Six men held at a birthday party in St. Lucy yesterday have been released on bail after appearing in court this morning.
They were among a group found at the event at Checker Hall Number Two which was raided by the authorities around 2 30 pm.
The men were each granted bail in the amount of three thousand dollars when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes charged with breaching the COVID-19 directives.
The accused are 30 year old Damien Blackman who is unemployed and lives at Water Hall, St James, Zachary Bellamy, an 18-year-old student of Kensington New Road, St Michael, Rio Walkes, a 27-year-old barber of Lightfoot Lane in the City, 24-year-old Jerome Stuart, of 8th Avenue New Orleans and who is unemployed, Mahindra Thomas, a 20-year-old labourer, of Redmans Road, Deacons Road, St Michael, and a 15-year-old student.
They all pleaded not guilty.
They were each charged that yesterday (February 19th), they contravened Paragraph 15 of the Emergency Management (COVID-19) (Curfew) (No.4) Directive 2021
by remaining outdoors in a group exceeding five persons, who were not members of the same household in violation of the directive requiring every person to observe such physical distancing and associated protocols in the interest of public health imposed in the island of Barbados, from February 18th to 28th.
There was no objection to bail, and the men were ordered to return to court on May 20th.
Meantime, a St.Michael man was also granted bail when he appeared in court accused of violating the COVID-19 directives a day earlier.
Marlon Wiltshire, of Robinson Close, St Stephen’s Hill, was released on three thousand dollars bail after denying breaching the latest directives.
He pleaded not guilty to a charge that he on February 18th, on Welchman Hall Road, St Thomas, at 7:35 p.m., breached the Emergency Management (COVID-19) (Curfew) (No. 4) Directive 2021, in place from February 18 to 28, by leaving his house between the 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, and was not an employee or member of an essential service or person that had an emergency.
He is set to reappear before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes on May 20th.
