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May 05, 2020 News
Beginning tomorrow, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (GM&CC) will be fining city vendors for not wearing masks and penalizing illegal vendors with stiff fines as well, says Mayor Ubraj Singh.
A few weeks ago Kaieteur News reported that the GM&CC)was contemplating possible penalties for vendors who continue to disregard precautionary measures set out by the Council and the Ministry of Public Health in light of Covid-19.
Updating this paper yesterday, City Mayor Ubraj Narine said that the Council’s Task Force has decided that more stringent initiatives should be implemented to safeguard the health of citizens. To this end, as of Wednesday May 6 several new measures will be implemented to ensure the adherence of the Ministry’s Covid-19 orders.
Notable among these measures is the directive that stallholders/vendors and their staff are required to wear face masks throughout the duration of their operations. Failing failure to do so will result in a $5,000 fine.
Meanwhile, unauthorized vending has been strictly prohibited and anyone found in breach of this will have to pay a removal fee of Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25.000).
The Mayor explained to this paper that these fines were made necessary because several vendors, primarily in the Stabroek and Bourda Market areas, have been ignoring precautionary measures and continue to vend without the use of a face mask and other necessary safety equipment and sanitary requirements.
He added that these fines are relatively “small” because the council is aware of the economic situation but it is necessary to keep the population safe.
“The Council reviewed and know the crisis, but we have to save lives,” the Mayor said.
Narine further stated that “the national level (government) and we (the council) have been pleading with people but they are not adhering. The vendors were even given warnings but they continue to disregard these. If you look at Vlissingen Road, I was wondering if another little market was opening up there. They were warned several times but still they continue to vend illegally.”
The Mayor added that “we don’t want to add any additional strain on the citizens but we are forced to take this step.”
According to a statement put out by the M&CC also taking effect on the above mentioned date are the following measures: only one main gate will be opened at all the Municipal Markets.; a limited amount of Shoppers will be allowed to enter each Market at a given time and as persons exit others will be allowed to enter; all Shoppers entering the Municipal Market will not be allowed to enter if they are not wearing a face mask, with no exemptions applicable; social distancing of six feet must be adhere to, with absolutely no crowding at stalls is permitted and stall holders responsible and liable for breaches; and the operational hours for all of the municipal markets will be from 07:00 hours (7am) to 16:00 hours (4 pm).
The Mayor explained to Kaieteur News that the first measure is a temporary move by the council which can be reconsidered if individuals adhere to the restrictions on the number of persons entering the market at a time.
“We had two gates open at a time but because persons were not adhering we closed one, but this is temporarily and can be reconsidered. However, the number of persons entering the market at one time still remains about 15-20,” he said.
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