Covid-19 Fines Are Worse Than Covid-19!

Get Information First Before Planning Curfew Time Activities

Companies and persons must be careful now more than ever, because the Disaster and Risk Management Act has been changed to allow for police officers to arrest you immediately for any breaches of the act. There is no need for the police to give you a warning. I have been told about fines levied yesterday for breaching Covid-19 regulations in one court ranging from JMD20,000 to JMD100,000!

We must bear in mind that across the world, countries are getting strict with regulations relating to Covid-19. If you go to Canada, the US, or even The Cayman Islands here in the Caribbean, you have to quarantine before you are allowed to move about in the country.  Cayman I understand has some significant penalties from breaching their Covid-19 regulations and now things are improving there. We certainly would not like to reach the stage where India is at now.

The Figures Tell A Serious Story

Covid-19 has seen 154,900,085 cases across the world with 3,239,057 deaths. If these figures do not frighten you into towing the line, then you have to look at your mental state. There are organizations that are still putting on functions at this time. Jamaica has had 46,087 cases, 793 deaths, 23,648 active cases, 15,507 cases per million persons and 267 deaths per million persons due to Covid-19. Jamaica is at the middle of the pack of 213 countries with the amount of infections per 1 million persons. This is not something that we can be comfortable about.

It is clear to me that many persons take Covid-19 for a big joke. They do not were masks nor do they maintain their distance from other. Many who wear masks wear head masks, mouth masks, chin masks and pocket masks. I was at a supermarket last week and I noticed that a gentlemen was constantly literally under my arm pit. I asked him to maintain the physical distance. He yelled at me, "Yu mussi batty man". 

I told him, "Yes, I am, and that is why I was  wondering why you were hugging me up like that."

Remember that incident in New Kingston at one of our recognized corporate entity? Well, last week a corporate entity had an event with possibly 26 or more persons filming in New Kingston for a virtual staff awards function. This was being done during curfew hours a few days ago. Reliable sources told me that the real event started after the filming was completed. It was time to party or as they say, do the company's legitimate work. Those terrible officers arrived on the scene and decided it does not matter who you are, enough is enough.

The matter is now in the court I understand. The questions I believe that the court has to decide on is, was this legitimate work legal? Was the Disaster and Risk Management Act breached? What will the fines be? Will these persons (Staff and Executives) end up having criminal records against their names if they are convicted, and will they be allowed to continue working with the company?  Will other countries allow them to cross their borders with a criminal record? There might even be persons who had planned to migrate and they might not be able to migrate again.

May 24, 2021 The Day

May 24, 2021, will be the D Day. Will the church and other civil society groups be calling for these persons to resign from their posts? Will it be the Wright thing to do?  Interesting days are ahead and only the court will decide. Will it be a no case submission? It is said that the persons had documents which gave them permission to be out at that time. Did the person who signed those documents have the authority to do so. Will the court accept those documents?

This evening the Prime Minister announced new Covid-19 measures in Parliament. Be careful that you do not breach them because those fines will hurt as much as Covid-19.

PM Holness Addressing Parliament about Covid-19

Note: Figures are used from the WHO website as at May 4, 2021. Figures are changed daily.