good afternoon I am Andrea Chisholm where the midday news a special welcome
if you're watching on one spot mediacom the tourism ministry is focusing on
minimizing the impact of ovid 19 coronavirus on the industry portfolio
minister edmond Bartlett is gearing up for a meeting in Germany to discuss a
global response to the deadly virus details in this report
tourism Edmond Bartlet if the period of The Cove in 1900 break is protracted its
impact on tourism could be devastating on Thursday while speaking on radio
Jamaica's beyond the headlines mr. Bartlett said there is anxiety within
the Cruz community not only that but he also admitted that the virus is already
impacting the ministry's projections for this year
therefore the tourism ministry is now focusing on minimizing the impact of a
potential outbreak the fact is for the year so far we still
growing I'll be at a lower rate than we had projected but we still going where
we know we're about 2.7 percent over last year as we are know but you know my
projections are five by five by Senate right so we still want to maintain sy
back as I said and I'm Noah 2.7 and that is a little concerning yes and I don't
think that we're going to do very much beyond that given the current mr.
Bartlett said a protocol for the prevention of the spread of the deadly
virus within the tourism industry is to be implemented in a few days mr.
Bartlett said it's important that global tourism players do not go into panic
mode sit down to map out the protocols
entities regime that has to know go into play you know public education
activities posters all over the place taking hygienic practices must wash your
hands before and after you know sanitize avoid contact we need employment to hold
protocols you know be developed to be rolled out he will attend a meeting next
week in Germany to discuss a global response to the call with 19 we're
talking focusing on I want to see the approaches we can take on a broad global
global protocols so that we can understand what kind of socialist funny
gender can be tolerable and accepted so that travel and prints more TVJ news in
the meantime Barbados has joined several other CARICOM countries in advising
nationals against travel to China and South Korea unless absolutely necessary
the ministry of health and wellness said the decision to extend the advisory is
based on information provided by the World Health Organization and the
us-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention national security minister
dr. Horace Chang is supporting the Jamaica constable Air Force and how
crime is handled this follows results of the rgr Gleaner Don Anderson poll which
gave the jcf a failing grade it showed that six out of every ten
Jamaicans or 61% said the police force was not effective in leading the fight
against crime three out of ten Jamaicans or 30%
disagreed 9% either did not know or were not sure suggests that they may be they
sing you know you know a entity fighting crime and this or no this doesn't
address the issue at all respondents to the survey believe the Jamaica Defence
Force should play a more active role in crime-fighting this was dr. Chang's
response I've been under order spread across every district in Ireland
and yet they have come under significant pressure and oftentimes one bad egg
becomes the face of the police and in addition to that you find because they
are the ones on the front line the other ones were usually attacks on issues of
you know inappropriate response charges of corruption and these issues that
become almost living begin to make the image of the police the private sector
organization president is surprised that most Jamaicans object to some forms of
some forms of privatization of government assets in the rgr Gleaner Don
Anderson poll seventy six percent of respondents believed the government
should not sell its stake in the Jamaica Public Service Company and transgenic
on-highway former PSO J president Howard Mitchell reacted to the finding secure
that it is distrust that they feel that by privatization the ownership of the
government entities would necessarily go in to a few private hands but my
understanding and maybe that understanding has not been communicated
well to the public is that the management of the issue would be such
that the ownership would be abroad this public ownership so I am a little
surprised at the reaction what I feel that perhaps it is it arises from
ignorant as to the real process by which privatization is going to occur the poll
also showed that 52% of Jamaicans agree with the listing state-owned companies
on the Jamaica stock exchange mr. Mitchell says there is a role for
the government the stock exchange and the private sector claim to make our
citizens help our citizens to be more financially aware could be aware of the
benefit of the public market the benefits of
ownership which is ownership and management which is motivated by profits
and prudent governance and I think that process needs to be accelerated 1038
persons were surveyed for the are Jelena Don Anderson poll it was done between
February 8th and February 18 and has a margin of error of a plus or minus 3% a
student of William nihai in Trelawny is believed to have drowned yesterday at a
river in Sherwood as his body was found moments ago he has been identified as a
16 year old Jonathan Eccleston it's understood that Jonathan and seven
others went fishing when he slipped on a log and fell in the water
on Tuesday the body of eight year old Kimora white was found in Dover Saint
Mary after she was washed away while crossing a river on her way home and
it's time for a break here on the midday news but stay with us we have more
stories right after these messages
welcome back and we're continuing the news the independent candidate concept
contesting the southeast Clarendon by-election is adamant his return to
politics as an independent is the better the lives of a residence Derrick Lambert
dismissed suggestions that he's aiming to use the by-election to reestablish
ties with the PNP leadership and supporters despite losing by just over
100 votes in 2011 mr. Lambert was overlooked as the p-n
peace candidate in the 2016 general election I have no interest in politics
apart from going in Parliament only atom by message so that's what get DeLong are
at least minore say it isn't point forget it
after that my business ago that works the tutorial
Kodama interests now my business trigger on which I see em diverse interests
including medical marijuana Dennison so I forgot oh where the PMPA was say the
win and you're calm and so on that is a relevant right now I mean other
interests but no future politics what I've been doing all my life is dealing
with the people with a meal without the candidate are not our caretaker we never
stop do latinum a life in news overseas the rapid rise in cases of kobe 19
coronavirus raised fares of a pandemic with the six countries with travel
history to Italy reporting their first cases they are Nigeria Estonia Denmark
Netherlands Lithuania and Mexico in Japan a British man who was infected on
the Diamond Princess cruise ship has died bringing the death toll among a
death toll among people who were aboard the vessel to six for the first time in
decades Iran can set fried a purse to limit the spread of the virus meanwhile
stock markets around the world are experiencing major declines amid invest
Affairs and in sports the potential imposition of a travel ban from Jamaica
to Japan may further jeopardize the country's participation at this semester
your Olympics organisers are uncertain if the games will go ahead as planned
Japan has come under the microscope after the Health Ministry yesterday
announced it would be restricting travel to Italy South Korea Singapore and Iran
due to a rise in corporate 19 cases for president of the Jamaica Athletics
administrative Association dr. Warren Blake the advice of the World Health
Organization would be key in coming to a decision the World Organization saying
that they are not the ones to cancel a knee in a sporting event but rather the
organisers but I'm certain that there have been close discussions with the
organizers the IOC and making recommendations as to what it is see dr.
maté said the j-3 is would suffer financially if the olympics are canceled
as it acts as one of their major bargaining tools for sponsorship it
would have affect us financially as well because I didn't wanted the thing that
our gear sponsor looks forward to is to get from returned at the Olympic Games
in terms of brand visibility and everything and this is all I know a
performance at these games without taking Damien's work home when we look
at bonuses that we mirror and you know only the fact sponsorship because that
contract levels not have an Olympic Games at a time when where we are
thinking that Jamaica should do fairly well will make it difficult for us the
argue for an increase in in sponsorship levels and that's the midday news I'm
Andrea Chisholm join us at 7:00 for the prime time news package on behalf of the
news sports and production teams with afternoon and have a great weekend