Ban on outdoor activities remains until July 4

On Saturday the Prime Minister announced the current restrictions which have shut down the bulk of business and the public sector will remain in place until July 4.

This means restaurants, retail stores, roadside vendors, cinemas, beaches, rivers and outdoor exercise have been banned for another six weeks.

Dr Rowley announcement came as the House of Representatives convenes on Monday to extend the state of emergency by 90 days.

“When we go to the Parliament tomorrow (Monday) we will take the 90 days that the law allows, but it doesn’t mean we will be in this situation for 90 days. We will revoke it as soon as that is a prudent action to take.”

On April 29, at a media briefing in Tobago, Rowley ordered the closure of several business sectors until May 23. These included restaurants and bars, malls, places of worship, gyms and fitness centres, spas and other beauty services, casinos and betting houses, cinemas, theatres and clubs. The public service was ordered to operate only essential services, eco-tours ended, daily flights to and from Tobago were limited to three, and the seabridge would operate at 25 per cent capacity.

Further restrictions were placed on the country on May 3, when only essential outlets such as supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and hardware stores could remain open from 6 am-8 pm.

Rowley said he had hoped to loosen the restrictions by Sunday, but the covid19 numbers had worsened. He hoped the intervention would be a short one, as he wanted the country to come out of it as quickly as possible. However, that decision would be guided by the day-to-day condition of the country.