Rowley: No more mask-wearing by mid-July

The public will no longer have to wear masks by mid-July, the Prime Minister announced on Saturday.

Dr Rowley announced the coming end of what for many is the final public health restriction imposed since the covid19 pandemic began in March 2020, during a media conference at the VIP Lounge, Piarco airport, ahead of his departure for a Caricom meeting in Suriname.

On Friday, Rowley had said he would meet with public health officials to discuss the removal of mandatory mask-wearing.

At the opening of the Fish Fry at Carenage, Rowley said he noticed that there were people not wearing masks in large groups and became worried, however, after noticing there was no spike in cases, he conceded that the time might be right to do away with mask-wearing.

“Hopefully, in the not too distant future, we will want to take the masks off and allow you to be. I am expecting to have a discussion with the Minister of Health soon to see whether we can allow you to have a mask as a voluntary action as against having it dictated to you by law. Because it appears to me, I was out in the country, and it seems as though your nervousness of covid19 has disappeared,” he said Friday.

Last Wednesday Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said partygoers were not mandated to wear masks.

On August 31, 2020 it became mandatory to wear a face covering in public or be fined $1,000 on first offence, $2,000 for the second, and $3,000 for the third offence.

Police issued over $9 million worth in fines in the first eight months of the law being passed.