Sunday, December 16, 2019

THE GLEANER, MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS A3 WINTER CONTINUED FROM A1 THE SHARP drop in the rate of economic growth to 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of the fiscal year, as reported by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), should be of grave concern to every Jamaican, according to the Opposition People’s National Party. “At a time when Jamaica is exiting the IMF programme and the country should be moving forward with confidence, the engine of our economy is faltering. Growth has slowed to less than one-in-four, leaving the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with a failing grade,”said Mark Golding, shadowminister of finance and the public service. Golding also took the Government to task for failing to bring murders and serious crimes under control, adding that the numbers have increased over last year. He also cited the dengue crisis, noting that the public health services were in a dismal state. In addition, Golding said that the Government has a poor track record on fighting corruption. “All in all, as the year draws to a close, prosperity remains an illusion and the people will be looking for better in 2020,”Golding said. Opposition says economic engine is faltering GOLDING Dave Rodney/Gleaner Writer TALENTED JAMAICAN celebrity chef Alton Henry has died in New Jersey, United States, on Saturday evening after suffering what appeared to be a heart attack while catering at an event. Henry reportedly collapsed at a function in Morristown, New Jersey, and was rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital where he died. Henry grew up in St Thomas and was the chief executive officer of Touch of Elegance Catering, a company that offered nouvelle cuisine with a Jamaican twist to individuals and companies in the New York Tri-State region. He also ran several restaurants in New Jersey andmade a number of appearances on network television morning shows with his culinary creations. The well-known chef was passionate about Jamaica’s culture, especially the cuisine, and he was always experimenting with new fusions. His rum and raisin cheesecake and jerked chicken pasta were stand-out temptations on his catering menu. Only a few months ago, Henry had expressed interest in a new partnership for catering with one of New York’s top entertainment power couples. Henry was scheduled to travel to the island next week to bury a relative who died tragically in an attempted robbery. Jamaican celebrity chef dies suddenly Celebrity chef Alton Henry. FILE Bryan Miller/Gleaner Writer WESTERN BUREAU: H EALTH OFFICIALS in Hanover are expressing fears that the parish could be facinganoutbreak of hand, foot and mouthdisease, evenaswork intensifies to stave off the ongoing dengue scare. Speakingat thegeneralmeetingof theHanover Municipal Corporation late lastweek, Dr Kaushal Sungh, themedical officer of health for Hanover, said therewas nowcause for alarm, as anoutbreak of hand, foot andmouthdiseaseusuallyoccurred at this time of the year. “It is our routine that we are monitoring these things because these are seasonal diseases, but I am urging the population to take their personal hygiene seriously,” Singh told The Gleaner following themeeting. Hand, foot and mouth disease is a mild contagious viral infection caused by the Coxsackievirus. It is usually common among children fiveyears andyounger.Thedisease, which is transmitted throughdirect contact, can last for several days or weeks. Indelivering thehealthdepartment’s report at themeeting, Singhpointedout that theHanover Health Department was notified of some 12 suspected cases of hand, foot andmouthdisease within the past twomonths. Quizzed by councillors as to whether the reportedcasesof thediseasewereconcentrated in anyparticular areaof theparishandwhat number of caseswouldconstitute anoutbreak, Singh said that although the first case was identified in the Chester Castle division, cases have also been identified in other communities. Singh advised that parents minimise affected children’s contact with others and urged them to notify the health department or their doctors immediately. According to Singh, the symptoms of the disease include poor appetite, fever, sore throat, rash in palms, rash on buttocks, and headache. He said that personal hygiene, including regular handwashing by both parents and children, was very important as a preventativemeasure. Hand, foot and mouth disease surfacing in Hanover Anthony Taylor (right) and Kimroy Williams prepare to place a Christmas tree into a customer’s pickup at Lane Plaza in St Andrew yesterday as Jamaicans make final preparations for the holiday season. RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER Friday, December 13, 2019 1 2 8 10 24 10 $250,000,000 No Winner No Winner No Winner No Winner No Winner 12 Winners 9 Winners 26 Winners 25 Winners 241 Winners 154 Winners 256 Winners 159 Winners 876 Winners 517 Winners No Winner Friday. However, Bartlett said that he was very optimistic about the document as the problemof sexual harassment in the island’s hotels was aimed at protecting both guests and staff and employing best practices from across the world. He could not say when the manual will be published. EARNING SEASON The 2018-2019 winter tourism season was the most successful for Jamaica based on earnings and visitor arrivals. The industry welcomed nearly 800,000 stopover visitors while generating more than $1 billion in earnings. Bartlett said that 121,000 persons were directly employed in the sector, while another 375 persons indirectly benefited from the turnout. Bartlett said the boom in visitor arrivals to Jamaica has spurred investment interest. “Our growth has been phenomenal. This is the greatest and most productive tourism winter season that Jamaica has ever seen in its history,” he told reporters earlier this year. Bartlett’s push for the publication of the manual followed reports by hotel staff that they were being sexually and verbally harassed by guests, while their managers turned a blind eye or threatened them with dismissal if they spoke out. The manual also followed a bombshell report by a United States media outlet last December that several tourists were sexually abused while on vacation in Jamaica. FLOW ANNOUNCED yesterday that it has restored service tomobile customers whowere affected by a disruption in their services late Saturday afternoon. “We sincerely apologise to our customers who were affected by this outage. We’re mindful of the trust that you’ve placed in us and we are sorry that we did not deliver the service you expected. We’ve launched a full investigation and will ensure that we take corrective measures,”said Stephen Price, countrymanager. He said that theFLOWteamworked through thenight to get the services back up and running. “Whilewe strive toprovidebest in-class products and services, instances like these remindus that therewill be challenges. Our commitment is toquickly resolve issues when they ariseandget our customersbackonline in the shortest possible time frame,”Price continued. FLOW’s technical team said that it will continue to monitor the network to quickly respond if there are further issues. Price also committed to submitting a preliminary report on the incident to the Office of Utilities Regulation and the minister of science, energy and technology today. FLOW restores mobile services to customers