Article first appearing in Barbados Today — Published on
January 31, 2021

During a COVID-19 update and press conference Saturday evening, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, highlighted some of the directives contained in the Emergency Management (Covid-19) (Curfew) (No. 3) Directive, 2021, which takes effect from Wednesday, February 3, until Wednesday, February 17, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Below are some of the main highlights of that directive.

• No one should leave their residence between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. except the person is an employee or member of an essential service; or the person has an emergency.
• Bakeries and bread depots for the sale of bread can operate between 9 a.m. and 4: p.m.
• Bakeries for the baking of bread, can operate between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
• From February 3 to 10, banks and credit unions are permitted to provide the following services, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.: supporting automatic teller machines; facilitating internet banking, mobile banking and point of sale transactions; facilitating electronic payroll; facilitating night deposits; facilitating wire transfers and international    payments and clearings; and facilitating local payment, clearing and other operations as required for the banking system. From February 11, banks  and credit unions are permitted to resume retail banking.
• Bill payment services such as SurePay can open between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday to Friday only;
• Gasoline stations can operate between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. for the sale of products relating to motor vehicles, petroleum products, including liquefied petroleum gas, commonly referred to as “bottled gas” and for the sale of top-ups for mobile telephones and pharmaceuticals (but not for the sale of products for human consumption, including intoxicating liquor);
• Pharmacies may open for personal shopping and the filling of prescriptions, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.;
• Minimarts that are exempted from this Directive may operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Minimarts that are not exempted and those shops commonly called “corner shops”, “rum shops” and “village shops” shall remain closed. A list of the exempted minimarts shall be published in the daily newspapers circulating in Barbados.
• Supermarkets may open between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for in-store shopping, Monday to Friday only;
• Places of religious worship willl be opened only for religious services at which no more than 10 persons must be present for the conduct or streaming of such services. Funeral services must be attended by no more than 10 mourners, one officiant and the funeral director and necessary staff; and for the conduct of wedding ceremonies, only the bride and bridegroom, two witnesses and the marriage officer must be in attendance.
• Beaches and parks will open between the hours of 6 and 9 a.m. only.
• Persons may exercise outdoors, other than at  beaches and parks, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. only, but no more than two persons must exercise together, in which case they must be physically distanced, unless they are members of the same household;
• Sporting activities are prohibited;
• A public service vehicle must carry no more than 60  per cent of its authorised number of sitting passengers;
• All persons who are in public places must wear a face mask.