Attribute to Rosemary Anderson, FEDHASA National Chair
With there being no pressure on our healthcare system and hospitals – the stated reason for imposing a curfew in the first place – FEDHASA is delighted that Government has taken the decision to remove curfews which were hampering normal operations for hospitality providers. Further, medical professionals have confirmed that lockdown curfews and restrictions are not effective.
We know our international tourists in particular enjoy late-night hospitality and the removal of curfew ensures that we are once again able to deliver this without restrictions. Lifting the curfew will make a substantial economic difference to many hospitality businesses. Beyond the early closing of bars, restaurants and nightclubs, curfews meant that lodge, hotel and resort guests were forced back into their rooms at midnight even though they were ‘technically’ at home. The curfew restricted them from going for a late-night walk in the gardens, swimming in the hotel pool at midnight or indulging any of the facilities that resorts provide such as gambling, having a meal, etc.
We are in a different place to where we were a year ago, when we did not have vaccines as the main weapon in our arsenal. We are also dealing with a new variant, which clinically has not translated into the extent of hospitalisations, severe illness and death caused by former variants, hence the need now to review things differently and revaluate the current restrictions, including contact tracing, isolation and quarantine which we hope the Department of Health will definitely weigh in on sooner rather than later. As FEDHASA, we have always maintained that the restrictions cause more harm to society, the economy and mental health than COVID itself has.
