Government’s office hours shortened
THE partial shutdown initiated to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in this country is also affecting the public service, including the courts of law.
According to Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Dale Marshall, every single ministry has been mandated to come up with a plan, which would see skeleton staff operating from the ministerial offices and departments. He spoke to this in the House of Assembly yesterday as Members of Parliament, who were practising social distancing by sitting in every other
seat, discussed the amendment to the Emergency Management Act.
“During this period for example, we can expect that the courts will be closed, unless you have a matter before the duty judge, or unless the judge wants to conduct a hearing or part of a hearing by Zoom and I encourage that. So the courts will be open to some extent, but it’s obvious that we can’t have the courts functioning as a total enterprise,” he stated.
He went on to say that every ministry has been charged to come up with a plan to ensure selected ministries are staffed by a “skeleton number of individuals”, with the other officers allowed to work from home. He said the idea of working from home and flexitime have been the subject of many conversations in recent years and he hopes that in the aftermath of this COVID-19, they will find a way to take advantage of these things. His comments came as he said that the Ministry of the Public Service is in the process of finalising a work from home programme, to ensure that even though persons will not be required to come to work, they will still be required to work.
Marshall’s comments came as he said that for the next few weeks, several government departments will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., but will not be fully staffed. These include the Attorney General’s Office; the Registrar of the Supreme Court; Director of Public Prosecutions; National Assistance Board; the Child Care Board; all government laboratories; the National Disabilities Unit; the National Insurance Department; the Treasury; the Central Bank; post offices; Civil Aviation Department; Cabinet Office and the Office of the Prime Minister. Additionally, he said the Ministries of the Public Service; Innovation, Science and Smart Technology; Information, Broadcasting and Public Affairs; as well as Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will be operational.
The Legal Affairs Minister added that the following government departments will also remain open during this period – the Commerce Department; the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.; Central Purchasing; the Barbados Meteorological Services; the Barbados Statistical Department; the Barbados Revenue Authority; the Barbados Licensing Authority; the Urban and Rural Development Commissions; the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation; the Barbados Agricultural Management Company Limited; and the Ministry of Agriculture’s plant quarantine services.
All these ministries and departments, he said, will work similar hours with a reduced staffing complement. He said they are all key government entities, that even in a shutdown, are required to work. (JRT)