Care packages stolen from ministry team in Enfield, St. Mary
Collette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary in the Social Security Ministry – Gleaner file photo
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Collette Roberts Risden and Dr. Norman Dunn
The Ministry of Social Security is reporting that care packages were stolen from a team which was deployed to Enfield in St. Mary on Saturday.
Enfield is one of three St. Mary communities under a 14-day quarantine due to cases of COVID-19.
Collette Roberts Risden, Permanent Secretary in the Social Security Ministry, said a member of the team got into an altercation with one of the thieves, however, the workers were not hurt during the incident.
She said the teams are now being assisted by the Jamaica Defence Force to complete their delivery of assistance to the affected communities.
Mrs Roberts Risden said more than 1,000 care packages have so far been delivered in the three St. Mary communities.
Areas outside quarantine
Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for St. Mary South East Dr. Norman Dunn has responded to complaints from residents living outside the quarantine area that they have been unable to purchase food and other necessities.
Some of the residents depend heavily on the town of Annotto Bay to purchase supplies, however, it is part of the quarantine zone.
Dr. Dunn explained that all communities, with the exception of Fort Stewart, have an alternative route to go elsewhere to purchase supplies.
He said they also have another option, where residents will be able to purchase from corner shops that will be restocked by larger suppliers on a regular basis.
Dr. Dunn said for residents in Fort Stewart, preparations are being made to assist them as they have to go through the quarantine zone to enter and exit the community.
The member of parliament noted that the exemption rules that were in effect for other communities under quarantine also apply to St. Mary.
uno fi dead fi rass hungry some a uno, why uno think the govt responsible to feed uno i don’t know why. why jamaicans are like this man, if uno get the help uno nuh just wait and nuh badda wid the damm dishonesty, uno jamaicans is the worst. them fi only give old people the package the rest a uno go find ways to get food.
Anon 10:09, the Government put them under curfew which mean restricted movement so in other words the regular man cannot move about to hustle or conduct business as usual. so if the Gov put you in this predicament it is also responsible to feed them as well, better you say them should co-ordinate more with community leaders to see who in the community is the most vulnerable.