BEGINS

NEWS RELEASE

RE-OPENING OF OLD AIRPORT ROAD MAGISTRATE’S COURT

The Judiciary of the Turks and Caicos Islands will formally relocate the Magistrate’s Court, now housed in the Supreme Court Building, to the court building on Old Airport Road, Providenciales on July 6, 2020.

The Judiciary has undertaken an extensive renovation of the said court building: the floor plan of the building has been fundamentally changed to make it fit to purpose. The public waiting area was extended and fitted with air conditioning, we introduced a new registry area and made the offices for staff more spacious and responsive to health recommendations in these Covid times.

The renovation follows complaints of poor air quality and mould infestation. This extensive renovation, which has now been completed, addresses the past concerns of mould infestation. Internal and external renovations have now eradicated any potential mould issues.

The current concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic have also been addressed: High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters will be installed in the building to purify circulating air; plexi-glass shields are being installed in the building to protect in-person court users; and strict sanitization measures will continue to be observed daily. We will also be monitoring the temperature of court users.

The current Practice Direction on using the courts during these extraordinary times remains in place. The Judiciary requires, in line with Government directives, that masks be worn to access the court building and in the court room. Hands will be sanitized at the entrance to the court building. 

Security measures have also been put in place both inside and outside the court building.

The Judiciary assures the general public and staff that the renovated court building has passed inspection by the Environmental Health Department.

The inspection report dated 25/06/2020 states:

“…The Environmental Health Department team were extremely pleased to see that efforts have been made to conduct extensive renovations of the entire Court House. The odor, presence of mold/causes of mould and signs of leaking that existed during past inspections are no longer present. EHD is satisfied with the renovations done to the building in order to make it a safe working environment…”

The Chief Justice

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