BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 14th August 2020) – Complaints by individuals with underlying health conditions and others fitting the exception category for not being required to wear a face mask have been responded to in new COVID-19 regulations here in St.Kitts-Nevis.

Inspector Cromwell Henry, in a presentation at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing on Saturday 8th August 2020, revealed that the regulation provides some exceptions to the wearing of masks.

“We heard persons were complaining that they cannot wear the masks for various reasons so those were taken into consideration and so the new regulations have created some exceptions for those person who have underlying conditions and the exception in regulation 15 (2) says: A person shall not be required to wear a mask if he or she is under the age of three years old, he or she suffers with a disability, cognitive impairment, dementia, asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease or other similar health conditions, if he or she is within a private space including a private vehicle.”

Meanwhile Inspector Henry is encouraging all other individuals not in the exception grouping to wear their face masks in public places and avoid penalties which could see a $500 ticket, court fine up to $5000 or imprisonment according to new regulations put in place, and has also listed the groups of individuals who are not required to wear face masks.

“Of course these penalties can be avoided. It is not our intention to see anyone having to pay any of these fines if you just simply wear your mask and you don’t have to pay any fine,” he advised.

He noted that the new regulation “has created a lot of public discourse but as I’ve mentioned before, everything that is done in these regulations are to protect public health and so we recognize that in order to encourage persons to wear their masks, we have to create some deterrence; find a way to make persons want to wear their masks.”

Inspector Henry informed that the regulations provide for “fixed penalty notices or what we call tickets to be issued to persons who refuse to wear their mask.”

He said under regulation 22 (2) “A police officer may issue a fixed penalty notice to any person who contravenes the provisions of section 15 in relation to wearing a face mask in public places…Now what this is doing is creating some consequence for persons who refuse to wear their masks in these public places.”

He then explained that: “The fixed penalty that would be applied in these cases, it would be $500. Now, we’ve been mentioning a $5000 fine and that fine still remains in the regulation but that is if you refuse to pay the $500 ticket and you have to go before the court, the magistrate now has the power to increase that $500 fine to up to $5000 and imprisonment up to six months and so you have to pay the fix penalty of $500 dollars and there is a period of 10 days to pay that fine and if you refuse to pay that fine, you’re taken before the court where the magistrate has the power to increase that penalty.”

Inspector gave the full definition of public places.

“There has been some confusion in the past about what is a public place. Now this regulation has sought to clear that confusion and so it has defined public places with respect to wearing masks. Now we know the wearing of masks continues to be an important aspect of the spread of the disease and so everything is being done to encourage our people to wear the mask.”

He continued: “Public place is defined as an indoor or outdoor area, whether privately owned, to which the public has access by right or by invitation, expressed or implied whether by payment of money or not and it includes shipping centers, supermarkets pharmacies, banks, utility departments, bars, drinking places and restaurants, hotels, schools and all other educational institutions, hospitals, whether privately or publicly operated, churches or other religious establishments, public transportation, community centers, government offices, public markets and other places or buildings of all types accessible to the public.”

“So the definition is very broad and it almost appears that as soon as you leave your house, you’re in a public place,” Inspector Henry added.