Government eases COVID-19 measures

Vice President Ashwin Adhin on Sunday announced that the government would ease the COVID-19 measures at 5 a.m. on Monday. The partial lockdown has been shortened from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. The measures have been eased in the entire country but not in East Suriname where the number of COVID-19 cases keeps rising drastically. The government will stick to the gathering limit of 5 people. In rooms where people can remain at a safe distance from each other and where there is enough ventilation, a higher number of people are allowed to assemble. The National COVID-19 Management Team will elaborate on this in the coming days. Contact sports, such as soccer, basketball and combat sports still are not allowed. Discos, night clubs, dance clubs and brothels will remain closed. The VP announced that religious groups, the hospitality sector, sports schools and casinos are allowed to let people enter their place of business and/ or house of prayer. These places reportedly took precautionary measures after a meeting with the National COVID-19 Management Team. The rules regarding physical distancing, mandatory face masks and washing or disinfecting hands will remain in effect. Contactbased professions such as hair salons, barber shops, physiotherapy clinics are also allowed to open again as long as they stick to the COVID-19 measures. “The coronavirus is here to stay.

How we choose to live with it is our responsibility. We are in a transitional phase and we will make adjustments step by step. If the situation demands it, we will cancel the adjustments. Eat healthy by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables and drink a lot of water. Put on a face mask when you leave your house and stay at a distance of 1.5 meters from others. Let’s pray for all of the COVID-19 patients and wish them a speedy recovery,” said VP Adhin.