Kingston – The United States Government has committed an additional J$44 million (US$300,000) to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak in Jamaica. These funds will go directly toward Jamaica’s emergency response. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) intends to provide these funds to support the COVID-19 response needs of Jamaica.
The United States, via USAID, is coordinating with the Government of Jamaica, local non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to identify priority areas for investment. “To date, the Government of Jamaica has done a commendable job at addressing the spread of COVID-19 in country,” said U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia. “This additional $300,000 will add to the more than $1.7 million the United States has already provided to support Jamaica’s COVID-19 response.” With these emergency response resources; USAID will seek opportunities to support:
- Risk communications and messaging from trusted community sources and disseminated through social media.
- Raise awareness of prevention measures and good hygiene practices through behavioral change communication and community engagement.
- Provide targeted social support to vulnerable groups.
This assistance builds upon U.S. investments of nearly US$87 million in health and nearly US$619 million total over the past 20 years for Jamaica.
For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health. Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously made available more than $100 billion dollars in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance globally.
For more information about USAID’s response to COVID-19, please visit: https://www.usaid.gov/coronavirus-covid-19