Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 1, 2020 (SKNIS): The regulations put in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, by and large make provisions for the Commissioner of Police to exercise a discretion with respect to any activity in which someone wants to engage. This includes farming and fishing, says Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
The prime minister said this in response to a question asked at the “Leadership Matters” townhall meeting held on March 31. The caller asked what provisions are in place for farmers to attend to their crops and livestock in spite of the 24 hour and 14-day curfew.
“In relation to the farmers and fishers this is an important concern because food security is very important,” said the prime minister. “What we did say on Saturday is that a person who is not specifically covered by any of the sections and who wants to have a waiver, that person would be required to apply to the Commissioner of Police and of course the Commissioner of Police would exercise his discretion in the particular circumstances.”
Prime Minister Harris stated that importantly the regulations are put in place to contain the spread of the virus.
“We are operating in abnormal times and so the same patterns of work, for example, that we have become accustomed to, we cannot continue to do things the same way in a changed world,” he said.
The prime minister stated that patterns of farming will have to undergo changes as persons “have to respect that in normal times certain things, which were advisable, could not in abnormal, turbulent times be acceptable anymore.”
Prime Minister Harris said that he understands that it is difficult for the farmers and fishers and “a special carve out may need to be made for these people.”
“Again, they will have to speak with the Commissioner of Police who will make a determination with respect to any variation in time that is to be granted to that particular category of workers and important groups,” he said.
The Prime Minister has urged sensitivity because “once we continue down the road of making exception after exception, then the elements, which we are attempting to have, the social distancing, the physical distancing, the as it were minimizing of interactions between people outside of their households, all these things could be lost.”
“While we understand and are sensitive to the unique situations of farmers and fishers, we have to again look at the big picture in terms of implications for the country as a whole. The truth is for 14 days all our lives are going to be disoriented in some manner as it is all over the world,” he said.
“We are asking persons to be sensitive to the fact that we are going to have to make changes in the way business is done, in the way we organize ourselves. But we are going to be very sensitive and clearly we are going to be prepared to address unique circumstances that may arise and that is why the regulations SR&O No 9 would make provisions for the Commissioner of Police to exercise a particular discretion.”