Since the Social Distancing Task Force was established approximately one year ago, the unit has issued nearly 300 tickets to various businesses and entertainment entities across the territory.
This is according to the Chief Environmental Health Officer Lionel Michael, who made the disclosure during a recent interview with 284 News.
Of the nearly 300 tickets issued for COVID-19 breaches, Michael said the majority were handed out on Tortola and Anegada.
He also revealed that the most common breaches observed were for the failure to wear a mask or improper mask wearing and for failing to execute proper physical distancing measures.
“We have issued to date some 280 tickets for mask, physical distancing and hand hygiene throughout the territory since we started. The most violated measure is the mask and social distancing, those are the two most violated measures and so people are to wear good quality masks that fit properly over their mouth and nose…We have been ticketing other business places, we have been ticketing superettes, offices, restaurants through the territory,” he explained.
“We have done Anegada and Tortola mainly, those two main islands. We haven’t done it in Virgin Gorda for some time now but we have done so in the past, earlier in the year and last year. We have issued one ticket in Jost Van Dyke sometime last year,” he added.
Please enforce COVID-19 protocols on all customers
The environmental health expert also made a special appeal to bar owners across territory, urging them to continue to enforce the respective COVID-19 protocols on all patrons.
He said, “The message out there to be sent is that bars and other places, but particularly bars…bar owners, bar managers must take aggressive measures to ensure that their customers, their patrons, their staff adhere to the government COVID-19 Control and Suppression measures to include; either hand washing basins equipped with the five elements for washing hands or hand sanitizers equipped with 60 percent alcohol or more, markers for social distancing, adhere to the government cadre of 50 – if your place cannot hold 50 do not put 50 in there.”
Bars reminded to enforce grouping protocol and to lower volume of music
Michael also reminded bar owners of the measures regarding the grouping of persons while utilising a bar and also appealed to these owners to be cautious of the loud-volume levels when playing music.
He said loud music when played in bars encourages shouting and results in persons breaching the six feet social distancing protocol when communicating.
“For the patrons, when they meet at a bar in groups they need to stay in their groups and not wander about the bar, and wear their mask because they did not come from the same house, they only meet at the bar. Bar owners have the responsibility to ensure that their place is not a place that will contribute to the spread of COVID-19,” he stated.
He added, “When they play music, whether by DJ or by other means, the music must be kept at a manageable level so that people can have a conversation and to avoid shouting. It is the shouting that is contributing to the spread of COVID-19 in these confined spaces like a bar.”
Just last weekend, the task force issued fines of $1000 each to two bars located on Tortola after it was observed by members of the task force that the bars were in breach of the COVID-19 protocols.