KINGSTON, Jamaica—Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon has urged schools to make preparations to shift classes online as the country braces for a potential impact of Tropical Storm Melissa this weekend.

Morris Dixon, who was speaking during a special press briefing held on Wednesday in preparation for Tropical Storm Melissa, explained that some 798 of the schools across Jamaica will be designated as national shelters.

“Many of our schools are used as designated shelters. Seven hundred and ninety eight schools across Jamaica are among the 881 that Mr [Evan] Thompson spoke about earlier, and so our schools are definitely going to be mobilised in particular areas, we believe, and so in terms of schools, what we are saying to our schools at this point is that they need to make preparations to potentially go online,” the education minister said.

While acknowledging that not all communities will have access to the internet, she urged schools to prepare work materials for students to prevent learning gaps.

“We understand also that not every community has internet access in that way, and that’s really why for us in the ministry we don’t like closing schools because some students are really very disadvantaged, but the safety of our students and everybody is of utmost importance,” she said.

The minister committed to providing an update on whether schools will remain open on Thursday.

“Later today we will give another update in relation to schools tomorrow. We are waiting for this afternoon’s advisory as they come from the Met Service [The Meteorological Service of Jamaica], and then we will send out an advisory regarding schools tomorrow,” she said.

A tropical storm watch remains in effect for Jamaica as Tropical Storm Melissa is moving very slowly across the Caribbean Sea south of Hispaniola.

According to director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to become a hurricane by Friday, with the island beginning to feel the impact of the system on Thursday.