So far I have found only one government website that has posted a copy of any of the gazetted orders issued by the Government of Jamaica in the past month to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. I believe that this is unacceptable, when these orders are the legal documents setting out the many measures that have been implemented to deal with the serious public health threat posed by this new virus. Although details of the measures have been publicised in different ways by the government, the gazetted orders ought to be clearly posted online as soon as they have been Gazetted. I do not understand why this is not being done, despite the need having been pointed out to members of the Government for weeks.
In Parliament after 7 o’clock tonight (April 15, 2020), Prime Minister Holness stated that the order he broadcast yesterday, implementing a lockdown of the parish of St Catherine, has not yet been gazetted. He says that he is presenting the order in Parliament to allow for discussion and possible amendment before gazetting. (Once I obtain a gazetted copy of the order, I will share it.)
In the meantime, I am posting copies of all but one of the Gazetted orders made between March 16, 2020 and April 8, 2020 here on my blog and I thank the Twitter follower who shared them with me. (One caution. I think that these are all of the orders, but I am not absolutely sure, as there is nowhere on any government website that a list or copies of the orders has been posted. Not a good situation for the public.)
The gazetted orders are posted below in chronological order.
March 16, 2020
The Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) Order – March 16, 2020
March 24, 2020
Disaster Risk Management Act (Enforcement Measures) (no. 2) Order, 2020 March 24 2020
March 25, 2020
The Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) (No. 2) (Amendment) Order, 2020 – March 25 2020
March 31, 2020
April 1, 2020
April 8, 2020
Disaster Risk Management (Enforcement Measures) (No. 3) Order 2020
The April 8, 2020 order is the only one of the gazetted orders that I have found on a government website. It is on the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Covid-19 page on the Ministry’s website.
The Trade (Sale of Goods During Period of Declaration of Disaster Area) Order, 2020 – March 31, 2020
The Trade (Sale of Goods During Period of Declaration of Disaster Area) Order, 2020
This order came into effect on March 31, 2020, but I do not have a gazetted copy of it. This copy is posted on Parliament’s website, along with other non-gazetted copies of some of the other orders.
Related Documents
The Disaster Risk Management Act, 2015
Horace Levy’s Letter to the Editor, Jamaica Observer, April 15, 2020 – Beware rule by edict!
April 16, 2020 at 3:11 am
Great service! Have you had any responses from GOJ about the poor publicity of and real public access to Gazetted items? Worth adding that you include the Levy letter; a good read.
LikeLiked by 1 person