Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis delivers his address on Sunday.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced on Sunday that international commercial flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers will not be permitted to enter the Bahamas from Wednesday unless they are from Canada, the UK or the European Union.
In his national address, Dr Minnis revealed a host of measures in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases – which increased by 15 on Sunday.
In addition to the move on international travel, the Prime Minister said:
• Bahamasair will cease outgoing flights to the US immediately.
• To accommodate visitors scheduled to leave after Wednesday, outgoing commercial flights will be permitted. Private international flights and charters for Bahamians, residents and visitors will be permitted. Pleasure craft and yachts will also be permitted.
• All returning Bahamians, residents and visitors by air or sea from overseas will require a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test result from an accredited lab. You will be required to present your documents to immigration officials upon arrival. These tests must be taken no later than 10 days before the date of travel. All of these individuals must also have an approved Health Visa to enter the country. Bahamians and residents returning to the country who are not in possession of a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test result from an accredited lab will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return, via the Hubbcat Monitoring App. For travelers who do not agree to Hubcatt monitoring or whose premises are not approved by the Ministry of Health for quarantine, they must quarantine at a Government-identified facility at their own expense. At the end of the quarantine period via Hubbcat or at the facility, COVID-19 testing will be required, also at the traveler’s expense.
• Dr Minnis added that while every family must make their own decisions on students studying overseas, parents and students may wish to consider the resumption of studies beginning in January 2021.
• Domestic travel will continue to be permitted, however, all those traveling domestically within The Bahamas are still required to complete an electronic Health Visa prior to departure at travel.gov.bs.
• Public and private beaches and parks on New Providence, Paradise Island, Rose Island, Athol Island and surrounding cays will be closed until further notice, effective tomorrow, Monday, July 20, 2020 at 5am.
• Restaurants at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay will also be required to close, effective Monday, July 20.
• Grand Bahama: A new curfew will be implemented from 7pm to 5am daily, starting tomorrow, July 20. All public and private beaches and parks will be closed until further notice, effective Monday at 5am.
• Grand Bahama: International and domestic borders will be closed to all incoming and outgoing flights and sea vessels to and from Grand Bahama, except for emergencies and to transport essential services and goods, effective midnight Wednesday, July 22, 2020. Ferry boat operations between East End, Grand Bahama and Crown Haven, Abaco will not be allowed, effective Monday, July 20, 5am.
• Grand Bahama: Indoor dining will be closed effective Monday. Outdoor dining, takeaway and curbside delivery will be permitted. Bars remain closed. All Fish Fry’s inclusive of, but not limited to Eight Mile Rock, Smith's Point, West End and Williams Town will be closed effective Monday. All congregant activities and gatherings, inclusive of religious services, weddings and funerals, and sporting activities will not be allowed, effective Monday. This does not include students taking national examinations.
The Prime Minister also announced that Renward Wells will be sworn in on Monday as the new Minister of Health. Dr Minnis said Mr Wells is “a doer, who knows how to get things done.”
And he confirmed that Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis was stepping down as a special adviser and coordinator of the COVID-19 Task Force on Sunday.
Comments
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Minnis is a certifiable nut! He's definitely drunk on power and must be on a total 'high' from this latest round of his most ridiculous orders. Why couldn't he just do the right thing and close our country's borders to all travellers from the US, period! To continue allowing private travel to and from the US by the rich and famous among us and our few dare devil tourists is ludicrous beyond belief.
As for Reward Wells' appointment as minister of health, well, let's just say we are now in the midst of a global pandemic with a new minister of health who has zero expertise in any of the biological or medical sciences, but who has many of the barking and bullying tactics of the one who appointed him. All too unreal and most surreal!
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
Me family's estate does own commercial and rental properties which Mr. Minnis says we cannot visit Abaco, without first obtaining an advanced Travel Visa from The Colony's Central Authority. Just couldn't make this not even Sir Stafford, would've dared attempt stuff up. Just, couldn't, Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 5 months ago
Renward Wells??????
What the hell????
Can anyone else ring the bell? What a stupid move....
moncurcool 4 years, 5 months ago
You beat me to the comment. What does Renward know about health? That again shows that the PS are the ones who run any ministry.
joeblow 4 years, 5 months ago
@moncurcool... you don't have to be a doctor to be a good minister of health (Minnis and Sands prove the point). You simply need to be able to process information given by advisers and make decisions. If I remember correctly Perry Christie was once minister of heath.
moncurcool 4 years, 5 months ago
Never said you needed to be a doctor. That's why I said the appointment proves the Permanent Secretaries run ministries. But to your point, sure would not hurt having someone with expertise in an area oversee it
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 5 months ago
Glad he finally got some sense about Americans. But looks like its too late...
rodentos 4 years, 5 months ago
ridiculous.... what did you expect to happen opening flights to the worldwide epicenter of Covid19 named Florida?
We are all screwed now
RealTalk 4 years, 5 months ago
I will never forget that a decision was made to put a man who holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (an honorable degree if I may add) as the MINISTER OF HEALTH during a pandemic.
There has been a lot of questionable decisions made, but this decision speaks volumes. You accepted Dr. Sands resignation and replaced him with someone who has never worked as a medical professional.
Wake me up when this nightmare is over.
ISpeakFacts 4 years, 5 months ago
LMFAO...nothing more needs to be said
WE ARE SCREWD!!!
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 5 months ago
Will the FNM ever show loyalty to country? FIRE MINNIS NOW!!!!
Clamshell 4 years, 5 months ago
The new minister of health has a mechanical engineering degree from a Bible college that he attended on a track scholarship. Great choice in the midst of a global viral pandemic, eh?
DDK 4 years, 5 months ago
Hopefully, The Donald won't sanction us😮
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Don't worry, we could never be anything but an infected pimple on the elephant's arse, unless of course we invite the Communist Chinese Party (CCP) to establish military facilities of any kind within our jurisdiction. Come to think of it, Minnis might be daft enough to do something like that if he perceived he wouldl be well taken care of by the CCP in a quid pro quo arrangement. Yikes!
themessenger 4 years, 5 months ago
What a bunch of jackasses, what the Ministry of Health needs is an administrator who can organize and get things moving in the direction his medically competent advisors would like things to go in. I'm not a fan of Wells, but most engineers in my experience are well organized people. When all of you are dropping like flies you'll all be whining that the government did nothing to prevent the spread of the virus. Two weeks ago you were all beating the government for not opening the borders and the economy, now you singing a different song, you can't have your cake and eat it. Oh my people, they won't let you down, they won't disappoint you.
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
All you've done by your remarks here is support those who believe Minnis is totally directionless. And if you seriously believe for a moment that Renward Wells is an organized person, well, let's just say that makes you the fool of the day!
themessenger 4 years, 5 months ago
All you've done with your constant negativity is to prove you'd smell s..t In a rose
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Tell me one thing about directionless Minnis I shouldn't be negative about. And if Minnis smells like a rose to you, then you have one hell of a serious problem with your nose.
thps 4 years, 5 months ago
Are the same persons who were asking for the borders to be open the same persons asking for them to be closed?
Or did you read some on this board who argued for one and others who argued for the other?
Following the board, one can name the pro-open border posters from the anti ones. e.g. Proudandloudfnm and a few others have been against the opening. My2cents and others have been for it. I haven't seen a few who have said one thing and then argued against it, but maybe they are out there.
I can find many politicians who did the same.they'll argue that as data changes so do opinions. the government's course change is one example
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
I think what youre seeing is people asking for evidenced based drcisions whether we open or close, not PR "we're open for business", "we're closed to protect ourselves". They are doing more damage than necessary and not addressing the real source of the problem with these ill planned decisions.
DDK 4 years, 5 months ago
BTW, Anonymous, I am sure we received PERMISSION to so do by the Great Ones!! Will you never give the PRC a break? They are not the ones putting military bases all over the globe, including our Country.
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
No, you're so right....forget the PRC and military bases....they're the ones creating and spreading deadly viruses all over the globe, including our country, instead!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
June 28th repost
"lol @ the Tribune graphic artist:) I am going to take a guess that they are not a fan of the cheapsy looking back drop. Waiting to see what colour they turn it to next (intentionally), we've been through blue, purple, mauve, now mint green lol"
..well... I'd say today we have a lovely mix of green, blue and purple. notice "purple" filamingo
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
All it took was for the PLP comrade Renward to walk across the House floor sit amongst the opposites arcade's benches to win the substantiative crown's prize The Colony's Central Authority's health minister.
Not surprising when if you paid attention within days post-Dr. Duane's firing to how Mr. Minnis stood up on the floor House to point directly at Renward to lecture his red coat MP's that if you want to get a job done, give it to Renward. Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
JokeyJack 4 years, 5 months ago
I actually feel sorry for the virus - having to come to work 3 hours early every day now. 7pm instead of 10pm.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
"Public and private beaches and parks on New Providence, Paradise Island, Rose Island, Athol Island and surrounding cays will be closed until further notice, effective tomorrow, Monday, July 20, 2020 at 5am.
Restaurants at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay will also be required to close, effective Monday, July 20."
These are unnecessary. Where is the evidence of any spread at these locations?
We are going out of our way to blame them Bahamians who dont know how to behave and cant listen when its clear this spread can be laid squarely at the feet of a bad cabinet decision. Thats it. The decision to open the borders with no evidence that we were ready to open is the cause for the spread. Not people at the beach or cars on the road. The beach been open, no cases.
Attack the problem where it lies, at the border. All of this additional stuff is just dictatorial showboating unnecessariness... PR strongman "extra".
I've suggested before automatic sample testing of every flight entering the country. Do it now while numbers are low and it's feasible. include in the sample taxi drivers and immigration workers.
They want COVID suggestions? Start basing decisions on research and thorough analysis. This is a contagious disease, it don't know the difference between FNM or PLP lungs, leave the party line banging on the desk party politics out of it.
JokeyJack 4 years, 5 months ago
A lot of us Bahamians have practiced family planning and tried to get our kids to grow up and be educated and start new businesses and try to get our country out of just being reliant on tourism. However, in response, both government parties have responded to our efforts by bringing in cheap labour from abroad to compete with us. They have chosen quantity over quality - and so not we have very little quality. It was a choice. Here we are.
mandela 4 years, 5 months ago
Help! tribune editors, please stop putting pictures of our PM on top of these stories, just looking at pictures of him is very, very depressing.
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
Agree. His evil, sinister, megalomaniacal and narcissistic face is most nauseating.
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