Director of the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit, Ronald Chapman, has made it clear that it was no arbitrary decision to close four bars last Sunday night because of a breach of COVID-19 protocols.
The four bars, along with two party buses which were pulled off the road, were cited for breaching the protocol related to the wearing of masks by both barmen and patrons.
He told a press conference this morning that not only were the operators warned on a previous occasion, but they had also been instructed on exactly what was expected of them in terms of following the criteria.
In addition, they were pointed to the website of the Barbados Government Information Service, where all of the protocols are available.
During the initial warning, he said, they had also been informed that closure could be a consequence of not following the protocols in the future, adding that the closure last Sunday was only for that evening.
However, he warned, if operators continued to flout the protocols they could be charged on summary conviction up to $50,000.