By EARYEL BOWLEG
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light temporarily closed its Peter I Bethel Building to customers yesterday for cleaning after an unsubstantiated COVID-19 scare.
According to a source, a customer was in a casual conversation with another person at the BPL building when the word “COVID” was mentioned. This in turn triggered a panic, the source said.
The source said BPL was trying to investigate whether there was more than that, but it appeared not to be so. However, the premises was being sanitised at the time. The building was closed to the public between noon and 2pm.
When contacted, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said he had no information on the reported incident.
The power company was apologetic in a release about the temporary closure of the building.
“Bahamas Power and Light wishes to advise that the Peter I Bethel Building has been closed to customers between the hours of 12pm and 2pm on Monday, July 6, 2020,” the release read.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused, and remind customers that our offices at the Mall at Marathon remain open for business, as do our regular payment partners.”
A similar incident occurred in April when their Baillou Hill Road office was closed after a small number of staff were suspected of being exposed to someone who had been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient.
BPL indicated in a statement at the time: “The building was immediately closed. The staff potentially exposed were sent home under strict instructions to ensure they followed the recommended anti-infection protocols. We brought in a professional cleaning company to do a deep cleaning and fumigation of the building overnight.”
Comments
thps 4 years, 5 months ago
This story sounds like something out of The Onion.
Someone said COVID and caused a panic, from a casual conversation?.
tell_it_like_it_is 4 years, 5 months ago
This is a really stupid story. No one will know how many people in this country have Covid. So you have to treat everyone as if they have Covid. Use masks, sanitizer, and social distancing.
You can't look at someone who is asymptomatic and know that they are sick. If you are taking precautions as if everyone has Covid, then you don't have to keep closing your business willy-nilly. It's just ignorant!! SMH
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
I have to agree ROTFL. Everybody talking about COVID, I don't see people panicking. Now if you tell them we have another alphabetical shopping schedule....
mandela 4 years, 5 months ago
WOW!, can you imagine the panic when we do get cases, oh yes we will get cases, and when there is going to be panic amongst us like the plague of Egypt. We are so not ready to be opened up and importing this virus here that it's pitiful.
Clamshell 4 years, 5 months ago
Agree with the above ... I posted the first few paragraphs of this story on my Facebook page, my friends are ROFLMAO ... 😎
thps 4 years, 5 months ago
Not sure what is crazier, the panic was caused by saying COVID, that BPL closed because of the panic or that the Tribune wrote on this without putting a disclaimer that this isn't a comedy section.
In July 2020, what conversation doesn't mention COVID?
DWW 4 years, 5 months ago
and just like that a new form of terrorism was born
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 5 months ago
2 new cases in GB today. Thank you to the dumbest minister of health yet...
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 5 months ago
And when our hospital is overwhelmed we will be locked down and this time we ga be lockdown for months. Christmas in lockdown.... We cannot handle a full on surge...
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