Deyalsingh: Protest with no more than 5

Police from the Emergency Response Patrol at the St Clair station speak to a group of people lending support to the Black Lives Matter movement on Monday opposite the US Embassy in Port of Spain.  - ROGER JACOB
Police from the Emergency Response Patrol at the St Clair station speak to a group of people lending support to the Black Lives Matter movement on Monday opposite the US Embassy in Port of Spain. - ROGER JACOB

GOVERNMENT is not being swayed by widespread protests taking place in the US over the killing of George Floyd at the knee of a police officer to alter public health regulations which forbid the gathering of more than five people in public to prevent the spread of covid19. The protests have raised fears of new covid19 spikes in the US.

At a virtual health news conference on Wednesday, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said, "Public health regulations (on public gatherings) as it stands, is at five.

"It stands at five. Whether it's five people on Brian Lara Promenade (Port of Spain); whether it's five people on Harris Promenade (San Fernando); whether it's five people in Scarborough, Tobago; whether it's five people applying to the Police Commissioner to protest."

Deyalsingh recalled that during the news conference which the Prime Minister held at the Diplomatic Centre on May 30, there was a debate to increase the number of people who can legally gather in public spaces to to ten." But he added, "The only exception that was made was for funerals."

Deyalsingh reiterated that the number of people who can legally assemble in public otherwise is "five across the board." He stressed, "Not six, not ten. It's five."

On a plan to have third year UWI medical students help public health inspectors ensure that businesses are adhering to covid19 regulations as the economy is reopened, Deyalsingh said his ministry's permanent secretary wrote to the the dean of UWI's Medical Sciences Faculty.

He said," They have responded positively" Deyalsingh explained, "What I did was to set the policy, agreed on the job description and its now being handled administratively." He added the students "are not yet on the road, so to speak" with the inspectors.

At a virtual briefing on May 20, Deyalsingh disclosed that 50 third-year medical students from UWI's St Augustine campus would help county medical officers of health (CMOHs) in monitoring guidelines approved last week for businesses/facilities/institutions to use to prevent the spread of covid19.

He explained the students would provide "more boots on the ground" to help the CMOHs and public health inspectors to ensure guidelines are followed.

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"Deyalsingh: Protest with no more than 5"

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