Declaring that “normalcy must return”, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has announced measures to help small shops and markets reopen across hurricane-hit communities, signalling a push to restore daily life for business operators.

Speaking at a special media briefing on Thursday at the Office of the Prime Minister, Holness said that while the nation remains in the relief phase of recovery, efforts are already underway to restore stability and ensure Jamaicans can return to their regular routines as quickly as possible.

He said the Government will roll out targeted support to help small businesses reopen in some of the worst-affected communities, beginning with access to supply assistance.

“One of the first things that we have done is we have identified some generators and we’re going to make those generators available… We’re going to start with 50 in the most impacted and remote communities; we will loan them the generators. But of course, there will be some requirements for compliance issues and to ensure that they are established operations that we can enter into cooperation with,” he said.

He explained that many small operators, particularly in rural districts, have been unable to reopen their shops due to two major challenges — the absence of electricity and the disruption of supply chains, noting that with distributors unable to make deliveries and communication lines still down in some areas, access to basic goods has been limited.

Holness said the minister of industry, investment and commerce has been instructed to devise a comprehensive plan to support small shopkeepers islandwide.

He noted that the Jamaica Business Development Corporation and the Development Bank of Jamaica will lead the initiative, in collaboration with community leaders, the police, and justices of the peace, who will verify the legitimacy of participating businesses.

Beyond simply powering up shops, the Government also intends to make use of them as storage and distribution points for relief supplies.

“We’re going to also ask them if they would be willing to partner with the Government to give us storage capacity. Some of them may have a room or two where we can store things. That would multiply the number of areas that we have from which we can stage operations,” Holness said.

Currently, the Jamaica Defence Force operates in 22 areas across the island to move relief items through a “hub and spoke” model — from main warehouses to smaller regional hubs and then into communities. However, Holness said this system, while effective, is costly and unsustainable for a long-term recovery effort.

To address this, he said, “At some point we will transition to a voucher or a coupon system where, instead of carrying the bag of relief items, you will get something that is equivalent to cash and you can go to your nearest shop in your area where we will stock and supply them and you get your items.”

The prime minister noted that for this system to work effectively, the selected shops will need reliable electricity and Internet connectivity — both of which are being prioritised in the current recovery plan.

He emphasised that the initiative forms part of a broader national strategy to strengthen community resilience and empower small businesses as Jamaica pivots from relief to recovery.

“So we are working on that plan and in the coming weeks you will start to see that plan come to fruition so that for the foreseeable future of the next few months there is an effective and robust system to deliver relief as we pivot to the recovery stage,” he said.

In the meantime, Holness called on “all Jamaicans of good mind and goodwill” to resist negativity and focus instead on rebuilding efforts.

“Even in a disaster we must maintain our dignity. Even in a disaster we must never give the view that there is lawlessness and even if we are hungry and there is suffering we must maintain our dignity and the way in which the relief operation is done must be done in a way that protects the dignity of the people,” he said.

He also urged Jamaicans to reject misinformation circulating online, warning that false narratives could undermine national unity and dampen morale during the recovery period.

“If you allow people to cast your nation into despair and grief, to smother hope, to ignore the heroic efforts that people are making… then we will have a negative outlook in a time when we need people to be positive,” he said, adding that managing information was an important part of disaster management.