The placard-bearing vendors mounted a roadblock claiming that they are being sabotaged by the health department.
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Lorraine and Ivylyn, vendors at Boston Jerk Centre, and Athlee Cleary, Councillor for the Fairy Hill Division in Portland
By Kimone Witter
Vendors at the popular Boston Jerk Centre in Portland have been feeling the pinch from the over one month closure of the facility.
They staged a protest outside the centre on Friday to call for the Public Health Department to meet with them so any outstanding issue can be addressed.
The frustrated vendors say they are facing severe financial hardship since the facility was ordered closed on September 6 after health inspectors found significant breaches.
Speaking Thursday at the monthly meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation, Chief Medical Officer of Health in Portland, Dr. Sharon Lewis said the unsanitary conditions still persist at the facility and as such it would remain closed.
The placard-bearing vendors mounted a roadblock claiming that they are being sabotaged by the health department.
They told Radio Jamaica News that a meeting scheduled for Thursday with representatives of the Portland Health Department did not materialise.
Lorraine, a vendor at the centre, claimed the issues identified were minor and have been remedied.
Ivylyn, another vendor, said the announcement of the extended closure took them by surprise.
Athlee Cleary, Councillor for the Fairy Hill Division in Portland, said during a meeting with Chief Public Health Inspector Lorenzo Hume on Thursday, he proposed that those vendors whose food stalls have met the requirements be allowed to operate.
Mr. Cleary, who was at Friday's protest to give support to the vendors, said the Boston community is suffering economically as a result of the jerk centre's closure.
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