The female vendor, who was recently captured in a viral video carrying out an unhygienic act outside of the Charles Gordon Market in St James, has been barred from conducting business at the location.

Francine Phillips Kelly, medical officer of health for St James, while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (September 3), said the vendor was found in breach of the food handling regulation.

“No, this vendor will not be able to continue as is, because based on investigations she would have breached our regulation, the food handling regulation, in several areas, so she will not be allowed to continue and actions will be taken accordingly,” Kelly noted.

“She is liable for prosecution based on her breaching of the regulations as stated in our food handling regulations of 1998; because of the breaches that we have found, she is liable for prosecution, and that will be during this week,” the medical officer added.

The vendor was caught on camera urinating in a half-cut plastic container in a parked motor vehicle. She then poured the urine into another plastic bottle before placing it under her apron.

The female vendor is said to operate a stall at the market where she reportedly sells ground provisions.

She has been selling in the market for some 10 years.

Richard Vernon, Mayor of St James, told members of the media on Wednesday that the incident did not occur in the market as the vendor was selling along the roadway.

“She has been a registered vendor for many years and during the COVID period we decided that no vendor would be in the market without a license and that was the last time she renewed her license and decided to sell on the street. Based on the investigation when the license was presented the 2021 date was the last date she has on that license and what we try to do as best as possible is to facilitate the persons there and that is why we ensure that we have the right amenities in the space and that our bathrooms are kept up to par so as to facilitate both vendors and customers utilizing the market space,” he said.

The Mayor said the market have the necessary amenities to facilitate both vendors and customers.

“The Charles Gordon Market has the necessary amenities to facilitate persons, both customers and vendors, in the area who utilize the market. We have bathrooms [that] are in very good condition, and persons can access them. We also have a facility there for vending activities, and persons are asked time again to use them. The vendors and, of course, customers. 

We also have a process through which persons are able to utilize the market area as a vendor. You are to be licensed, and on our safe food programme one of our requirements is to ensure that persons who are licensed to operate not just in the Charles Gordon Market but who ply their trade in street food vending, they must go through the public health verification and be certified and issued with their food handlers permit,” he outlined.

The mayor urged vendors to operate within the confines of Charles Gordon Market.

Acknowledging that a lot of vendors operate outside of the market space, Vernon said the St James Municipal Corporation is in the process of improving the market to facilitate more vendors.

“We are aware of that, and that is why we are in the process of improving the market so that we can facilitate more vendors within the space. Based on have on record now, the number of vendors is approximately 800, and that is what we were looking at in terms of space within the market facility to facilitate them. I can tell you that on the days leading up to the weekend we have less than half that number, but what we have had to deal with—the markets have their challenges, but what we have had to deal with is the repairs and the rehabilitation of sections of the markets to facilitate the full accommodation of these vendors. At the moment we are working on that, but with what we have, we can facilitate the low numbers during the weekdays, but for the higher numbers outside of the weekdays, we try as best as possible to facilitate those persons within the space,” he said.

READ: St James Health Services meets with Montego Bay Mayor following viral video of unhygienic vendor at Charles Gordon Market