By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 31st March 2021) — Attorney General Vincent Byron Jr. is of the view that issuing fine tickets to individuals for not wearing a face mask in public could encourage compliance with the COVID-19 legislation, even though he acknowledges that enforcement is the key to behavioural change.
“It’s one thing to say so but if you’re going to have an enforcement it’s what changes people’s behavior,” he stated, responding to a question during a media interaction on Sunday 21st March 2021. The provisions of the COVID-19 Act of 2020 require persons to wear face masks when in public spaces, especially when in the company of other persons. Penalties for not following the mask regulations include a $500 issued ticket, a court fine of up to $5,000, or imprisonment.
On when the tickets are expected to be printed, Byron explained: “The actual legislation has been gazetted. We have been to parliament on the face masks and the tickets, so the forms are there — it’s just a matter of making arrangements with the government printery and they would have them shortly.” He pointed out that there is no deadline and that an announcement would be made before enforcement begins.
When quizzed about whether stiffer penalties could be expected following recent quarantine breaches, Byron said: “I think the law is quite clear and quite appropriate and it’s a matter of enforcement. The court has discretion in sentencing up to a certain level. The quantum being high does not necessarily mean that it’s going to make a difference — but we hope that in itself would act as a deterrent to others.”