Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest voluntarily entered self-quarantine “out of an abundance of caution” yesterday after someone who works at the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre tested positive for COVID-19.
The news came as the country recorded forty-four new cases of the virus, including 26 on New Providence, ten on Grand Bahama, two on Abaco and one on Inagua.
Inagua’s first case comes days after Dr Minnis announced that restrictions there and on several other islands will be removed and that limited inter-island travel will resume given the absence of cases there.
In addition to Dr Minnis and Mr Turnquest, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd also entered self-quarantine this week despite a negative test result for the virus. He was tested after being exposed to a positive case.
Cabinet Office’s statement yesterday said the Ministry of Health’s Surveillance Unit has initiated contact tracing “to determine the level of exposure to employees and visitors” to the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre.
“At this point there has been no confirmation that the prime minister or the deputy prime minister has been exposed,” the statement said. “Out of an abundance of caution, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister will voluntarily enter into self-quarantine until further instructions from the Ministry of Health.”
Other employees at the centre have been encouraged to quarantine as well.
In an interview with ZNS yesterday, Dr Minnis said he is feeling well.
“I was told that an individual in the office, not my immediate vicinity but in my complex, tested positive and staff members may have communicated with that person and subsequently entered in my office and therefore out of an abundance of caution they just asked me to quarantine until further notice. I feel 100 percent fit, well. I followed doctor’s orders, came home and since I was unable to exercise, I just completed coming off of treadmill, ensuring that I stayed in shape to continue to guide us through this COVID infection or pandemic.”
After one of his aides tested positive for COVID-19 last month, Mr Turnquest self-quarantined despite his own negative test result. Dr Minnis, meanwhile, has been tested at least once for the virus. He tested negative while planning a trip to Grand Bahama in mid-May.
Both men plan to work and carry out their duties while under quarantine.
Comments
ohdrap4 4 years, 3 months ago
Try this same abundance of caution when spending money you do not have. Thanks.
Sickened 4 years, 3 months ago
Good one!!!!
tribanon 4 years, 3 months ago
Just listen to the condescending arrogance of this oaf. He thinks all of us can afford to have a treadmill at home like him so that we too can stay fit under his lockdown orders. Does he even know that most Bahamians can only dream of having a home large enough to accommodate a treadmill in a dedicated exercise room?
This buffoon is totally detached from reality. And he delusionally thinks he's going to be our great saviour in guiding us through the current Covid-19 crisis, a crisis that he and D'Aguilar brought down on us by their most foolish and stupid decision to prematurely reopen our borders on July 1. There's no limit to Minnis's disgusting gall - he's dangerous and has already caused the deaths of way too many of our fellow Bahamians.
LogicalHumanBeing 4 years, 3 months ago
I highly disagree with everything that has been said because all I'm seeing is negativity and ignorance. Why should he be concerned about individuals having treadmills if he worked with his own money to afford one? How does that correlate with the problems our country is facing today? How is he responsible for causing the deaths of our fellow Bahamians? Did he personally give them the virus? Did he tell them to go out and not social distance?.....Yes the government has made some flaws. However our country as a whole needs to take responsibility for what's going on today and stop throwing blame around to the person of most convenience. Instead you should offer logical solutions and less stupidity.
tribanon 4 years, 3 months ago
So you're happy for the vast majority of Bahamians to be locked down for long periods of time in dwellings much smaller than Minnis's mansion, under extremely cramped conditions with many family members now sharing a single dwelling because they have lost their livelihood in the private sector and have no ability to afford any kind of housing for themselves, not to mention no longer being able to afford electricity, cable TV and internet services, decent food, medicines, etc.
It must be nice for you being a much wealthier Bahamian so obviously detached from the severe hardships that so many of your fellow Bahamians are experiencing in their daily struggles to just survive for another day.
Jetflt 4 years, 3 months ago
Self quarantine for what??? As the PM and DPM they should be tested every single day! Get to work!
tribanon 4 years, 3 months ago
Fully agree. They just don't want to face many important questions and much deserved ridicule from press reporters. They simply want to hide from us while they go about destroying what remains of our own lives and businesses. They have their nerve! Both their exorbitant pay and outrageous benefits should be cut significantly.
FrustratedBusinessman 4 years, 3 months ago
Only in the Bahamas can you find this mindless course of events occurring. Are we going to remain locked down if this virus sticks around 5 or 10 years? I have yet to find another part of the world continuing these mindless procedures. Many parts of the US and Canada have realized that they need to move on with life and are living as close to normal as they can (mask mandates and social distancing not withstanding).
tribanon 4 years, 3 months ago
And to think Minnis has already publicly proclaimed he is going to remain the self-annointed supreme ruler of the Bahamas until such time that a vaccine is developed and used to completely eradicate the deadly Communist China Virus. Meanwhile healthcare officials all over the world now believe that may never happen and at best we will get something similar to the current annual "hit or miss" flu vaccine.
LogicalHumanBeing 4 years, 3 months ago
What you don't realize is that everytime we begin to open up and resume with our busy days. BAHAMIANS, not Hubert Minnis, not the government. BAHAMIANS don't follow the proper social distancing and as a result there are more cases than there ever. The problem is Bahamians don't see the severity of this disease and when they do realize I fear it may be too late for our economy.
tribanon 4 years, 3 months ago
So are you saying Minnis just never knew about many Bahamians being inclined to misbehave? Surely that can't be the case. The truth is both Minnis and D'Aguilar know all there is to know about Bahamians but nevertheless foolishly and stupidly gambled with the lives of vulnerable Bahamians, including our healthcare workers, by prematurely reopening our borders on July 1 in the midst of a major Covid-19 resurgence in Florida and many other states of the US. And here you are siding with Minnis and D'Aguilar in their efforts to cast blame for their very own most foolish and stupid decision on Bahamians. Shame on you too!
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