Bars understand

MELISSA DOUGHTY AND PAULA LINDO

Teron Mohan interim president of the Barkeepers and Operators Association of TT (BOATT) said it understands the role bars, restaurants and schools play when it comes to mass amounts of people in a confined space or in close proximity.

As such the association will continue to do what is expected of it to ensure that there isn’t closure again.

This comes after TT’s covid19 positive cases increased and stood at 169, at the time of writing.

The Prime Minister announced on Friday that groups allowed to congregate have been reduced from 25 to 10 and bars and restaurants will be monitored for possible action. He said bars were one of the two main sources of the spread of the virus, the other being schools.

In the phone interview with Newsday, Mohan asked people to continue to do what is required of them.

Mohan said the bars did not want to imagine being shut again “even remotely.”

He added the public is aware of what the circumstances of bars have been over time. “We insist on doing every single thing that we can going forward. To continue to adhere to it and then enforce it to ensure it does repeat again.”

He added the association does not have an issue with the reduction in the number of people allowed to gather. He added it was not something that was difficult to manage and there can be multiple groups in the establishment.

“It just requires more control from on our end of things to maintain our surroundings,” he added. Mohan said the association will definitely be policing its members to ensure that they adhere to the guidelines.

He said after a meeting with Police Commissioner Gary Griffith on July 23 such a campaign had already been embarked upon. He said the association has volunteered its services to look out for non-adherence.

“Any lapse that we see going on at all, at all will be communicated to the relevant authorities and we will fully endorse that they be reprimanded for not upholding,” he said.

The Prime Minister said there would be greater law enforcement to ensure people were complying with the public health regulations. He wondered why some people had not yet been brought before the magistrate to answer for their behaviour.