128 lockdown violators spend the night ‘outside’

“The police ‘arrested’ 128 people who wanted to cross several bridges in Paramaribo despite the fact that they were closed. 4 people were ‘arrested’ in the western part of the country,” Humphrey Naarden, head of the Public Relations Office of the Police Force Suriname (KPS), told Times of Suriname. Naarden explained that most of the people had to spend the night in their cars alongside the road. They were given permission to return home at 5 a.m. “Only a few lockdown violators were given permission to return home sooner. There were also women and children in some of the cars. Because of the children, the police officer who was in charge in Paramaribo decided to let the people leave between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. after they had been given a serious warning,” said Naarden who once again urged the people to stick to the COVID19 rules. He explained that he has noticed a growing number of people on the public roads after 8 p.m. People still seem to think that they will reach their homes on time. They underestimate it. The people think that they are the only ones who leave a location around 7 p.m. and that they will be home before 8 p.m. My advice is to stay home after 5 p.m. if you have nothing to do on the street. Leave on time if you know that you have a long way to go to get home. Do not take any chances,” said Naarden who pointed out that the total lockdown will be in effect again this weekend. All the bridges that run across the Suriname, Coppename the Saramacca River and the Saramacca Channel will be closed again from 8 p.m. until 5 a.m.