Today marks six days since Governor-General Professor Kenneth Hall declared a state of public emergency on the advice of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

There have been calls for the state of public emergency to be revoked immediately, but the Prime Minister remains firm in her decision not to lift it until electricity is restored to a significant part of the country.

The Emergency Powers Regulations of 2007 set out the guidelines governing the state of public emergency, which took effect on Sunday, August 19, the day the island was hit by Hurricane Dean.

The following are excerpts from the regulations:

(15) "No person shall publish either orally or in writing any report or statement (whether true or false), which is intended or is of such a nature as to be likely to be prejudicial to the public safety, or to incite or provoke any person to commit a breach of the peace or contravene any provision of these regulations.

(19) "Any competent authority may by order prohibit in any area the assembly of any persons who are suspected of acting or of having acted or of being about to act in a manner prejudicial to the public safety.

(28) "Any authorised person may enter and search any vehicle, land or premises suspected of harbouring or containing any person suspected of having committed or being about to commit any offence against these regulations.

(29) "Any authorised person may stop any vehicle on any public highway, and if he has reason to suspect that the vehicle is being used for any purpose or in any way prejudicial to the public safety, may search the vehicle and ... seize the vehicle and anything found therein.

(31) (1)

Any authorised person may arrest without warrant and detain, pending enquiries, any person whose behaviour is of such a nature as to give reasonable grounds for suspecting:

(a) that he has acted or is acting in a manner prejudicial to the public safety; or

(b) that he has committed or is about to commit, an offence against these regulations.