PM: Vaccines Can Quicken Pace of the Economy’s Recovery

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for IMCA Jamaica Limited’s corporate headquarters in Kingston, on July 9, Mr. Holness noted that the pace of recovery from COVID-19 in many countries globally corresponded with their vaccination rates.

The Prime Minister also noted that Jamaica’s recovery pace from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic will greatly rest on how diligently persons practice the necessary preventions and measures.

He says, it has been observed that in countries with high vaccination rates, the economies have been recovering faster. He believes this will positively impact our country in regards to our tourism numbers, as people will want to travel now that they are fully vaccinated.

However, Minister Holness says that Jamaica cannot allow vaccine hesitancy to impact the pace of our recovery.

“The same people who do not take the vaccine, who get ill and demand spaces in our hospitals and treatment from our doctors will say ‘why isn’t the Government providing the resources to do so,” he stated.

Mr. Holness stated that the necessary resources, such as revenue, that are needed for public healthcare delivery are acquired from, among other sources, expenditures by tourists and investors, emphasizing that “there is a connection”.

Holness urges every single Jamaican to take the vaccine when their time comes, stating that the quicker they are taken is the more appealing our economy will look when people decide to travel.