(Trinidad Express) Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley announced yesterday afternoon that Phase 3 of easing of the Covid-19 restrictions will see the reopening of all retail businesses from tomorrow.
Public servants are also expected to report for work from tomorrow on a rotational basis.
Caribbean Airlines will expand its service on the airbridge and provide more flights to and from Tobago.
There will also be an expanded ferry service between the islands.
The Lotto outlets will reopen.
“No-mask no-service” guidelines remain in effect.
Dining at hotels to its residents will be permitted.
Bookshops will be opened.
Restrictions on gatherings will remain at five people.
The exception would be that at funerals, people would be allowed to congregate in groups of ten.
The eating places at malls will remain closed, but you can buy and take away.
Also staying closed will be casinos, bars, and cinema.
Horse racing will not be allowed yet.
And places of worship will stay closed, along with beaches, rivers and other outdoor activities.
Business owners will be asked to insist that customers wear masks, and to provide a sink and hand sanitiser.
Businesses were reminded that the police and public health inspectors had the authority to shut down the place on the basis that it was facilitating congregations of more than five.
The businesses will be required to close by 6p.m.
During Phase 4, which is now expected to begin on June 8, the full public service should be out on a rotational business.
Hair dresser, barbers, and domestic workers, will likely be allowed to do their jobs from that day – June 8.
The reason for this, said CMO Dr Roshan Parasram, was how close these people would have to be to their customers, and the fear of the “super spreader”.
Rowley said that there were significant job loses to those at casinos and cinemas. He said there would be an outreach to these businesses for proposals and protocols for workplace safety to consider the reopening of these establishments.
Phase 5, he said, was planned for July 5, but it will now be June 22.
“By the third week of June, we should get back to loud praises at out cathedrals and other places…” he said.
He said that when the beaches and others such places reopened, there will social distancing enforced.
He said there was a stream of people waiting to come back to Trinidad and Tobago, and government wanted to move more aggressively to get them back home.
The biggest threat, he reminded, was this influx of people who may bring in the virus.
He said there were about 275 students expected to come in under the State-funded mandatory quarantine.
For people who could fund themselves to come in quicker, they would be accommodated, based on the rooms available, said the Prime Minister.
Rowley said the country will be eternally grateful to the health care professionals at every level for the way they went about managing the response to the pandemic.
He said that the vast majority of the people of Trinidad and Tobago followed the advice and if the country was recognised as number one in the world in how it went about responding to the virus, it was not the climate or weather but the actions of the professionals and the Government.
He said there would be some disappointment for those whose category was not called, it was meant to save lives.
“Dead people can’t go to work” he said.