welcome back to primetime news and a special welcome to our viewers once
again on onespotmedia.com new protocols for the reopening of the entertainment sector will take
effect in the coming days Prime Minister Andrew Holness outlined the protocols when he addressed
the House of Representatives this afternoon. Now Mr. Holness also outlined the easing of other
covid 19 restrictions come July 1. washington brown now joins us live with the details vashen
thank you so much janella from a public health perspective the prime minister says
the country is not where it would like to be the positivity rate's still above five percent
only a small percentage of the population has been fully vaccinated and the many new
variants of concerns like the delta variant so with easing of restrictions the prime minister
knowledge is that there is a risk of infections and hospitalization could arise once more with
the reopening of the entertainment sector a summer spike is possible which could impact the country's
ability to reopen schools this september so mr holness says the protocols must be followed
the prime minister told the parliament that while key indicators are trending in the right direction
it's not the end of the country's fight with covid19 he says while the country is in a new
phase the covet 19 containment measures cannot be abandoned totally but the entertainment sector has
taken a massive hit due to the restrictions and so now new protocols for the industry's reopening
which will take effect on july 1. the prime minister says events will be categorized as small
or large and would have different protocols small events will have fewer than 100 people including
organizers and support personnel these include round robins outdoor concerts outdoor parties and
community events the organizers of small events will be allowed to make applications for permits
as they would normally do through their local authorities and will work with them to ensure
that the protocols are in place for a safe event the municipal corporations have agreed to reduce
the cost of applying for permits and licenses by 50 percent for small indoor events organizers
cannot exceed 60 of the venue's capacity as for large events meaning events with more than 100
people those organizers must first send an application to the minister of entertainment
the minister will review the application to see that it meets the requirements when the ministry
is satisfied it will forward the application to the office of disaster preparedness and emergency
management oppem oddpem will then consult with the minister of health and other agencies
it's only after this process that approval will be granted large events would include stage shows
i i don't want to encourage them what i'm saying it includes state shows church conventions
conferences crusades festivals you know those large events the government will also allow
large events to be held at some of its facilities rent free we will waive the normal rental cost
and organizers would be required to cover only the operating costs such as utilities and security
costs these venues include the national stadium the chulani stadium and of the randy williams
entertainment center the government says it will not require vaccination or covenanting tests
for people attending these events but if private event organizers wish to include such requirements
they're free to do so madam speaker to signal the reopening of the entertainment sector as
well as to demonstrate how a large event could be hosted with proper protocols the government
will be organizing a concert on july 1 2021 at the port royal cruise terminal this will
be a fitting way to recognize and celebrate international regular day meanwhile indoor
theaters and cinemas will also be allowed to open theaters and cinemas usually have fixed seating
capacity so you would go by your seating capacity and take 70 percent of that of course there
are other established protocols about allowing households to sit together spacing between persons
now fashion the prime minister also announced adjustments to the curfew hours when do these
adjustments take effect that's correct janella the prime minister said starting next month there
will be changes to the curfew hours effective july 1 2021 the curfew will begin at 11 pm on
monday to saturday and 6 p.m on sunday and end at 5 a.m the next morning until august 11 20 21
so madam speaker the curfew hours have been have been reduced we are moving from 9
to 11 monday to saturday and on sundays we move from what is it now two to six
now funeral services will be allowed with a maximum of 30 persons present inside the church
or the place of worship or funeral home this maximum limit of 30 persons includes
mourners as well as clergy and support personnel changes too for churches
the maximum number of persons physically present allowed to be present will be determined as 70
of the capacity which is calculated based on one person for every 40 square feet
of the designated worship area now the quarantine period for fully vaccinated people will remain at
eight days however fully vaccinated people will have the option of taking an approved pcr test
and if the results come back negative they can be released from the quarantine order now for clarity
the measures involving theatres cinemas and churches will take effect on june 24 and all
other measures become effective on july 1. janelle it's back to you thank you