Prime Minister’s Media Conference – Saturday 15 August, 2020

Prime Minister Dr the Hon Keith announced today that adjustments will be made to the COVID-19 Public Health Ordinance Regulations as Trinidad and Tobago enters into a community spread stage of the COVID-19 virus.

Dr Rowley made the announcements during a media conference held at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s today (Saturday 15 August, 2020).

From next week Monday and for the next 28 days:

• No in-house dining at restaurants, bars, food courts and malls or within its precincts. Pick-up remains available.
• Beaches and rivers to be closed to the public.
• All places of worship will be closed.
• All gyms to be closed.
• Cease all contact sports. Water parks are to be closed.
• Casinos and Members Clubs to be closed. Cinemas to be closed.
• Public gatherings have been limited to 5 persons.
• Funeral and Weddings limited to 10 persons.
• All Public Taxis and Maxis to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
• Air and Sea bridge Transportation to Tobago to be limited to essentials.
• Public service will remain at 50% rotation
• All teaching institutions to be closed until further notice.
• The Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination to be held on August  20th. Schools are not likely to reopen for the rest of the year.
• Attorney General to look into legislation for the mandatory use of face masks.
• Increased testing to take place at the North Central Regional Health Authority, as a polymerase chain reaction machine up is now up and running.
• Trinidad and Tobago has 20,306 COVID-19 test kits and 29,000 swabs. The country also has access to the share of test kits available at The Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).
• Minister of National Security the Hon Stuart Young said the repatriation of citizens will be stepped back a bit to ensure that the quarantine facilities and parallel health care system aren’t overwhelmed.