Since the declaration of a state of emergency and curfew restrictions to limit further spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Trinidad and Tobago, authorities say they have made 75 arrests.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), in a statement on Wednesday (May 19), said its officers made 50 arrests for breach of the 9:00 pm to 5:00 am nightly curfew during the state of emergency on Tuesday.

It is the third consecutive day of increase in arrests, as the TTPS noted 19 were made just the day prior, and six on Sunday when the new measures took immediate effect.

At a virtual press briefing on Monday, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said it was anticipated that persons will try to adopt a technical interpretation of the law.

He, however, called on the public to act responsibly as ‘smartmanism’ cannot serve the best interest of Trinidad and Tobago in good stead.

“This is a state of emergency with a difference, it was [called] to fight an invisible enemy of the state. Our [current] mission is to ensure that we use operational policies to minimise the previous easy access of citizens travelling, moving about and converging,” Griffith began.

Commissioner Griffith further argued that while some constitutional liberties will be infringed, the curfew intends to limit mass movement to fight the worrying rise in COVID-19 cases—declaring the virus the twin-island republic’s “invisible enemy”.

“I am asking the public to understand the concept of this state of emergency; what I’ve seen so far, many people do not,” he added.

Griffith said based on the large volume of requests for curfew passes, he is wary that the intent of the curfew restrictions is lost on many.

“It seems that they feel it’s business as usual and if we continue to do that it is going to defeat the purpose [of the measure],” the commissioner contended.

The TTPS head, in the virtual presentation, added that his office has received over 360,000 applications for curfew passes, amounting to around a quarter of the entire Trinbagonian adult population.

Griffith indicated that after reviewing 8,000 additional letters, he has approved curfew passes for 10,000 persons so far.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley declared a state of emergency last Saturday to tackle the ballooning coronavirus caseload in Trinidad. It the first time in a decade since an SOE has been announced in the twin-island republic, with previous instances in 1990 and 2011.

According to the latest health ministry data, Trinidad and Tobago confirmed 601 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s total to 17,150. Of that number, the CARICOM member state is managing 6,318 active cases.

• See related article: Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency as COVID-19 outbreak spirals

Some 10,515 persons have made a full recovery from the respiratory illness, while another 317 have died due to COVID-related complications.

The TTPS has also been hit hard by the new wave of COVID infections in Trinidad, with some 779 officers and 21 civilian staff in quarantine, as at Monday, May 18.

A total of 136 TTPS officers have tested positive for the coronavirus, while 2,491 officers, as well as 67 civilian staff, have returned to work following the completion of quarantine protocol.