21. Harbour Master may detail leper on vessel
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(1) If the harbour master on boarding any vessel which comes into any port in Saint Lucia shall see reason to suspect that any person on board of the vessel is afflicted with the disease of leprosy, but such person denies that he or she is so afflicted, it is lawful for the harbour master to give notice to the master or other person in charge of the vessel that the person so suspected to be so afflicted is required to be detained on board of the vessel until he or she shall be examined by the health officer of the port. Such notice may be given verbally or in writing to the master or other person in charge of the vessel, or by writing affixed to some conspicuous part of the vessel.
If after such notice has been given the person required to be detained shall land in Saint Lucia without the permission of the harbour master or of the Governor General being first granted, the master or other person in charge of the vessel shall be deemed to have omitted to prevent the landing of a person whom he or she has reasonable grounds to suppose to be a leper and commits an offence under section 20.
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(2) The harbour master on giving the notice requiring the detention of any person as aforesaid shall inform the health officer of the port of the giving of the notice and of the time at which it was given; and the health officer shall within 10 hours of the time when the notice was given visit the vessel and examine such person and he or she shall certify in writing to the Governor General whether the person is afflicted with leprosy or not; and if it shall appear by such certificate that the person is not afflicted with leprosy the harbour master shall give permission for the landing of the person if the person is not prohibited from landing by any other law; but if it shall appear by such certificate that the person is afflicted with leprosy it shall not be lawful for him or her to land in Saint Lucia without the permission of the Governor General, to be granted on its being made to appear to him or her that the person was born in or is domiciled in Saint Lucia.
However, the Governor General may, in his or her absolute discretion, give permission for the landing in Saint Lucia of any person afflicted with leprosy, and not being born in or domiciled in Saint Lucia, on being satisfied that the person has entered into a bond to Her Majesty, in terms approved by the Governor General, with 2 sufficient sureties being householders within Saint Lucia approved by the Governor General, in the penal sum of $480 conditioned that such person shall not wander about begging or collecting alms nor expose himself or herself in any public place nor commit any breach of the provisions of this Act or of any regulations made under this Act nor become chargeable upon the public funds of Saint Lucia. The sureties shall be deemed for all purposes to have bound themselves jointly and severally with the principal debtor, and shall not be entitled to demand the discussion of the principal debtor.