Government extends curfew, re-opens casinos, drops immunization requirement for churches

By Aaron Humes: Statutory Instrument 136, the tenth iteration of the Public Health (Prevention of the Spread of Infectious Disease) (COVID-19) (Amendment) Regulations, 2021, addresses the continuation of the national curfew and specific legislation related to casinos and churches.

The first of the three Cs, the curfew, is hereby extended beginning Monday, November 1, to December 1 from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily, no exceptions.

The second allows the re-opening of casinos and other gambling establishments subject to the following conditions:

Employees and patrons who are immunized are allow to work in and patronize, respectively, each establishment, and must show their vaccination card to do so;
Physical distance of six feet and more must be observed at all times anywhere in the establishment;
Half the capacity of the building is allowed for patrons;
Everyone must be masked;
Owners must set up machines six feet apart in keeping with distancing requirements;
Hand sanitization stations must be set up at the entrance, throughout the establishment and at each gaming table;
Set up signs announcing the above protocols and clean and sanitize the establishment at least twice per day;
And log each name, contact number and temperature check of each patron entering the establishment for 30 days.

Additionally, each establishment must hire and pay a Justice of the Peace as a ‘peace officer’ to enforce the regulations on establishments and patrons.

Finally, churches are no longer required to limit services to immunized persons as required by sub-regulation 19 (1) (c), which caused much consternation especially for evangelical churches.

Other requirements – one-hour services, half capacity, face covering and social distancing and responsibilities for churchmen – remain in place.

All other regulations remain the same.

The new S.I. goes into effect on Monday.

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