The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has ordered the closure of the St. John's Public Cemetery to new burials, effective at the end of March 2026, as part of a broader set of decisions targeting public infrastructure, national heritage preservation, and agricultural development.
According to Antigua.news, the Cabinet announced that no new burial plots will be issued at the cemetery going forward. The decision addresses growing space limitations at the long-established site.
However, the closure is not absolute. Families who already own tombs or existing burial spaces within the cemetery retain the right to inter relatives in those established family plots. The Cabinet says this provision ensures that longstanding traditions are respected even as the site transitions away from accepting new burials.
The cemetery closure forms part of a wider package of Cabinet decisions designed to improve public infrastructure and strengthen key national sectors.
