A woman, Shadia Charles, has been arraigned before Chief Magistrate Candia Carrette George, for breaching COVID-19 safety protocols in Newtown. The Victoria Street resident flouted the orders of a health professional to remain under self-quarantine at her home for a number of days until she is cleared to mix freely with people.
Charles agreed that she violated isolation rules and pleaded guilty to the charge levied against her. Judge George penalized her $500 which is to be paid up before January 31 or an imprisonment of two months if she fails to pay the fine.
The government had vowed in 2020 to prosecute anyone breaching COVID-19 protocols after establishing that people coming into Dominica must also comply with mandatory quarantine to safeguard the health of the public.
Coordinator of the border reopening program at the time, Dr. Laura Esprit, had stated that violators will be fined EC$5,000 or 6 months jail while people who provide misleading information on their health questionnaire will be liable to pay EC$1,000 or serve 3 months imprisonment.
The government continues to implement COVID-19 health and safety protocols across the country by restricting movements across the nation’s borders and urging the populace to constantly wash their hands, use face masks, limit public gatherings, and stay indoors more. Meanwhile, the Skerrit-led administration has revealed that COVID-19 vaccines should by available in the country by March and that everyone should be ready to get vaccinated for enhanced protection against the pandemic.
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