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CASTRIES, St. Lucia, April 6, 2020 (CMC) – Prime Minister, Allen Chastanet, has announced that the 24-hour curfew, imposed on St. Lucia, in the battle against COVID-19, will be reduced, while a system of zoning will also be introduced and strictly enforced, by the police.
In a broadcast, yesterday, Chastanet explained that the 24-hour curfew will be maintained, until Tuesday at 5.00 am (local time).
However, he stated that effective Monday, while the 24-hour curfew is still in effect, bakeries will be allowed to open and provide delivery service of bread, only.
“That means that they could bake the bread, but persons are not allowed to go to their shops to buy the bread,” he explained.
He said bakeries will be providing some form of delivery service.
“We are also going to be allowing supermarkets, mini marts, distribution of food items, gas stations, cooking gas to operate, only to restore their shelves.”
Chastanet told the nation that only individuals working in those companies will be able to come out, on Monday, to restock and get prepared for the rest of the week.
Concerning transportation, he said buses will only be available for persons in essential services and those needed to restock food in supermarkets, adding that the prohibition on the sale of alcohol will continue.
“On Tuesday, we go back to our SI-44 (Statutory Instrument 44), these are the services that we’re now going to be basically open, so, in essence, what we are going to do is, we’re going to reduce the curfew, from a 24-hour curfew to a 10-hour curfew, which will be from 7.00 pm to 5.00 am,” Chastanet disclosed.
“So that is going to start 5.00 am on Tuesday morning, all the way through Easter Monday,” he announced.
“We are going to allow all services, provided in SI-44, so basically allow the services to operate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, they will be able to operate, from 7am to 4.00 pm. They will be closed on Friday, which is Good Friday. They will also be closed on Sunday, which is Easter Sunday,” the PM said.
He reiterated that the 24-hour curfew will still be in effect on Monday — except for the persons working at the grocery stores, wholesale stores, bakeries, persons in charge of filling up LPG cylinders, persons working at petrol stations – all of whom will be allowed to break the curfew, to start preparing the country to transition from the 24-hour to the 10-hour curfew on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
According to the Prime Minister, while under the 10-hour curfew, customers will be allowed, two per family, to shop in their own communities.
He said greater detail will be provided on Monday, in regard to where the zones are and what people are expected to do, to remain in their zone.
“Only two people will be allowed to be in a private vehicle at any one time,” he asserted, warning that the police will be monitoring and enforcing the zoning.
