Tourism and Aviation Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar.
By NEIL HARTNELL
Tribune Business Editor
nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
The "earth-shattering" move by the US to impose a 30-day travel ban on most European nations has created alarm over where the coronavirus fall-out is going to end, a Cabinet minister said last night.
Dioniso D'Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told The Tribune that the Government will have to "carefully digest" the Trump administration's decision and all the potential implications for The Bahamas, its economy and tourism over the next few days.
Noting that the ban does not take effect until tomorrow, Mr D'Aguilar described President Trump's announcement as "huge" and a "fairly dramatic move" - especially since no warnings had been given that it was being considered.
The ban threatens to cause travel chaos for the thousands of European stopover visitors who come to The Bahamas annually, since most access this nation by connecting through US east coast aviation hubs in Florida, Atlanta and New York. Only British Airways provides direct non-stop flights to Europe via London Heathrow five times per week, and the UK is not included in the countries affected.
"We've got to think through what we've got to do, and how to react to this, and that requires some consultation with the group and Cabinet, on how best to proceed forward," Mr D'Aguilar said. "I guess the $45m question is: Who's next?
"The issue is the great unknown about how this is going to pan out. The fact that the US has banned virtually all travel from Europe, the burning question in everyone's mind is: Where is this going to end? Where there's uncertainty the first thing to stop is travel.
"I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that every single day this goes on there's going to be a significant effect on our economy as more of these earth-shattering announcements are made. It's a cause for unease and concern. It's a pandemic, and now the US is moving to take this significant travel restriction it's just worrying."
Comments
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 8 months ago
So get on with making Freeport a major hub! Let people travel thru the Bahamas to get where they're going rather than thru the US. I am positive 99.9% of people would choose NOT to transit thru the US. Standing on lines for hours to answer stupid questions that don't even apply to you since you're only passing thru. GET ON WITH IT!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 8 months ago
Good suggestion but we'd lose Preclearance. What's the opportunity cost/trade off? Also can we handle the security? would be interesting
Kofi 4 years, 8 months ago
Why would we lose preclearance?
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 8 months ago
Hes made clear what his policy is whether we like it or not. If he's banned European travelers but we're telling European travelers everybody come here, we're in contact with them, then we travel to the US, it essentially nullifies his order. we'd be circumventing the ban. We'd probably not only lose preclearance as a punitive measure, we'd probably end up on the list of countries who couldn't travel to the US.
The idea on it's own has potential, outside of the travel ban, but it has some serious considerations even in absence of corona19. The biggest of which is security. We couldn't implement those protocols in such a short period. It would take serious planning and preparation. we'd try to benefit from one global disaster and introduce the potential for another one on a different scale.
proudloudandfnm 4 years, 8 months ago
Yeah, why we would lose pre-clearance?
SP 4 years, 8 months ago
Someone finally made President Trump understand the magnitude of this pandemic causing him to make the hard decision to ban travel from Europe due to the unprecedented spread of the Covid19 virus.
The Bahamas should have nothing to think about! Forget about short term financial losses and focus on the ramifications and unimaginable losses if we allow Europeans to infect the entire tourist industry for the longterm.
America has sensibly heeded the CDC travel warnings to Europe and took a further step by blocking Europeans from infecting the country by entering the U.S.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/wa…
Why isn't the Bahamas following the U.S. in what should be seen as a common-sense approach to this deadly contagion?
This is a monumental mistake of epic proportions of which there is absolutely no room for error!
TheMadHatter 4 years, 8 months ago
I don't know why he (or anyone) is worried about what the US says or does. Remember we are an "Independent Nation" - LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
sheeprunner12 4 years, 8 months ago
In the words of Leslie "Potcake" Miller ………… Don't panic!!!!!!!!!
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 8 months ago
Minnis keeps using that word..it's a psychological trigger..."panic?", " did someone say panic?", "what's happening?". "what should I be worried about?"
bogart 4 years, 8 months ago
The Bahamas has to be thinking all the moves to the end of the chess game as every other nation does. Present politicians seem to be just babies at the politics and running a nation which seems just for the benefit for whichever political party wins to govern the nation for mere 5 years. Nation suffers as new party shelves previous nation plans by previous party and starts new plans to have their party's imprint for selfish political party promotion....and it repeats and repeats. There must emerge a party whether new or existing to offer people a sight at end of tunnel because all for some past 25 plus years whichever party is in, it then gets tossed out every 5 years and never learns.
TalRussell 4 years, 8 months ago
The comrade scientist are saying that the proactive way to confront the viruses - would be to curtail our movements and activities. If you don't have to mix with any others - including co-workers, friends, family and church members - stay the hell away from them. Basically, religiously wash our hands and practice being anti-social for at least the next 6 months, or more. Sounds insane because the next months going get real crazy all over the world - including we Colony. Stock up on lots foods and essentials - including medications. Keep Cash on hand, and a full tank gas!! Unless it's a health must - stay away from hospitals and drinks LOTS at room temperature water!!
Bonefishpete 4 years, 8 months ago
Disneyworld closes sunday at closing time. Closed rest of March. Disney cruise ships stop running Saturday. Butt hurt coming to the Bahamas, prepare.
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 8 months ago
"Incompetence kills" quoted from Adam Schiff. In addition, incompetence and lack of preparedness are two things bound to be exposed by a crisis.
Incompetence can generally hide in day to day run of the mill operations. Systems are generally in place to handle the "regular", but when the extraordinary happens, incompetence has no experience or knowledge to draw on.
Just look at the decisions made at BEC during an extraordinary island blackout that led to a catastropic fire incompetence had no idea of the importance of waiting for the assembly of a proper security team. This led to a fire which led to an entire engine burning down, an entire year of blackouts, loss of business, productivity, and misery.
That was crisis exposing incompetence. And no one has done anything to move the offending party. They've learned the lesson of having a proper security, but what will the next crisis expose and how much damage will it cause?
Can you imagine a more critical time in our history when we need our brightest minds? How many more of our institutions are staffed with and led by incompetent friends, yes men and psycophants? Because a national crisis is coming to expose all of them and the Bahamas is at risk.
Schemer18 4 years, 8 months ago
This goes to show just how lazy these politicians are without any strategic plans for the Economy of the Bahamas 🇧🇸 every day relying on the United States 🇺🇸 for monetary handouts!
They need to stay home if they cannot boost the Bahamas 🇧🇸 Economy higher than just tourism.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 8 months ago
While marsh mallow headed D'Aguilar is worried by Trump's travel plan, the vast majority of Bahamians are worried about D'Aguilar and Minnis's gross incompetence. D'Aguilar and Minnis are primarily to blame for having foolishly put all of our economy's fragile eggs in one basket, i.e. the foreign owned cruise ship companies. And they did this for their very own selfish benefit!
sheeprunner12 4 years, 8 months ago
While yall are looking to cast blame …………. the fire is spreading from room to room.
Need to rescue the hapless Negroes ………… We still have sun, sand and sea for our use.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 8 months ago
Your enjoyment of that sun, sand and sea assumes you are under age 60 and will be one of the luckier survivors. But in Europe rightnow there're finding many infected individuals under age 60 who are not fairing too well, and many who are suffering from permanent lung damage even if they do manage to survive. They're also finding many seriously infected outliers from the statistical norm in Red China, i.e. individuals under age 60 who do not survive their infection. Not a pretty picture developing as the number of cases in the U.S. begins a steep exponential climb!
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