(Trinidad Express) – Trinidadian Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday afternoon announced a total closure of all restaurants and bars, along with hardwares for one week.
This means that food outlets offering pre-packaged food for sale will be required to cease immediately.
The food being sold at supermarkets and bakeries have not been affected.
Speaking at a media conference at the Diplomatic Centre in Port-of-Spain, Rowley said these businesses were undermining the purpose of the restrictions implement by government to stem the spread of Covid-19.
He said, “We have closed restaurants and bars because they were places designed to bring about congregations. Some people are of the view that they have not understood what the purpose of the closure of these places are and seems to always find a way around it to keep business going but it has the result of undermining the purpose.”
Rowley said although restaurant owners have responded to the call for closure, some continue to prepare food for sale elsewhere.
This, he said, means that workers are still required to go to work and customers will continue to move around to the purchase the food.
He called for a total closure of all external food for selling.
Essential catering, however, will be allowed to continue operations.
Rowley said hardwares will be immediately closed for one week. He will consider reopened on a rotation.
This will prevent citizens from congregating.
Responding to the business community on increased curfew hours, Rowley said it was the more sensible arrangement to remain with the 9pm to 5am curfew hours.
He said there was no consensus in the proposal among the business community and a 6pm curfew will create new problems.
“The last problem we want to create is one that will precipitate the kinds of acceleration of gatherings that we know will happen if we have the curfew for persons to go home by 6pm,” he said.
However, on the coming public holidays, Monday and Thursday, Rowley said the Attorney General will be asked to make adjustments to implement further daytime restrictions.
“In a State of Emergency, it is not a freeco in the daytime and curfew in the night,” he said.
