Government to make more adjustments to DRMA for Christmas

WESTERN BUREAU:

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says there will be additional adjustments to the protocols governing the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) during the upcoming Christmas season.

McKenzie, who was speaking at Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), said community bars and other local businesses which would normally close at 7 p.m. under the DSMA will be allowed to operate until 9 p.m. on weekdays, while on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, their closing hours will move up to 1 a.m.

He also stated that entities such as gyms and barbershops, which were affected by the 7 p.m. curfew closing period, will be allowed to extend their opening hours until 9 p.m. Also, beaches and rivers that are operated by authorised persons, which normally operate from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., will now be allowed to operate until 5 p.m.

“Cinemas and theatres will continue to open with limitations, while churches, which are among the most responsive and supportive organisations, have also been allowed to continue to operate within their limitations,” said McKenzie. “Let me clearly state that we have not move the restrictions on entertainment, so parties and nightclubs are not permitted to open and to operate.”

“Any parties that take place and any nightclubs that are open, while engaging in music and dancing, is doing so in contravention of the Disaster Risk Management Act,” added McKenzie.

It should be noted that funerals and burials remain the same from Mondays to Fridays, with only 20 persons allowed to attend. Markets will be allowed some additional time and will now close at 9 p.m. each night.

McKenzie said the municipalities have lost in excess of $2 billion in revenue that would have come from the entertainment sector through advertising since last year. The revenue that has been lost would have formed a significant portion of the budget of the municipal bodies.

“We are looking at measures that will allow us to consider how we approach it, but we also have to be mindful that we did make some concessions, and some of the players did not live up to the commitment that they gave,” said McKenzie in speaking about creating opportunities for the entertainment sector. “We understand the hardship that those persons in the sector are experiencing, but we also have to look at the wider picture.”

McKenzie said that come January 13, 2022, his ministry will revisit the measures that are now in place to see if any further changes or alterations can be made.

“The prime minister on Tuesday announced new measures around COVID. The prime minister has been clear, and we have been clear, that we cannot continue to squeeze the life out of the economy of the country,” said McKenzie said.“While the numbers are going down, we are still not out of the woods. We saw what the spike did earlier this year, the pressure that was placed on the health system, shortage of oxygen, and over 1,000 persons occupying beds when we only had a capacity of about 600. Although we have increased the bed capacity for COVID to over 800, all of that can be wiped out if we are not responsible.”

As it relates to the adjustments made to the curfew hours for the Christmas by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, McKenzie said the government purposely made those changes because grand market night is one of the biggest nights for commercial business in the country, and that while the Government understands the issues, it also has to be mindful that persons need to create, and to have a livelihood.

Prior to addressing the WMC meeting, McKenzie toured the Westmoreland Infirmary, the Savanna-la-Mar Market, the Indigent house, which is under construction in the Moreland Hill community, and the $14-million rehabilitation roadway in Bath district.