Closing of nightspots has helped to reduce gatherings, says Chief Health Inspector, but social-distancing still being ignored

The closing of bars and nightclubs has helped, to some degree, in  reducing the number of persons gathering in any one spot, says Chief Health Inspector Sharon Martin.  

However, she says that residents are gathering in other places and are not taking precautions – such as observing the six-foot social-distancing protocol – to reduce the spread of the virus.

 Martin says she has witnessed young children doing a better job of following the protocols than some adults. When they are not followed, she says, it makes the job of healthcare workers and others involved in fighting the pandemic more difficult.

The Chief Health Inspector notes that, not only are individuals lapsing, but businesses are doing so, as well.

Last Thursday, September 30, the Cabinet decided that bars, gyms and nightclubs will be closed for another two weeks – the third time this restriction has been imposed.   It means that these businesses would have been closed for six weeks by the time this extension expires.

Restaurants, meanwhile, remain limited to take-out orders only.