The Notarial Council has urged the general public to act responsibly and carefully in order to avoid increasing the spread of Covid-19 to other notaries, office employees, their families and the parties themselves.
The Council issued a press release which said that notaries, by law, are obliged to continue offering their services face to face, despite the ever-growing number of cases. It has asked for protection from the health authorities, however this has been denied “despite repeated requests”.
In view of this, it has released a number of measures which they urge the general public to adhere to, in the best interests of the College of notaries and the parties present for notarial acts.
Among them, it urged the public to “postpone non-urgent or essential notarial contracts and deeds”.
“Strictly observe the legal limits of number of persons present for notarial deeds according to the size of the place, and powers of attorney are to be given where possible”.
The council also urged people to always follow the hygiene and social distance protocols indicated by the Notary according to the location, and to extend promises of sales according to circumstances by agreement.
Lastly, it urged the general public to “understand that since many essential departments and Banks are now working by teleworking or on a cluster basis, the time required to carry out searches, registrations and other matters are taking longer than normal. The same applies for appointments for contracts with banks or the release of assets held by deceased persons.”
The Council concluded the release by insisting that the health of the notaries should not be taken for granted, especially in lieu of the high number of Covid cases and the fact that the notaries cannot telework.
“While the Notary continues to perform his duties in accordance with the Law, the Notarial Council cannot accept that this is done at the expense of the health of Notaries, of the workers in our offices and of our families, and ultimately at risk even to the parties themselves.”