDS to help keep her business afloat, he had this advice: “Go onto ends.gov.jm to register with the relevant municipality, which would be St Ann in this case. The application will be reviewed and she will then get an approval.”

ENDS was rolled out across the country in May and there have been mounds of information provided about the platform since the pilot was launched in Portmore in March.