It will be a breath of fresh air for businesses and citizens alike come July 17, when the mask mandate is lifted. For the last two years, staff and patrons alike have been required to wear masks, face coverings or face shields, in an effort to stymie the spread of covid19.
From next Sunday, people will no longer have to wear face coverings, with certain limitations, and will be able to move freely and interact in businesses, restaurants and on the streets without fear of being fined for breaching the public health protocols.
The lifting of the mandate is another sign of things returning to normal as Trinidad and Tobago and the world continue to push back against the effects of the pandemic. But as the virus persists, businesses may have to find a balance between giving people their freedom and protecting themselves, their employees and their patrons.
Masks on
In August 2020 at the height of the pandemic, authorities in TT implemented the mask mandate along with several other public health policies which included limitations on group gatherings, bans on gathering in public spaces, limitations on times during which businesses could operate and limitations on how many people could be transported in a vehicle.
Regulation 7 of the public health ordinance said that no person shall, without a reasonable excuse be in public without wearing a face mask, face shield or face covering. It said that the mask should be worn in a manner that it covers the mouth, nose and chin.
[caption id="attachment_964755" align="alignnone" width="735"] In an effort to curb the spread of covid19 and to comply with public health regulations, all businesses implemented rules for entry onto their premises, including no mask no service. Photo by Jeff K Mayers[/caption]
Children under the age of eight were exempt from the wearing of masks but outside of that, parents, guardians or people who were responsible for the child would have the responsibility to ensure that the child has and wears a mask. Businesses were required to take on a “no mask, no service” policy and turn away any person who did not wear a mask at their establishment.
People who contravened the mask mandate would be fined $1,000 in the first instance. In the second instance, a person could be fined $2,000 and up to $5,000 in further instances.
In 2021 the TTPS revealed that it issued 16,427 tickets to people not wearing masks, garnering a total of $1.6 million.
As vaccines became available, government established “safe zones” in businesses, especially in the service industry which required people to provide proof of being vaccinated as well as strict adherence to sanitation and temperature checking policies. Even then, as long as an individual was not eating or drinking, patrons, management and staff in businesses were still required to wear masks.
Last week Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh said the mask mandate would be lifted. He, however, noted that a risk-based recommendation for vulnera
