THE news that there were another 40 cases of COVID-19 in New Providence yesterday means it looks increasingly likely that the national lockdown will be extended.
But is everyone playing by the same rules?
The Tribune was told of a restaurant that was opening its doors and serving customers – despite the lockdown rules preventing such activity.
Surely not, we thought, the police would close such a place down quickly if that were the case.
Well, our staff went to investigate Getaway Restaurant and Lounge yesterday – and not only were police not closing it down, they were among its customers!
People were happily coming in and out of the restaurant, ordering their food and heading out with their packages.
Is it really one rule for everyone? What special preference does that restaurant get? We are not aware of any special exemption granted to this business. Why do officers not only fail to enforce the law but happily support the rules breakers with their custom? If that restaurant can open, why can’t the others?
How much have you missed your favourite restaurant food during this lockdown – and do you think it’s fair that you’ve been going without while others have happily been disregarding the lockdown regulations?
As for the police officers, they know the rules, they know that restaurants are not exempt.
Where else is opening and being ignored by the officers meant to enforce the rules? Is that why we had another 40 cases yesterday, because the lockdown is not being enforced properly?
If it is not safe for these premises to be open, then no premises should be open – just as the order requires. If it is safe, then they should all be open. Goodness knows businesses could do with the custom.
This makes us think back to the case of Jonathan Ash, the businessman fined for selling alcohol at a bar in breach of the emergency orders and whose actions were described as a “blatant disregard for the law”.
This is exactly the same – and not just on the part of the business, but for those officers who shopped there rather than shutting it down.
It is simply not good enough.
Virus brings a domino effect
Should we need an example of why the lockdown is necessary, we need look no further than the string of government offices suddenly shutting their doors.
The Ministry of Health yesterday announced it was shutting down for sanitisation after a staff member tested positive. The Ministry of Public Works soon followed. The Public Hospitals Authority joined the club too.
This comes after the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre closed down after a worker tested positive. That houses the offices of the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister. The Education Minister has also self-quarantined after being exposed.
Office after office in the senior ranks of government forced to close because of the continuing spread of the virus.
Yesterday was a single-day record for the number of cases in New Providence. We’d best get used to this if we don’t use this lockdown to stop the virus dead.
Comments
ohdrap4 4 years, 2 months ago
Egg on the tribunes face. The police contracted food for persons in custody.
Clamshell 4 years, 2 months ago
Uh ... the original story says the Tribune reporter and other patrons ordered and were served meals, too ... dunno if any egg was on the menu.
tribanon 4 years, 2 months ago
You mean to tell me The Tribune's staff reporters dined out in defiance of the orders of our most 'incompetent authority'. Of all the nerve! When these reporters return to the Getaway Restaurant for their next sumptious meal, they should all be immediately arrested, charged and incarcerated at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre? LOL
Clamshell 4 years, 2 months ago
When I was a newspaper editor, a reporter working for me exposed an illegal mafia gambling operation by placing a bet while working “undercover.” Standard operating procedure. The state prosecutor publicly thanked him for helping to expose the operation, and the reporter won a few journalism awards for his efforts. Welcome to the real world, bubba ... 😎
mandela 4 years, 2 months ago
Let's be clear the only group that the law doesn't apply to is the RBPF, no matter what they do wrong they are never held accountable or punished. Police were there when Ash was selling illegal liquor nothing happened to them, when they are proven wrong by the coroner in police shootings nothing happens to them, when young men are beaten with bats on camera at junkanoo nothing happens to them, now this, nothing happens to them they are never held accountable or punished. When persons are looking for food or water during the lockdown they are quick to lock them up and bring them before the courts. This country is joke. a banana democracy.
rodentos 4 years, 2 months ago
at least you won't starve there's lots of banana!
whogothere 4 years, 2 months ago
Closing the country off, like New Zealand has is pointless and unsustainable (So are the lockdowns) akin to holding your breadth under water. New Zealand has a scuba tank of air in its larger domestic economy and exports. The Bahamas does not. The virus is gonna virus, and will still be here when either country runs out of air. As it stands our case fatality rate has plummeted and deaths are a fraction of severity of the biggest killers in the bahamas - cancer, hiv, cardiovascular disease, homicide and traffic fatalities. The only way through this thing is through the fire - protect the vulnerable- enforce masks, goggles and hazmats suits if you want but end the foolish lockdown and let people work...otherwise this country will face a Long slow demise through currency devaluations, poverty and economic stagnation, compounded by the social issues (crime, violence, drug abuse) that tend to accompany such situations....meanwhile the virus is still gonna be here.
tell_it_like_it_is 4 years, 2 months ago
Yep, the only thing the lockdowns reveal is that they are not the answer.
pileit 4 years, 2 months ago
I agree. The challenge is in an ignorant populace that seemingly struggles to observe basic protocols for abatement of spread... recall that lockdowns were not the first option...
Sickened 4 years, 2 months ago
Correct!!! ignorance of the masses is the problem. Government can only do so much; but when you have 300k mentally challenged high school graduates partying and drinking every night during a pandemic then there's no real solution. You just gotta hope that the ignorant ones die off quickly. Thank you Jesus for shining a spot light on our shortcomings.
tribanon 4 years, 2 months ago
You forget it was decades of successive corrupt governments deliberately setting education policies to dumb down the electorate that created the many mentally challenged people you speak of. Corrupt governments naturally find it easier to get away with fleecing the public treasury when most people in the country are just too dumb to notice it happening in broad daylight or do anything about it.
FrustratedBusinessman 4 years, 2 months ago
Anyone who has lived here for any significant length of time should be well acquainted with the old adage that "who you know is more important that what you know". Rules for thee and not for me has always been a staple of the Bahamian political scene.
Agree with many of the commenters above, we can piss over the government for their inadequate response all that we want (and rightfully so), but ordinary Bahamians have just as much complicity (if not more) in fueling this second outbreak by having COVID parties, playing dominoes, pretending social distancing isn't a real thing, etc. Common sense goes a long way in life, and this crisis is really exposing the severe deficit of it present on our beautiful islands.
bogart 4 years, 2 months ago
Restaurant was seems specially opened seems to provide 3 meals per day to some 1,000 persons in Police custody seems much exhorbitant money recklessly spending Public Taxpayers Regressive imposed on Taxpayers money to buy fried pork chops, fried chicken etc from private in business restaurant. Further, in light of National shutdown of such businesses attracting open public and govt defeats OWN govt purpose to have entire island least affected.
Govt done already has.... Govt continuously operating facilities like Detention Centre down same straight Carmichael Rd. with industrial kitchen facility for seems now almost empty detainees, .....Govt has Govt Prison with industrial continuous operating kitchen, ....Govt has Govt Princess Margaret continuous industrial operating kitchen, Fox Hill continuous kitchen, etcetc., ....and should have been utilizing existing Govt kitchens to mass produce provide food for incarcerated persons. When do incarcerated persons.... ever get to have meals from specially opened private restaurant with menu and their belly is better than hundreds of thousands stayin home making sacrifices to follow same Govt lockdowns eating corn beef an grits, tuna an frits, plenty markarel an grits....????!!!!....an...an Incarcerated persons in custody gets to eat fried pork chops, fried chicken etc menu fron especially private restaurant..!!!!..Weeelll ...mudda sic dred..!!!!!
tribanon 4 years, 2 months ago
And we have yet to learn who owns the Getaway Restaurant and Lounge in the Golden Gates Plaza, but clearly their rogue operations during the ordered lockdown are afforded much police protection implying that this eating establishment also enjoys strong political connections.
bogart 4 years, 2 months ago
If the 1,000 people get incarcerated locked up, confined by one Govt law gettin restaurant food.....then the remaining 249,000 estimated population of Nassau who following Govt law of being confined in their own home, by law Govt curfew shouldda also been getting fried pork chops, fried chicken from restaurant menu. Preferred Centre cut pork clops for family, 2 thigh, 4 chicken wing, mash pototo wid gravy, coleslaw an 2 more side order etcetc to erryone else. Sure all the other Restaurants would be putting in ,volunteer, bids to govt supply 249,000 rest of Nassau.
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