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GOVERNMENT ministers at Shenseea's album launch Tuesday night, despite no word from the Administration that entertainment events had been given the green light, was the clearest indication yet that Prime Minister Andrew Holness is set to announce a further relaxation of the restrictions to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus.Holness is slated to make his contribution to the 2022-2023 Budget Debate today and Government sources on Wednesday hinted that several of the COVID-19 prevention measures now in place will be lifted.The prime minister had used a February 22 address to the nation to announce that, with Jamaica's COVID-19 numbers moving in the right direction, the time had come to relax some of the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) restrictions which were implemented to arrest the spread of the novel coronavirus.Since then, the numbers have continued to trend down with the health ministry reporting eight positive cases on Tuesday, a positivity rate of 1.9 per cent, well below the World Health Organization's five per cent guideline.The ministry also reported that 65 people were hospitalised with eight moderately ill, four severely ill, and two people critically ill, a far cry from the days when local hospitals were being overrun by COVID-19 patients.In that February 22 speech, Holness had also indicated that a further relaxation of the measures could come by today if the numbers remained in the right direction but warned that COVID-19 was not done."We should bear in mind that the pandemic is not over, and though we acknowledge the high level of fatigue in the society, we have to gradually widen the guard rails. We have an objective which is of great importance, and that objective is to get our children back in school after the mid-term holidays," said Holness then.Since that time, face-to-face classes have resumed in most schools while the absence of police presence to shut down a number of dances and other entertainment events has signalled a softening of the stance for breaches of the DRMA."We have to get the economy humming again in light of the latest inflation number of 10.7 per cent and the fact that Jamaicans are just going through COVID-fatigue," said a Jamaica Observer source close to the Holness Administration on Wednesday"The Government is well aware that COVID-19 is not over but as we have been saying, the country will now have to learn to live with COVID. It is coming down to personal responsibility and Jamaicans will have to learn to deal with it."You can see how other countries around the world are opening up, and particularly those in this region; Jamaica cannot afford to be left behind," added the source.Around the region the Guyana Government on Tuesday announced the removal of most of the regulations that had been put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 with Attorney General Anil Nandlall saying that it signals that the country is returning to a semblance of normalcy.Guyana recorded 1,225 deaths and 63,147 infections linked to the virus since the first case was reported in March 2020.Also on Tuesday, the Government of Grenada said it intends to remove all remaining measures put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 next month, even as it urged citizens to continue to practise the health regulations to reduce new infections and deaths.In the meantime, the Trinidad and Tobago Government announced the relaxation of several measures put in place to curb the spread of the virus that has killed 3,642 people and infected 129,000 in the twin island republic since March 2020.In Antigua and Barbuda, the health ministry has indicated that the wearing of masks will soon become optional while churches and places of entertainment will be allowed to open. Antigua has one of the highest vaccination rates in the Caribbean at more than 60 per cent.The US Virgin Islands are also making it easier to visit, becoming the latest destination to ease COVID-19 travel and testing restrictions.The new rules, which went into effect this week, dropped pre-arrival testing for vaccinated domestic travellers. Previously, all travellers were required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of their arrival, regardless of their vaccination status.Curaçao has also eliminated all pre-departure testing although travellers must still complete a digital immigration card online and fill out a Passenger Locator Card before their departure.Further afield, the Government of the United Kingdom on Wednesday announced that, effective Friday March 18, all remaining COVID-19 travel measures will be removed and tests for all arriving passengers, including people who are not vaccinated, will be scrapped.In the meantime, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has again lowered its warning against cruise ship travel, but recommended that Americans be vaccinated before boarding a ship.The agency this week classified cruise ship travel as a "Level 2" out of four, a significant downgrade from last year when the CDC told Americans to avoid embarking on a cruise ship altogether, regardless of their vaccination status.