Cinema-going, ‘practice-only’ team sports to be allowed as infections decline

Barbados is to remain under the COVID-19 State of Emergency for the next five months while it moves towards a full reopening to tourism, business and leisure, Government announced Thursday.

Parliament is to be called back out from the Easter recess on Friday for an “extraordinary session” to pass a resolution extending the emergency from April 26 to September 25, Attorney General Dale Marshall said.

Moments later, Prime Minister Mia Mottley gave the go-ahead for drive-in cinemas and movie theatres to reopen from next Monday.

Some sporting activities have also been given the green light to resume practice sessions, while churches have been allowed to conduct communions and baptisms, preferably outdoors.

The Thursday through Sunday curfew would move from 11 p.m. to midnight until 5 a.m., Mottley said.

She said the relaxed restrictions are the result of a consistent decline in COVID-19 infections.

Mottley said the majority of recent positive cases were connected to a church cluster in the north of the island.

In a televised statement from Ilaro Court, she said: “We feel therefore that we will continue to gradually open recognizing that those cases that we are still having for the most part, not all, but for the most part are linked to behaviour that the Minister of Health has indicated, and it is really unfortunate when we have persons in the society who are prepared to put at risk other members of the society, other families, other members of their community – in this particular instance it was a church – in circumstances to do so may in fact be putting person’s lives at risk in a serious way.”

But while beaches and parks would remain open for the two upcoming public holidays, National Heroes’ Day on Wednesday and May Day a week from Saturday, picnics, excursions, parties or karaoke events have been banned on those days.

She told Barbadians to use the two days to continue their cleanup efforts of the ash from the La Soufriere volcanic eruption.

Mottley said only “practice” sporting events would be allowed, as spectators are banned and sporting bodies are required to submit their intended protocols to the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit for approval.

Sports such as basketball, netball, wrestling, rugby and horse racing remain restricted.

Nightclubs are also to remain closed.

The Prime Minister said with the ash cleanup of schools not yet completed and with low water levels hampering the drive, next week’s planned resumption of in-person classes for some students had been postponed.

Following a meeting with the Ministry of Education on Thursday, Government decided online-only classes are to resume for all students from April 27 instead.

Mottley said: “This morning the Minister of Education and officials met with the unions and recognized that given the state of cleanup across the 74 schools we are not yet ready to be able to have children back on the school plant next week.

“There was still a high level of dust in the environment and even where cleaning had started the breeze still blows through and is blowing dust back into areas at a high level.” 
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)