Tough-talking Carter threatens shutdowns, claims virus protocols ‘flouted’

The Government’s spokesman on the COVID-19 pandemic Monday night delivered “an absolute and final warning”, backed by Cabinet, that businesses observe anti-virus protocols or risk legal sanctions if owners continue to breach the law.

Czar Richard Carter said: “From tomorrow, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and other places of entertainment that fail to rigorously observe the protocols will be closed down. Public transport vehicles that fail to observe the protocols for wearing face masks by drivers, conductors and passengers will be pulled off the road.

“Supermarkets and shops that breach the protocols will be closed. Vendors in public markets selling fruit, vegetables or fish who fail to observe the protocols will be closed down.”

Firms or operations that are found in breach of those protocols by the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit will be closed immediately, he said, but owners also face imprisonment and a fine as provided by law.

“Any person who breaches the protocols or fails to observe the order of the member of the unit will be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine of $50 000 or imprisonment for a term of one year or both.”

The Czar lamented that both people and businesses had gotten complacent since the country had recorded zero active cases for a few weeks.

Carter said: “We have persons who are prepared to jettison all of that to put ourselves at risk to roll back all of those gains by not observing the simple protocols that are there in law.

“There has been a serious lapse some of it actually started when Barbados reached the first plateau in terms of zero cases but of course we have had cases since then and I made the point even at that stage those were zero cases in terms of what has been identified.

“There has always been and continues to be the possibility that they are persons out there whose COVID-19 status have not been determined because they have not been tested. So it is possible that there are asymptomatic persons walking around Barbados and who could potentially be spreading COVID-19.”

Of the businesses, Carter said: “In terms of the breach of the protocols they have been businesses that have relaxed the temperature testing on entry; have relaxed the requirement of hand sanitisation. I have been in public markets where nobody has been wearing masks. I’ve been in (a) business where no one is taking a register of persons going to that business for purposes of possible contact tracing.”

The law states that the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit “shall monitor the conduct of individuals and the operation of businesses to ensure that protocols specified in the Order by the Prime Minister in relation to the conduct of individuals and businesses are observed by those individuals and operators of businesses”.

But the monitoring unit cannot monitor the actions of all Barbadians, said Carter.

He said: “It is impossible to monitor the behaviour of every single individual in Barbados. That is why the act – that is why common sense – places the responsibility on the individual to monitor his own behaviour and to be responsible for his own health and protection. The unit will have about six to ten persons. That is not enough persons to monitor every single establishment but nobody knows where the unit will be.

Seemingly hinting at those who were seen in recent photographs with American singer Drake, who arrived here Carter said people must protect themselves.

“No person fresh off a plane with an indeterminate COVID-19 status could be seen hugging up Miss Carter’s last boy because I will respect my health and I will protect my health in that regards. It is up to every individual to protect themselves and to observe the protocols,” the Czar said.

The Toronto-based performer arrived last Sunday, the same day Barbados reopened to international visitors following a near three-month lockdown.