By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

FISH Fry at Arawak Cay will go back to late hour service in the New Year as demand picks up.

Rodney Russell, the Arawak Cay Association’s president, told Tribune Business the reason that Arawak Cay vendors are still closing their kitchens early is because they have not re-adjusted to being back to regular hours from the extended curfew periods.

Mr Russell also said: “We have to close the kitchens at 9:30 pm in order to give ourselves time to clean up and give ourselves adequate time to leave Arawak Cay before 12pm.”

With the curfew period being completed, Mr Russell said that some of the vendors at Arawak Cay are still not wanting to stay out after 12 pm.

“There is no more curfew, but our people have become used to the curfew. We’re finding out now that after 9:30-10:00pm it’s dead at Arawak Cay. People are still going home early,” he said.

“We hope that in the New Year and when we curtail this pandemic, we will do much better. But we are still cognizant and aware of this pandemic. We are monitoring all of the health advisories coming to us, we are still advising our people to be careful and wear masks along with social distancing. We are still in the COVID-19 protocols, so if you see some of us closing our kitchens before 10pm it means that some of us want to get home before 12am.”

The virus does not have a time limit and can be active whether it is at 1am or 1pm, but Mr Russell said: “We understand that the virus has no schedule, but I am sure that we are going to stay open, but we will go back into it gradually to see if there is a demand then definitely we will be open, but if not and we see that business is dropping off at 9:30pm we are not staying open,” he said.

Also blaming the low demand on the Christmas holidays, Mr Russell said, “people didn’t have any time for Arawak Cay because they were shopping.” But once the Christmas holidays are over and done with and “people need entertainment,” he expects to see an uptick in demand at Arawak Cay because it is still a place for “people to hang out”.

Despite the recent stabbing death near Arawak Cay, about a quarter mile east towards the Junkanoo Beach area, Mr Russell said: “The police have been doing a fantastic job out on Arawak Cay. We have not had an incident in quite some time.

“I have to thank Inspector Boyd who has been doing a tremendous job in keeping our vendors and our patrons safe.”