Amid ‘chronic disregard’ for traffic tickets, concerns are being raised at new fines associated with violations of Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA)

Following the approval of a new ticketing system to fine citizens who breach restrictions aimed at tackling the spread of COVID-19 in Jamaica, State Minister in the Ministry of Information Robert Nesta Morgan is scoffing at questions around whether the general public will comply.

Morgan, addressing a post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House today (March 24), argued that the fines, though necessary as Jamaica struggles to contain a spike in cases, should not be seen as a “punitive” measure.

He was commenting after being asked whether the Government should be concerned about how effective ticketing will be in ensuring compliance, particularly given the perceived high level of disregard for traffic tickets by motorists.

“I don’t know if I would say the current ticketing system has an issue with compliance. I think the challenge we have with the current ticketing system is the speed at which the government is able, as we reform the system, to hold motorists accountable for their infractions,” said Morgan.

He added: “This is a new system, it gives us an opportunity, based on the experiences we’ve had with the police ticketing system, to recognise what are the risks.”

The junior information minister did not indicate what risks he was referring to, but instead stressed that Jamaicans must appreciate by now that the country is in crisis.

“[We] need to recognise that this is a crisis and the Government was trying to put in place measures to cauterise the crisis, to save lives. We would prefer not to ticket anyone and you would have heard [in] Parliament yesterday, the discussions about the fines and the changes we’re making to the DRMA—it is not aimed at being punitive,” he argued.

“Because the reality of it is that we do not want to send anyone to jail; we do not want to ticket anyone but we have to save lives. Our hospitals are being overwhelmed.”

He added: “So the question I would like to answer is ‘How can we get more citizens to wear masks? How can we get more citizens to recognise the crisis that we’re having in the health sector?’. Not necessarily whether the ticketing will be compromised because we should not be here after one year of continually appealing to Jamaicans; continually having press conferences and so on—encouraging people to be safe, encouraging them to sanitise, keep a distance [from others], wash their hands and wear their masks.”

Amendments to the DRMA were passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday evening after intense debate spurred by opposition concern that the prime minister was being given unfettered power to create new criminal offences.

Listed as a tiered system, and ranging between $5,000 and $500,000, amendments propose 40 new offences with varying fines for breaches of the COVID-19 prevention orders.