WHAT TIME IS THE CURFEW?
24 Hours Daily from Saturday 28th March at 6:00 p.m. until Tuesday 14th April 2020 at 12 am.
WHO DOES THE CURFEW APPLY TO?
Every person on Montserrat
DURING THE CURFEW WHAT IS A PERSON EXPECTED TO DO?
A person is expected to remain at home, this includes the yard, or garden etc. of your place of residence/occupancy.
DURING THE CURFEW IS A PERSON ALLOWED TO LEAVE THEIR HOME?
Yes, BUT ONLY to :
1. Work as essential service worker (this includes travelling to and from work);
2. Work as an essential business (this includes travelling to and from work);
3. Assist, transport or provide an ancillary service for an essential worker;
4. Seek medical care;
5. Shop for necessities to include food, medicine, fuel or other necessity. However, only one person from each household may be in the public place for this purpose. Additionally, the person shall not be in the public place more than once daily for this purpose.
6. Go to the bank or conduct a money transfer (eg. Western Union or MoneyGram);
7. Care for a family, vulnerable person or pet;
8. Engage in an activity to include walking, biking, hiking or swimming either alone or in a gathering that is not larger than 4 persons. This activity must be done from 5 am to 8 am or 3 pm to 6 pm. BUT, these activities must not be done with a person from another household so as to prevent cross-infection between different households (community transmission).
9. Arrive into Montserrat by ferry or airplane, BUT you must get home within 2 hours of arriving in Montserrat;
10. To transport someone who has arrived into Montserrat by ferry or airplane, BUT you must get to your residence/place of occupancy, within two hours of transporting the person.
11. To leave Montserrat, BUT you must not leave your place of residence/home or occupancy before 4 a.m.;
12. To transport a person who is leaving Montserrat, BUT you must not leave your place of residence or occupancy/home before 4 a.m.
If your purpose for leaving does not fall into one of the above categories, then you must stay at home.
WHAT SERVICES ARE ESSENTIAL SERVICES?
1. air traffic (including meteorological, telecommunication, security, fire and crash services connected with airports) services;
2. fire, prison, defence force or police services;
3. medical, health, hospital, infirmary or nursing home services;
4. telecommunications or broadcasting services;
5. water, electricity (MUL) or sanitation services;
6. immigration, customs or postal services;
7. services connected with sittings of the Legislative Assembly and meetings of Cabinet;
8. services connected with the loading and unloading of ships and with the storage and delivery of goods at, or from a dock, wharf or warehouse operated in connection with the dock or wharf , NB. This does not include services such as sand mining;
9. public services connected with the payment of salaries, pensions and other benefits, in government departments, agencies; statutory bodies and arms-length bodies;
10. services connected with the Judiciary;
11. services connected with essential government functions as determined by the Deputy Governor;
12. airport, seaport, civil aviation or ferry services;
13. a service that is granted permission to offer an essential service (By Minister of Health)
WHAT BUSINESSES ARE PERMITTED TO OPERATE?
1. a banking business – which allowed to open 8 am to 12 pm
2. a doctor’s office – which is allowed to open 8 am to 6 pm
3. a grocery store, an agricultural produce business or a pharmacy- which is allowed to open 8 am to 6 pm. BUT only one person from each household is allowed to be out for the purpose of going to the grocery store, pharmacy or market.
4. a gas station- which is allowed to open 8 am to 6 pm
5. a bakery- which is allowed to open 8 am to 6 pm
6. a business connected with fisheries 2 am to 7 pm
7. as an undertaker – for 24 hours
8. a money transfer business, from 8 am to 6 pm.
9. a business or organisation that is granted permission (by the Minister of Health) to operate
Please note, a bar, nightclub, restaurant, cook-shop (or any similar shop) barber shop, hair salon; insurance business or similar business is not an essential business, and is therefore not allowed to operate.
NOTES TO BE GUIDED BY:
Most of the essential services are Governmental services and services provided by statutory bodies – Water and Electricity services means (MUL)
An essential business supplier is a business place whose main business is to provide one of the essential business outlined.
Eg. Grocery – if your main business is to sell groceries retail or wholesale then your business is an essential service.
Telecommunications – The telecommunications service providers – i.e. Flow and DIGICEL not a store that sells or repairs phones.
Fisheries – Fishermen
Agricultural services – this means Farmers and individuals who sell agricultural produce.
Banking Business – Commercial Bank, Credit Union, Building Society
Money Transfer Business – Money Gram and Western Union
ARE BUSES AND TAXIS ALLOWED TO OPERATE DURING THIS PERIOD?
NO. The public buses and taxis are not permitted to run at this time – The concern is that a person is at great risk of contracting the virus if they travel in public transportation.
WHAT IS A BUSINESS THAT IS NOT AN ESSENTIAL SERVICE OR ESSENTIAL BUSINESS EXPECTED TO DO AS OF MARCH 28TH AT 6 PM
Close. Stop operating at 6 pm March 28th at 6 pm until 14th April 2020.
DO THE RESTRICTIONS LIMITING GATHERS TO 4 PERSONS APPLY TO ESSENTIAL BUSINESS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS?
No, it does not. However, these service providers are required to ensure that their employees and customers are able to maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from another person.
WHAT STEPS SHOULD SERVICE PROVIDERS TAKE TO ENSURE THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS ARE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE REQUIRED PHYSICAL DISTANCE?
1. Assess the size of their premises and determine the number of people that may be permitted in the premises, given the social distancing requirement.
2. Limit the number of persons permitted to enter your establishment to ensure that persons can maintain a distance of 6 feet between themselves and the next person.
3. Place markings at the checkout point to ensure that customers remain 6ft apart from the customers in front of them.
4. Place markers outside your store to ensure that the customers who are waiting to enter your premises can maintain a distance of 6 feet between themselves and the next person.
Note: these marking etc. must be put in place by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday 29th March 2020
– The service providers are expected to put the necessary systems in place to control the numbers coming into their premises.
– The Public is also asked to comply with the measures that have been put in place by the Service Providers and to ensure that they comply with the requirement to stay at least 6 feet away from the next person.
WHAT IS THE PENALTY FOR BREACHING THE CURFEW?
· a fine of $500 or to imprisonment for three months OR
· both a fine and imprisonment AND
in the case of a second or subsequent offence to a fine of $1,000 or to imprisonment for a term of six months or to both such ?
