The Atlantis resort on Paradise Island.
By RASHAD ROLLE
Tribune Senior Reporter
rrolle@tribunemedia.net
ATLANTIS is considering postponing its reopening until November, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said yesterday.
“They haven’t given me a specific date that I’m aware of but in our discussions it seems a period slightly before Thanksgiving and I think they caveat it to say ‘we’ll gauge to see how the situation is going and will make an adjustment if it’s to be before then’,” he told reporters at the House of Assembly.
“They indicate that within ten to 14 days they could get that hotel back up but everyone seems to believe that (with) Baha Mar saying they will open up the first week of October, they may end up moving in sync because when you do that, it makes sense to get the airlift back, to build that scale.
“Our first objective is to get the current situation under control. When we go back to opening up to international travel obviously now we’ve had a learning situation and we know what the issues are and we will put in place the necessary protocols to ensure that we don’t resurge. You are constantly battling in this position. On the one hand you’re advised to keep everything locked down. And then on the other side you have people saying I need to go to work, I need to feed my children, I need a job, so it’s trying to strike that balance and it’s the hardest thing to do.”
Mr D’Aguilar said Atlantis has not indicated whether it will lay off any staff.
“We can’t bury our heads in the sand,” he added. “We can’t imagine that it’s going to open up and go right back to what it was and all those people will go back to work. I’m sure there’s some discussions even internally among themselves about what they’re going to do and how they’re going to ramp up.”
Baha Mar, which plans to reopen on October 1, recently indicated it will lay off 1,200 employees and began this process several weeks ago.
Atlantis recently announced that it has opted for an “extended closure” until the health risks from COVID-19 subside. Its move came days after the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention extended its ‘no sail’ order on the cruise industry until September 30, 2020.
Atlantis was previously set to reopen on July 30.
“The extension comes as the growing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported across the resort’s key U.S. markets continues to rise,” the resort said in a statement earlier this month. “Atlantis is tracking new information daily and will share reopening updates on its website and through its social media channels.
“Since the onset of the pandemic, Atlantis remains vigilant in its actions to protect the health and safety of its guests and team members.”
This week, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced a ban on international commercial travel except from the United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union. Private flights and pleasure boats are still allowed entry from the United States, providing visitors meet COVID-19 entry protocols.
Comments
Chucky 4 years, 5 months ago
Atlantis won’t be opening for at least 1 year. Maybe longer.
Things are only going to get worse around the world for the fall and winter season throughout the northern hemisphere.
This is just the start.
Optimism is great. But we had better get a handle on this , and plan for the reality that we haven’t seen anything yet.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 5 months ago
I agree I suppose tgey have to be good news ambassadors but no big hotel will take the risk of COVID spreading through their hotel. It don't take much.
mrsmith 4 years, 5 months ago
And by the time they reopen, the hotel will be sold. Too much potential liability now in hotels, especially with visitors who love to sue.
tribanon 4 years, 5 months ago
And now, thanks to Minnis and D'Aguilar's very foolishly temporary re-opening of our border to the US, we find ourselves once again having to fight large scale community spread of the deadly Communist China Virus. We should instead have been using this time and our limited resources to plan for how our country and its people will manage without the tourism sector of our economy for an indefinite period of time.
But so many of us now have little or no trust in Minnis's ability to guide and lead our nation through these most challenging and exceptionally difficult times. Minnis has just fumbled the football one too many times and no doubt will continue doing so if left to his own devices. Appointing his chain dog Renward Wells as minister of health just took the cake!
screwedbahamian 4 years, 5 months ago
All world reports quote medical experts and scientists stating that the COVID-19 VIRUS is here until a Vaccine is developed to eradicate it. All reports state that a vaccine for this virus is not expected to be developed and implemented before the beginning of 2021 at its earliest. Why the LEARNED LEADERS do not comprehend this is beyond reality, If The LEARNED LEADERS expect to open up our borders to BUSINESS AS USUAL with tourists and citizens traveling to and from our county before this time without consequences is just foolish. We need a fact finding committee to acknowledge the facts and realistically plan to survive until this virus is eradicate, Due to the virus and the economic consequences ( 32 million Americans out of work and on government assistance to survive) our tourist industry is SIMPLY NOT THERE. plan accordingly
Clamshell 4 years, 5 months ago
Meanwhile ... the manager of the Romora Bay Resort and Marina on Harbour Island is flooding the newspapers, social media and stateside yachting PR mill with cheerleader shouts for boaters from south Florida — one of the nastiest Covid-19 petri dishes on the planet — to fire up their engines and head on over to his marina, and pack his dock, pool, bar and restaurant. Gotta get that cash register singin’! Cha-ching!
Heaven help y’all ...
TalRussell 4 years, 5 months ago
Spells certain deaded end to the mega-resorts and cruise ships - be's impossible them to financially make it through the struggles rough waters of COVID-19. Neither Atlants nor Baha Mar Resorts can ever expect to return see business as before and must expect to attract not a penny more than Fire Sale prices if listed for sale on the global marketplace. Nod Once for Yeah, Twice for No?
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