by Linda Straker
- Shut down period from 3-17 September 2021
- Offices of Courts will continue to remain functional
- Health authorities recently declared there is community spread of Covid-19
All magisterial courts in Grenada will be shutting down for a 2-week period from 3–17 September 2021.
A rare public notice from the Office of the Chief Magistrate announcing the closure did not provide a reason for the closure.
It is believed that the closure is related to Grenada’s ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks that are resulting in several private and public sector workplaces having workers who are diagnosed with or exposed to the virus and need to isolate themselves.
Health authorities recently declared there is community spread of Covid-19 and there are hundreds of local active cases while hundreds more await the results of tests conducted. The positivity rate moved from 3% in mid-August to 11% by end of August.
Announcing that all matters in magistrate courts are adjourned, the notice advises “that new dates for hearing will be communicated to all stakeholders at a later date.”
Although the Courts are closed, the offices of the Courts will continue to remain functional. “Please note that all magistrate’s court offices in all magistrate courts will remain open for all other court-related transactions between the hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday,” the notice said.
One of the main functions of Magistrates’ Court offices is to collect court-ordered child support allowances from fathers and pass them on to mothers.