Government Suspends Prison Visits For Two Weeks

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Minister of Legal Affairs, Public Safety and Labour the Hon. Attorney General Steadroy Cutie Benjamin today met with heads of all departments under his supervision, along with members of the Bar Association to address protocols that will be established over the next two weeks, to limit the further outbreak of Covid-19.

Effective immediately all visits to Her Majesty’s Prison are suspended for a period of two weeks.

The drop off of items such as food and water are also suspended for that period. Additionally, nonessential work groups will not be allowed to leave the compound; the only group which will be permitted to leave the facility and return will be the Prison Farm Gang.

At the High Court, Criminal Assizes will be brought to an end immediately; and civil cases will be adjourned.

Trials already started will continue, and emergency applications will be dealt with. The Magistrates Court will continue to function under a very strict regulatory regime.

The Civil Registry will operate a next day service, where a drop box will be provided for drop offs, while emergency applications will be facilitated.

The Family Court will continue with scheduled appointments.

Security Personnel will be placed at the Land Registry Department allowing only three persons to enter the building at the same time. All Afternoon Applications will be rescheduledfor the next two weeks.

Intellectual Property will also receive security personal, and to limit crowd build up at the office only two to three persons will be allowed to enter.

The Legal Aid and Advice Center will be limiting public contact to one person per session. Scheduled interview sessions will be done via telephone and a drop off box for required documents will be provided.

The Labour Department has suspended all scheduled hearings and inspections for the upcoming two weeks.

All offices will operate from 8am – 12pm to the General Public. The Government Printery hours of operation will be from 8am to 1pm.

The Police Commissioner Mr. Atley Rodney noted that his officers have been provided with the necessary precaution information that are being used by Security forces regionally.

Two officers will participate in a PAHO training that is geared towards ensuring that officers know how to utilize protective gears. Those two officers will in turn deliver the information to the rest of the Antigua and Barbuda Police Force.

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Additional the most vulnerable the ones in the high percentage of risk to die from the disease.
    No real plan look at this list….
    1 Fiennes Institute.
    2 The Mount St John Hospital
    3 Clare View
    4 Boys Training school
    5 Girls Home
    6 Immigration Detention Center
    7 Nursing Homes
    By the way any consideration to closing the source of possible transmission all ports except to citizens.

    Why close down the country that has no home grown virus transfer and leave the door open so the virus can come in? hmmmm think think think

    What are the hot spot in Jamaica and Domincan Republic band those also…. common sense and proactiveness

    • Yes 100% agree with you Mel .. we can depend on you for some common sense. I have said this a million times in different ways …Indeed.. Why close down the country that has no home grown virus transfer and leave the door open so the virus can come in? Esp from the some of the ” HOT SPOTS” they say they trying to avoid but leaving it for other hot spots USA and UK rising more then SOME of the ones being banded

      • EXACTLY!!!!

        WAKE UP!!!

        First world countries (with excellent resources) that have Covid-19 are now trying their best to isolate/control borders to restrict movement and contain. The reason this is of such epic proportion is due to the fact there is currently no cure, and it spreads rapidly amongst people who are not even aware that they are carrying it!

        To add to this, research does not yet confirm that if you have it once, you become immune to it. This means it is a continually growing virus, which can re-affect/re-infect people, and once again make them ‘super carriers’.

        Common sense would have been to shut down borders to all but essential people. Natives returning (with quarantine facilities), commercial shipping/airline crew etc…

        No tourist wants to be stranded away from home on an island with less than decent resources, and poor sanitation if they are infected.

        Likewise, we don’t have the economic resources to look after a high percentage of vulnerable people if they were to be infected.

        We’re a small island, which means it’s easy to stop something that has not yet arrived (in full), but hard to stop the spread of it once it’s truly among us!

  2. Shouldn’t the people in this picture be sitting 6 feet apart? They don’t follow their own rules????

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