New COVID curfew causing jitters

By 7 p.m. yesterday the usually busy Half-Way Tree and sections of downtown Kingston were anything but.

Businesses were closed tight and most vendors had already thrown tarpaulin over their stalls. Blue swirling lights from police service vehicles were observed and there was a build-up of traffic on major roadways. Everyone was in a rush to beat the 8 p.m. curfew announced by the Prime Minister on Monday that took effect last night. It was previously 10 p.m.

Calvin ‘Dappa Don’ Burke, a snack and juice vendor, told THE STAR that he was going to find creative ways to beat the curfew.

“Mi still a go do mi ting eno cuz mi can’t go home with mi two long hand to my chipmunk (children) dem. A night time mi make my money when fi Stony Hill and country bus dem park up. Mi go in deh and skip from bus to bus and make a sale. Now mi have to go just hussle 10 times harder and go hard and go home. All if mi haffi go sing to mi customer dem mi a go dweet,” he said.

SALES WILL DECREASE

Handcart vendor Alando Simms envisioned that his nightly sales will decrease drastically.

“Mi nah worry about later (Wednesday) because town lock half day but Thursday and Friday a market day, so mi normally push di cart on Orange Street and do mi ting fi di people dem who a left work late and a wait on bus. Now JUTC a stop run from 7 o’clock so what mi a go do now? It look like a 8 o’clock COVID a walk so a must it make dem a lock dung at 8,” he said.

Another vendor argued that she still believes the pandemic is a hoax.

“Call mi dark and fool but mi believe this is a money-making thing. Mi don’t know anyone with COVID or anyone who know nobody who have it. Dis is a scam to make di rich get richer and poor people like mi and yuh suffer,” she said.

Jamaica on Tuesday recorded three additional COVID deaths, increasing the tally to 362. Meanwhile, there were 207 new infections pushing the total to 17,908.

Meanwhile, two passengers walked away unhurt following a crash along Cassia Park Road in St Andrew. The incident took place a few minutes before the curfew began. A sergeant from the HalfWay Tree police told THE STAR that the driver was signalled to stop by the police, but disobeyed the order along Eastwood Park Road.

“We understand that the driver was operating the vehicle illegally,” the cop said. An eyewitness to the crash said they first heard tyres squeaking.

“When mi look up mi see the taxi and come at a speed but di way it a come dung hard mi could a tell say something wasn’t right,” the eyewitness said. “Him run into my vehicle and two other car and mi only hear ‘boom’! By time mi look, a di car that me see cross the road slam in a di wall.” Both passengers exited the white seven-seater motor car without bruises. They allegedly took another taxi. The driver, according to the eyewitness, made off hastily before the police arrived.