Defiant limers, vendors back out in PoS

THE TYPICAL flurry of activity in Port of Spain seemed to have returned to some degree on Tuesday, after the long Easter weekend.Most people were wearing facemasks, and there was an increase in police presence, but little else to indicate an unfolding pandemic.

Major food establishments and smaller bars remained shut, but that seemed to result in some would-be patrons seeking and finding alternative gathering points.

Newsday ventured through the town, noting an increase in people daring to defy the government's shut-down of non-essential businesses and services.

Police were in abundance but appeared to be lenient with older men seen drinking – presumably alcohol – out of styrofoam cups, as they sat on the ledges along the Brian Lara Promenade. On Charlotte Street, there were obvious lines of people, some too close together for comfort, waiting for their turn to enter the Chinese supermarkets.

Glaringly open but less active, however, were several variety stores, selling household items, with no apparent sign that they were offering essential products or services.

On Queen Street, Jimmy Aboud's fabric store was open. One of the city's landmarks, it is owned by Gregory Aboud, who is also the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association. Customers were seen entering at the discretion of the security guard, who only allowed masked people inside, although some two weeks ago the company issuing an advisory of its immediate closure.

The store was closed on Wednesday but will open again on Thursday from 9-12 am, according to a representative whom Newsday reached by phone. It is understood that many people will have sought fabric to make reusable masks.

In City Gate on South Quay, all businesses apart from two were dark and padlocked. One a small pharmacy had its door open, with a sign asking customers to respect social-distancing guidelines.

The other, the only food establishment, was a kiosk where pies and juices are sold, close to the staircase to the platforms, .

CoP: We will chase loitering drinkers

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith responded to questions about why some food places and non-essential businesses, which were ordered shut, were being allowed to operate uninterrupted. He said he does not have the resources to shut every business down without people reporting the violators.

"What would be so much easier for the police service to do their job, instead of persons putting on social media how they seeing this and they seeing that – if they could just report it. I have 5,000 police officers.

"Look at the square footage of this country. If at every corner, every crack and crevice in this country, there's someone who has a shop, who has a parlour, a casino running, police cannot go and find every single place. We are not Steve Austin and we do not have bionic eyes. We don't have the drome capability to look over every nook and cranny in every single street in the country.

"Instead of trying to perceive that the State is allowing one place to be open whilst another is not open, it would be so much better if instead of persons complaining and and crying about a misconception, send the information to 555...and it will be shut down if required."

Asked specifically about the men liming on the promenade, he replied, "Yep, you're very accurate about that, which is why I sent (inaudible) with about 50 officers to clear the Brian Lara Promenade.

"What's been happening now is that people are going to the supermarkets, purchasing alcohol and going on to the Brian Lara Promenade to drink.

"It is not going to be allowed. So we have cleared the promenade, and we will continue to do so every single day, because we can look at that as loitering. I will use that law to arrest persons via loitering if they continue to do so. What we will do first is give them a warning and disperse the crowd, which worked again today.

Pressed on a textile retailer being open to the public, Griffith said that would be addressed immediately.