Story updated to include lockdown announced on Thursday afternoon. BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Thursday April 2, 2020 – Barbados will be on lockdown from tomorrow evening for a two-week period, amid an increase in the number of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases to 45 and concerns that residents have not been heeding calls to stay indoors and practise social distancing. This afternoon, Acting Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw announced that from 5 p.m. tomorrow, the country will be on a 24-hour curfew that will remain in place until midnight April 14. During the period, residents will be required to stay at home except for those needing to go to the pharmacy or seek medical assistance, or workers of essential services and those doing business with exempt services. Supermarkets will be closed from 5 p.m. tomorrow until further notice, but village shops will be allowed to be open to service a maximum of three people at a time. The sale of alcoholic beverages is banned. The sale of breads from bakeries and depots will be allowed. All restaurants remain closed as well, and auto-marts and gas stations will only open for customers to get mobile phone top-ups and fuel. The measures were announced less than 12 hours after the Acting Prime Minister imposed limits on operating hours of essential businesses and put more restrictions on when residents can leave home, as the confirmed cases of the COVID-19 increased by 11 in a two-day period. She had also said that a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a Government facility is also now in effect for anyone entering Barbados, and not just visitors from the United States and United Kingdom as was the case previously. Bradshaw said the action had to be taken because some people were not complying with restrictions, including the 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. curfew, that went into effect last weekend. “These measures were all intended to reduce the amount of person-to-person contact and exposure of the population and so reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19. They were designed to protect us all. And while we have been heartened by the response of the majority of Barbadians to these restrictions, we have also witnessed a significant number who have ignored them and have continued to put themselves, their families and the entire country at risk,” she said. “This reckless and irresponsible behaviour has continued in spite of the warnings from the COVID-19 Czar on Monday, that the Government of Barbados was prepared to further extend and strengthen the restrictions should this behaviour continue.” Among the measures announced on Wednesday night that will remain in effect are the closure of all beaches and parks, banks, and government ministries, departments and statutory corporations. Bradshaw warned that anyone who contravenes the directives could spend a year in jail or be subject to a fine of BDS$50,000 (US$25,000) or both, if convicted under the Emergency Management (COVID-19) Order, 2020.
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/covid-19-new-restrictions-as-cases-in-barbados-jump-to-45#ixzz6IUMNFW7IRelated Articles
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