The government has extended the state of emergency imposed on the country to contain the spread of coronavirus by three months. The curfew imposed on the country is also extended by 21 days. The state of emergency was supposed to end on April 20, but is now extended for more weeks.
The state of emergency and the associated curfew was announced by Attorney General Levi Peter who said the parliament would implement the “Emergency Powers Amendment Act 2020” to activate the extended curfew. The House of Assembly approved the resolution for the state of emergency and Curfew Order to be extended.
“It means that the current curfew order which expires on the 20th of April extends that by a further 21 days,” Attorney General Peter said. “Everything will remain the same unless there is a further order either revoking it which could happen. So, for example, if the crisis situation becomes less critical, it may be that a decision will be made revoking the curfew and or the state of emergency.”
President Charles Savarin commended the House of Assembly for the extension, saying this is necessary to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Dominica. With state of emergency extended by three months and curfew by 21 days, the government hopes to curb the spread of the pandemic and cure all infected persons.
A few days back, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit warned Dominicans that the curfew would be extended if people would not obey the order for social distancing. He stated that harsher measures would be implemented if people would not stay in their house as commanded or keep away from social gatherings.
“When we tell you stay inside, stay inside,” Skerrit said. “We sent you home to work, you are not working from the streets and if it means we have a complete shutdown of gas stations, supermarkets and banks, we will shut down this country to protect the lives of the citizens of Dominica. If you are not respecting social distancing, we will go to a complete shutdown because we have to pay attention to the guidelines and the advice of the Ministry of Health.”
Head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Superintendent Davidson Valerie, warned all Dominicans to obey the new curfew order since anybody caught flouting it will be severely dealt with according to the law.
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