KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaicans are being encouraged to take the necessary precautions against COVID-19 as they participate in festivities to mark Emancipation and Independence.

Announcing that there has been a recent uptick in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, urged persons, especially the most vulnerable, “to employ infection-prevention-and-control mechanisms.”

Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank on Friday, executive director of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Lenford Salmon said that “personal responsibility will play a major role in controlling the spread of the virus during the celebratory events.”

“We are asking people to exercise due care in how they conduct themselves in coming to the Stadium. Walk with your sanitiser, avoid going into very close spaces with people who are not from your own little bubble, and take all the precautions you can,” he said.

Individuals who are sick should stay at home, while those attending the events are advised to wear a mask and practise proper hand and respiratory hygiene.

A range of activities are slated to be held from August 1 to 6 islandwide to mark Jamaica’s 61st year of Independence, under the theme ‘Jamaica 61… Proud and Strong’.

“We can’t accommodate everybody in all the physical spaces, but we will accommodate you in the virtual space,” Mr Salmon said, noting that events will be carried live on the two national television stations and on the social media pages of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the JCDC.