JPs with Respiratory Symptoms Urged to Avoid Face-to- Face Duties

Custos of St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, is advising Justices of the Peace (JPs) not to conduct duties that require face-to- face interaction if they are experiencing any respiratory symptoms.

“Let us not provide service in those instances,” he urged, adding that persons with symptoms such as cough or fever, must quarantine themselves.

Bishop Pitkin, who was addressing the virtual Annual General Meeting of the Lay Magistrates Association of Jamaica’s (LMAJ) St. James Chapter on October 22, told the members that they must be vigilant in protecting themselves and their families from the coronavirus (COVID – 19).

“I am concerned, especially [for] those persons, who are above 65 years old; we must take extra precautions,” he said.

Bishop Pitkin further encouraged the JPs to each out to members of their communities, who may be experiencing challenges due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19.

“We all have a part to play. We must show compassion and kindness for each other in our phone calls, in our text messages, in our social media presence and of course, in our offers to help where we can,” he noted.

“Let us continue to put our kindness in action while keeping health and safety in mind. Let us also remember that quite a number of areas have been curtailed such as the demand for visiting of lock-ups,” he added.

He noted that due to the COVID-19 protocols, the number of JPs participating in Lay Magistrates Courts has been reduced from three to two.

“What we have done is to have a reserve (JP) in place at all times on the roster, so if one of the sitting JPs cannot attend, we can call on the person, who is on standby and would have already been informed that they could be called to sit on that particular day,” he informed.

The virtual meeting provided an opportunity for the members of the LMAJ to discuss various issues impacting their operations as well as future plans of the organisation.