HOPE recruits to assist with electronic monitoring of returning Jamaicans

Fifty youngsters have been recruited under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme to assist with the electronic monitoring of Jamaicans returning to the island, who have been self-quarantined at home.

This was disclosed by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of National Security, Matthew Samuda, during his address to the Senate on Friday.

He pointed out that these “tech-savvy” HOPE recruits will be supervised by a team from the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF).

“They will earn a stipend and be beneficiaries of training modules, especially related to customer service,”  Samuda informed.

Launched in May 2017, the HOPE Programme provides educational and job opportunities for young people.

The initiative is targeted at persons aged 18 to 24 who are not employed or enrolled in a school or programme of training.

Samuda noted that the Ministry of Health and Wellness will assist the youngsters daily with the provision of personal protective equipment and ensure they are wearing them correctly, so as to limit any risks.

“Even in crises there are opportunities and we must embrace them within the new normal,” Samuda said.

Under the controlled re-entry programme, repatriated Jamaicans must agree to a 14-day quarantine period upon their return in adherence to measures implemented by the Government to control the local spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Depending on the results of the health risk assessment conducted on their arrival, returning residents are given either government quarantine, home quarantine, stay at home/intended address or stay in zone orders.

The Government has developed a home quarantine solution which incorporates technology that will facilitate the geofencing and monitoring of self-quarantined persons, to ensure that they stay in their designated quarantine area, which may include their home.

Geo-fencing is a feature in a software programme that uses the global positioning system (GPS) or radio frequency identification (RFID) to define geographical boundaries.

Geo-fencing allows an administrator to set up triggers, so when a device enters or exits the boundaries defined by the administrator, an alert is issued.

Samuda explained that persons are registered either by their phone or by electronic tracking bands to allow them to be monitored during the 14-day period.

He informed that monitoring is done at a command centre set up at the Commissioner of Police’s office.

He pointed out that where there are breaches, the appropriate public health officials and police stations are notified.

“In the few cases where there has been difficulty, largely because of limited coverage of data through our telecoms providers, we have asked the officers in the nearest stations and the public health officers to provide physical checks to confirm persons are adhering to their quarantine orders,” he said.

Of note, Samuda pointed out that persons who have completed their quarantining process are cleared from the system, and tracking ceases.

“So, there is a countdown in the system where at the end of 14 days, unless there is a request from the Ministry of Health to extend the order because of something that would’ve happened, you automatically come out of the system and we cease to track the person,” he explained.

“We are working assiduously to continue to improve efficiencies through the automation of the varying systems and to ensure all information and technology systems are indeed communicating with each other,” he added.

- JIS News

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