Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force handed a $5000.00 ticket to three businesses on Monday, January 18th, 2021 for breaking the Business COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.
In the first incident, a bar located on Sand Castle Drive, Providenciales was issued a ticket for remaining opened past the permitted hours of operation. A second bar and lounge located in Grace Bay Providenciales was also given a citation for opening over the permitted 10:00 p.m. business closure.
Additionally, a restaurant located in Chalksound was the third business that was fined a $5,000 ticket for allowing persons to be inside of a business place without facemasks.
As indicated in the regulations, the number of customers that may be permitted in a restaurant, bar, night club or discotheque, at any one time, shall not exceed 30 per cent of occupancy based on square footage verified by the Public and Environmental Health Department. The business must indicate its capacity by a sign posted outside the entrance of the building, having regard to social distancing and mask-wearing requirements. Additionally, businesses must be closed by 10:00 p.m. nightly.
Any person who contravenes these Regulations commits an Offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of five thousand dollars or a term of imprisonment for three months, or to both.
Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting said, “The type of behaviour that led to the fines for breaching of the COVID-19 regulations present a danger to the health of our community and I condemn it in the strongest terms. This irresponsible behaviour is drawing my officers away from dealing with other serious issues as well as increasing the risks of the COVID19 virus to them”. Commissioner Botting added, “Business owners and the community must know that we are adopting a very stringent policy on enforcement of the COVID-19 regulations. We are determined to keep our communities safe and ask that you work with the regulations and the Force to help us do that”.