It came as a surprise but a press release on March 25 informed of a meeting chaired by His Excellency was called to discuss the visit on Saturday, March 21, 2015 by the welcomed ferry from Guadeloupe and the 423 passengers on board.
The ferry had to dock at Plymouth jetty because Little Bay was out of commission owing to heavy seas, the Governor’s meeting, according to the release “focused on safety issues which arose during the visit and access to Plymouth and Zone V.”
Those attending the meeting represented the Tourism Department of the, Montserrat Development Corporation, the Port Authority, Customs and Revenue Service, Disaster Management Co-ordination Agency, Montserrat Volcano Observatory, Royal Montserrat Police Service, the Premier’s office and the Governor’s office.
The issues discussed included the lead agencies and organisations for the visit, the delay in moving people from Plymouth jetty to the rest of the island, access control to Zone V, the number and types of vehicles causing blockages on the road from Plymouth jetty; and lessons to be learned for future visits.
The visit provided a number of local businesses with welcome revenue and patronage. However, it was recognised that the reputational impact on Montserrat should there have been any casualties could have offset the benefits of this visit. Therefore, the safety of residents, visitors and local service providers would always come first in making decisions on future visits and access to the exclusion zone
The release said that there were reports of a number of residents of Montserrat entering the exclusion zone without permission during the day.
This invoked a reminder which observers reacting quickly said the were uncertain as to the real reason for the meeting which seemed to have been targeting some offices or departments who were being congratulated for making the event a success for Montserrat and its ability to act in a case which came as a surprise. This is especially so when the Director of the MVO was among the first persons who lined up at the gate waiting for the officious to bring a key.
“The MVO, RMPS, DMCA and the Governor’s office wish to remind everyone that it is unsafe and illegal to enter Zone V without the prior permission of the DMCA, RMPS and MVO. Anyone found ignoring the hazard system can be prosecuted. This is emphasised in the weekly MVO report,” the release stated.
