Today, the government announced new regulations under the public health and safety act - and the thing you really want to hear about is the curfew regulations. The good news is, they will change, but not this weekend. The changes go into effect on Monday, along with some other small adjustments in the regulations. The Ministers of Health and Wellness and Home affairs held a joint press conference to outline the new regulations:
Hon. Michel Chebat, Minister of Health & Wellness
"The government is now able to lift the inter-district ban that we placed in the Corozal and Orange Walk districts and we are now able to modify some of the containment measures that were put in place to contain this disease.."
Hon. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"Curfew is now going to be from 10pm to 5am. So, it's no longer going to be 8pm. Curfew starting February 1st Monday will be at 10pm and will go to the following morning until 5am. This curfew applies to adults only. The curfew for minors continues in effect from 6pm until 5am the following morning. Gyms can now open and they are to operate at a 50% capacity at any given time. So similar to restaurants gyms can also operate but at 50% capacity. The gym like restaurants must be properly ventilated. Gym owners have an added responsibility that they are required to keep a log of the names, contact number and temperature of persons who are attending the gym. Similarly, churches can now operate to the public and the capacity likewise for churches is 50% at any given time. In addition to that, the service we are asking by regulation that the service does not go beyond 1 hour in time. So if you are having a service at 9am it has to be finished by 10am. Of course you can have another service in the evening, but again it will be restricted to a 1 hour church service."
