(Trinidad Express) National Security Minister Stuart Young has listed what would be considered essential services as of Monday.
Everyone else is expected to stay at home until April 15, and leave their homes only if absolutely necessary as part of the battle against COVID-19.
: Essential businesses:
-Operations of the Judiciary in the Magistrates and Supreme High Courts of judicature.
-Industrial Court and Legal Services
-Sittings of the House of Parliament, meetings of Cabinet
-Sittings of the Tobago House of Assembly and any committee
-Primary emergency and protective services
-State and private emergency ambulance services
-Police Service
-Defence Force
-Fire Services
-Immigration Services
-Strategic Services Agency (SSA)
-Basic services concerning the provision of health, hospital, water, electricity, fire, sanitation, civil aviation, telecommunications and funeral homes
-Workers who support the operation, inspection and maintenance of essential public work facilities including water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, traffic signal maintenance
-Prisons
-Rehabilitation centres
-Immigration detention centres and other places of detention
-Children’s homes
-Community residences
-Rehabilitation centres
-Places for the care of the differently abled, socially displaced, the elderly and geriatric homes
-Private security firms, estate constables and special reserve police
-Social services such as social workers, including NGOs that work with the socially disadvantaged and vulnerable
-Support to ensure the effective removal, storage, disposal of residential and commercial solid waste and hazardous waste
-Financial services (banking, businesses and other institutions defined under the Financial Institutions Act including the UTC, cooperative societies and remittance services and all other support services)
-Service providers who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation and essential operations of our personal residences including plumbers, electricians, exterminators and only live-in domestic workers.
-Convenience stores, corner shops, discount stores such as PriceSmart and bulk stores that supply food and pharmaceutical items
-Supermarkets
-Grocery Stores
-Pharmacies
-Hardwares
-Port operations (truck drivers etc)
-Only automotive repair and maintenance facilities who are providing direct support to essential businesses. (Not every garage can remain open due to health reasons)
-Manufacturers and distributors of food, beverages, pharmaceuticals including packaging and bottling of these items
-Postal and shipping services including private companies
-Repair and maintenance of aircraft and marine vessels
-Aviation and airport operations
-Services connected with the loading and unloading of ships, delivery at and from ports
-public transportation of water taxis, ferries and motor vehicles and buses (only operating at a 50% capacity)
-Restaurants (only take-away and delivery, no dine-in)
– Media (workers supporting radio, newspapers and online media services)
-Services related to food production, agriculture, fisheries, animal care and attention (Vet services etc)
-Energy services, oil and gas industries (only essential workers)
-Hotels, guest houses or eco-lodges licensed under the Tourism Development Act
-The Seismic Research Unit of the UWI
-Construction sites or construction workers not included as essential services but exemption for construction workers engaged in the construction of healthcare facilities
-Workers necessary to keep furnaces and kilns operating safely in manufacturing operations that are not listed as essential operations
*All Government services except Ministries and Municipal Corporations will be closed.
The Inland Revenue Division, Treasury, Central Bank and Customs and Excise will remain open