So, now that the State of Emergency's extension is basically a done deal, the press asked Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte about how strict, or how permissive the accompanying regulations will be.
After the Senate Meeting, he told us that there will be a day-to-day assessment and that there will be a tendency to err on the side of caution.
Here's how he explained why:
Hon. Michael Peyrefitte - Attorney General
"It is the measure of the National Oversight Committee, in conjunction with the Task Force. They will tell us what to draft, based on their deliberation. So, we're in the process of doing that. Cabinet will have some input as well, and by this evening, we should have a clear idea of where we're going with the regulations themselves. And it's not the length of the National Emergency per se. The regulations are what is most important to consider."
Reporter
"So, realistically, do we expect to see some businesses reopen once these regulations have been approved?"
Hon. Michael Peyrefitte
"Yes, I can tell you that there are a couple more things that will open up, but I don't want to preempt the task-force on what we're doing. But, I think that's the direction where we're heading. I'd indicated last week that if the trend were to continue no case, and we're doing fairly well, then we can allow ourselves to open up more businesses, while at the same time, though, maintaining social distancing protocols and the like."
"It's a day by day analysis, sometimes hour by hour analysis of where we are. That determines how we go forward. So, anybody who tells you that we know where we will be next week, they don't know what they're talking about because we don't know. And the regulations could change as we go along. They could get more strict. They could become less strict, depending on where we are. And where we are, nobody can predict from day-to-day."
"What people don't understand is that the more restrictive we act now, the better the chances that we are freed up in the near future. The more loose and careless we are, the less likely we'll come out of this thing any time soon."
Email
Print