Following the confirmation Thursday of 2 positive cases of Covid-19 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30310-haiti-flash-2-cases-of-covid-19-confirmed-in-the-country.html of the declaration of a national curfew and of the state of health emergency for 1 month https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30311-haiti-flash-president-moise-declares-a-state-of-health-emergency-text-of-the-order.html as of Friday, March 20, little change in behavior could be observed for this first day of emergency state...

Friday Port-au-Prince swarmed with activities and people as usual, people jostled in shops and long queues stretched in front of banks and gas stations without respecting the distances of a meter (called barrier measure) between people is not respected.

At 8:00 pm, the start of the curfew, the car traffic was heavy and the traffic jams plentiful as usual... On the Champ-de-Mars near the National Palace, people had fun like any Friday evening in an atmosphere of music, the sidewalks occupied by merchant of fried foods and others... activities which continued well after the start of the curfew and without any intervention of the police to enforce this curfew.

It remains to be seen whether the population in the coming days will become aware of the importance of these measures or whether the Government will once again show weakness by being unable to impose what is vital for the lives of all Haitians...

Furthermore, in a press release from Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe, relating to the introduction of a curfew throughout the territory to fight against the Covide-19 coronavirus, the Government specifies that the following cases are exempt from the curfew :

• Nursing staff from both public and private institutions (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians) and all duly identified medical staff on duty;

• Patients seeking care and their companions;

• Ambulances;

• Institutions working in the health field such as the Red Cross, PAHO / WHO;

• The media duly authorized by the Office of the Secretary of State for Communication;

• Anyone with a pass issued by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

Concluding "the police are instructed to enforce the curfew."

To be continued...

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30327-haiti-covid-19-daily-bulletin-march-21-2020.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30311-haiti-flash-president-moise-declares-a-state-of-health-emergency-text-of-the-order.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30310-haiti-flash-2-cases-of-covid-19-confirmed-in-the-country.html

HL/ HaitiLibre