Health authorities close Trelawny supermarket
TWESTERN BUREAU:
HE TRELAWNY Public Health Department has shut down the Tesco Supermarket on Market Street in Falmouth in a crackdown on food establishments breaching health standards.
Delroy Mowatt, Trelawny’s chief public health officer, told The Gleaner that his inspectors observed a significant pile-up of garbage, rat and cockroach infestation, and other under unhealthy conditions.
“We had no choice but to order the immediate closure of the supermarket as the overall condition was way below an acceptable standard,” he said. However, the supermarket proprietor, Anson Huang, maintained that he decided to close the supermarket because there was a build-up of garbage, which was unsightly.
In the meantime, Mowatt said that his department is currently on a drive to inspect food establishments in the northern Jamaica parish to ensure that they are complying with health regulations.
“We are inspecting places like restaurants and supermarkets on a regular basis, and depending on the public health breaches found, we act as guided by the law,” said Mowatt, insisting that the department will order the immediate closure of establishments that expose consumers to diseases like leptospirosis. “In less serious breaches, the proprietor’s attention is drawn to it and they are warned to have the breach rectified,” he said.
The current inspection drive is outside of the annual period when business places are generally assessed. There has been concern about a plethora of food vendors operating in areas such as Water Squares, in the Trelawny capital in breach of safety standard and Mowatt is warning against this. “For vendors to operate, they, too, should obey the various safety standards to include having toilet facilities readily available to their customers,” he said.
While Water Square is in the proximity of the town’s public sanitary convenience, the facility is closed to the public at 9:00 p.m., way earlier than the time vendors pull down their stalls. As a consequence, vendors and customers often urinate in the square, creating an offensive odour.