NASSAU-Police shut down a promotional party after more than 100 people flooded Cheetah’s Lounge over the weekend.
On Monday, a magistrate fined the club’s manager Fritnnel Petithomme $2,500 for failing to follow guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Not only were the partygoers close together, but they were not wearing face masks.
Employees at Cheetah’s Lounge also did not wear masks and the business remained open past the 8pm curfew. Additionally, the business did not have markers to ensure that partygoers remained at least six feet apart.
Officers swarmed the club on Bay Street and Victoria Avenue on July 3 around 8:15pm.
Petithomme admitted the various violations at his arraignment before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis.
According to the prosecutor, officers met 150 patrons, without face masks, clustered together inside and in the parking lot. None of those patrons were charged for violating the mask requirement.
In mitigation, attorney Dion Smith said the government’s bungling of the extension of the state of emergency had created confusion.
The state of emergency expired at midnight on June 29 after Parliament failed to pass a resolution to extend them. This gave the government the authority to implement the curfew.
Although Governor General C A Smith declared a new state of emergency, some lawyers argue that the regulations are no longer in effect.
However, Magistrate Rolle-Davis held the view that the emergency regulations are still valid.
He said that Petithomme would not get a conviction once he paid the fine.
Business owners risk temporary closure of their establishments for repeated breaches of the requirement to ensure that patrons wear face masks.
