– Task Force mulls arresting those in breach of COVID-19 guidelines

By Vishani Ragobeer

AS the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) continues to ‘crack down’ on those businesses operating in breach of the gazetted COVID-19 Emergency measure, the Sleepin Hotel and Casino, the Strip at the Giftland Mall and the bar at the Tower Suites Hotel have all been shut down.

“The Task Force did have an operation over the weekend and we did close some delinquent bars,” an official of the Task Force, who wished to remain unnamed, told the Guyana Chronicle on Monday.

The Sleepin Hotel, located on Church Street, Georgetown; the Strip, located at the Giftland Mall in Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown; and the bar and entertainment spot at the Tower Suites, located on Main Street, Georgetown were the three establishments closed this weekend for breaching the COVID measures.

After months of issuing warning letters to businesses operating in breach of the COVID-19 guidelines, the Task Force, earlier this month, moved to close down those businesses that did not desist from violating the guidelines. On the weekend of January 10, the Guyana Chronicle reported that 23 businesses were shut down, including 18 bars, three restaurants offering indoor dining and two supermarkets that allowed persons to imbibe on the premises.

The gazetted COVID-19 guidelines strictly prohibit the operations of bars, rum shops, cinemas (except drive-thru cinemas) and other such entertainment businesses. And until recently, indoor dining was also prohibited. Following the Task Force’s move to shut down restaurants that offered indoor dining, the gazetted COVID–19 Emergency Measures (No. 13) were amended to allow local restaurants to offer indoor dining, but only at 40 per cent capacity of the building.

Since this amendment, restaurants had to bring their premises in compliance and receive certification from the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) before being allowed to offer indoor dining. The official also told this newspaper that several bars have been operating under the guise of restaurant operations offering outdoor dining.

Previously, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, explained that bars should not be operational because one would have to remove one’s mask in order to drink, and most bars are based indoors where the potential for spread is much greater. It is for this reason that consecutive COVID-19 guidelines have not relaxed the measures prohibiting their operations.

MOVE TO ARREST

“If people do not desist, the Task Force will definitely be arresting proprietors and patrons for breaching the COVID-19 measures,” the official also emphasised.

In September, the Guyana Chronicle reported that more than 2,000 persons were arrested for violating similar regulations aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Some persons were arrested while others were charged. During mid-November, over a two-day period, the Guyana Police Force reportedly arrested a total of 116 persons after they were found in breach of the COVID-19 measures. These individuals were mainly from Region Five and Six.