Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis, Free National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands and president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union Darrin Woods.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
BEGINNING October 1, people will no longer be required to wear a mask in the country except for those accessing healthcare facilities, visiting senior care homes or in an indoor classroom setting.
Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis announced further relaxations to the country’s mask mandate on his Twitter account yesterday.
He said adjustments to the mask mandate were recommended by the advisory committee at the Ministry of Health and Wellness yesterday.
While mask wearing is not currently required in outdoor settings, it is still largely required indoors. However, once the new policy takes effect, mask wearing will not be required in most settings.
In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Health explained the cases where mask wearing will still be required.
They include people accessing a health care facility for any reason, including workers, patients, visitors and vendors or any non-resident worker of a long-term care residential facility.
Mask wearing is also required “in any indoor classroom setting in an educational institution, except where Rule 27 (20 of the Health Services Rules (COVID) Prevention and Management of Community Spread 2021)” applies.
Despite the upcoming change in policy, officials said some Bahamians might still choose to wear masks in crowded settings and added that their decision to do so should be respected.
The mask mandates are among the few restrictive measures still being enforced in the country.
Plans to further relax the country’s mask measures were hailed by many yesterday, especially those in the tourism sector who have long been calling for an end to the restriction.
One of them was Darrin Woods, president of the Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union, who said the move will likely boost tourism numbers and in turn, aid the nation’s economic recovery
“It sends a positive message that as things begin to decline and I think the prime minister would have said this - as things begin to decline and we are able to hold our numbers, we will see more relaxation of some of the COVID-19 protocols coming into play,” he said.
“I don’t think we will ever get away from the sanitisation, washing of the hands and even in your mind, psyche, people will still be social distancing so it’s a welcome to us because we believe that the time has come now.”
For his part, Free National Movement Chairman Dr Duane Sands said while the policy change was not an “unreasonable step,” it also didn’t mean that the virus was behind us and further reminded Bahamians to be on guard.
“We want to be sure that lifting the mask mandate doesn’t mean that COVID has gone away and certainly, we would encourage people who feel that they would benefit from the protections of a masks to continue to do so and to have parents who are concerned about their children to do so,” he told The Tribune.
Still he said the party would not oppose further relaxations of the health protocol.
The decision to further relax the national mask mandate comes as the nation continues to record low COVID-19 cases.
The Bahamas has recorded more than 37,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
However, only 115 virus cases were said to be still active at last report.
Comments
AnObserver 2 years, 3 months ago
About damn time.
whogothere 2 years, 3 months ago
Children have never ever ever been a contributor to transmission, hospitalisation or death in any nation. It is frankely embarrassing to still require this useless talisman in schools with any scientific backing as to it's efficacy...but yep about time to budge on this issue...
JokeyJack 2 years, 3 months ago
The Chinese want all the children in western nations to suffer brain damage from reduced oxygen, and not learn social skills so as adults they will be easy to manipulate into riots so new lockdowns can be put in place and new forced injections of monitoring chips required.
Nobody would have thought that we would lay our children on the altar to sacrifice to Chinese dragon gods - but i suppose Christianity ia just out of style.
Children are only the unwanted byproducts of sexual activity anyway, so who cares if masks destroy their lives.
Bonefishpete 2 years, 3 months ago
Two More Weeks
JackArawak 2 years, 3 months ago
we are traumatizing our children, they are very confused why normal life is mask free but in school you wear a mask. Serious mental damage to the kids. This is beyond embarrassing. If I had kids in school, they would be homeschooled until this absurdity is over
joeblow 2 years, 3 months ago
... based on how often 'Brave' is seen in a mask in public settings and photo ops, I thought the mandate had been lifted long ago!
Dawes 2 years, 3 months ago
Are they keeping the mask mandate for Kids to try coercive parents to vaccinated them before they will get rid of the mandate. I have heard that they have allowed some schools out west not to wear if enough kids are vaccinated.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 3 months ago
Who are these schools out west?
stillwaters 2 years, 3 months ago
Lyford Cay Senior School....got permission from government to go maskless, since they have a high percentage of vaccinated on campus
enough 2 years, 3 months ago
The decision to still require masks in school is insane. All research has shown children are at the lowest risk of getting very ill from Covid. Also you imagine how hard it is as a young child learning from your teacher when you cannot even see their mouth. So no masks in foodstores, movie theatres but in a place where children as most closely monitored, school, YES MASK REQUIRED! Ministry of Education please intervene.
ted4bz 2 years, 3 months ago
This thing was always a political and manmade pandemic, never a medical health issue, but now it is for many who shot-up themselves, not all but many, if not most of them. As a result of this the medical, pharmaceutical and mortuary industries are raking in staggering profits.
DDK 2 years, 3 months ago
For the love of God, LEAVE THE CHILDREN ALONE!!!!
Jetflt 2 years, 3 months ago
About damn time!!!!! All these people walking around with masks OUTSIDE, mind you. I've never seen anything more stupid in all my life. It's called theatre produced by none other than the producer - Fauci himself!
Jetflt 2 years, 3 months ago
Get the damn masks off children's faces for God's sake. You all are ridiculous!
DDK 2 years, 3 months ago
"Mask wearing is also required “in any indoor classroom setting in an educational institution, except where Rule 27 (20 of the Health Services Rules (COVID) Prevention and Management of Community Spread 2021)” applies." Wonder why this obscure reference was not explained.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 3 months ago
Good observation. Maybe in the fine print it says there that you do not have to wear a mask in school.
This is a classic case of how politicians manipulate a people who don't read or comprehend well.
DDK 2 years, 3 months ago
It actually makes no sense to me!
"27. Educational instruction. (1) An educational instruction may operate, provided — (a) that all persons entering and remaining on the campus shall adhere to all Covid 19 protocols; (b) that there is at least one isolation area that is clearly identified and appropriately equipped; and (c) that all persons adhere to all guidelines issued or approved by the Ministry. (2) A person is permitted to operate a home school programme provided that any guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education are adhered to. "
ohdrap4 2 years, 3 months ago
It is the part that says rich kids do not have to wear masks. Out west.
carltonr61 2 years, 3 months ago
All depends on USA upcoming elections. This keeping mask is using the masks mandate as a time bridge. That should Dems win the elections they will still have a rescue line to further the covid agenda. Should the Republicans win we just don't know. But the Dems are desperate and should they win, suddenly covid restrictions will return. We are only falling in line.
TalRussell 2 years, 3 months ago
Stay-tuned the Guardian Talk Radio's The Revolution with Comrade Mr. Carmichael's 12PM to 2PM hour... saying, nah to staying up to date on the English's' gathering royal mourners for the sure tell symptoms time must go see the NHS doctor ... by those in the many who recklessly chose have rushed out to gather to mourn their late Queen, by 'mixing up w/o masking' up'.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 3 months ago
Yep. Millions lined up along those routes and sat in those pews and less than 1% had on masks
TalRussell 2 years, 3 months ago
@ComradeSheepie, what were the sure tell symptoms, has your out island House-MP, going about your out island ... all masked up ― Yes?
TalRussell 2 years, 3 months ago
@ComradeSheepie,― wasn't correct reading your newest dived deep's claim that Millions, queued up, wanted to demonstrate their humble final goodbyes HRM ― Yes?
tribanon 2 years, 3 months ago
Needless requiring young children to wear a mask in any classroom setting is about as cruel as stupid Davis and equally stupid Sands can get. The science has shown for a long time now that young children are the least vulnerable to COVID-19 and are not transmitters of the virus. In fact the science shows that young children are much more likely to suffer serious side-effects, include heart-related problems, from being jabbed with these sinister experimental mRNA vaccines.
Parents should be up in arms about their children being made to wear masks in classroom settings at school because the forced mask wearing is both physically and mentally harmful. Bully Davis himself should be forced to wear a mask each school day until he stops this insanely horrible abuse of young school children. This insanity is beyond madness, and cruel Davis obviously must have a few too many loose screws in his fat head!!!
The Communist Chinese are calling the shots on this absurd mask wearing requirement for school children and cruel Davis is happy to play their game for fear they will cut off the tap and he will be without a source of funds to squander with his cronies. The Communist Chinese are seeking to culturally ingrain unquestioning subservience and submissiveness in generations of Bahamians to come by these harmful mask wearing protocols and both cruel Davis and stupid Sands know that to be the truth.
DDK 2 years, 3 months ago
Yep, yep. As always, interesting take on THE CHINESE😆. It is certainly an issue of global subservience. Agree mask mandators should all wear the damn mask on the face 24/7. Should probably also submit to weekly jabs on the derriere!
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