Minister Jeffrey Bostic disclosed that it will be mandatory for persons in quarantine. This was disclosed during the COVID-19 update press conference on Saturday.

In addressing the breaches of COVID-19 protocols over the past couple of weeks, Bostic indicated that reckless behaviour of offenders will be not be excused and Government officials will be alarmed if individuals tried to remove the bracelets or left their geographical location.

“The bracelets are tracking bracelets they have a mechanism, they are tamper-proof and they are also water-resistant. As soon as anyone tries to do anything an alarm goes off and the command control will see those alerts and then we will be able to respond.

If a person goes out of the area that they are supposed to be in quarantine the alarm goes off and we will be able to respond promptly. This will give a level of comfort to us especially based on the experiences we have been having over the last few weeks,” Bostic explained.

Chief medical officer, Dr Kenneth George went on to add that persons who have “broken out” of quarantine are liable to be convicted. He beseeched citizens and visitors to abide by the protocols to ensure their personal safety and the safety of the country.

“We are asking the population and we are asking visitors alike to please abide by the quarantine rules and regulations of Barbados. It is important not only for your safety but the safety of the entire population as we try to address the issues confronting us at the prisons. We cannot find another fight or another area having people breach quarantine and causing us a further headache,” said Dr George.

He revealed that inclusive of the superspreader bus crawl, Government was currently investigating two clusters that occurred on the West Coast; a cluster of seven and a cluster of four. The chief medical officer said that the clusters were a visitor and a hotel employee were involved with the cases.

Although he was unable to give further details on the cases, he asked for the cooperation and trust of the wider public.

“This crisis is not the first that has occurred in Barbados. There have been several instances of such in the region and we can work through this together,” Dr George contended.