Deyalsingh: Law coming for private gatherings

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says planners of large gatherings, whether public or private, in any part of the country, should be wary. He said he will be putting in place measures to deal with large parties on private property.

He was speaking at the sod-turning ceremony for the new headquarters of the Health Ministry at Queen’s Park East, Port of Spain.

Deyalsingh said he is to meet with the CMO and the legal department to put together a task force of public health inspectors to address the covid19 pandemic.

“Public health inspectors can go into any gathering, public or private, and if they feel there is an imminent danger, they can ask for that crowd to be dispersed.

"The task force will be working with the police to go into private property under the public health ordinance, because it speaks of an imminent threat. If we feel there's an imminent threat, we can take action and we will take action, because apparently that's the only thing people will respond to. Unfortunately this is what it has come to. I’ve had a conversation with (National Security) Minister Young as to how we could use existing legislation to disperse people in their private settings. Unfortunately, it has come to that, which is very unfortunate.”

Addressing reports that a government minister attended a large wedding in Valsayn on Saturday, Deyalsingh said he advised the guest against going.

“I read that there were government ministers at the wedding, but I don’t know for sure if any government ministers were there. I was in Tobago at that particular point in time.

"But I will put it on the record – and I'm not afraid to say it – I advised the person not to do what he did – because he came to me for advice, I know the person, I advised him not to do it. And right now there is another wedding being planned by another resident of Valsayn, and I will say it, he is planning a wedding on December 12 for 300 people.

"People just don’t get it.”

His remarks came after a what police described as a "zesser" party in Caroni which they broke up on Sunday morning, and the Valsayn wedding on Saturday.

Deyalsingh said there is currently space in the public health sector, but this would not be the case if infected people spread the virus.

“It escalates exponentially. Right now, if we have any fallout from either the zesser party or the wedding, right now I have hospital space for them. So the guests from the wedding and the people from the zesser party can make friends on the ward, we'll make sure they exchange names and phone numbers and they can become bosom buddies on the ward.

"But if they find themselves on an ICU then they can't talk and become friends in an ICU, but they can become friends at Couva, Caura or Pointe-a-Pierre. I will make sure they become friends.”