Cruise ships could return in weeks
Bartlett calls for tourism workers to get COVID jab
The tourism ministry yesterday said that cruise shipping could return to Jamaican ports in a matter of weeks.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who has appealed to unvaccinated tourism workers to get vaccinated, said cruise lines are eager to resume trips to Jamaica, but stressed that under the current guidelines, almost every cruise passenger and worker will be fully vaccinated.
“Tourism workers must always remember that they are valuable front-line workers who have a critical role to play in restoring the national economy and their own state of well-being. They must, therefore, play their part in helping to overcome the current setback created by the COVID-19 pandemic by taking the vaccine,” said Bartlett.
BOOST VACCINATION LEVELS
His appeal comes against the background of efforts to boost vaccination levels locally. The Government has set a target of inoculating 65 per cent of the population by next March. To date, 372,911 shots have been administered, with 132,439 persons fully vaccinated.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness last week missed its target of vaccinating 150,000 persons during a week-long blitz. Approximately 63,000 persons were vaccinated over the period. The health ministry said it will be seeking to administer some 700,000 doses of the vaccine by the end of September.
Jamaica’s ports have been dormant for the past year and a half due to the COVID- 19 pandemic. Bartlett said several countries are lifting their ban on cruise shipping, and with cruise lines anxious to recover lost ground, the ports of call that are fully prepared for their visits will be more attractive.
“Cruise shipping is an integral part of our tourism product and an important driver in terms of visitor arrivals and expenditure. Thousands of Jamaicans depend on the cruise shipping industry, and we look forward to its return,” Minister Bartlett said.