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Stay-at-home restriction to move to 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., says PM

by Randy Bennett
5 min read
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The 24-hour stay-at-home order is to revert to an overnight curfew from Monday as Government moves to a staged reopening of businesses; Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced tonight.

But as she indicated that a relaxation of key elements of the public health crisis was linked to an apparent downward trend in the number of reported cases, she announced the death of a seventh COVID-19 patient.

She also warned Barbadians that normalcy will not fully return to the island until after a COVID-19 vaccine is found and that Government may take “further action” if the measures fail to slow the march of the disease.

In an hour-and-a-half televised address, Mottley announced that due to progress made in the fight against COVID-19, the country was now moving to Phase 2 which would see the new curfew hours being 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The decisions proposed by experts were made based on the trend of the last two weeks of testing for the respiratory virus, in which just seven positive cases were recorded, compared to 73 positive cases in the five previous weeks, she said.

But Mottley revealed that a 78-year-old woman had become the seventh person to die from COVID-19.

The Prime Minister said the woman had been on a  ventilator for 33 days and had a history of diabetes and hypertension.

She disclosed that there had been no positive tests reported today.

Mottley explained that the staggered reopening focused mainly on public health and keeping people safe post-lockdown, especially the vulnerable; allowing activity to resume in safe environments as well as “breathing hope and killing despair”.

As part of the new proposals, businesses involved in construction and mining, landscaping services, food and beverages manufacturing and retailing, supermarkets, finance and insurance companies, automotive stores and workshops and legal and accounting services, will be allowed to reopen from May 4.

Also to be authorized to conduct business are garden and pool services, electronic stores,  baby products, building supplies and beauty supply stores, pet services and supplies, safety equipment, security products and services, education suppliers, dry cleaners and laundries, distribution and printing supplies, delivery companies, health and medicine services along with tradesmen, such as joiners and carpenters.

In the public service, she also disclosed that some departments, such as the Town and Country Planning, Urban Development Commission, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Investment, the Rural Development Commission are also be reopened.

She made it clear that any work which required human contact was not permitted at this time.

Mottley also gave several strict directives to employers of those businesses as part of efforts to protect workers from contracting COVID-19.

These include providing hand cleaning facilities at exits and entrances, barring non-essential visitors and increasing ventilation in enclosed spaces.

She said consideration was being given to making the wearing of masks mandatory. Mottley said a decision would be taken once it was determined if they were enough masks on the island to serve the population.

The Prime Minister said within the next two weeks or even earlier, consideration would be given to move to Phase 3, which would possibly include the reopening of clothing stores, barbers and beauty stores, restaurants and entertainment facilities.

Mottley announced that alcohol could be sold but not consumed in public and that beaches would be open from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.

While she acknowledged that the easing of restrictions would come as a relief for Barbadians, she maintained that she was not willing to risk lifting all restrictions until a cure for COVID-19 was available.

Mottley said: “All the experts have pointed out that without the procurement of a vaccine or indeed at least an effective treatment, which could regrettably, be as much as 12 to 18 months away, without that to fight this deadly virus we will have to adjust to a new normal, and it is within this framework that we have now set out a plan for our country, a plan that will simply require all hands to be on deck.

“In front of Phase 2 comes Phase 3 and Phase 4, but Phase 4 will be when we can return to as close to normal after an effective treatment or vaccine has been procured and we can get back to the kind of life that we were accustomed to, but we are not yet there.

“If we move to phases where people are doing safe things in safe ways there will be a return of a degree of economic activity, employment, jobs and income. Note that I said ‘a degree’, but it will take a while before all activity returns.”

But Mottley warned that if the strict guidelines were not followed, the country could be set back even further.

She said that if necessary Government would return to the 24-hour lockdown, if that was required to help protect its citizens.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb

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