The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

HAITIANS in The Bahamas want the Minnis administration to lift the Haiti travel ban so they can help the country in the wake of a massive earthquake that killed at least 1,900 people and injured thousands more.

Activist Louby Georges said while he has not been able to speak to anyone stranded in Haiti, this is the sentiment he has gathered from conversations and comments on social media.

Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield has said the Bahamas is ready with CARICOM to do “whatever is necessary” to assist Haiti.

But Mr Georges believes there is one quick way to provide assisstance – "if you want to really or truly help – lift the travel ban and open up the country," he said.

“Allow for flights, allow for boats to travel back and forth. That would allow for persons on the ground that would like to donate, contribute, organise and facilitate aid coming from the Bahamas going to Haiti to be done in a feasible way. Outside of that how can any church, how can any organisation, how can anyone, any association decide to help Haiti? Outside of possibly money – but then who are you sending this money to, who are you going to trust, which organisation are you going to send this money donation to?

“With the current situation that we have here, the climate, how much could you truly raise in a pandemic? There are aiding persons that are willing to donate clothing, footwear, cases of water maybe. But if you receive those items, what are you going to do with it? How is it going to get to Haiti from The Bahamas?”

Mr Georges acknowledges that keeping the borders closed could prevent the spread of COVID-19. However he believes there are measures or policies that can be put in place temporarily that can allow for the borders to be open but at the same time curb the spread of the disease.

He added: “There are some medical facilities in Haiti, hospitals in the capital and other notable regions that have tried, trusted, and transparent medical facilities that can administer vaccines and also administer COVID-19 PCR tests. I’ve been hearing this from the Haitian people, ‘hey we don’t even mind quarantining.’

“‘Why not allow us to return home,’ and this is home, whether the person is a Bahamian citizen, a permanent resident, a spousal Bahamian or an individual on a work permit they are legal residents of The Bahamas and so therefore this is home.

“With this being home, they do not mind quarantining whether it be ten or 14 days if a designated area is available, or if they have to do that at home, or even if they have to put on some monitoring device, put something on their phone. Get the bracelet put on their wrist – they don’t mind. They want to return home.”

UNICEF reported that 500,000 doses of vaccines were donated to Haiti by the American government through COVAX. However, Reuters noted that the 7.2 magnitude quake stalled the nation’s vaccination campaign.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa Etienne said: "The earthquake aftermath combined with the COVID-19 pandemic presents a very challenging situation.

"We hope that the international community can come together to provide the urgently-needed air and ground logistics support to evacuate patients and transport essential humanitarian supplies – this is needed now."