The Health Department late Thursday afternoon commenced sanitisation work on the popular crab stalls at National Heroes’ Circle in Kingston after closing the facility following circulation of a video on social media showing a vendor relieving herself inside one of the stalls.

Additionally, the health authorities instructed that portable toilets be installed and that vendors acquire food handler’s permits before the facility, named Crab Circle, is reopened.

The Health Department, which cited a breach of the Public Health (Food Handling) Regulations 1998, posted a notice of the closure at the facility with a warning that should anyone remove the notice, or convince another person to do so, a fine of no more than $1 million or a prison term not exceeding 12 months will be handed down upon conviction.

“There should be no commercial operation during the period of closure. Also, any person who enters such premises when it is ordered closed commits a breach,” the notice read.

Late Thursday as the sanitisation work was being conducted a woman at the scene expressed gratitude to the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation.

“We had a big brawl yesterday over the mess and now and the KSAC is here to sort that out in terms of sanitation and we love that; thank you for that,” she said.

The woman, who told the Jamaica Observer that she is not a vendor, but is friends with some of them, expressed disappointment about the incident that led to the shutdown.

“We already made the decision to get the portable toilets installed so things will be back on track by Monday,” she said.

Earlier, Kingston Mayor Senator Delroy Williams had told the Observer that the stalls will remain closed until his office and the Public Health Department are satisfied that the breaches have been corrected, the vendors have received training and will abide by the food handler’s permit and protocols.