The Tribune

By FARRAH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

fjohnon@tribunemedia.net

POLICE said they had no reports regarding a post-funeral Junkanoo rush out in the Centreville area on the weekend with what appeared to be over a hundred people congregating closely together while playing and dancing to native music.

The Tribune understands the mini rush out followed a funeral service for the late Jacklin Woodside-Bullard.

In a video of the event circulating online, two females can be seen holding what appears to be a banner bearing a photo of the deceased woman as a crowd of people dance to a funeral hymn being played by a host of Junkanoo musicians. The celebration included three sections of instrumentalists playing drums, cowbells and horned instruments. In the video, people could be seen marching up the street in the elaborate procession. The majority of the individuals who appeared to be wearing face masks had them pulled down to their chins instead of covering their noses and mouths as stipulated in the emergency orders.

When The Tribune reached out to press liaison officer ASP Audley Peters for comment, he said the matter was not currently under investigation because officers never received a report of the event.

“There were no reports to the control room and no reports to any of the stations,” he said. “I spoke with the officer in charge of the COVID unit and we don’t have any report of the incident.”

Last night, Centreville MP Reece Chipman said he was “disheartened” by the lack of protocols exhibited in the video but added when government officials send “mixed messages” by campaigning in large groups, situations like the one on the weekend are the end result.

“That particular event apparently from what I understand was on the opposite side of East Street is what I was told,” Mr Chipman said. “But nevertheless, the issue is that we can’t be sending mixed messages to the country. I think that this was what the (House of Assembly) Speaker (Halson Moultrie) was speaking to when he asked the prime minister to speak directly to the country regarding COVID protocols because there seems to be mixed messages (and) there seems to be inconsistencies in what these protocols are.

“We’ve seen the prime minister himself campaigning in the Centreville community with over at least 100 persons and when young people in our community see that, they interpret that as a part of the protocols... So, when you get mixed messages those would be the results. “But notwithstanding that though, I myself would encourage all people to maintain our fundamental understanding of what the protocols are which is to wash your hands, keep out of crowds and of course wear your masks. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that happening.

“For me, I was disheartened to see it, however I stand with the majority of the Bahamian people that really don’t understand why the protocols seem to be for some and not for others and why the messaging is not as effective as it should be, thus leading to super spreader events as what we would have seen in the (video),” Mr Chipman said.

Officials recently told The Tribune that COVID-19 ambassadors and police officers have issued about 831 citations to people found in violation of the protocols for the year so far — a number that corresponds to $551,800 in fines.

Just last month, a popular promoter was fined some $92,000 for breaking the emergency orders, when a party that was held at a property leased to him attracted hundreds of people who failed to practice any of the COVID-19 protocols while they enjoyed themselves.

Large gatherings are currently prohibited in New Providence.