Mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Michael Belnavis says that, effective immediately, the St Ann Municipality will be suspending the issuing of amusement licences for persons wishing to stage event in the parish.

The matter, he said, will be up for review in two weeks. “In other words, there can’t be any dances, no wakes [‘dead yards’], no gathering in public spaces, and if individuals had paid for licences for events which would have been held over the next two weeks, they may get a refund or they may postpone the event,” Belnavis explained.

The Mayor argued that residents must take advantage of the slowing down of activities in the parish by spending more time with their families and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from contracting the illness.

He further noted that staff members at the parish’s drop-in centre are equipped with the necessary items, such as gloves and masks, so persons visiting the centre will be protected and vice versa.

Belnavis is also assuring residents in the parish that the staff at the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital is fully trained to deal with the virus and has access to all the “necessary equipment to deal with whatever eventualities may occur” as a result of COVID-19.

“We have put in mechanisms to deal with quarantine and isolation situations. The testing and swabbing of individuals who are suspected [to have COVID-19] will be done at the healthcare facility then sent to Kingston where, after six days, we will have the [test results],” the Mayor said.