(Barbados Today) – COVID Czar Richard Carter wants police to get tougher with those who breach the stay-at-home order.
As Barbados continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic with a national lockdown and curfew, the Government spokesmen said too many people are still not adhering to the restrictions and has called for “strong enforcement” of the law. The Czar was speaking on CBC TV 8 Evening News ahead of tomorrow’s new shopping arrangements.
Carter said: “I would like to see stronger enforcement of the curfew. We still have far too many people who are not abiding by the restrictions. I took a photograph this evening of a kite flying above my house. Now that is breaching regulations twice, first of all, I live the near the airport it is in an area where persons should not be flying kites and basically nobody should be out flying a kite in terms of the restrictions.
“We have seen people doing shopping outside of the hours when you are supposed to shop or outside of the designated areas. There are lots of people riding around on motorcycles and revving up and doing all kinds of things. None of these could legitimately claim to be observing the basic four reasons why people should be on the road. I would like to see a greater level of scrutiny and application of the law.”
The deadly virus has already claimed five lives and health officials have recorded 73 confirmed cases so far.
Carter also asked Barbadians to comply. with the new shopping restrictions from tomorrow.
He said: “There will be a requirement to present your photo ID before entry. We expect that that will most likely be manned by security guards at the larger supermarkets and business places. The minimarts and shops we expect someone will be in place to check the ID even if it is a dispatcher.
“I hesitate to use the word policing because we are really asking persons to self-police. In the sense that only turn up to the shop or supermarket or market if your surname begins with that letter for the day that you are designated.
“We do not expect people with double-barrelled names to get two or three bites of the cherry. If your surname is double-barrelled we would suggest that you use the first part of that double-barrelled surname.”
The Czar disclosed that there is an average of 45,000 to 50.000 people eligible to be on the road tomorrow. But given that only one person per household is to do the shopping, the numbers should be fewer.
Carter said: “Generally speaking each of the five subgroups of persons represent 45,000 to 50,000 persons. Including persons with disabilities as well as persons 60 or 65 and over would have made a much larger proportion of the population than we would have wanted. Two specific days have been set aside for the elderly and people with disabilities. We want to ensure that we maintain as much protection among this particular group, elderly persons 70 years or older as is possible.”