Jamaica Cabinet briefing details Hurricane Melissa spending, Ebola checks and NHF cyber threat

Government ministers on June 10 used the post-Cabinet press briefing to give updates on Hurricane Melissa recovery spending, health-sector repairs, border health surveillance, social support payments and a reported cyber threat involving the National Health Fund.

Finance and Public Service Minister Fayval Williams said social media claims about travellers being barred from carrying more than J$100,000 into Jamaica were wrong. She said passengers must declare cash of US$10,000 or the equivalent on the Enter Jamaica form, while the J$100,000 figure is a law-enforcement threshold used by agencies such as Customs when assessing possible security concerns.

Williams also outlined the Government’s J$67 billion in Hurricane Melissa-related allocations. She said the sums included J$3.4 billion for tourism support, J$7.5 billion for economic growth and infrastructure, J$3.2 billion for water and environment, J$2.3 billion for education, about J$2 billion for health and wellness, J$3 billion for agriculture, J$4.6 billion for local government and J$24 billion loaned to the Jamaica Public Service. A further J$10 billion went to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security for the roof programme.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the health response after Melissa involved 604 international medical personnel and more than 500 Jamaican health workers in affected parishes. He reported 96 rescues from life-threatening injuries, more than 8,900 people treated at temporary emergency sites, and a field hospital set up at Black River High School within five days. He said J$3.82 billion had so far gone into repairs at damaged hospitals and health centres.

Tufton said nine passengers who had travelled from Ebola-affected countries were placed under mandatory self-quarantine, but none had symptoms. He said Jamaica remained Ebola-free and that about 1,100 frontline and border personnel had been sensitised.

Labour and Social Security Minister Pernell Charles Jr announced the pilot launch of the Humanitarian Assistance Relief Platform, or HARP, to validate outstanding Hurricane Melissa relief claims. He said the ministry had spent just over J$10.03 billion, including J$9.5 billion on the roof programme and UNICEF-supported grants for PATH households and persons with disabilities.

Tufton also disclosed that the NHF had received a threat from a hacker group claiming access to some data. He said the matter had been reported to the Office of the Information Commissioner and MOCA, while the agency strengthened its security systems.