Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

UPDATE: Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis tabled a resolution in the House of Assembly Wednesday to extend the emergency orders until June 29. Dr Minnis also said he will make an announcement tomorrow on the easing of restrictions in New Providence, Grand Bahama and some Family Islands.

THE country is set to experience more time under Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ emergency orders to combat spread of COVID-19.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest is expected to deliver his much anticipated budget communication in the House of Assembly today, but Dr Minnis is also expected to speak to the extension of his emergency orders which will expire at the end of this month.

The Tribune understands parliamentarians will then debate a resolution in the House of Assembly tomorrow.

This newspaper further understands that Dr Minnis will announce some relaxation of restrictions on business activities that will take effect sometime in the week after the Whit Monday holiday on June 1.

The country has just began the transition to phase two of the government’s reopening plan, with family islands gradually reopening and church services gradually resuming.

July 1st has been identified as a key date for the country, with officials hoping to resume commercial flights by then and resuscitate the ailing economy.

New Providence and Grand Bahama have been recording few new cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks and no new case was recorded in the country yesterday for the third consecutive day.

Critics, however, fear that health officials are not testing enough people to give an accurate sense of the spread of COVID-19 in communities.

tell_it_like_it_is 4 years, 7 months ago

Minnis is out of his mind. Why extend the lockdown? What difference will that make? Someone needs to explain the method to this madness!! Or is he just set on destroying the country. SMH

xtreme2x 4 years, 7 months ago

HE'S NOT EXTENDING NO LOCK DOWN...HE IS EXTENDING the emergency orders. THAT GIVE HIM THE POWER. LOCKDOWN REMAINS SAME

immigrant 4 years, 7 months ago

This clown can’t get out of his own way. No real solutions, no expanded testing, no plan! Just like we were in a position to take advantage of the windward islands being hurt by hurricanes a ccouple of years ago, the rest of the region is going to be more prepared than us coming out of this pandemic. This is only going to further delay our recovery. How are the Caymans systematically testing tens of thousands of their citizens, while we are still mired around the 2,00 mark for the 3rd week in a row.

thps 4 years, 7 months ago

worldometers.info/coronavirus/

Good website here: we are 113ith in Tests per Million.

ISpeakFacts 4 years, 7 months ago

Well said, speaking of testing... the Ministry of Health aka the Ministry of Buffoons also promised expanded testing, what happened to that? On Monday the country completed a total of FIVE TESTS... you can't make this stuff up, JUST CANT!!!

thps 4 years, 7 months ago

The cost was raised as a reason for not getting kits . Yet we have an 800m and 1.3b deficit with lots of spending for programs out there. I'm sure they could have snuck in some for test kits.

ThisIsOurs 4 years, 7 months ago

It was really Dr Minnis who made a dramatic announcement about widespread testing. I suspect he listened to us complaining and just said it without consulting Dr Sands. Because no less than 2 or 3 days later Dr Sands said, no we havent begun widespread testing because we cant find swabs.

If you can fault Dr Sands for anything he has this tendency to try to explain away whatever Dr Minnis did as a means to show how supportive he was of the leader. I said 2 months ago he needed to keep his head down like Jeff Lloyd because we needed him to survive. But I guess if he acted like Lloyd people wouldn't respect his service as much.

thps 4 years, 7 months ago

"Critics, however, fear that health officials are not testing enough people to give an accurate sense of the spread of COVID-19 in communities."

Is this only a fear of critics? if the government itself thinks its testing enough... I have 10,000,000 test kits to sell you.

Dawes 4 years, 7 months ago

Is he trying to get unemployment to 75%?

Francis_James 4 years, 7 months ago

It is useful to remind ourselves of the purpose of the lockdowns, it is to ensure that when people get Covid-19 and need a bed in hospital one is available. The lockdowns are not designed to stop us catching the virus, only to slow its spread. Relatively few people require a hospital bed. Yesterday, only 6 of the 43 active cases (14%) needed a bed, and we have 41 “Covid” beds. So, there is plenty of capacity in the system. Based on these figures, we might say we could have about 290 active cases before we run out of Covid beds. Our last Covid-19 related death was on the 23rd April. Are these metrics not sufficient for us to learn to live with Covid-19, rather than trying to hide from it?

Zags 4 years, 7 months ago

Very well said! I only wish that more people were capable of understanding this simple truth. We must keep the number of Covid-19 patients who require hospitalisation below the hospital capacity, otherwise our medical workers, and the country, will be totally overwhelmed.

In the absence of a vaccine, we must rely on lockdowns, social distancing and the wearing of masks to flatten the curve i.e. keep the number of infections below the hospital capacity.

Stop being selfish and try to understand the bigger picture.

Dawes 4 years, 7 months ago

Those who have underlying conditions should be worried about this. They should self isolate until the vaccine comes (which may never come or could be in the next few months). However the rest do not have as much to worry, Therefore those with underlying conditions should stop being so selfish and understand the bigger picture instead of wanting everyone to not move so they are safe, even though we are at 50% unemployment and counting. But hey who needs a job.

WETHEPEOPLE 4 years, 7 months ago

Figures! I guess the PM only see it fit to free the people when our foreign masters are permitted to enter the country. Until then the servants are confined to the barnyards.

truetruebahamian 4 years, 7 months ago

Minnis is bloody bereft of his senses! Mindless!

Bigrocks 4 years, 7 months ago

Give him a break!!! CoV-19 infected his head and now he is paranoid

proudloudandfnm 4 years, 7 months ago

New Providence and Bimini have been getting new cases in the last few weeks not GB. GB can be eased now, if we stick to social distancing and masks and keep our docks and airport closed to Nassau and the US we should be just fine....

DDK 4 years, 7 months ago

The PM needs to go into quarantine at Sandilands. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

TalRussell 4 years, 7 months ago

Wasn't the fake burying the 55 unknown comrades dead, not enough damage be inflicted by Abaco's South and North, redcoat House elected, and cabinet member MP's?
Why hasn't the media, not published the heartwrenching photos of Abaco's underwater Domes?
Yep, make sense for Mr. Minnis to want to extend the lockdown against residents to be government and constabulary forced to shelter inside water submerged shelters.
An absolute disgrace on the watch the South and North Abaco redcoat House elected MP',s who both just happens to be loyal Imperialists'** members inside Mr. Minnis's cabinet. Nod once for yeah, Twice for no?

heath 4 years, 7 months ago

The man is incompetent, out of touch and is pursuing a policy that will destroy the fragile economy. If he had a clue or had a coherent policy, he would explain it. Instead, he comes on TV bubbles along in his verbose, incoherent manner. With every utterance he sounds more and more like a fool. He has become a dictator who must be challenged in court.

TigerB 4 years, 7 months ago

A JUDGE chastised a group of young people brought before his court for violating the weekend lockdown yesterday, noting that although a teenager who was fined $700 last week for selling coconuts sparked public outrage, he still had a “courtroom full of people” violating the emergency regulations.

Magistrate Andrew Forbes told the group, who were found in a car by police Friday night, he was reaching his boiling point since he had to frequently admonish curfew and lockdown breakers of the harsh consequences they could possibly face.

He added that magistrates have been reserved and not given offenders the maximum penalties for such offences, but said “it seems like people aren’t getting the message”.

Let;'s see who is man enough to break it... Brave setting people up, I'll bet he, not man enough to leave his house, even though he is encouraging people to do it. This should be fun.

hj 4 years, 7 months ago

Just because they didn't prepare enough and have enough tests for massive testing the whole country(except politicians,consultants and civil servants) suffer. There was no proper planning from the beginning and continuous lockdown is the only way they know now. But why should worry, NIB has 1.7 billion in assets,an economic recovery committee and sub committes have been established,we have medical experts that are the envy of the region.

rodentos 4 years, 7 months ago

Good luck in the Bahamas without tourism. Some people always die, there is no medical reason for keeping everything shut down. Corona will not go away, there are likely 20-30x more cases than reported worldwide. Chile ramped up testing 4 times and oh wonder, they have found 4x so many cases.

With any plane landing here it will always bring some new cases to the Bahamas, what do you want to do about it? Shut down Bahamas forever? US tourists are the main customer in the Bahamas, the country has about 400 million of habitants and no working health system. Do you really believe Covid19 will disappear within US?

Better way would be just open everything, but continue social distancing, everybody in the public space should be using a mask (if there were any for sale in the Bahamas....), moreover every tourist coming here should be offered a quick test on arrival without any cost and also masks should be given to them. That would be 95% effective as locking everyone up, but without all the devastating effects. There is always a trade off. Instead of trying a 100% safe solution that devastates 80% of the economy, take the 95% safe approach that will maybe only impact 10% of the economy.

happyfly 4 years, 7 months ago

http://tribune242.com/users/photos/2020…

WETHEPEOPLE 4 years, 7 months ago

" I mean, we have to come to grips with the fact that we can't eliminate the risks, it's impossible and COVID-19 is going to be with us for the rest of our lives so we have to learn to live with this and mitigate the risk as much as possible."

So if the Minister of Tourism said the above, why are Bahamians being forced to suffer another month of lockdown?

joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago

Black men and power just don't seem to go together very well. The incompetent authoritarian just does not want to give up his grip on power!

SP 4 years, 7 months ago

Donald Trump must be promoted to a black man then because he IS the proven most incompetent authoritarian who just does not want to give up his grip on power regardless how many people die!

joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago

... the most obvious flaw in your statement is that the president of a federalist system does not have the power that the PM of a constitutional democracy has. Trump does not get to control what happens on the state level. Is he responsible for what is happening in New York for example? Minnis's power is felt at a very individual level, as the 'competent authority' what he says goes and much of what he says and does, does not make sense. For instance why lock down an island to local movement that has had zero cases of covid from March (eg. Eleuthera) but not lock down an island like Bimini at the time that had a confirmed covid case from April. No he decides to do it recently when spread has already taken place? Makes no sense!!

avidreader 4 years, 7 months ago

It is very likely that race has little to do with a thirst and a taste for power. The temptation to appear large and in charge is difficult to resist. Most of the poltical class lack a wider perspective of history and of current affairs and view unfolding events and/or crises through the prism of anticipated effects upon their class or particular interest group. As one example, events both previous to and subsequent to the Mexican Revolution of 1910 are very illustrative of this point.

joeblow 4 years, 7 months ago

... a thirst and taste for power is not my concern it is how that power is managed. The history of this country, Haiti and Black led African nations suggest we as Black people do not know how to handle power for the general good or the legacy of our nations, but only for our own immediate interests!

The_Oracle 4 years, 7 months ago

Francis_James, above is correct, with respect of the purpose of the rules. However, Minnis is following the textbook definition of Insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Social distancing rules yes. Masks in public, yes. NO beach crowds, parties, crowded bars, yes. Resturants? maybe a patrons per Sq ft? Take out only? Look at each one, they're all different! Outdoor porch type should be fine. revisit the whole curfew/lockdown BS. Even calling the weekday situation a 24 hr curfew is a crock. He likes exercising his "power" under his "authority" but it seems disconnected from any competence.

Topdude 4 years, 7 months ago

It is most unfortunate that ignorance, jealousy and stupidity pervades the afore listed comments. Why in the name of the Almighty would a leader entrusted to look after the health and wealth of our nation want to bring anything otherwise to bear.

Please fellow Bahamians let’s us rally around our leader and stop denigrating genuinely honest attempts and efforts to do the right thing. Please look on the bright side . Please.

As an aside, I notice that well- Mudda- Take- sic has adopted a new moniker in an attempt to hide his ignorant and jealous comments while Joe Blow and Tar Russell continue with their foolishness.

Once again, when the history of our nation is written, Prime Minister Minnis will be credited for these bold and visionary strategies he is currently introducing to save our nation.

Please let him manage. God Bless him and his Cabinet.

ISpeakFacts 4 years, 7 months ago

Prime Minister Minnis will be credited for these bold and visionary strategies he is currently introducing to save our nation.

You must be a fool of the highest honor if you think Minnis and his 5 tests per day are going to save this nation LMAO, 3 months since our first case of the most deadly Red China Virus and we haven't even tested 2000 people, RIDICULOUS!!!

These lockdowns are useless without expanded testing, the covid-hotline is also useless... they just tell you to self isolate and don't even offer you a test, its like the buffoons forgot that you can be asymptomatic and spread the disease to many people without even knowing so!

@Topdude is a prime example of an idiot who graduated with a D- at best, him and the other Minnis cronies who eat any and every piece of garbage that Minnis spews out of his dirty and nasty mouth are why this country along with its citizens have been abused by the previous and current nasty and most greedy elected officials. DEAR GOD HELP US ALL

@Topdude for the safety of this country, I pray you don't plan on having any children. we surely don't need any more of your kind in this country!

Topdude 4 years, 7 months ago

Mudda -Take-Sic you are aware of the cardinal sins. You exemplify at least two: Jealousy and Envy. Please you are jealous and envious that someone with the background of the Hon. Prime Minister has risen to the highest elected office in our nation through the dint of hard work, grit and determination. And you are a nobody. Your envy and jealousy are so patent I fear before the FNM’s term in office is over and before we are re-elected for a second term, you will run out of insults.

What more do you want from our Prime Minister and our Party?

As to the other misbegotten PLP supporters who continue to spew filth, please open your eyes to progress. And we are looking for you to join the winning team under our noble and honorable leader.

Hoda 4 years, 7 months ago

I don’t mind when ppl holdfast to their political leanings and biases, I just wish when they make their alternative accounts they would remember to change up their language and catchphrases. Also, it always the same rebuttal with Bahamians if you don’t agree with their opinion they can only respond with abusive language and attempts to denigrate. Hey, but sometimes it might be deserved.

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UPDATED: PM tables resolution to extend emergency orders

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Magistrate Andrew Forbes told the group, who were found in a car by police Friday night, he was reaching his boiling point since he had to frequently admonish curfew and lockdown breakers of the harsh consequences they could possibly face.

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