All non-essential activities will cease in Trinidad and Tobago as of midnight on Sunday.
This was announced by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the post-cabinet news conference on Thursday.
He said the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Health will give a list of what is to be deemed as essential services.
Rowley said this new arrangement will take place on Sunday and end on April 15.
The prime minster said, “From midnight on Sunday we will deepen out separation by having non-essential activities forbidden.
“Any activity which can be deemed to be non-essential and the Minister of National Security and the Minister of Health by tomorrow will put a list out there on what is deemed essential because when you say lockdown the country, meaning that just shut it down, the country is not a lightbulb where you just flick a switch and shut it down.”
Listen to PM Rowley:
He said all workers in the health sector both in private and public sectors need to go to work.
Rowley stressed that this was not a state of emergency.
He said, “Come Sunday night we are increasing our separation. We are asking people to stay at home under the existing legal arrangements. It’s not a state of emergency.”
Rowley said, “I described it as the essentials being able to come out and the non-essential we expect to stay home.
He said the police commissioner and his officers were ready to implement the existing quarantine laws.
