Health Minister Mary Issac has defended government’s decision to keep a daily curfew of 9:00 pm- 5:00 am. At today’s Senate sitting, Issac was speaking on a motion to extend the state of emergency in Saint Lucia from June 1 to September 30. She indicated that they do not know what to expect when the country’s borders are opened, and that they have been told that there may be additional waves of COVID-19. Given this, she said the state of emergency must be kept in case there is a need to act quickly and change measures that are now in place, like the curfew.
“We are aware that some people may feel they are being restricted but when you look at a curfew that starts at 9 o’clock in the night. I mean, what is it that a person would need to be doing beyond that time of night?” said Issac. “The hotels are all closed so we cannot say it is hotel workers. We are not into the business of witchcraft and stuff like that in Saint Lucia, so I do not see why we would be so worried about us not being able to move about after the hours of 9 o’clock.”
Issac urged Saint Lucians to continue practicing social distancing protocols and advised against gathering in groups. “We cannot say we have to go to a party or a fete. These are measures that we need to maintain to ensure that we take care of the health and safety of our population.”
She added: “God created the darkness so people can sleep. That’s why he says everything that is done in the dark comes out in the light. So we need to maintain the curfew, we need to be vigilant, so that we can continue to protect our people.”
