TGIF! - Weary of restrictions, Portmore residents relieved at end to St Catherine lockdown
Published:Friday | May 1, 2020 | 12:29 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Residents of St Catherine are exhaling today as a Government-imposed two-week lockdown on the parish to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus expires.
The lockdown, which was initially imposed on April 14 and extended twice, was spurred by a sudden huge spike in COVID-19 cases in St Catherine due to an outbreak at the Alorica call centre in Portmore. To date, St Catherine has recorded more than half of the country’s 422 confirmed cases of the virus, which has caused eight deaths locally.
Educator Doreen Stewart, who resides in Independence City, Portmore, told The Gleaner on Wednesday that she was distressed when the measure was extended a second time this week and was looking forward to its lifting today.
“I can’t wait for it to be lifted so I can go back to town to shop. Town is cheaper, and I get more value for my money,” she said.
Stewart said she spent a significant portion of the 17 days reading and interacting with students and other school officials.
Portmore taxi operator Marvin ‘Flava’ Shakes is also looking forward to the end of the lockdown, which he said has been crippling his livelihood.
“Well, if the workers dem come out, that would be good. When nobody on the road, it really, really rough for we as taxi drivers,” he said.
The lockdown had ordered that barring emergencies, only non-essential workers would be allowed to leave the parish.
“Mek we see how it work out because passenger flow, as mi say, dem nuh deh pon di road,” Shakes said. “You will see dem a try get dem food, but money nuh nuff fi dem say tek a cab, so dem will walk with the big bag.”
In Braeton, where long lines were seen at grocery and remittance and bill-paying outlets, The Gleaner spoke to student Attalia Barnes as she tried to pay some bills.
ANXIOUS FOR FREEDOM
Barnes, who said she also used the non-shopping days of lockdown to study, was anxious to see the back of it.
“I want the freedom so I can go look for who I want to,” she said. “If it don’t lift, I am okay with it, but it would be good to lift it.”
Our news team came upon Nicholas Foote, a resident of Braeton, who was not too keen that the coronavirus was under control in the parish to allow for a lifting of the lockdown today.
“Under what condition you going to lift it? We going higher and higher,” he said of the mounting cases. “I am against the lifting because how can you lift it when you have more cases coming up? … Every time I read, we have more cases.”