BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — THE St Elizabeth Parish Council has passed a resolution to amend the 1999 Places of Amusement Regulation, to ease the requirement for organisers of entertainment events to present an insurance agreement before they can be granted a licence.

According to the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), the resolution, moved by councillor for the Junction Division, Cetany Holness, seeks to have the applicant sign a letter, “indemnifying the council from any damage done to property or person as a result of his activity.”

In throwing his weight behind the resolution, mayor of Black River Jeremy Palmer argued that, “if you were to stringently enforce this requirement that requires that every time a man is going to have a dance, he needs an insurance policy, nobody could legally keep a dance.

“If the council insists that it will not approve any dance without the person having insurance coverage for it, or for the place, then we might see a complete shutdown of entertainment,” he added.

Palmer argued further that if the regulation remains as is, it can put grave hardship on persons, who, for generations, have been promoting small community gatherings, without major incident or injury.

He said the insurance requirement would be more suitable for closed indoor events, and not for those that take place at small outdoor venues.

“I think that the insurance should be applicable when you are keeping the entertainment indoors… as you are in an enclosed area (where) there can be stampeding or fires, so I believe that the requirement is too wide for somebody, who is holding a little (gathering) in a shop yard,” he noted.

The resolution, which will be sent to Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Hon Robert Montague, also seeks to make it the responsibility of the applicant to provide insurance with a reputable insurance company in respect of public liability, fire, and allied perils.