Lifting of restrictions on mass gatherings among changes made to COVDI19 rules

There are now no restrictions on the number of persons that can attend an indoor or outdoor gathering in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Health Services Subcommittee of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) made changes to the COVID19 Rules this week, one of which is that indoor gatherings and outdoor gatherings are no longer restricted to 10 and 20 persons respectively.

This became effective on March 29, 2022 under the Public Health (COVID19) (Gathering) (Repeal) Rules 2022, which also allows open air crusades, parties, funerals and other such gatherings to take place without any restrictions on the number of persons, their vaccination status or the space occupied.

Several amendments have also been made to the Public Health (COVID-19) Rules of 2021.

These amendments include the deletion of the definition of “place of entertainment”, in keeping with the repeal of the Gathering Rules removing any restrictions on gatherings and any other rules which apply.

Rule 4 of the Public Health (COVID-19) Rules of 2021 outlined that an owner or operator of a restaurant or food establishment shall not provide indoor dining facilities, nor shall a person participate in indoor dining.

This rule has also been revoked, effective March 29.

Rules 7, 7a and 7b of the COVID19 Rules of 2021 imposed requirements for the testing of drivers and conductors of public service vehicles, sanitisation and restriction on the number of persons minibuses were allowed to carry on any one time.

These rules have also been revoked.

However, the rules on mask wearing remain unchanged, and persons are therefore still required to wear masks in public and private spaces that the public has access to, and by drivers and passengers of public service vehicles.

A release from NEMO dated April 2, 2022 notes that recommendations for the reinstatement of gathering restrictions will be considered if the COVID-19 case positivity (percentage of tests which are positive) rises and is higher than 5  per cent over a two-week period, or if 10 or more new COVID-19 cases without possible connection to each other are reported in a single day.

Members of the public are strongly advised to continue practicing “the proven public health measures of hand sanitising, social distancing and being vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus in order to decrease the risk of a new surge in cases”.

Protocols for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers to this country also remain unchanged.

Vaccinated travellers five years and older must therefore arrive with a negative rapid antigen test no more than 24 hours old or a negative RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours old.

Unvaccinated travellers five years and older must arrive with a negative RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours old and paid reservations for quarantine in an SVGTA/MOHWE approved hotel.