Jamaica is planning a major push to vaccinate workers in the tourism industry, according to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. 

As part of a broader national vaccination drive, Jamaica is targeting the vaccination of 30,000 tourism workers by the end of this week. 

The move follows similar initiatives across the tourism-dependent region. 

“We want all of our tourism workers to be vaccinated and I want it for many reasons,” Bartlett said. “First of all, for their own health and security and secondly, for the assurance of the market that Jamaica is a safe, secure and seamless destination and to be able to say to the market, that the Jamaican workers are all vaccinated.”

Bartlett was speaking to the media this week at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which is currently being used as a vaccination site. 

“Vaccination is one of the secure ways of holding out the chance of fighting this pandemic and while it is true that the world doesn’t say it is the only answer, it is certainly a big part of what helps us to manage this process,” Bartlett said. 

The Minister said that, following the “blitz,” Jamaica “might be the most vaccinated tourism-worker group in the entire Caribbean and that’s a major statement to be made.”

Jamaica has been open for tourism since last June. 

— CJ