Attorney General announces new COVID-19 protocols that limit numbers at New Year celebrations

Government has vowed to leave no stone unturned in the fight to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, even as scores of Barbadians prepare to ring in the New Year.

In fact, Attorney General Dale Marshall has announced a slew of new protocols that will take effect from Wednesday, December 30, 2020 until January 6, 2021, that place more stringent limits on all gatherings, including parties, pleasure cruises and even family outings at the beach.

The new “limited” COVID-19 Directive follows weeks of “reckless” behaviour involving locals and tourists, which only intensified over the recent Christmas and Boxing Day weekend.

According to the new directive, there will be no gatherings exceeding 150, except with the express permission of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit. Throughout the one-week period, pleasure cruises will now have to seek fresh permission from the unit, which will determine how many persons will be allowed on the vessels for each event.

Even people desirous of viewing fireworks displays on the beach with family, or dancing the night away at one of many popular street parties, will be under heavy scrutiny from law enforcement officials who have been given the necessary “teeth” to enforce the new directive.

So serious are the new measures, that a joint task force has been established, which includes the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) and the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit, tasked with manning both land and sea.

“Because of the large number of events that we expect to have over the next few days, it will be important that the members of the Royal Barbados Police Force receive the augmented support of the Barbados Defence Force. This is not uncommon; they already do it at Crop Over. And I know it may seem a bit unusual on an Old Year’s Night, but there is simply too much at stake, and, therefore, we will have a heightened set of joint patrols…led at all times by senior officers and supported by the BDF,” Marshall told reporters during a near two-hour-long press conference at Ilaro Court.

“For the first time, we are requiring, as a matter of law, that pleasure cruises must first seek the permission of the COVID Unit and the unit will not be saying simply ‘yes or no’; they will determine the maximum number of guests that a cruise can accommodate following their set criteria and also stipulate any conditions that may be necessary…. There will also be a heavy presence of the [BDF] Coast Guard on our shoreline actively monitoring all of the pleasure cruises that will take place over this time, and in addition to that, we will also have the [RBPF] Marine Unit,” he added.

Marshall further noted that local establishments will be subjected to a “two-strike” rule that will result in a total shutdown of the event in question after two warnings from law enforcement officials.

The Attorney General was part of a tough-talking core of Government Ministers that included Chairman of the Cabinet COVID-19 sub-committee Senator Dr Jerome Walcott and Minister of Health and Wellness Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic. Together, the trio declared that the Mia Mottley administration would do everything in its power to prevent another national shutdown.

Their stance follows tremendous public disquiet that followed the release of photographs showing gatherings at beaches, pleasure cruises, street parties and other events where the country’s most basic protocols regarding physical distancing were being flouted with impunity and where masks and other recommended precautions were blatantly ignored.

In anticipation of large numbers on New Year’s Eve, Marshall disclosed that the latest directory prevents groups exceeding 50 people from congregating, and unless they are members of the same household, strict physical distancing must be adhered to.

In response to questions about the lengths to which law enforcement would be willing to go to restrict “informal” and “spontaneous” gatherings, Marshall expressed confidence that extreme measures would not have to be taken to disperse crowds.

Meanwhile, Dr Walcott, in his appeal, chided those who have slipped into a false sense of security regarding the pandemic over the last few weeks and stressed that the recent mass gatherings would not be allowed to continue.

“COVID is still present and Government has to take action…. The healthcare workers and frontline workers have worked too hard to get us where we are, for us to just throw it away and abandon the whole process that we have gone through diligently over the last few months. It is too important. This country cannot afford another lockdown at this point and it is imperative that we become our brothers’ keepers and ensure that we go forward and protect each other’s lives and livelihoods,” he stressed.

“The mass gatherings that you saw at the beach and other various activities will not be tolerated. We are bringing the Defence Force and the police into a joint patrol situation…because we recognise that a lot of persons are in that party mood and when you drink and party, your inhibitions are removed and you do a number of things that you would not normally do when you are in clear consciousness and thinking clearly,” Dr Walcott added.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)