The Ministries of Tourism and Health and Wellness and the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, JHTA will partner to provide rooms for COVID-19 patients, should the need arise.

Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett made the announcement Tuesday.  On Monday,  Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton appealed to members of the public, and the hotel sector, to assist in finding hundreds of rooms, to house persons recovering from the Coronavirus.

He said in light of the expected community spread phase of the pandemic, 600 more rooms will be needed islandwide.

On Tuesday Tourism Minister Bartlett noted that as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating impact on several countries, it’s all hands on deck to mitigate against the impact of this pandemic on the island.

Meanwhile, Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton has welcomed the initiative, which he says will help to ease the burden on the already limited public health resources.

For his part, President of the JHTA, Omar Robinson says the association has requested its members with closed properties to enter into a partnership arrangement with the Health and Wellness Ministry in the provision of rooms for quarantine/isolation purposes.

He says the JHTA has also requested that its members donate linen and other soft goods for use at hospitals, and isolation/quarantine facilities.