The COVID-19 Monitoring Unit will be adopting a zero-tolerance approach to protocol breaches on land and sea this weekend, as part of a sobering reminder of the pandemic’s impact on cultural celebrations, entertainment and other forms of enjoyment.
Director of the unit, Ronald Chapman revealed that he was deeply concerned about advertisements for prohibited entertainment events over the period that is traditionally considered the most festive on the Crop Over calendar.
“I have heard of and seen a number of flyers and so on where people advertise parties, and I saw an advertisement for a raft-up which is where persons take boats and they dock next to the shore and they have their get-togethers and so on, but I really want to encourage persons that these things are not legal,” Chapman told Barbados TODAY on Friday.
“Not only are they illegal, but they present a significant risk to public health and now that our COVID cases are falling again I would hope that persons don’t use this opportunity to push the cases back into the air again with revelry and behaviour that is risky. This is not a time to destroy the gains that we would have just made over the last two, three weeks,” he added.
The pandemic has resulted in major events like the Foreday Morning Jam, the Pic-O-De-Crop Finals, Bridgetown Market and Grand Kadooment being cancelled. Private events like Caesar’s Army, Mimosa All-Inclusive Breakfast Party, Soca Universe and Dis is Rick are among the many other events that would have ordinarily attracted thousands of partygoers.
This year, not even small house parties are permitted under the directives that have been tightened because of a steady increase in COVID-19 cases.
Barbadians will still however be able to enjoy public holidays on Monday for Kadooment Day and Tuesday, which is Emancipation Day.
But to avoid landing themselves in “compromising positions”, Chapman has urged Barbadians to make themselves fully aware of the current directive that imposes an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew and restrictions on other types of events.
“We will be out in full force tomorrow [Saturday], over the entire bank holiday weekend. The COVID-19 Monitoring Unit will be out there, I know the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) is also going to be out there. So I think that people will realize that we will be monitoring and ensuring that the country remains as safe as possible,” Chapman declared.
He added that the Barbados Defence Force’s Coast Guard Division will collaborate with the COVID unit to enforce protocols on the sea.
Chapman estimates that over the last few weeks, there has been a 75 to 80 per cent compliance with protocols over the last two weeks, “which is still pretty good”.
“Tourist numbers are picking up. I just heard the Governor of the Central Bank say that there is a mild recovery in the economy, our cases are going down and we are seeing some very good signs that things are looking up. It is only left up to us now to determine whether we want to continue that upward swing or sacrifice all of that for a weekend of fun and frolic,” he concluded.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)
