The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WITH no income coming in due to COVID-19 restrictions, straw vendors say they fear they do not have sufficient food supplies and income to last for the duration of a two-week lockdown as provisions made by the government are not enough.

A spokeswoman for the vendors told The Tribune yesterday there are some 80 workers who are in dire need of help and are still waiting to receive unemployment assistance from the National Insurance Board.

The situation, she said, has left many already struggling workers frustrated and concerned about how they will cope during the two-week period, which began Tuesday at 10pm.

“Straw vendors are not doing good,” president of the Straw Businesspeople Society, Reverend Esther Thompson told The Tribune. “They are not getting the assistance that was promised to them. Right now, I just sent in a list to National Insurance with over 70 to 80 vendors under the new (portal) system.

“Some of them have (not) gotten anything but most of them (are) in this second lap, this second new system what they put out – they’re rejecting them. Most of the vendors have been rejected from the system.

“All vendors calling me and I’m about to blow up from the calls and complaints. It just ain’t happening. See, it’s okay for the government to lockdown. We understand that we are in a health crisis but, my God, make some provisions for the people.”

The Straw Market was ordered closed in March along with many other non-essential businesses in a move government officials said was needed in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

To assist those impacted by the economic fallout from the virus, the government launched its unemployment benefit programme for self-employed people directly connected to the tourism sector.

The unemployment assistance programme was expanded to July 1 and later that month, NIB later launched an online portal allowing eligible persons to register for the government-funded Unemployment Benefit Extension Programme.

Eligible persons are expected to receive $150 per week for a maximum of 13 weeks during periods of unemployment once the claim has been approved.

However, with the newly imposed two-week lockdown, it is not clear whether the government will extend those payouts. NIB minister Brensil Rolle did not respond to calls made by The Tribune yesterday.

Reverend Thompson said while some vendors have received help from NIB during the initial onset of payouts, there are others who have not since the start of the pandemic.

“In the first lap, they give the vendors $200 and now the vendors are down to the $150 and the $150, they can’t get that,” she said. “The vendors all about on the food lines and t’ing and sometimes they go in the food lines, they can’t get the food (sic). It’s not good.

“Some people ain’t get nothing from way up in June and May. It’s a lot of issues with the verifications for vendors. Just like they have people designated with the hotels, they should have people designated to deal exclusively with the straw markets because we have a lot with the people.”

The president said vendors even applied to the government’s national food distribution programme to receive assistance but have yet to receive a response.

The food initiative, which is jointly funded by the government and the private sector, aims to provide emergency food assistance for vulnerable Bahamians and residents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She added: “A lot of them haven’t heard anything. I even applied to understand the programme to see how it’s going. They sent me two applications—one from Rapid Bahamas and one from Hands for Hunger—and I haven’t heard anything as far as assistance is concerned. The programmes they put in place are not working for the people.

“They’re only making public statements and y’all entertaining them. The government needs to do more and not only for the vendors but for the Bahamian people.”

Near the end of the two-week period, it is expected that health officials will make an assessment to determine if the lockdown needs to be extended.

“It’s going to be a while before things turn to normal and I hope the government make provisions and understand that and put things in place to help the people,” Mrs Thompson said.