The Tribune

OPERATIONS at the American Embassy in Nassau are back to normal following the passage of Hurricane Matthew.

The embassy reopened to the public on Tuesday.

An official statement read: “We sustained some damage to our facilities, but thankfully all embassy employees – both American and Bahamian – have been accounted for and are safe. Like many other people on New Providence, Grand Bahama, and Andros, we are working to repair the damage.

“At the same time, we are focused on doing what we can to assist the government to help the people of the Bahamas recover.”

The Nassau embassy was closed from Wednesday, October 5 through Friday, October 7 due to anticipated effects of Hurricane Matthew. It remained closed on Monday, October 10, in observance of the US Columbus Day Holiday and the Bahamian holiday, National Heroes Day.

Yesterday, the embassy also announced on its Facebook page that as of November 1, the Consular Section will have a “no eyeglasses policy” for US passport, non-immigrant and immigrant visa applicants in compliance with the Department of State’s policy.

“Under this policy, the Consular Section will no longer accept photographs of visa and passport applicants wearing eyeglasses, except in rare, medically-documented circumstances,” the embassy said.