The Japanese government has provided a total of $261.6 million in grant support to Jamaica’s COVID-19 response.

At the signing ceremony today, Minister of Finance, Dr Nigel Clarke, explained that the grant will enable public health facilities across Jamaica to procure medical supplies and equipment.

Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, Hiromasa Yamazaki, shared that both governments had discussions for a month to identify how best Japan could help strengthen Jamaica’s health system as it combats the pandemic.

“The universal goal of the government of Japan is to enable all the people in the world to enjoy greater opportunities offered by a safe and secure environment and that is why we stand together with other international development partners, and the international community at large, to work assiduously to contain the virus spread, which is not only threatening human lives but also social and economic livelihoods across geographical borders,” the ambassador said.

In her remarks, chief medical officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, expressed appreciation for the grant, which she said is timely for strengthening capacity as Jamaica relaxes COVID-19 travel explained that Jamaica is now making the transition from keeping the virus out, to learning to live with it.