Jamaica Rolling Out Vaccines for Tourism Workers

Jamaica Rolling Out Vaccines for Tourism Workers

September 10, 2021 ctn_admin

Jamaica has established a new Tourism Vaccination Task Force that aims to facilitate the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations to all tourism workers island wide.

Under the leadership of Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett, the task force has organized a series of voluntary vaccination blitzes located at strategic sites across the country. The initiative aims to increase access to vaccinations for Jamaica’s tourism workers, including individuals working in hotels, villas and guest houses, attractions, airports, cruise ports, craft markets as well as ground transportation operators.

The recently established Tourism Vaccination Task Force has been conducting a series of meetings over the last couple of weeks to develop a comprehensive vaccination strategy to meet its target of a fully immunized tourism workforce.

“The immunization of tourism workers is vital to safeguarding Jamaica’s tourism sector and the Tourism Vaccination Task Force has been working assiduously to ensure that we make it easier for our essential workers to have access to vaccines,” said Bartlett. “Our target is to ensure that all of Jamaica’s 170,000 tourism workers are vaccinated and protected from the possible harm that can come from contracting the deadly COVID-19 virus and its variants. This island-wide vaccination program will aid in our recovery efforts for the sector and by extension the country.”

Tourism worker vaccination drives began at The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on August 30 and continued at Sandals Negril on September 2 and Moon Palace Hotel in Ocho Rios on September 3. Other proposed sites for future vaccination activities for the tourism sector include Emancipation Park, Kingston; Harmony Beach Park, Montego Bay; Falmouth Cruise Ship Pier; Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth; and the Port Antonio Cruise Ship Pier.

In order to streamline and expedite the vaccination of tourism workers, the Task Force is working in tandem with the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ), and various tourism stakeholders within the public and private sectors.

Jamaica hopes to have 65% of the population vaccinated by March 2022. Stats show roughly 5.2% are now fully vaccinated.

For more information about Jamaica, visit www.visitjamaica.com.