Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis speaks on Monday.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has announced a national lockdown for the entire Bahamas in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
In a national address on Monday night, Dr Minnis said the lockdown will start on Tuesday at 10pm for a minimum of two weeks.
The possibility of a further lockdown period will be assessed toward the end of that period.
An assessment will be made on Friday to determine if an extension to Grand Bahama’s lockdown is necessary.
During the lockdown:
- The following essential items will be available during Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 7am to 5pm for the general public, and again on Saturday from 7am to 1pm for essential workers. These include:
o Food stores
o Water depots
o Pharmacies from curbside or take-away windows only; and
o Gas stations for external services only.
Food stores and pharmacies are encouraged to offer, and the public is encouraged to utilise, delivery services as much as possible.
- All households are asked to identify one person to be the designated shopper for each of the essential services. This will be monitored, as well as the number of individuals travelling in vehicles.
- All businesses and offices will be required to suspend operations, with limited exceptions, and to have their staff work remotely where this is possible. – Such exceptions include:
o Commercial banks will be permitted restricted hours of operation to the public until 1pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday;
o Accommodation will be made for international banks, trust companies and financial institutions to have a skeleton team in office on the same days;
o Construction will be permitted to continue, having regard to the fact that we are in hurricane season; this will be permitted Monday through Friday, 7am to 5pm, and Saturday 7am to 1pm;
- However, hardware stores will only be permitted to provide curbside services on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 7am to 5pm.
- Private medical facilities will be permitted to provide emergency medical care and immunisation services only, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All routine services are to be suspended.
- Home healthcare takers, certified by the Ministry of Health, will be permitted to carry out their important services.
- Essential commercial ports will be permitted to carry out their respective services;
- Caretakers will be permitted to maintain crops and animals;
- There will be no curbside and takeaway dining or retail, other than as mentioned for hardware stores;
- The Secretary to the Cabinet and permanent secretaries will give instructions to Public Officers.
- Live streaming from a religious facility will continue to be permitted during the lockdown, with no more than 10 people at the facility, to accommodate virtual services.
- Families will be permitted to lay to rest their loved ones. Funeral services will continue to be permitted at the graveside only, with no more than five attendees, excluding the officiant and the mortuary staff.
- People will be permitted to exercise in their immediate neighbourhoods during this period from 6am to 9am.
Comments
thps 4 years, 3 months ago
Is construction limited to only hurricane season activities?
If I am building a house will this be permitted to continue?
viewersmatters 4 years, 3 months ago
All this time most people disregarded safety protocol. Most people said they're not kids and why is the PM treating us like kids. The PM open the country and lifted restrictions and now people are saying the PM should not open the country because the people themselves are not responsible.. now let's just sit back and watch the views and opinion of the people on this.
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
Can we PLEASE get rid of this idiot dictator. The common cold is a Corona virus. Do their stupid tests differentiate? This man AND his medical advisors should be put on a slow boat to CHINA!!
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 3 months ago
This post is just ignorant... Wow...
Honestman 4 years, 3 months ago
In terms of death rate this virus is six times more lethal than the regular flu - CNN yesterday.
Sailingveterinarian 4 years, 3 months ago
Hey genius...please tell me about your medical education. Just 30 years in medicine for me...unless you can discuss the Krebs cycle...your opinion is just worthless politics
RealTalk 4 years, 3 months ago
This is like a nightmare that I can't wake up from...
Does the lockdown mean our borders are now closed?
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
Can Minnis just not get a life, or maybe take up a hobby like gardening or perhaps learn to read and understand the ways of this wretched virus and all the phoney baloney he and other demented politicians dish out in its name?
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
guess he got two left hands, so nope gardening
UN 4 years, 3 months ago
And every step of the way our ‘Princess’ has to be near. Reminds me of a true crime show I saw: a man killed his estranged wife and six other relatives because he hated knowing she had moved on and was happy without him. Weirdo strangers don’t like the thought of their ‘royal’ slave being far away from them, happy and free.
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
Does the virus go to sleep on Monday, Wednesday and Friday,? This is more insane than alphabet shopping. Perhaps Minnis should go to Peru for an extended vacation, or maybe the Maldives. How about Katmandu 😂🤣😂
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
whats wrong with Peru?
birdiestrachan 4 years, 3 months ago
Monday. Wednesday and Fridays will be very busy days .
One shopper per household, This will be policed.
Construction workers can work full time. COVID 19 will just pass them by according to the PM Them and only them will not get the COVID 19.virius.
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
so soon we will have all one person households
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
There is NO ongoing "fight against the virus". There is covid19 like thousands of other viruses and it has been that way for billions of years. Btw the highest concentration of viruses is in the salt water, yep. Read about bacteriophages, they are viruses and they are no where more plentiful than in the seawater. Should we be prohibited to enter the ocean because of the viruses? Maybe one of them mutated and will now start infecting people, who knows?
Ask yourself one question: since the "epiemic" started in March, did the government order/buy any additional ICU beds / units? One ICU place is maybe $25.000, maybe less, maybe more, but lets say they take $1million and buy medical equipment, how many ICU beds would be that? 20? 30? maybe 50? Where is the money from VAT? So, do they fight the virus or rather fight us ?
monkeyflip 4 years, 3 months ago
I believe we are quite prohibited from entering the ocean as it stands.
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
Nothing wrong with Peru, rodentos, just miles away. Perhaps Sandilands would be more expedient, if not under lockdown 😂🤣😂
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
South pole would be much better and far away
moncurcool 4 years, 3 months ago
Why are islands that have no cases being treated like islands that have cases? Why lockdown those islands that do not have one reported case with the rest? I don't understand that logic.
ohdrap4 4 years, 3 months ago
To stop people from traveling to and fro. Plus, one size fits all rules are easier to type.
DWW 4 years, 3 months ago
because all the islands have it. we just don't know because no one has been tested.
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
There is no logic, moncurcool.... There has been no logic since the start of this fabricated pandemic and the rolling out of dictatorial rules that don't seem to want to quit. COME ON PEOPLE!!! We are living under the control of a tyrannical despot who won't quit until the Bahamas is no more. His so-called team members appear to be a lot of ineffectual, brainless puppets.
rodentos 4 years, 3 months ago
yeah slowly realizing that? remember the fake 5 phase signs shown by Minnis? they forgot one more #6 in that sequence that is like in Monopoly, when you reach #6 go to START (but do NOT take $400)
birdiestrachan 4 years, 3 months ago
Because the PM and his receives a full salary . He does not realize that employment is very high.
Now he put the few who are working on a three day work week..
birdiestrachan 4 years, 3 months ago
Correction unemployment is high, many are out of work.
John 4 years, 3 months ago
Seems like the country is drifty away from reality. Rather than getting closer to it.
stillwaters 4 years, 3 months ago
The stark reality is that this virus is rapidly spreading and we have an immense number of really fat people who have combinations of high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.
DWW 4 years, 3 months ago
and everyone has to suffer as a result of everyone else's poor lifestyle choices. i couldn't agree more.
stillwaters 4 years, 3 months ago
Another reality is that nobody except you can keep this virus away from your eyes, nose, and mouth. Do what it takes to keep yourself safe, especially if you live with partiers.
Honestman 4 years, 3 months ago
If you live with partyers invite them to find alternative accommodation.
DDK 4 years, 3 months ago
Will the. Government Offices be OPEN and STAFFED from 7 AM to 5 PM MONDAY, WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY? This man surely has no idea of the chaos and hardship he is causing the very people he claims to care about. Or he knows and simply does not care. Either way, he is unfit for Public Office. As stillwaters says, the people need to look after themselves. Eliminating obesity and other diseases from unhealthy diet and constant stuffing of the face should be at the top of the list, not these stupid, counter-productive lockdowns. Minnis is like a man possessed. North Pole or South Pole, either would work, but then what would he do to Christmas if banished to the North?😂🤣😂
zemilou 4 years, 3 months ago
For allowed shopping and services, how about alternating Monday through Saturday by license plate? Even numbers one day; odd the other. Strict enforcement - a challenge, I know, but if the news gets out about enforcement fines, majority of people will comply. No matter what, those who flaunt the law will continue to do so, but most Bahamians are willing to make sacrifices to keep themselves and others safe. Government policy is another thing. For example, since people can go shopping tomorrow (Wednesday), why not start curfew 10 PM Wednesday, instead of today (Tuesday).
Proguing 4 years, 3 months ago
I am talking to some offshore bankers, they can't close the banks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and work until only 1 pm the other days.
happyfly 4 years, 3 months ago
I wonder what's going to happen when all of these people who have tested positive do not actually die. When it turns out that even for the old and vulnerable the death rate is actually only a fraction of a percent....and the rest of this drama is just the mainstream media fear-mongering. Do you think the average Bahamian is going to wake up and get pissed at the PM for exaggerating the fear so that he can play super hero...... or do you think they will all thank him for destroying our economy but saving them from the boogeyman ? The facts coming out now are statistically, someone of my age and health is more likely to get hit by bus than die of covid and am getting really tired of being treated like a farm animal that can't manage my own life without being penned up and force-fed a bunch of bull sh....
ashley14 4 years, 1 month ago
Sorry this is happening to you. At least your government is protecting you. We are being forced to endanger ourselves but our government officials are protecting their selves.
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