National Weekly July 2, 2020

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N E T W O R K THE MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED CARIBBEAN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER IN FLORIDA

Pretesting Required!

Voting Glitch or Bait-andSwitch?

Floridians Among Visitors Required To Pretest Before Visiting Jamaica By Sheri-Kae McLeod

As of July 1, visitors traveling to Jamaica from Florida and other states in the United States are required to be pretested for the coronavirus before arrival on the island.

voter-approved measure that sought to return voting rights to released felons. “The district court's decision to block Florida's pay-to-vote system followed clear Supreme Court precedent,” he added. “We are hopeful that the court of appeals will follow suit and confirm once and for all that wealth cannot determine a person's eligibility to vote.” The governor's spokeswoman, Helen Ferre, said there would be no comment on the litigation until it is settled. Under Amendment 4, felons who have completed their sentences would have voting

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Monday evening, two weeks after the island reopened its airports to international travel. The new prerequisite for entry applies to individuals coming from COVID-19 hot spots, including Florida, New York, Arizona, and Texas. Visitors must upload their test results to the Visit Jamaica portal to be considered for travel to Jamaica. The four states combined have recorded more than 700,000 COVID-19 cases, but are among Jamaica's most important tourism source markets in the United States. Holness said, however, that other states may be added to the list. The new requirement for visitors to travel to Jamaica coincides with an announcement by the European Union that American citizens will not be allowed to enter its borders, because of the high cases of COVID-19 in America. Like many other islands within the Caribbean region, Jamaica has faced a challenge since reopening the island, trying to make sure that tourists are not inconvenienced when they choose to visit, while protecting its local citizens and ensuring that COVID-19 cases do not spike, as they have in America. In the neighboring twin-island, Antigua and Barbuda, the government

continues on B4 – Glitch?

continues on B4 – Pretesting Required

Florida Felons Seeking Voting Rights Back Face Court Setback A federal appellate court has stayed a lower court ruling that gave impoverished Florida felons the right to vote. The order issued Wednesday disappointed voting rights activists and could have national implications in November's presidential election. In May, a federal judge in Tallahassee ruled that Florida law can't stop an estimated 774,000 disenfranchised felons from voting because they can't pay back any legal fees and restitution they owe. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle called the law a “pay-tovote system.”

THURSDAY JULY 2, 2020

CNWEEKLYNEWS.COM

But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately appealed that ruling to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, requesting a stay of Hinkle's ruling and a review of the case by the full appeals court. The appellate court, in a three-sentence order Wednesday, granted both requests. The court gave no timeline as to when it would hear the case. “Today's decision is a setback,” said Paul Smith, vice president of Campaign Legal Center, which is representing felons seeking access to the ballot box under Amendment 4, a

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JAMAICA’S POLICE COMMISSIONER CREDITED FOR MAJOR JCF TRANSFORMATION A3

BROWARD GETS TOUGHER ON BUSINESSES FOR NON-COMPLIANCE B1

RYGIN KING IN STABLE CONDITION AFTER BEING SHOT C1

SAMMY SAYS GAYLE DIFFICULT TO REPLACE IN CPL C3


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