Officers of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will no longer issue verbal warnings to citizens or individuals that breach the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), having been granted the power to immediately arrest those who violate the law.

The JCF, in a statement Wednesday (April 28), said that recent reforms to the DRMA stipulate police need not advise members of the public before an arrest.

“The public is being advised that as a result of the recent amendments to the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA), the police are no longer required to give warning notices before effecting an arrest for breaches under the DRMA. These persons can be arrested and charged immediately,” the Corporate Communications Unit remarked.

Anticipating the fallout after the confirmation of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Andrew Holness-led Government of Jamaica declared the entire island a “disaster area” under S.26 of the 2015 Disaster Risk Management Act on March 13, 2020.

Between March and November 2020, over 2,000 Jamaicans were arrested for breaches of the DRMA.

Breaches of the DRMA, which are liable to prosecution under section 52(b) of the act, include: not wearing a mask/face covering in public spaces; refusal to maintain physical distancing; flouting curfew orders; disregard for protocols governing funerals and burials; as well as for protocols governing beaches and rivers.