Clarendon Municipal Corporation to truck water to residents
MAYOR OF May Pen Winston Maragh has said the Clarendon Municipal Corporation would be trucking water to droughtstricken communities in the parish in an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking on Saturday during an emergency meeting, Maragh said attention would be first given to the Mocho area, the first community in the parish to have a confirmed case of the virus.
“We are taking steps to ensure the citizens have water to carry out cleaning and basic domestic activities,” Maragh said. He used the forum to dispel claims that the municipal corporation was ceasing operations in the May Pen Market.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of rumours that we are closing the market. We know markets are high-risk areas, so what we are doing is advising the public to limit their visits to these areas, but if they must [visit,] they should follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Health & Wellness.”
He said that all markets across the parish would undergo daily cleaning activities, noting that vendors
should properly secure their properties. Discouraging mass gatherings, Maragh said, “For persons who have lost loved ones, we grieve with you, but the Clarendon Municipal Corporation is recommending that funeral preparations be delayed for the next 14 days or until the Ministry of Health & Wellness has completed its assessment of the parish. For persons who must bury their loved ones, we ask that you follow the guidelines and maintain social distances.
“We are taking the necessary steps to prevent the most vulnerable among us from contracting this deadly virus,” he said, stating that infirmary staff have been undergoing training to improve the quality of care meted out to residents.
Echoing the sentiments of ensuring residents’ safety, former Mayor Scean Barnswell said, “This is a joint approach because everybody is at risk and we have decided to work jointly to ensure that Clarendon is a parish that will be safe from this coronavirus.”