And while the Youth department goes on quarantine, the youth have been out and partying. But that was before the COMPOL's crackdown directive. Earlier in the week, he sent out a memo to his commanding officers promising to hold them personally responsible for any unpunished Covid regulation violation.
It's a move that has bar owners both angry and frustrated with some even questioning whether this crackdown is lawful. That's what we asked the COMPOL today.
Cherisse Halsall "Sir in terms of lawful and unlawful instructions, there was controversy this week bars and restaurant owners when you cracked down on social events that people say they are starving for, what is your response?"
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police "If there are starving for social events are you saying if they don't have social events they are going to die? If that is the case then I will allow them to have it but for one not to do to a party or not host a wedding or not have a baby shower or not to go to a bar operating under a restaurant license, that is an issue people have in the sense they want to socialize but it not a necessity. So, if the law provides that these activities are prohibited it is the duty of the police to ensure that the law is enforced. At the end of the day doing it is to safe guard all of us because when we have this handful of people who want to be throwing parties here there and everywhere and then they cause majority of people to become infected again, then where do we go? It puts you at risk, me at risk, the entire public at risk and so I just simply call upon people to please act responsibly, it is not because we are seeing that the numbers are low it means we must do everything we want to do, we still have to be extremely careful in what we do to ensure that we do not get infected and infect others and that is simply what the police is doing. Ensuring that people abide by the regulations, all these boats that are having big sippers and things, I'm communicating with coast guard and we're going to have them down on the seas because they need to stop. We have gotten the information and we are monitoring and whenever we get any information as to where these people are, we are coming for you."
The COMPOL added that it's a question of the recklessness and selfishness of a few affecting the many.
