Security forces and other stakeholders have set aside the first half of Friday to implement Day 2 of Exercise Stronghold, the pre-CHOGM event designed to test the country’s overall state of readiness ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November.
A spokesman acknowledged that while there will be disruptions to the normal operations of many businesses, especially those in the Red Zone, the exercise is critical to the advanced planning necessary for hosting such a major event.
“We have had meetings with organisations such as the Antigua Chamber of Industry and Commerce and other stakeholders within the affected areas asking for their patience and understanding as we undertake this exercise,” the spokesman stated.
Over the past two weeks, teams from the security forces traversed homes and businesses in the Red Zone explaining the purpose of the exercise and solicited their cooperation and support for the success of the venture. They also engaged in a series of media outreach activities to help sensitise the public on the exercise as well as its value to the planning process.
Chair of the National CHOGM Task Force and Foreign Minister, E.P Chet Greene issued a statement where he too called for the support for Exercise Stronghold by members of the public.
“To the public, I extend my sincere gratitude. Your cooperation and patience are indispensable to the success of this exercise. Your participation demonstrates the ‘all-of-country’ support that defines us as a people and signals to the world our collective readiness to host this global event.
“We fully anticipate and sincerely apologize for any inconveniences to your daily routines; be it traffic delays or restricted access. Please understand that these temporary adjustments are necessary. Proper and effective planning is the only path to ensuring the safety of our international guests and our own people and the overall success of the event,” Minister Greene emphasized.
On Thursday, the security forces and stakeholders met to review the staging of Day 1 of Exercise Stronghold held on Wednesday which was implemented with a ‘soft-lockdown’ and to plan for a more extensive ‘hard-lockdown’ slated to take place on Friday.
No one without accreditation will be allowed within the security or Red Zone for the duration of the exercise. There will also be firm restrictions on both vehicular and pedestrian traffic within the Red Zone during the exercise.
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