The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Increasing the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations is the only way to restore the Bahamian economy to full strength, merchants are arguing, as the Government tightens restrictions to combat the latest case spike.

Gregory Sherman, owner/operator of G.S. Landscaping Company & Property Management, told Tribune Business that market activity is starting to “pick up” and will further increase if Bahamians become inoculated in increasing numbers as this will enable the economy to open even more.

He said: “Things are looking much better now. I’m hoping that we can continue working and hopefully arrest this uptick in COVID-19 related matters. We as a country, we like to blame everybody else for ourselves, because there’s a lot of us who are not vaccinated and there’s a lot of us that don’t wear masks properly, and it is a sad reality.

“Vaccinations are definitely the big thing for me right now. I’ve been getting vaccinated all of my life, and I’ve never had an adverse reaction because I couldn’t get into a school unless I was vaccinated. So what’s the big deal now?”

Vaccination hesitancy is thought to have hindered the COVID-19 vaccination push nationally. Persons have previously voiced concerns about the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is the brand currently being deployed by the Government, and its efficacy against the virus as well as possible health repercussions from taking it, including blood-clotting issues and other side effects.

Mr Sherman said fears surrounding the vaccine’s efficacy, and effectiveness, against COVID-19 are unfounded. He added: “If you do your own investigation, AstraZeneca has held its own.

“This has everything to do with the EU (European Union) and all of those other things. This problem starts in the EU; they don’t want AstraZeneca to get all of the good ratings because the EU doesn’t like it.”

Mr Sherman is fully vaccinated and working to persuade everybody around him to do so, but is not mandating it for any of his employees. Instead, he is “encouraging them through education”.

Mae Curry, owner/operator of Indulgence Shoe & Bag Boutique, said business was “really bad” and sees no hope of activity turning around any time soon.

“It’s a mix of people not having any money right now and there are no events to go to. We need to open back up fully,” she added. As for vaccinations, Ms Curry feels “everybody” should go ahead and become inoculated to ease the pressure on the hospitals and public healthcare system.

She added: “We have more cases now than we were having initially. Only the food stores and gas stations are making money right now, but everybody else is catching hell. There is really no comparison to what we were doing pre-COVID-19.”