Air
Mauritius Press Release
TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
OF THE MAURITIUS – RODRIGUES ROUTE
Following the outbreak
of covid-19, the authorities have extended travel restrictions currently in
force, to the Rodrigues territory as from Sunday 22 March at 20H00 GMT (00H00
local time) until Sunday 05 April 20H00 GMT (00h00 local time). Consequently,
Air Mauritius will not operate to and from Rodrigues as from Monday 23 March to
Sunday 05 April, both dates inclusive.
Air Mauritius will
issue revised schedules for the Mauritius - Rodrigues route in due course.
Authorities also advised that “all passengers entering
Rodrigues by land of by sea will be placed in quarantine for 14 nights”. This directive is applicable for flights
arriving in Rodrigues as from today Saturday 21 March as from 06H00.
Air Mauritius is
closely monitoring the situation and will keep passengers apprised of further
developments.
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Communique
from Bank of Mauritius
Following the announcement made by Government with regard to
national confinement and the critical role of the banking industry, the Bank of
Mauritius has come forward with a series of measures to ensure continuity in
the provision of basic banking services by commercial banks.
At a meeting held this Friday 20 March 2020 with the Mauritius
Bankers Association and Chief Executives of major banks offering retail banking
services on the domestic market, the following decisions have been taken, which
will be applicable during the confinement period:
- Banks will keep
open branches in strategic locations to ensure a fair coverage. These
branches will operate from Monday to Friday from 09:30 to 15:00 with
minimal staff to provide basic banking services. A list of branches which
will be open will be communicated to the public by the respective
banks.
- Banks will waive the fees
applicable on shared ATM services. This will enable customers to have
access to the ATM of any
bank regardless of the issuer of the card without having
to pay any fee.
- The Bank of
Mauritius will continuously supply commercial banks with adequate
banknotes for their ATMs.
- The Bank of
Mauritius will maintain the operation of its payment and settlement
systems.
With a view to minimizing the contagion of COVID-19 and limiting
physical movements to bank branches, the Bank of Mauritius strongly encourages
the public to use internet banking facilities and other electronic modes of
payments, such as cards and mobiles.
Governor Seegolam stated: “The Bank of Mauritius is
fully committed to accompany stakeholders in these challenging times and is
taking necessary steps to ensure the good functioning of the banking system and
minimize economic disruption. I wish to thank the MBA and the CEOs of banks for
their continued support and collaboration’.
Communique from the
Supreme Court
In view of the two weeks’ lockdown announced by the
Prime Minister on Thursday night, the public is informed that all cases
scheduled before all courts in Mauritius and Rodrigues during the period of
lockdown stand postponed by order of the Chief Justice.
The dates to which these cases are postponed will be
eventually communicated to all those concerned. The District Court of Port
Louis will be operational on the premises of the Bail and Remand Court on the
ground floor of the New Court House to deal with all urgent Criminal and Civil
matters for all District Courts as from Monday the 23rd March 2020 during the
lockdown period.
The
Intermediate and Industrial courts can be contacted during the period of
confinement to deal with any urgent matters which may arise. As an exceptional
measure during the period of lockdown, the Weekend Court sitting at the
premises of the Bail and Remand Court on the ground floor of the New Court
House will deal with any District Court issue or query arising on Saturday 21st
March and on Saturday 28th March 2020.
All urgent applications to the Supreme Court will be
dealt with from Monday 23rd to Friday 27th March 2020 by a Supreme Court Judge
sitting in Chambers. During the ensuing week (period of Court vacation) there
will be a Judge in Chambers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday only.
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Computer Emergency Response
Team of Mauritius (CERT-MU)
Communiqué
The
Computer Emergency Response Team of Mauritius (CERT-MU), a division of the
National Computer Board, operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Information
Technology, Communication and Innovation has noted that fake news and
information related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) are being posted and shared
on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Whatsapp.
Personal
details of COVID-19 victims are also being shared without authorisation of the
government authorities on these platforms.
The
CERT-MU wishes to remind citizens that these are offences under the Section 46
(ga), (h)(ii) of the amended Information and Communication Technology Act 2001
and they should refrain from doing so as this may lead to the legal sanctions.
CERT-MU
advises the public to:
Avoid clicking on
links in unsolicited emails and beware of email attachments related to COVID-19
Use trusted
sources such as legitimate, government websites for up-to-date, fact-based
information about COVID-19
Do not reveal
personal or financial information in email, and do not respond to email
solicitations for this information
Refrain from
posting personal information related to COVID-19 victims
Do not share any unverified details on the coronavirus
Be cautious of
online advertisements selling hygienic products such as masks, hand sanitizer
The public may report any cyber incident
related to the COVID-19 on the Mauritian Cybercrime Online Reporting System
(MAUCORS - maucors.govmu.org).
20
March 2020
The
Computer Emergency Response Team of Mauritius (CERT-MU)
National
Computer Board
7th
Floor, Stratton Court
La
Poudriere Street
Port Louis
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MINISTRY OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC PLANNING AND
DEVELOPMENT
Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius
Communiqué for Economic Operators
COVID 19 Work Access Permit during confinement period
(a)
During
the confinement period, the general public will be restricted for movement.
Employers shall encourage “Work-from-Home” to ensure business continuity.
(b)
To
ensure that activities that are necessary for the proper functioning of the
Country during this period may continue, some employees will be allowed to attend
duty on-site provided they are in possession of an authorised COVID 19 Work
Access Permit.
(c)
These
Permits will be authorised by the Monitoring Committee – COVID 19, set up by
Government, to employers in the following economic activities and its related
support services:
▪
Supply
of food (including Bakeries, take away and home deliveries)
▪
Food
production, farming (fruits, vegetables & livestock), food processing and
beverages
▪
Supermarkets
and associated supply chains (including online purchase and home delivery)
▪
Freight
Forwarding and other Logistic Activities
▪
Licensed
Telecom Operators
▪
Petrol
Stations and Cooking Gas distribution
▪
Banks,
Insurance and other Financial Services
▪
Tourism
▪
Airlines
▪
Port
and Airport related activities
▪
Press,
Media and associated services
▪
Transport
Industry including Taxis
▪
Security
Guards and Watchmen
(d)
The
Committee may authorise other activities as and when required and shall reserve
its right to restrict the number of employers and employees. The Committee
reserves the right to revoke a Permit.
(e)
Employers shall restrict the number
of employees to the strict minimum.
(f)
The
permit will be valid from residence to place of work and back only.
Confined group employee transport shall be authorised.
(g)
Employers
will be granted the permits subject to them implementing and adhering to strict
sanitary compliance under COVID-19 to prevent risks of contagion.
(h)
Any
suspected case of COVID-19 should be immediately reported to the Ministry of
Health and Wellness in line with the existing protocol.
(i)
The steps are outlined hereunder.
(j)
Permits will be given to skeleton
staff.
(k)
Failure to comply to the above
conditions will entail severe sanctions.
Step 1 – Download Application forms
from the website of the Prime Minister’s Office ( pmo.govmu.org )
Step 2 – Submit applications on confinementpermit@govmu.org Step 3 - Information on Status of
Application by email
Step 4 – Collection of Approved Work
Access Permit to be communicated by email
Step 5 – Printing and distribution
of Employee Work Access Permit by the Employer following step 4
Note: You may also download the
application forms from the following websites:
•
mof.govmu.org
•
www.businessmauritius.org
•
www.mcci.org
•
www.mexamauritius.org
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Measures
taken by MRA due to lockdown in Mauritius
The Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA)
wishes to inform the public that given the lockdown prevailing in Mauritius, a
dedicated team of MRA staff is working to maintain all essential services that
MRA offers to its stakeholders.
The following arrangements have been made:
MRA Head-Office:
• The facilities for the electronic submission of
tax returns and electronic payment of any tax due are available on MRA website
(www.mra.mu).
• Taxpayers who are unable to submit returns or
effect payment of tax due to the lockdown will not be charged any penalty or
interest for late submission/payment.
• Kindly note that the head-office of the MRA at
Ehram Court, Cnr S. Virgil Naz & Mgr Gonin Streets, Port-Louis, is closed
to the public.
However, queries may be emailed on
headoffice@mra.mu. A team of MRA officers is working from home to ensure a
smooth running of the various services.
MRA Customs:
• The core services of MRA Customs are operational
at Custom House, Mer Rouge, PATS, Plaine Magnien and at the SSR International
Airport, with a skeleton staff, in view of enabling the clearance of goods and
outgoing passengers.
• MRA Customs at Plaine Corail in Rodrigues is
also operational with a skeleton staff in view of providing the core services.
• Facilities for the electronic submission of
Customs Declarations, including electronic payment of duties and taxes, are
available on the Customs Management System.
• Information regarding specific services offered
by the MRA Customs can be obtained by contacting the Duty Officer on 5 259
6950. The latter will direct the inquirer to the respective service.
• Queries regarding alcoholic products may be
addressed to the Excise Section of MRA Customs by calling on 5 778 2220.
•
All other queries regarding MRA customs services
should be emailed on: customs@mra.mu
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SBM BANK MAURITIUS
SBM
Bank (Mauritius) Ltd wishes to inform its valued customers that as from Monday
23 March 2020, and until further notice, only the following branches will be
operational from 9.30 A.M. to 3.00P.M:
Region |
North |
South |
Centre |
East |
Port Louis |
Counter |
Rodrigues |
Branch |
Triolet |
Mahebourg |
Quatre Bornes |
Flacq |
Main Branch, SBM Tower |
SSR Airport Departure Counter |
Port Mathurin |
Goodlands |
Chemin Grenier |
Rose Hill |
|||||
Curepipe |
SBM
invites clients to use its digital channels (Internet Banking/Mobile
Banking/SBM BillPay) as well as banking cards for withdrawals, deposits and
payments, and to limit cash usage and branch visits. Customers are also
informed that interbank ATM fees are waived for 2 weeks.
For
further information, please contact our customer service on 202 12 56 or
visit our website www.sbmbank.com
SBM
will also communicate on its official Facebook and LinkedIn pages - SBM Bank
Mauritius.