By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE TT Safe Zone policy came into effect on Monday but many business owners are still playing it safe by not opening.
For those who did open, they saw little traffic and are hoping that by the end of the week, there will be more activity.
The TT Safe Zone was officially launched last week and the free certificates are downloadable from the various ministries’ websites.
Owner of MovieTowne Derek Chin said the patrons who showed up for movies were very happy to be back out.
The first movie was shown at 1.45pm and due to the 10pm curfew, the last movie will start at 7pm.
Chin told AZPNews.com there were hundreds of patrons at two branches in Port-of-Spain and San Fernando. The one in Tobago will be opened on Thursday, giving Tobagonians more opportunity to become vaccinated as Tobago vaccination numbers were still fairly low.
Chin said usually thousands would have been expected to show up but given the circumstances, he was grateful for those who did.
The restaurants at MovieTowne will be opened by weekend under the TT Safe Zone policy.
He added that he did not have employee resistance to becoming vaccinated against Covid-19.
Anxious to open in San Juan
President of the San Juan Business Association Vivek Charran said many businesses in his jurisdiction were anxious to open and some were prepping since last week. He said places like gyms and membership clubs were contacting their members and getting proof of their vaccination status before Monday.
He too predicted more traffic at the end of the week especially for restaurants in the areas.
However, he said bar owners were confused.
“I think where bars are concerned, the policy may be a bit tricky because you cannot consume alcohol on the premises. I don’t know how that is going to be worked out, if it is a safe zone policy, if the bars would have like an outdoor section for dining and then you just purchase your alcohol and leave.”
Many places still closed in Couva
In Couva, approximately 50% of the places remained closed said president of the Couva/Pt Lisas Chamber of Commerce Mukesh Ramsingh.
He said during the pandemic, it was difficult for business owners who pay rent to take the risk of opening with limited staff and uncertainty about the day’s sales.
The businesses that were opened were mostly home-owned by families.
Ramsingh said he did not see much of the TT Safe Zone certificates on business establishments.
He told AZPNews.com, “Many of them are still not educated enough on the TT Safe Zone policy and how to proceed with that. They are still asking many questions about it. They are asking about the registration process, payment etc. They are also cautious about the authorities that would be making checks to ensure compliance of the policy.”
He also said the gym he was attending adopted the policy but had few persons working out on Monday evening.
Restaurant owner hopeful
Owner of Lazy Lizard Restaurant and Bar at Rodney Road, Endeavour, Russel Bahadursingh at the time AZPNews.com spoke with him said he had no customers for the day yet and was hoping that by evening, he would see the regular customers returning.
He said, “We hope that this first week, we get accustomed to the new regulations and the patrons will get accustomed to the new regulations and hopefully, we will see a smooth transition when weekend comes around.”
“We have all protocols in place, the place is fully sanitised and we are ready to receive patrons,” Bahadursingh added.
He said there was an abbreviated menu sufficient enough for the 50% capacity allowed and as the situation progresses, the menu will be expanded.
The restaurant and bar, he said was not designed for take-out and while deliveries were being done, it was not sustainable enough.
However, he said while all protocols were good, he could not comprehend the inability to consume alcohol if dining.
“I don’t see the reasoning behind it hopefully that will change soon and hopefully, they will look at the models that are working abroad, like in England and the US where they are working perfectly.”
The TT Safe Zone policy is applicable to all restaurants, bars, casinos, betting houses, waterparks, gyms and membership clubs. – With reporting by Azlan Mohammed
