30 more deportees arrive from the US

JUST under 30 deportees from the United States arrived in the island yesterday, as the Americans continue their policy of returning individuals to their homes despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Forty Jamaicans were initially scheduled to be deported yesterday and there has been no word from the United States as to why the number was reduced.

However, US authorities had previously indicated that they would not send home anyone who displayed signs of illness or who tested positive for COVID-19.

This is the second batch of deportees to be returned to Jamaica since the borders were closed to incoming passengers on March 24.

One person in the first batch tested positive for COVID-19 after being returned.

Up to yesterday, according to Johns Hopkins University, the United States recorded more than 1.7 million cases of the virus with more than 100,000 deaths and close to 400,000 recoveries.

Locally, Jamaica went another day without confirming any new COVID-19 cases while reporting five additional recoveries, moving the total number of recoveries to 284 of the country's 569 tally of COVID-19 cases since March 10. The number of deaths remain at nine.

The deportees who arrived yesterday are to be quarantined in a Corporate Area hotel for 14 days.

They will be tested for the virus and only allowed to rejoin their families if they return two negative test results.