The nationwide 10:30pm to 4am curfew as part of emergency measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus has been extended to the end of January 2021 when the measures will then be reviewed.
The extended COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No. 13) were yesterday printed in the Official Gazette and state that the curfew will be imposed from January 1st to 31st, 2021, between the hours of 10:30pm and 4:00am.
The special measures that were applicable to Region Seven in December as a result of a spike in cases were removed and no other special measures for specific regions were given. For the month of December, Region Seven recorded 66 cases and comparatively Region Four recorded over 200 cases. However no special measures were imposed for Region Four.
Although the Government has been petitioned to have certain establishments reopened, the extended measures maintain the restriction on social venues such as cinemas, private parties, bars/rum shops, and clubs.
No additional services were added to the list of essential services allowed to operate during the curfew hours and indoor dining at eating establishments is still prohibited.
The authorities say they have completely overhauled the public health response and have decided that a multi-sectoral and multi-faceted approach has been the most successful model. They will also continue to work with the various sectors to develop protocols based on epidemiological evidence.
