Starting on April 1st 2020, an island wide curfew will be in effect for Jamaica and this new rule stipulates that between 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. there will be new restrictions on things like public transportation and general movements for people in the region.

Ideally, people will only be traveling for emergency circumstances, whether to get food or take care of other important matters. Other than that people are encouraged, as they have been elsewhere, to stay inside as best that they can.

The curfew is expected to end on April 8th 2020.

It will be in effect until then for 7 days of the week. In the meantime, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) has insinuated that they are worried about maintaining operations with electricity if people fail to pay their bills on time. For this reason, people have been encouraged to continue paying their bills if possible rather than let it get behind. If too many people stop paying their bills then that is going to impact their operations and overall efficiency, it could mean people not getting the electricity that they need at the end of the day.

In several regions, people have been calling on governments to make sure that light bills, internet, and other services will not be cut off during this time because people cannot pay. Home owners are also seeking help with making mortgage payments, and renters calling for help as well with skipping payment if necessary. How long is it all going to last? 2 weeks? 3 weeks? 2 months? 6 months? The uncertainty is fueling anxiety for millions.

Getting Back To Normal

Right now many cruise companies, hotel companies, and other businesses in the tourist industry have been greatly impacted by the shutdown. They are no doubt eager to return to normal and get back to business as usual, serving the needs of clients around the world.

In Jamaica, tourism is a big part of their economy, and because of that many people are suffering by not seeing the usual business that they might.

From the hotel staff, to those working at the airport, taxi drivers, restaurant workers, craftsman selling on the beach, and so on. They are hoping that things will return to normal for Jamaica soon, and that it will get back to full strength eventually at some point.

The Jamaica Tourism Minister has insisted that he has great confidence in the industry returning, even if that means it looks a little bit different when it finally does.

“As we continue to fight this crisis together, we are reminded that we have been here before and like we overcame in the past, so shall we again," - Bartlett

The longer that the shutdown goes on, the more damage that can be inflicted upon the world and to the lives of millions, it isn't the virus alone that we need to be concerned about. People can also lose their lives from the stress and anxiety, from losing their jobs, it might prompt more people to consider taking their own lives. Or it could mean more people starving to death and unable to keep a roof over their head or food on the table.

Things will rebound, it is just a matter of time.

When they do, many business might easily come roaring back quickly, from movie theaters and hotels to other areas of the market. This might be true, after all of the craziness that people just had to endure they might be eager to get away as soon as they can to relax and unwind. Or that they might want to finally get out for dinner or go and see a movie.

But for many others they might be nervous to ever travel again, given the rigid crackdowns they've seen around the world with curfews and flights cancelled. This new experience might inspire some people to keep their travels a little closer to home from now on. It might also inspire new spending habits for some, where they are looking now to aggressively save rather than generously spend like they might have prior to the issue we are all facing today with the virus. Either way, the tourism industry altogether, as with many others, is not over for good. It's just on temporary hiatus.

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