[UPDATED] Crowd gathers in vain at PriceSmart, MovieTowne

On Thursday night, the government included members' retail discount stores on the Public Health Ordinance list of prohibited businesses until May 23.

Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh, speaking on the Morning Edition TV programme, said adding the stores was another measure to reduce "dangerous levels of congregation."

He said retail discount stores do not sell only groceries, but are like variety stores, and those are already on the prohibited list.

"This is just to further protect the public and protect the integrity of the health system to make sure we don't have these mass congregations. A lot of people are still congregating unnecessarily."

He said supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential services are open so people can get their food and other necessities.

"When it comes to food, restaurants are closed, roadside vending is closed.

"It's nothing against food. It's about having people not congregating at these retail discount stores. That is the beginning and end of it," he said.

Deyalsingh quoted Newsday's lead story on Friday about a 66-year-old pensioner and his 38-year-old son who died hours apart on Wednesday.

"Please, people, follow the regulations. Please do not take it lightly. Do not blame the government for locking down the country. It is for our own safety," Deyalsingh read, quoting a relative.

He said the country is in the middle of a global pandemic and Trinidad and Tobago is experiencing another wave, brought on by human behaviour. No matter how much the Government tells people not to congregate, he said, people are still going outside.

"If you look on page five of the Newsday again, they have a picture of people on the Brian Lara Promenade.

"Are these people essential? Is it essential for these people to be out? We are trying to protect the population, literally from themselves...We will do what is in the best interest of preserving lives and livelihoods."

Despite the Health Minister's early morning plea for people to stop gathering, a crowd assembled outside PriceSmart, MovieTowne on Friday morning, ready to shop.

Newsday visited the MovieTowne branch at Invaders Bay, Port of Spain, where more than 50 people were waiting outside the closed store.

Two store workers put up a sign saying PriceSmart would be open to the public, as membership was temporarily not required, and only grocery items would be available.

The sign also said: "PriceSmart is here to support our communities and provide basic essential goods and grocery items to all members of the public during this extraordinary times. We are doing our part to meet the needs of the community while managing the risk of spread. No e-comm available at this time."

People grabbed carts and started lining up despite guards asking people not to crowd the place.

Elderly people, MovieTowne staff, families and even three police officers in tactical gear were among the group of hopeful shoppers. Newsday asked the officers why they were there, and was told they were from Aranguez and were going to shop at the last minute because they had a chance to do so.

After the sign went up, security guards and store workers tried to get people to return to their cars. The guards told the shoppers that they would be called when the store was opened. The staff appeared frustrated, as would-be customers were not listening and insisted on lining up before the store opened.

Then the guards started to tell people that management had told them PriceSmart would stay closed until further notice after all.

A MovieTowne staff member told Newsday she had planned to shop the day before, but there were such long lines she didn't bother to go. As she works on the Invaders Bay compound, PriceSmart was the easiest place to get her shopping done.

Three teenage siblings were lined up with their carts ready to shop.

"We were looking to stock up on food. We don't know what is going to happen, but we want to stock up in case the grocery closes," a 17-year-old boy said.

His sister told him groceries could not close because they are essential, but added that they shopped at PriceSmart because they are a family of six and it was more economical to shop there.

"I don't understand why the government keeps on doing this. They should have a plan, but they are just closing everything so haphazardly," she said.

It took the PriceSmart guards and staff more than 20 minutes to disperse the crowd after the news was announced that the store would be closed indefinitely .

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

A crowd gathered outside PriceSmart, MovieTowne on Friday morning, ready to shop.

But on Thursday night, the government included members' retail discount stores on the Public Health Ordinance's list of prohibited businesses.

Newsday visited the MovieTowne branch at Invaders Bay, Port of Spain, where more than 50 people were waiting outside the closed store.

Two store workers put up a sign saying PriceSmart would be open to the public, as membership was temporarily not required, and only grocery items would be available.

The sign also said: "PriceSmart is here to support our communities and provide basic essential goods and grocery items to all members of the public during this extraordinary times. We are doing our part to meet the needs of the community while managing the risk of spread. No e-comm available at this time."

People grabbed carts and started lining up despite guards asking people not to crowd the place.

Elderly people, MovieTowne staff, families and even three police officers in tactical gear were among the group of hopeful shoppers. Newsday asked the officers why they were there, and was told they were from Aranguez and were going to shop at the last minute because they had a chance to do so.

After the sign went up, security guards and store workers tried to get people to return to their cars. The guards told the shoppers that they would be called when the store was opened. The staff appeared frustrated, as would-be customers were not listening and insisted on lining up before the store opened.

Then the guards started to tell people that management had told them PriceSmart would stay closed until further notice after all.

A MovieTowne staff member told Newsday she had planned to shop the day before, but there were such long lines she didn't bother to go. As she works on the Invaders Bay compound, PriceSmart was the easiest place to get her shopping done.

Three teenage siblings were lined up with their carts ready to shop.

"We were looking to stock up on food. We don't know what is going to happen, but we want to stock up in case the grocery closes," a 17-year-old boy said.

His sister told him groceries could not close because they are essential, but added that they shopped at PriceSmart because they are a family of six and it was more economical to shop there.

"I don't understand why the government keeps on doing this. They should have a plan, but they are just closing everything so haphazardly," she said.

It took the PriceSmart guards and staff more than 20 minutes to disperse the crowd after the news that the store would be closed indefinitely was announced.