Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (fifth left) and Cabinet Secretary, Ambassador Douglas Saunders (second right, background), are pictured with Primary Exit Profile (PEP) awardees following a presentation ceremony at Banquet Hall, Jamaica House, on Tuesday (August 23).
As Jamaica opens its borders to welcome overseas visitors, tourism entities are implementing the necessary protocols, to keep both guests and workers safe.
As part of the preparations, the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) embarked on a series of sensitisation workshops to highlight the coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols that will govern the tourism sector as it reopens on June 15.
President of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), Omar Robinson, told JIS News that most tourism entities are gearing up to reopen between June and July.
“There are a handful of hotels reopening [this] week, with most hotels making the business decision to reopen in July and so will continue to implement the protocols as they prepare to reopen then,” he said.
“For the hotels reopening [this] week, they have already sourced the required personal protective equipment (PPE) and safety equipment and implemented the new procedures as stated in the detailed protocols provided by the Ministry of Tourism, inspected by TPDCo and given the approval to reopen,” he added.
Mr. Robinson, who is also the General Manager of Round Hill Hotel and Villas, said the operational protocols are focused on worker safety and include the use of thermal scanners or infrared thermometers to do temperature checks.
Other requirements include the use of face masks by guests and staff, face shields, disposable aprons and gloves, hand sanitising stations, sanitising misters for staff upon arrival at work, and safety signage, both in front of house and back of house.
In addition, persons will be required to practise social distancing measures in lobbies, restaurants, bars, beaches and all public spaces.
Plexiglass safety barriers are also to be installed at the front desks.
Mr. Robinson noted that electrostatic sprayers and ULV cold foggers, as well as contactless check-in using apps, will also be implemented.
“There is also training and sensitisation of employees based on the new procedures, and [they] will also have to realise that they need to take personal responsibility for their own safety by ensuring adherence to the safety protocols,” he noted.
Mr. Robinson pointed out that new procedures will be required to deliver hospitality, as the old way of greeting and interacting with visitors will no longer be accepted.
Meanwhile, Blue Diamond Resorts, which plans to reopen Royalton Negril Resort & Spa, Hideaway at Royalton Negril, and Grand Lido Negril on July 15, said it is doing so following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“As we begin to reopen our award-winning resorts in Cancun and Negril, we are committed to providing the All-In Luxury experience that our valued guests have come to know and love, with their safety being the utmost priority,” President of Hotels and Resorts at Sunwing Travel Group, Jordi Pelfort, said in a statement.
“With advanced safety protocols and superior cleaning measures, guests will be able to relax in paradise and rediscover the wonders of our host locales. As the countries which our resorts call home begin to reopen, we want to ensure our guests feel safe and cared for when choosing to stay at a Blue Diamond property,” he added.
Mr. Pelfort further stated that “by heightening our industry-leading sanitation practices, we will continue to guarantee luxurious, relaxing and Safety-Assured Vacations for all of our valued guests”.
Sandals Resorts International and Half Moon are also fully prepared and are ready to see a return of visitors.
“Sandals congratulates Jamaica on the reopening of our borders… to all international travellers. Jamaica’s newly developed COVID-19-focused health and safety protocols were over 100 pages and very impressive,” the resort chain noted in a statement.
“From transportation, restaurants, villa operators, tour providers and, of course, all sizes of hotels and resorts, it’s a world-class document that will guide safety for all in the hospitality sector,” it added.
Chairman of Half Moon, Montego Bay, Guy Steuart, said his resort is continuing its liaison with the Government to ensure “we are painstakingly diligent in the phased opening of our property”.
“The property’s website and reservations team are now open for bookings to international travellers, beyond the June 15 date as announced by the Jamaican Government,” he stated.
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Initial Officer Training Programme (IOTP) provides basic military officer training to Officer Cadets (OCdts) and their equivalents from law enforcement and uniformed services. The programme falls within the tactical level of the Professional Military Education (PME) framework of armed forces and is modelled from the Royal Military Academy Sandhursts’ (RMAS) Commissioning Course. It was designed with the direct support and guidance of RMAS Instructing and Support Staff.
Traditionally, the Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) longstanding partnerships with militaries across the world has seen its OCdts being trained in academies in the following countries: United States, England, Canada, China and India. Upon the return of OCdts to the JDF, there is a requirement for doctrine and operating procedure standardization due to the varying concepts and differing contents of the training they had undergone. This is normally done at the Unit level and later, through a Young Officers’ Course. The advent of COVID-19 added a new level of complexity to travel, thus negatively affecting the process of sending OCdts overseas. Additionally, the ongoing expansion and restructuring of the Force to cauterize the ballooning threats to national security has caused an increased demand for newly commissioned Second Lieutenants.
Due to the carefully adapted military and academic curricula, IOTP serves as the course to treat with the aforementioned considerations. The methodology used addresses each issue directly and the course, through the delivery of a bespoke training syllabus, is fit for the JDF and is also relevant to the militaries and organizations within the Caribbean region and in other parts of the world.
Having the RMAS approach to training at its core, IOTP is designed with a syllabus that sees male and female integration throughout training. The course focusses on developing military skills and command with a leadership ‘golden thread’. The course structure allows the Instructing Staff to educate, build, develop and scrutinize an OCdt’s ability to decide and communicate accurately and ethically while under pressure and or stress. The expectation is that on commissioning, an OCdt will be fully cognizant of the responsibilities and personal conditions that being an Officer imposes upon them. The product of the IOTP will be an ethical and robust Officer who has the knowledge, skills, attitudes and intellectual agility to adapt their decision-making process and approach to any environment.
The home of IOTP is the Caribbean Military Academy (CMA) Newcastle, which is located at the Newcastle Hill Station, St Andrew, Jamaica.
Nestled in the cool hills of upper St Andrew and amidst beautiful trees, ferns, ground orchids, delicate wild flowers and a profusion of ginger lilies, is the Newcastle
Training Depot founded in 1841 by Major General Sir William Maynard Gomm (later Field Marshall). Gomm, a veteran of the wars against revolutionary France and Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica from 1840 to 1841, relentlessly badgered the War Office in London to establish a mountain station for British soldiers in Jamaica soon after taking up his post.
The idea of the hill station was first raised by Gomm in a letter dated April 7, 1840 to Governor Sir Charles Metcalfe. Gomm pointed out that while Up Park Camp was an ideal location for a barracks, it was subject to the ravages of yellow fever. In Jamaica the
British garrison was stationed on the plain at Up Park Camp, Stony Hill, Fort Augusta and Port Royal. Here, on the average, 1 soldier died every 2½ days. According to Russell, the year 1838 was considered a ‘good’ year: only 91 men died. In 1839, 110 men perished and in the following year 121. Initially, the British government was conservative in approving a hill station for the troops in Jamaica. They were concerned about the expense of the venture.
In May 1841, London finally sanctioned Gomm’s efforts to build what is thought to be the first permanent mountain station in the British West Indies at Newcastle. The site selected was a coffee plantation protruding from the southern face of the grand ridge of the Blue Mountains. The British government paid £4,230 for the Newcastle site.
At the outbreak of World War II (1939-1945), life at Newcastle changed a little. The British regiment was replaced by Canadian regiments which remained at Newcastle for the duration of the war. With hostilities over in 1945, the Canadians left and once again a British battalion was stationed there.
In 1958, the West Indies Federation was founded and the infantry regiments of the various Caribbean islands were disbanded and reorganized into the West India Regiment. Newcastle became a training depot, training recruits from all over the West Indies as part of the
newly formed West Indies Federation. In 1962 when Federation was disbanded, the West India Regiment was also disbanded. Jamaica simultaneously sought her independence, which was achieved on August 6, 1962. With independence, Newcastle was given to the Jamaican government as part of a general settlement of all military lands in Jamaica.