‘No curfew, please!’ - Vendors beg gov’t not to implement Melissa lockdown measures

Fearful that the Government could implement sweeping curfews under the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) to coordinate its response to Hurricane Melissa, some Corporate Area vendors are pleading with the authorities not to shut down the country.

Among the measures the DRMA allows are curfews aimed at keeping people safe and reducing exposure to hazardous conditions, but for some, even the idea of a curfew is unthinkable.

At Coronation Market, vendor Shantel Thompson from St Elizabeth is pleading with authorities not to impose restrictions as she fears it could damage her business.

"We can't lock down the market 'cause people want food. That's why mi still out here a try sell," she said on Monday, hours before the arrival of the storm.

"We a hope them nuh declare no state of emergency," pleaded Thompson, who has been selling on and off for about 12 years.

St Elizabeth, often called Jamaica's 'breadbasket parish', has long been the heart of the island's food production, supplying households with tomato, sweet pepper, yam, and melon. Generations of farmers rely on steady trade to sustain the parish's markets and support their families. But with the possibility of a curfew or state of emergency under the DRMA, vendors like Thompson are anxious. For her, restriction on movement could mean enormous losses not only for herself but also for local farmers.

"A Saturday mi buy load because farmers pop off everything and beg wi fi come tek it go sell it 'cause everything a guh mash up," she said, frustration evident in her voice.

Thompson, like other vendors, decided to ride out the storm in the market. She feared that locking away her produce could lead to spoilage, which equates to a financial loss.

"This a $1.5 million worth of goods, and mi nuh add profit to it yet. We can't lock them up inna stall because dem can't tek heat," she added, noting that her produce would spoil if left unsold.

With many vendors sharing her concerns, Thompson fears that a lockdown could set off a chain reaction, sending food prices soaring across the island.

"If we lose, then the farmers them lose, and the whole country ago bawl bout the price of sweet pepper and tomatoes after Melissa," she warned.

"$400 for pound of sweet pepper now, so just imagine if it get scarce. Farmer dem did have to pick the crop because this hurricane come with breeze so either way them woulda lose. We haffi try," she said.

Already, the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) has warned consumers to brace for a price increase of cash crops, which are grown between successive plantings of main crops.

Derron Grant, CEO of the JAS, said cash crops such as green leafy vegetables that were ready for market have been destroyed because of the persistent rainfail.