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BRA advises early land tax payment

Barry Alleyne
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BRA advises early land tax payment

Barbadian property owners are being encouraged to pay their land tax bills as early as possible to take advantage of discounts offered by the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA) for the 2026-2027 billing period.

The Authority has officially issued property valuation notices and land tax bills, both dated July 15, with taxpayers now able to access the documents online through the Authority’s Land Tax Portal. Physical bills are also expected to arrive by post in the coming days.

Senior manager of Headquarters Services, Carolyn Williams-Gayle, on Friday said BRA was continuing to modernise its services by providing secure digital options that allow property owners to manage their tax obligations from anywhere in the world.

“The Land Tax Portal is designed to put convenience and control in the hands of property owners. Whether in Barbados or abroad, taxpayers can securely manage their land tax obligations without the need to visit a physical office,” she said.

Williams-Gayle urged landowners not to wait until the payment deadline, noting that the earliest payments qualify for the highest discounts. She added that taxpayers who choose to pay online could benefit from extended discount incentives available during the current tax period.

She also encouraged property owners to carefully review their property valuation notices and raise any concerns promptly.

“We urge taxpayers to review their valuation notices and act early if clarification or adjustments may be required. Early engagement allows us to provide faster support,” Williams-Gayle said.

Taxpayers can also view real-time account balances and outstanding arrears, apply for Land Tax Clearance Certificates once property taxes have been fully paid, and submit applications electronically for a number of rebate programmes.

These include rebates for agricultural properties, hotels and villas, as well as pensioners. It was also noted that pensioners who qualified for and received a rebate during the previous billing period, and who continue to meet the eligibility requirements, would automatically have the concession applied to their current land tax bill. (BA/PR)

Two confirmed dead as search and rescue operations continue

Nationnews Desk
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Two confirmed dead as search and rescue operations continue

The Guyana government Sunday night confirmed that the bodies of two people had been found and the search and rescue operations continue for at least 70 other people still missing and feared dead after the ferry MV Barima capsized on  Saturday night as it made its way from Georgetown to  Port Kaituma, a small village within the Barima-Waini  administrative region of the country.

“To the families that are out there who are wondering about their loved ones, we are doing everything that is humanly possible to find them,” Public Works Minister Juan Edghill told a news conference as the government announced that it had launched an investigation into the mishap.

“Since we have this compromised position of the manifest not being a true reflection of the occupants on board, we are kindly asking members of the public, family members, who you are aware had relatives or persons who would have journeyed, please engage us so we’ll be able to have a good grasp of who we are looking for so we’ll be able to know how we are managing the situation,”  Edghill told reporters.

“We only have, as of six o’clock, coming out of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, two persons confirmed dead. One that was discovered early in the day and as we were wrapping up, before dark, we had 15 boats deployed to check the near bush, as they call it in common language, the mangroves along the shoreline.”

He said the other person found dead is a woman this  evening. “So we only have two persons confirmed dead at this time. The search and rescue operation continues”.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips told the news conference that President Irfaan Ali, who had travelled to Canada last Thursday is returning home on Sunday night and that the search and  and rescue efforts have remained continuous from that moment the distress alert was received at around 11.pm (local time) on Saturday night.

But he said “as rescue efforts progress today, authorities discovered that a number of individuals who were rescued were not listed on the vessel’s official manifest.

“Additionally, two rescued crew members tested positive for cannabis during medical examinations conducted by the health care personnel,” he said, adding “and you would agree with me that these are deeply concerning and shocking developments.

“Accordingly, the government has ordered an urgent and comprehensive investigation involving members of the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Defence Force, the Maritime Administration Department, and other technical maritime experts will comprise this team,” he said, adding that the “investigation will examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this tragedy, including the accuracy of the passenger manifest, the loading of passengers and cargo, the compliance with maritime safety regulations, and the conduct of the captain and crew before and during the voyage.

“Let me be absolutely clear. Where negligence, misconduct, or criminal wrongdoing is established, those responsible will face the full force of the law. There will be no exemptions and no tolerance for actions that place innocent lives at risk,” Phillips said.

He said that the authorities are also releasing the vessel’s manifest, together with the names of those who have been rescued and the names of those who have still been unaccounted for ”and still deemed as missing, based on the information currently available.

“These lists will continue to be updated as verification efforts progress. On behalf of the government of Guyana, I extend our deepest condolences to the families who have suffered unimaginable difficulties and loss, and I assure every affected family that this government, our government, will continue to stand with you throughout this difficult period.

“Search and rescue operations remain ongoing. Every available resource continues to be deployed, and we will spare no effort until every possible avenue has been exhausted,”  Prime Minister Phillips added.

Hospital officials said that of the 67 persons rescued so far, 50 had been sent to the Charity Hospital, where they were triaged, and during that process, “we were able to identify at least four persons who need further care”.

They said  in addition to the 50 persons, 17 others were brought to the Lima Hospital by some of the small boats that were on the rescue operation and that there had been “a full complement of professional staff that was available throughout the day and we’ll continue once that is necessary tomorrow and the day after and so forth”.

One of those rescued told reporters that he was in a hammock resting  when he heard a loud noise and saw water rushing in as the ferry tilted and started to sink. He said it was chaotic as he and others held on to anything that was floating to survive.

Another survivor, Devon Gaskin, in an interview with online publication, News Room, recalled being forced to plunge out of the sinking boat as the rough waters rushed in. He said he was forced to hold on to a floating large gas bottle to survive. The man said while the tragedy took place before midnight on Saturday, the first sight of a rescue team was just after 5 o’ clock on Sunday morning. He said he was fearful of losing his life.

Eve Jerome, who was travelling  to  Mabaruma in Region One aboard the MV Barima, said while  she has survived, her two children, Alliya Gonsalves, 12, and Jerome Jacobs, 3, remain missing.

The  woman said that her husband is blind and that the family survives on public assistance and that she was  travelling with her children to Region One when tragedy struck at around 9:00 p.m.

According to Jerome, both children were holding onto her hands as the vessel began taking in water, but the strong waves tore them away from her grasp.

“People started raising alarms that water was entering the boat, but the captain kept telling us that everything was normal,” she said, crying ” my babies are gone and left me. I feel they are dead. Divers are searching, and I keep praying for my children. This is the hardest thing I have ever faced”.

Edghill said that the Guyana Coast Guard continues to be the principal partner in the search and rescue operations and ”I’m advised that there are offers from international regional partners to lend assistance during the course of tonight and tomorrow morning to continue with scoping the area.

“As of six o’clock this afternoon, private sector partners were out there scanning the areas because we want to locate the vessel. So all of the available technology for scanning, looking for life, everything is being deployed as well as divers deployed.

“So we want to make it very, very clear. As a government, all day we had one thing on our minds, rescuing people. And I said earlier, we were treating this as if I was out there, what I wanted people to do for me, that is what I was doing for those families and we will continue to do that because life is important.”

But he said he was disappointed and hurt that “despite an official manifest was given to us, persons who were rescued were not manifested, that is a criminal action.

“I see that as criminal. Maybe other people have more decorative words to use, but as the minister responsible and we are taking action in that regard, because life is important and nobody for the want of a few extra dollars can cheat a system or do whatever mischief you want and it has compromised the entire search and rescue operation because we are looking for a 133 people.”

He said the manifest had 116 passengers and17 crew, adding “we don’t really know the real number right now”  adding “and then worse yet… we have conducted random testing for alcohol as well as for drugs.

“This is routine because we have a zero tolerance for members of the crew drinking or smoking while at work and for us to have positive tests from the captain. I can understand a sailor, but not a captain. This is serious. People’s lives are at risk and those matters will be dealt with,”  Edghill  added.

Meanwhile,  the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in a statement said  it “is deeply saddened by the capsizing of the passenger ferry, MV Barima”  and that it “continues to closely follow the ongoing search and rescue operation to account for the passengers and crew.

“We extend our prayers and support to the families anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones. CARICOM pays tribute to the courage, dedication and selfless efforts of the rescue teams and all who are responding in the aftermath of the incident, led by relevant arms of the Government of Guyana, and including private vessel operators, who mobilized overnight in challenging conditions to save lives.

“CARICOM stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Guyana, in particular, the families and communities that are being impacted by this unfolding disaster. “

Similar sentiments have come from the European Union and the United States. (CMC)

BAMP: Take that back, Santia

Barry Alleyne
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BAMP: Take that back, Santia

The Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP) is calling on Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw to withdraw comments that a “medical mafia” could influence access to transplant surgery at the state-run Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

In a strongly-worded statement issued yesterday, president Dr Lynda Williams said BAMP was “concerned” by the remarks made by Bradshaw during last Tuesday’s debate in the House of Assembly on the Human Tissue Transplant Bill, 2026.

She charged that the comments unfairly tarnished the reputation of Barbados’ medical fraternity and risked undermining public confidence in the health care system.

Disappointed

BAMP said it had listened carefully to the Deputy Prime Minister’s contribution to the debate, but was disappointed that instead of encouraging doctors to uphold the strict ethical standards and safeguards built into the proposed legislation, she chose instead to raise concerns about a potential “medical mafia” creating bottlenecks in determining eligibility for transplant surgery.

Bradshaw had said that patients repeatedly complained of being able to secure surgery more quickly at the QEH if they first consulted a doctor privately.

“I’ve heard it from the time I was a child, so this is nothing of recent vintage. I’ve heard it over and over and I think we are still grappling with this issue that you will be told in a hospital that if you go through the doctor privately, that you are going to be able to fast-track getting your surgery done, rather than having to wait to get it done through the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

“I welcome this legislation, but I pray and I hope for the people who are depending on this legislation to make the change, that we do not find ourselves in a situation where while we experiment to get to the point where we can do many of these surgeries that fall under the classification of transplantation, that we do not create another bottleneck for people who are suffering, whereby almost a medical mafia determines that if you come privately, you may be able to get fast-tracked through the system,” she told parliamentary colleagues.

Williams said Bradshaw’s characterisation bore no resemblance to the realities faced daily by medical professionals working in Barbados’ public health sector.

The BAMP president argued that the longstanding arrangement allowing consultants to divide their time between public service and private practice was created by successive Governments, adding that public sector salaries alone did not adequately compensate highly-trained specialists.

Permitted

According to her, consultants are contracted to provide a minimum number of hours to the public health service while being permitted to supplement their earnings through private practice. However, she maintained that many doctors routinely exceeded their contractual obligations, often working well beyond their required hours in the interest of patient care.

Williams pointed out that surgeons were contractually permitted to perform private procedures at the QEH, a practice that not only benefited patients but also generated additional revenue for the country’s primary health care institution.

She stressed that doctors, nurses and allied health professionals should not be blamed for systemic failures within the health care system.

“BAMP, therefore, seeks to put an end to the misconception that doctors, nurses and other medical staff are responsible for the systemic delays in accessing public surgery,” Williams said.

Countering suggestions that public patients were pushed aside, she disclosed that 92 per cent of all surgeries carried out at the QEH during the past year were public cases. She said that statistic alone should dispel any notion that surgeons were deliberately delaying treatment for financial gain.

Instead, the family doctor argued that the persistent delays experienced by many patients stemmed from long-standing institutional challenges at the hospital rather than any deliberate actions by doctors or other frontline medical staff.

She cited chronic shortages of personnel and medical supplies, ageing infrastructure, environmental concerns, administrative inefficiencies and equipment failures as the primary causes of surgical delays.

Williams said surgeons themselves frequently become frustrated when elective surgery lists are cancelled because of circumstances entirely outside their control.

Those cancellations, she added, often forced patients to wait for new surgical dates, with no guarantee that further disruptions will not occur, prolonging already difficult waits.

The doctor expressed concern about the timing of Bradshaw’s remarks, as Barbados was preparing to launch a national transplant programme that will play a critical role in treating patients suffering from kidney failure.

Warned

“The programme represents an important step in addressing the country’s growing burden of non-communicable diseases, many of which have contributed to rising demand for kidney dialysis. Public confidence in the integrity of transplant services is essential,” the BAMP chief said.

She also warned that any suggestion that transplant eligibility could be manipulated by doctors for personal financial benefit risked discouraging potential donors and recipients, while undermining trust in a programme designed to save lives.

“It is disappointing that a senior politician would choose to sow doubt among those considering kidney transplants and infer that priority might not be given to those who need transplantation the most,” Williams said.

She stressed that the Human Tissue Transplant Bill, 2026,

which was passed in the House, contained numerous safeguards intended to ensure fairness, transparency and ethical decisionmaking throughout the transplant process.

Williams said public officials should be reinforcing confidence in those safeguards and supporting health care workers tasked with implementing the legislation.

She added that BAMP members remained committed to delivering ethical, patient-centred care, and pledged to continue working with health authorities to improve surgical services while defending the professionalism and integrity of the medical community. ( BA)

Trump says US strikes hit Iran in ‘honour’ of American soldiers killed

Nationnews Desk
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Trump says US strikes hit Iran in ‘honour’ of American soldiers killed

President Donald Trump says the latest strikes by the US hit Iran “very hard”, adding that the attacks were “in honour” of three US soldiers killed in recent days – two in Jordan, one in Iraq.

In the early hours of Monday local time, US Central Command (Centcom) said it had launched a “new wave” of strikes for the ninth consecutive night as explosions were heard across Iran.

The US said it had targeted military sites and communications networks to “further diminish” Tehran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said it had responded with a “surprise attack” in Syria and targeted US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport.

Elsewhere in the region, Kuwait’s armed forces said they had intercepted Iranian drones.

On the US strikes, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several cities had been hit including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.

There were also Iranian state media reports that two oil tankers had exploded as the vessels tried to cross the strait.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the tankers were going through what it called an “unsafe and hazardous southern route” of the strait and “exploded and were brought to a halt”. Centcom disputed the claims.

The IRGC added that the strait “will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas” as long as the US strikes continue and that it will respond with a “punitive operation”.

Over the weekend, the US confirmed that a service member had been killed after an Iranian attack in northern Iraq on Saturday.

That news came after the US said a separate attack on a base in Jordan on Friday had killed two soldiers there. The two have now been identified by the Pentagon as Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25.

A third serviceperson was declared missing after the attack in Jordan, and US officials say “unidentified remains” have been found during the search process.

As the strikes continued over the weekend between the US and Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US “always remains open to a diplomatic solution”.

He also said “the world has to decide whether or not it’s going to allow an international waterway to be under the control” of Iran, saying Tehran was using the crucial shipping route as leverage.

His comments come as a preliminary deal made in mid-June to stop fighting has unravelled, with negotiations for a permanent peace making little progress after Trump declared the agreement was “over” on 8 July. (BBC News)

Fees fuel bank profits

Shawn Cumberbatch
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Fees fuel bank profits

Commercial banks are consistently making a large share of their profits from fees, including $152.6 million collected in 2025 from what they charged Barbadians.

After the commissions the banks themselves paid out, that fee income was $138.1 million.

These financial institutions are also receiving an income boost from millions of dollars in service charges paid by households and other depositors, which amounted to $367.9 million over the past decade.

Over the same ten years, the banks paid depositors $87.2 million in interest, leaving a net transfer from depositors to banks of $280.7 million.

Meanwhile, the interest they are paying on the billions of dollars customers have on deposit, which totalled $12.98 billion at the end of last year, has fallen sharply. Interest paid on savings deposits alone fell by $96.3 million between 2014 and 2025.

This is revealed in an aggregate income statement and balance sheet return of the commercial banking sector.

There are six commercial banks operating in Barbados – CIBC Caribbean Bank (Barbados) Ltd, First Citizens Bank (Barbados) Ltd, RBC Royal Bank (Barbados) Ltd, Republic Bank (Barbados) Ltd and Scotiabank (Barbados) Ltd, and Sagicor Bank (Barbados) Ltd which started in 2023.

The latest data shows that the combined $216 million pre-tax profit they earned in 2025, up from 2024’s $202.8 million, was significantly boosted by fees paid by customers.

According to the information, commercial banks’ fee and commission income of $152.6 million represented 20.3 per cent of operating income in 2025. Further, when commissions paid were excluded, fee income of $138.1 million equalled 64 per cent of the sector’s pre-tax profit last year.

Recent escalation in fees

The data also showed that fee income plus foreign exchange dealing was $238.9 million, thereby exceeding the pre-tax earnings.

Based on the commercial banks’ reported performance, fees have remained between 18 and 23 per cent of their operating income since 2012 and were slightly lower in 2025, $152.6 million, than in 2024 – $153.2 million.

There was, therefore, no indication of a recent escalation in fees, but the data confirmed persistently high earnings from this income category.

The combined commercial bank financials also illustrate how they are earning significantly more from holding deposits than their customers are in interest on savings.

Interest expense fell from 31.9 per cent of interest income in 2012 to 2.2 per cent in 2025, with net interest income sustained by the falling cost of deposits rather than by growth in lending income. Fee income was additional to this.

The combined income statement and balance sheet of the commercial banks indicates that until 2015, banks paid depositors far more in interest than they collected in deposit service charges.

The cumulative net transfer from depositors to banks over the ten-year period ending last year, based on the financials is $280.7 million. In 2025 alone depositors paid $26.5 million more than they received.

This trend has been in train since 2016, dating back to a change in the minimum deposit rate regime a year earlier.

The Central Bank set a minimum rate of interest payable on savings deposits for decades, standing at 2.5 per cent from 2009.

The Official Gazette published a notice on April 7, 2015 announcing that, effective April 21 that year, the Central Bank would no longer stipulate that minimum, with each institution free to set its own rate on one month’s notice to customers. Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago had adopted a similar deregulation policy previously.

The financial data showed a major change in interest paid on savings deposits after the minimum savings rate ended.

Interest paid was $99.2 million in 2014, the last full year of the minimum savings rate, $17.8 million in 2016, the first full year without it, and $2.9 million in 2025, a fall of 97 per cent. The aggregate financial information also shows that deposit service charges rose over the same period during a period when transferable deposits grew from $7.41 billion in 2014 to $12.52 billion in 2025.

Other information from the aggregate income statement and balance sheet returns of the commercial banking sector included that dealing profits, which are almost entirely foreign exchange, were $86.3 million.

In addition, operating expenses were 69.2 per cent of operating income, pre-tax return on assets was 1.36 per cent, against 1.88 per cent in 2023, while total assets stood at $15.93 billion when 2025 concluded. (SC)

Guilty of assaulting girl, 12

Nationnews Desk
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Guilty of assaulting girl, 12

Christopher O’Brien Harris, of Thornbury Hill and Lower Carter’s Gap, Christ Church, has been convicted of indecently assaulting a 12-year-old girl four years ago.

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Stanley’s Rhythm wins big

Sherrylyn Clarke
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Stanley’s Rhythm wins big

Five years after his first foray as a bandleader, Neil Stanley has won the prestigious Robert Weekes Award for Best Festival Designer (Junior Kadooment).

His presentation, Rhythm Of A People in the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust and AffinityPlus Junior Kadooment, was a striking combination of costume, colour and music depicting the various cultures reflected in Barbadian society.

“Oh my, I am truly, truly, truly excited because for me it is a testament of hard work being paid off. This is our fifth year of participation and it is a tremendous honour because it recognises the creative vision behind the presentation,” Stanley told the DAILY NATION via telephone, adding his goal is to tell stories through costume design and celebrate culture.

A Barbadian by residence, Stanley started in costume design in his native Trinidad and Tobago. His Royalty Junior Kadooment Band comprised six sections.

“Each section represented a distinctive musical or cultural influence. We had the African traditions and ballet, the jazz, steel pan, soca, dancehall, chutney, praise and worship, and Chinese heritage and together they formed one vibrant presentation that celebrated unity through diversity.”

In addition to Best Junior Band, they were first in Historical and Topical, won Most Colourful and were second in Folklore. Their king topped the category and the queen was second. They took one second and two third places among the couples and were third in the Junior Flagperson category.

Stanley said they did a lot of research to ensure everything blended well. Complementary music was chosen and the children practised the choreography so it all came together on the stage last Saturday. There were 130 revellers, ranging from age four to 17.

Stanley now turns his attention to helping a few individuals and Grand Kadooment bands but has no plans of moving to the big jump at this time.

Pinelands Creative Workshop, under the leadership of Shelly Durant-Forde also did well in the private bands category.

Meanwhile, Shirley Chisholm Primary School copped the most awards in the category for schools and community bands, including Best School Band. The other accolades include Most Colourful, Best Costume Structure, Best Couple, Junior King, HIV/AIDA Award, first in fantasy, second in environmental and folklore and other awards for couples and individuals.

Bandleader Melaney Hurley, the early childhood education coordinator at the school, was also pleased with the theme Ocean Echoes – Battle of the Blue – brought to life by designer Alyssa Goddard.

They had 71 children parading before the judges in three section with nine individuals and a couple.

“I was very surprised that we had won so many prizes, mostly because there are so many other bands. I’m not sure how many are in the schools and community categories.

“You’re looking at your own designs the entire time and yes, they might look fabulous to you, but you don’t know what other people are going to come with,” Hurley said, adding “but I was also very happy because that means that we were not delusional in our own bubble thinking that our costumes are great. They really were great and that was proven by the judges also seeing the beauty and the creativity and what Alyssa had created.”

She was also full of praise for the other teachers at the school. Work commenced at the start of the Hilary Term and there were some long days and nights.

“They worked with the students that were wearing the individual costumes. So while the designer and I were working on getting the costumes together, they were working with the students, they called them up to the school … showing them how to parade in the costumes…” Weston United Stars Community Band, under leader Andrea Lynch, was the Best Community Band. (SAT)

Torres saves the day as Spain claim World Cup glory

Nationnews Desk
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Torres saves the day as Spain claim World Cup glory

EAST RUTHERFORD – Spain climbed again to the summit of world football on Sunday when substitute Ferran Torres struck in the 106th minute to prise the World Cup from holders Argentina ‌with a 1-0 victory that crowned a new era but brought precious little beauty.

The biggest prize in football deserved a classic. Instead, the world’s two finest teams produced a suffocating stalemate that drifted towards penalties before Torres finally found the breakthrough with Spain’s 20th attempt on goal.

It was perhaps fitting that the final whistle sparked the game’s liveliest moments, with players pushing, shoving and falling to the ground as Argentina’s frustrations finally boiled over into a brawl.

The euphemism “one for the purists” might have been coined to describe this contest. It was a match almost entirely devoid of quality, chances and risk until Torres, introduced from the bench, finally broke the deadlock.

Messi, the second player after Brazilian great Cafu to ⁠feature in three World Cup finals, was a pale shadow of his earlier self, unable to inspire his team.

For Spain, Lamine Yamal barely registered. These two had been billed as the stars of this match, but it was Spain substitutes Torres and Nico Williams who injected some much-needed energy and dynamism into a drab affair.

It was the fifth of the last six World Cup finals to go to extra time, but none of those crowds had endured such flat, joyless football. (Reuters)

Reports of a shooting near Reed Street

Nationnews Desk
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Reports of a shooting near Reed Street

There are reports reaching The Nation of a fatal shooting incident near Reed Street, The City, this evening.

More details as they come to hand.

Fogging Schedule: July 20 to 24

Nationnews Desk
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Fogging Schedule: July 20 to 24

The Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Vector Control Unit will concentrate on four parishes this week, when it conducts its mosquito reduction programme.

The team will tackle areas in St Joseph for the first four days of the week, before going into communities in St Andrew, St Thomas and St George.

On Monday, July 20, the Unit will spray Foster Hall, Tent Bay, Bathsheba, Hill Crest, Cleavers Hill, Phillips Road, Hillswick Road and surrounding areas.

The next day, Tuesday, July 21, the following areas will be sprayed: Airy Hill, Sugar Hill, Chimborazo, Braggs Hill and Parris Hill.

The Unit will turn its attention to Bonwell, Bowling Alley Hill, Coffee Gully, Tourville Road, Orange Grove, Horse Hill, Surinam, Bowling Alley and St. Elizabeth on Wednesday, July 22.

On Thursday, July 23, the team will tackle the following districts in St Joseph and St Andrew: Boarder Hall, Fruitful Hill, Cane Garden, Saddleback, Coconut Grove, Springfield, Atlantic Park, Cattlewash, Mellows Hill and neighbouring communities.

The fogging exercise for the week will conclude on Friday, July 24, when some areas in St Thomas and St George, when the Unit visits Proute, Strong Hope, Walkes Spring, Mount Wilton, Applewhaites Road, Roach Village, Jericho and Fisherpond Tenantry.

Fogging takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Householders are reminded to open their windows and doors to allow the spray to enter. Children should not be allowed to play in the fog.

Members of the public are advised that the completion of scheduled fogging activities may be affected by events beyond the Unit’s control. In such circumstances, the Unit will return to communities affected in the soonest possible time.

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