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Minister for Safety, Security and Home Affairs Gillian Brooks, departed the island on Saturday 11 July to travel to South Africa for personal reasons.

In Minister Brooks’ absence, Councillor Derek Thomas has been assigned ministerial responsibility for the Safety, Security and Home Affairs Portfolio.

Cllr Thomas can be contacted by email through derek.thomas@parliament.sh or by mobile on +290 66907.

#StHelena #ElectedMembers

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Please be advised that the Public Library, Career Access St Helena (CASH) and the St Helena Community College will be closed on Wednesday 15 July 2026. The closure is to facilitate staff training.

Normal operations will resume on Thursday 16 July 2026. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank the public for their understanding.

The St Helena Government is pleased to announce the official opening of the new playgrounds at Half Tree Hollow (HTH) and Longwood Green. A formal opening ceremony will be held at 13:30 tomorrow, Wednesday 8 July 2026, at the Half Tree Hollow playground.

Important Parking and Traffic Information

Due to single-lane access to the HTH playground and strictly limited parking on-site, members of the public and attendees are kindly requested to use the Half Tree Hollow Community Centre car park.

Parking spaces directly at the playground must be kept clear and are strictly reserved for HE the Governor and official vehicles. We appreciate the cooperation of all motorists and attendees in keeping traffic flowing smoothly.

SHG would like to extend its sincere thanks to the HTH Community Centre for their support, as well as the various portfolios, public donors, and overseas organisations whose generous contributions made this project possible, including funding by the FCDO through the UK Government.

All are welcome to join us in celebrating the opening of these fantastic new community spaces.

Please be advised that the Central Support Service, will be closed on Friday 10 July to allow staff to attend their Away Day.

These office closures will include the Legislative Council staff office, the Archives and Communications Hub. For any emergency press matters please call the Castle switchboard 22470

The Castle Switchboard will continue to be staffed until 16:00.

Normal business will resume on Monday, 13 July 2026 at 08:30.

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The Governor’s Office wishes to inform members of the public that, due to a technical fault with the biometrics enrolment system, they are currently unable to process biometric enrolments for UK visa and British registration applications.

Technical support has been sought to resolve the issue and restore full service as soon as possible. The Governor’s Office sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused and appreciates customers’ patience during this time.

An update will be provided as soon as the system becomes operational again.

The Health and Social Care Portfolio (HSC) is exploring options to deliver a selective influenza (flu) vaccination campaign later this year.  Members of the public are being asked to register their interest to ensure that enough vaccines are ordered ahead of the Northern Hemisphere (e.g. United Kingdom) flu season, which typically peaks in December or January.

Only some groups of people will be eligible to receive the flu vaccine, these include:

• All people aged 65 years or older
• People who are the main carer of an older or disabled person
• People who are living with someone with lowered immunity
• People aged 6 months or older with certain underlying medical conditions

People belonging to one or more of these groups are invited to register their interest in receiving the flu vaccine by completing an online form which can be accessed at the following link – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/shflu or by scanning the QR code below with a smartphone.

If needed, someone else can complete this online form for you. 

Alternatively, you can register your interest by calling the Health Promotion team on 25949 or emailing healthpromotion@sainthelena.gov.sh.

Children and young people aged up to 16 years, pregnant women, people living in a residential or nursing home, and frontline health and social care workers are also invited to receive the flu vaccine.  However, these groups do not need to register their interest as enough vaccines will be ordered for everyone in these groups.

It is not yet certain that flu vaccines will be available from the global market. The public will be informed in due course as to whether the campaign will go ahead later this year.

QR Code

About flu

Flu is a common viral illness.  Common symptoms include a fever or high temperature, chills, tiredness or weakness, a headache, aches and pains, a dry cough and sore throat, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, and diarrhoea or tummy pain.

You can catch flu all year round, but it is especially common at certain times of the year.  In St Helena, flu is usually more likely to be spread by people arriving from the Southern Hemisphere (e.g. South Africa) in May and June and from the Northern Hemisphere (e.g. the United Kingdom) in December or January.

You can catch flu many times because flu viruses change regularly.  Your body won’t have natural resistance to new versions. Flu vaccines are designed to protect you against the current strains of the virus.

Flu often gets better on its own within a few days, but it can become very serious – there was a small number of deaths due to flu infection in St Helena last year.

Certain groups are at greater risk of serious illness – it is important that you receive the flu vaccine if you are advised to do so.

You can prevent the spread of flu by:

• washing your hands regularly with soap and warm water
• cleaning surfaces like your keyboard, telephone and door handles regularly
• use tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
• bin used tissues as soon as possible
• stay off work or school until you’re feeling better

You can treat mild cases of flu at home by:

• getting plenty of rest and sleep
• keeping warm
• drinking lots of water to avoid dehydration
• taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower your temperature and treat aches and pains

You should seek medical attention if you:

• are more short of breath than usual
• have pain when breathing or coughing
• are feeling confused, dizzy or lightheaded
• are feeling sick and cannot keep food or fluids down
• have a very high or low temperature
• are peeing less than usual – this can be a sign of dehydration
• are coughing up blood

The public are advised that, due to unfavourable wind conditions at High Knoll Fort, the trial launches of Windborne Systems’ weather balloons have not been able to take place.

The trial launch site has been relocated to a more suitable location. Launches will now take place next to the Ladder Hill tennis court between 10:00 and 17:00, Tuesday 30 June through Friday 3 July 2026.

Members of the public who still need to receive their first Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccination, or who are due for their second dose, are encouraged to attend one of the below clinic sessions.

These clinics represent the last opportunity for anyone yet to receive their first dose to complete the two-dose MMR vaccination schedule. This is because the stock of vaccines received for this campaign expire in September 2026 and the two doses must be given at least 28 days apart.

District	Date	Time
Longwood (Harford Community Centre)	Monday 6 July	10:00 – 11:00
Levelwood (Clinic)	Monday 6 July	12:00 – 13:30
HTH (Community Care Complex – CCC)	Wednesday 8 July	10:00 – 11:30
Jamestown Community Centre	Thursday 9 July	10:00 – 11:30

These clinics will be repeated in August to allow completion of the two-dose schedule.

Important reminder: If attending for your second MMR vaccination, please ensure that at least 28 days have passed since your first vaccination.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend the session most convenient for them. Please bring a list of your current medications.

Vaccination is an important step in protecting yourself and helping to safeguard the wider community.

For individuals who are housebound and unable to attend any of the scheduled sessions, home visits can be arranged with a nurse. Please contact the Health Promotion Team on 25949 to register your request.

St Helena Government would like to advise the public that all roadworks in Longwood have now been completed.

As a result, the Route 1 Bottom Woods departure time will revert to 09:10, Monday to Saturday, as per the public transport schedule.

The public are thanked for their continued support.

The Royal St Helena Police Service (RSHP) is urging residents to exercise a high degree of caution following a recent increase in local reports regarding hacking and phone mirroring.

In these incidents, scammers attempt to gain unauthorised access to personal devices and accounts, often pretending to be someone you know.

To safeguard your personal data and digital identity, the RSHP strongly advises taking the following protective measures:

• Verify Friend Requests: Do not accept social media friend requests (such as on Facebook, Snapchat, or Instagram) from individuals you do not know.
• Double-Check Familiar Faces: If you receive a friend request from someone you believe you are already connected with, verify their identity through an independent channel. Call them on a known, trusted phone number. Never use contact details provided by the new account to verify their identity.
• Be Sceptical of Links: Avoid clicking on any links sent via text, email, or social media messaging unless you are entirely confident the source and the website are legitimate.
• Preserve Evidence: If you suspect you have been targeted, please retain all relevant chat histories, messages, and screenshots on your device. These digital records are vital for police investigations.
• Block and Report: If an online interaction feels unsafe or suspicious, block the user immediately.

How to Report

Please report any suspicious digital behaviour, particularly on platforms like WhatsApp or Snapchat, to the police at the earliest opportunity.

Your proactive reporting helps protect the wider community. For assistance or to lodge a report, please contact the Police Station directly on 22626.