4 held in Tobago for breaking curfew

Four people in Tobago have been arrested for breaching the 9pm-5am curfew, as outlined in the Emergency Power Regulations 2021.

Tobago Division acting inspector and media ambassador Alicia Piggott told Tobago Channel 5 on Monday morning, “Up to last night, there were four persons arrested who were outside during the curfew hours and could not give an explanation as to why they were outside.”

On Saturday, the Prime Minister announced the country would be under a state of emergency (SoE) from Sunday with a daily curfew from 9 pm-5 am. Anyone found in breach of these regulations is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $250,000 and to six months' imprisonment.

Piggott said, “A state of emergency is a period of which the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago provides for the suspension of certain constitutional rights of individuals and the alteration of procedures with an aim of counteracting a national threat.

“At this point in time, we have a national threat. We have covid19, which is causing persons to die, which is causing persons to feel unwell, so something has to be done.”

She gave clarity on the issue of outdoor sports and exercise, which are now prohibited 24/7 under the regulations.

“You have to exercise in your house, exercise in your yard – that is what the regulations (say).”

She also addressed the ban on consuming alcohol in public.

“You cannot go by the supermarket, purchase a beer, come outside, open the beer, take off the cork and walk on the street drinking that beer. That cannot happen during the period of 5.01 am and 8.59 pm – and don’t tell me you want to do it at 9 pm in the public place, because you cannot walk the public street at 9.01pm, because it's curfew. You have no right to be outside at that time.”

She said owing to the new SoE regulations, organisations that can be classified as essential services and their staff who must operate during the hours of 9 pm-5 am are required to submit a letter asking for curfew passes.

She said the Commissioner of Police is responsible for issuing the passes, but ACP William Nurse will handle that task for Tobago.

“So you’re sending what is your company, and beside sending that, the police would also look at it and see if your company is an essential service. So you would send to the ACP what is the company’s name, what the company does, and once the ACP is satisfied, that would be done.”