Jamaicans react to new polymer banknotes launched recently

Many Jamaicans quickly made their way to the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) on Thursday, while others turned up at Automated Teller Machines (ATM) hoping to be among the first to get the country’s new polymer banknotes

Videos and photos have been circulating on social media with people showing the new banknotes they received while comparing them to the old ones

University student, Truston Grizzle, who is excited about the shift, shared that while he has not received the new banknotes, he has seen them up close and commends the government for the change

“Quite surreal when compared to what we ’ re accustomed to which would kind of account for reports of persons inadvertently throwing them away thinking they’re fake,” he told the Caribbean National Weekly

“I’m very excited! It’s a welcomed change and it’s good to know we ’ re now operating at an international standard as it relates to how our banknotes look and feel,” he continued, adding that he loves the feature that will help the visually impaired BOJ announced this week that it has extended its opening hours, starting Thursday,

June 15, to facilitate the exchange of old banknotes for new polymer banknotes

It also added that it will verify and authenticate the old banknotes as normal before allowing an exchange

The BOJ also informed the public that both the old and new banknotes will co-exist as both can be used to carry out transactions