Mayor of Spanish Town Norman Scott is banking on increased sanitisation stations along with patrolling police and members of the national reserves to keep patrons and vendors safe during this year’s Grand Market in Linstead, St Catherine. The event, which will be held on Christmas Eve, is traditionally one of the biggest events of the year. This year it is being held at a time when the country battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

“We sanitised the market district on Sunday and we will be increasing our public relations system to announce and remind the citizens that COVID-19 is still on and the cut-off time for curfew will be 10:00 pm. We expect that the citizens will obey the law and come off the streets by then,” Scott told the Jamaica Observer earlier this week.

The police and reserves, he stressed, will be “ out in their numbers” to ensure curfew hours set by the Government are maintained.

He added that a resolution was passed last Thursday, for parts of King’s Street and Fletcher’s Avenue in Linstead, to be used for vending from December 14, 2020 to January 4, 2021.

When the Observer visited the busy town centre this week, vendors had mixed views on the event being held amid the pandemic.

Roy Osbourne, a 53-year-old who has been selling bammies for 15 years, said he did not have a problem with the decision but predicted that it will not be as exciting as usual.

“Based on how things are, Grand Market nuh look suh 100 this year. I think people will come out because Linstead Grand Market is very popular. Thousands of people have been affected by this thing [COVID-19], so we have to be careful. It nuh pretty, it very stiff. But we have to give God thanks and just look to see what can go on,” he said.

Another vendor, 62-year-old “Elder Rus” who sells ground provisions, shared the same sentiments as Osbourne.

“Yeah man, it haffi keep cause a tradition. We can wear we mask and sanitise and keep we distance. People a go come out cause dem use to it,” he said.

But other vendors disagreed. They were fearful that the event would increase the number of COVID-19 cases.

Francis Williams, a 72-year-old coal vendor who said she has never been to Grand Market, has no intention to start now.

“If a me alone, nuh Grand Market nuh keep; but the younger generation want it. Me not going, I will tan a my yard, so I will not catch [COVID]. When Christmas done it a go worse,” she predicted.

Kerry-Ann, a 37-year-old who has been selling pawpaw for two years, added, “Me nuh really celebrate Christmas, so I’m not very fond of it [Grand Market]. I’m glad that the officials try to keep people off the road fi reduce corona, so Grand Market nuh really matter to me anyway.”

Yet another vendor, who only gave his name as “Steve” and said he has been selling the Jamaica Observer newspaper for six and a half years, suggested that the event should be cancelled.

“Linstead is a place where people from all parishes come and people from all the parishes have it [COVID-19]. It’s the biggest Grand Market [and it goes on] till day light, so me wouldn’t mind it cancel,” he said.

Meanwhile Velmore Lawson, a 56-year-old shopper who has attended the Grand Market for the last 20 years, said she will attend this year.

“I usually come out because it’s always an exciting experience and you always get a wide variety of nice things to buy. It is a fun thing and I plan to come anyway but people have to be more cautious of the mingling and the pickpockets,” said Lawson.

Another shopper, 73-year-old Beatrice Maragh who was seen packing her bags with produce, stressed that the protocols must be observed.

“People have to do what dem have to do, darling. If we have to stay inside to flatten the curve, we just have to. It shouldn’t keep like it would normally do, dem [vendors] fi work with the cut-off time. A fi the benefit of our families, friends and ourselves,” said Maragh.