Food court at rat-infested Falmouth Market ordered closed
Published:Saturday | July 17, 2021 | 12:05 AMLeon Jackson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The food court at the rat-infested municipal market in Falmouth, Trelawny, has been ordered closed by the parish’s public department, leaving butchers and others who operate from the facility out in the cold.
The closure notice, signed by Diahann Dale, the medical officer of health for the parish, stated that the facility was in breach of public-health regulations.
The order took effect on July 7.
Delroy Mowatt, the chief public health inspector for Trelawny, provided no specific details.
“The public-health team, on inspection of any premises where a breach of the public health has been observed at the premises, will be ordered closed until the breach has been rectified,” said Mowatt.
“Those responsible shall inform the public health department in writing that the conditions now satisfy the public-health regulations. An inspection will then be conducted to satisfy that the breach has been remedied. Then a reopening can be ordered.”
LOSS IN REVENUE
The closure will result in a loss of revenue to the Trelawny Municipal Corporation and persons like butcher John Mason.
Each butcher is charged $2,500 weekly by the corporation.
“Operating as a butcher is our livelihood, and if we do not sell, we can’t earn. It is a loss to everyone involved,” Mason said.
The market has been overrun by rats in recent times, The Gleaner understands.
The corporation recently launched a rodent-eradication programme, but efforts to get a comment on its status were unsuccessful.
The market is to be closed for cleaning on Sundays.
A power washer has been installed to facilitate the washing and sanitising of the facility.