Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves is appealing to persons placed in mandatory quarantine in light of the Covid-19 pandemic to adhere to the conditions.
Dr Gonsalves made the appeal on Tuesday while on WEFM 99.9 He at the time speaking about the matter of Vincentian seafarers returning home and having to be quarantined for fourteen days at their home or at a public place determined by the authorities.
“I just want to repeat to everybody – those who came in from the BVI, those who came in on Carnival (Glory) – look, you in quarantine, stay in quarantine in your home; those of you in quarantine in your home, just stay there. Because, one person who came in Wednesday night last week from the BVI, by Friday night he was out. Well, he was quickly reported. The police went for him and put him in a government-approved quarantine facility.
And there are a couple of others who came in on Saturday on Carnival (Glory) there have already been a couple who are coming out on the road breaking the quarantine.
They’ve already been contacted by the police,’ Dr Gonsalves said.
Asked if, having passed the law to increase the penalties, there would be legal action brought against those breaking quarantine, Prime Minister Gonsalves said enforcement of laws are for civilian and police authorities – not politicians.
“I always constantly make that point. And as a young democracy we have to be making that point so that we don’t have politicians insisting who should be prosecuted and who should not be prosecuted. That’s a journey, as a mature leader, that I don’t want to go down.
So far, we’ve been going in a way where we are following the guidelines. People are buying in. I don’t want these persons who are coming, our returning workers, to really breach our trust in this way,” the Prime Minister said.