The Public Health Ordinance Bill was passed with amendments in the House of Representatives on Friday afternoon, effectively making the wearing of masks mandatory.

As he piloted the Bill on Friday, Attorney General Faris Al Rawi explained that in the first instance, a person found without a mask will be required to pay a fine of $1000, while a $2000 fine will be imposed on second offenders and $5000 for third offenders.

“After that, you are looking instead, to the arrestable offences,” AG Al Rawi said. 

Friday’s Bill represents a shift in government’s response to the virus, having depended on moral suasion from citizens. 

Making his maiden contribution as MP for Barataria/San Juan, Saddam Hosein questioned the shift. “Why now?” he asked, recounting the Prime Minister’s earlier statement that the responsibility rested on the shoulders of citizens.

Making his contribution later in the debate, MP for St. Joseph and Health Minister, Terrence Deyalsingh, chided that just as the Opposition recanted on its position that “sunlight will kill COVID,” government, too, had changed its position having gained further experience in responding to the virus.

While the majority of Friday’s debate focused on the mask component, as the AG emphasized, the Bill was not only drafted to deal with the wearing of masks. 

The Bill seeks to introduce a fixed penalty system for offences committed under the legislation, including an increase in the maximum penalty for breaches of regulations $50,000 to $250,000. 

Having passed at the House of Representative, the Bill will now go to the Senate for further debate on Saturday morning.