ANTILLA MARTINIQUE | Avec vous depuis 1981

Chastanet: Saint Lucia Will Not Automatically Be Reopened When Shutdown Expires

April 17, 2020 34

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has declared that Saint Lucia will not automatically be reopened when the current partial shutdown expires.

“I also take this opportunity to remind the nation, that although the current partial shutdown is due to expire on April 26th, 2020, this does not mean that the country will automatically be reopened,” Chastanet wrote Thursday on his official Facebook page.

“Whilst we are hoping to announce a Phased Reopening after this date, there are still several other factors which we must take into consideration before this is done,” the Prime Minister explained.

“One of these will obviously be, whether any new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded on island, as well as the advice and recommendations given by the Chief Medical Officer and officials from the Ministry of Health,” he stated.

“I understand that many of you are restless, however we must also understand that we have to be patient given that these are not normal times,” Chastanet asserted.

“We definitely do not want a situation where we reopen the country, then become forced to shutdown once again due to a reemergence of COVID-19 infections,” the PM observed.

“Let us continue to practice social distancing, frequent sanitation and remaining home when we feel sick. The more we continue to follow these protocols, the sooner we will be able to get back to some form of normalcy,” he explained.

Chastanet urged citizens to familiarize themselves with Statutory Instrument #56 of 2020, which governs the current partial shutdown.

“Please take some time to familiarize yourself with this order to ensure that you do not violate any of it’s contents,” he encouraged