August traffic points reset, blood centre upgrade, and fire recruits among national updates

Effective 1 August 2026, the Government will reset demerit points on several categories of outstanding traffic tickets so the new ticketing platform can operate smoothly. The measure is one of several agreed at last Thursday’s National Road Safety Council meeting, which the Prime Minister, Dr. Andrew Holness, chairs, to strengthen road safety and public order.

Council members also set timelines for regulations on offence points, photo-enforcement cameras, and related rules. The Ministry of Health and Wellness will refresh its study on crashes and pressure on the health system. Training for motorcyclists is to be delivered through the HART NSDA Trust, the State will buy 10,000 helmets, and Jamaica Customs will be briefed on updated helmet import standards. The Jamaica Constabulary Force plans faster integration of IMAP into its private cloud to unlock funding, with added focus on repeat offenders and active warrants. Figures from the session indicate that 40 per cent of road deaths in 2025 involved people who had repeatedly breached the Road Traffic Act.

At the National Chest Hospital, a $16 million renovation contract signed with Skyar Building Construction and Maintenance Company Limited will upgrade the blood collection centre, including roof repairs, painting, air conditioning, and utility works. Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Wellness Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn said the project supports a wider push to expand voluntary donation, move away from replacement-only giving, and secure steady supplies of safe blood. The Chest Hospital site collects roughly 8,000 units a year, about 22 per cent of national supply. Donors may visit centres listed at nbts.gov.jm.

Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Christopher Tufton told Parliament last week that work has begun on a research-based policy framework on social media’s effects on children and adolescents. Planned elements include age-based access rules, stronger platform accountability, national digital-health guidance, school digital-wellness education, expanded youth mental health services, parent-focused awareness, and surveillance of usage patterns linked to mental health.

Ninety-six Jamaica Fire Brigade recruits from intake 27 completed a 13-week course and were commissioned at Iona High School in St. Mary—85 men and 11 women who will post to stations islandwide. Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie urged the public to respect their service and praised brigade members’ work during Hurricane Melissa, noting continued government support for the force.

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation is stepping up its signage regularisation drive so businesses comply before displaying advertisements. Mayor Councillor Andrew Swaby said enforcement is now sustained, with some operators reportedly swapping old signs for new displays instead of seeking approval. Signs require permission under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1978 and the Kingston and St. Andrew Building Act 2018; the corporation urged entities to regularise through KSAMC rather than face repeat penalties. Swaby spoke at last week’s corporation meeting.