The Tribune

* 'On arrival' proposal not approved by Gov't

* Sector chief: Five-day COVID test too tight

* Says maritime sector 'not like taking plane'

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Association of Bahamas Marinas (ABM) president has voiced frustration over the Government's failure to approve on-arrival COVID-19 PCR testing for boaters who miss "the five-day window".

Peter Maury pledged that the Association will "keep trying" after the narrowing of the PCR testing window, from seven days before arrival in The Bahamas to five days, threatened to cause complications for its yachting and boating clients.

Speaking to Tribune Business in a recent interview, he argued that weather conditions, mechanical problems and other factors could all delay a boat's scheduled arrival in The Bahamas by several days and place its passengers/crew outside the five-day time period in which they have to produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test in compliance with this nation's border protocols.

Rather than such visitors be turned away, and forced to return to the US or other port of entry to go through the test all over again, Mr Maury said he had proposed that boaters in such a predicament - especially those who had come to New Providence - quarantine on board and take the PCR test via Doctors Hospital, which can turnaround the results within 24 hours.

The ABM chief, though, said that while the Government had acknowledged such a solution "makes sense", it had yet to be approved by the Ministry of Health and included as part of the COVID-19 health and safety protocols in the Emergency Orders.

"The only thing we'd asked due consideration for is the seven-day window. We need seven days," Mr Maury told this newspaper. "A boat coming from the Caribbean or the Atlantic doesn't travel like a plane. It takes them seven days to get where they're going.

"We also had boats coming this week who were delayed because of the weather, and they're going to have to get re-tested. A boat, when it comes in, is essentially a capsule where people can't go on and they can't go anywhere. I'd asked if they could be tested on arrival.

"The Government said it made sense, but we have guys that are total bureaucrats. They say: 'This is what the Health Travel Visa says; the test is done prior to arrival'. Yeah, I understand that, but if you get tested when you arrive what is better than having an immediate test?" he continued.

"The Ministry of Health never approved it, and never included it in the Order. If you think about it, it makes more sense to do it this way as you have a more accurate result. Yachting is just different. It doesn't fly at 180 miles per hour; it goes at 10 knots.

"It's 240 nautical miles from here [New Providence] to the US at 10 knots. That's 24 hours. A big yacht is not going very fast. Those guys are not coming on speed boats. Bad weather for two days, two days to get a test result..... You've narrowed the window, so what are people to do if they arrive outside five days.

"If they arrive on day six, and are allowed to test when they get here, instead of having to go back to the US to get retested they can await the results of the test here. It's so simple if they pay attention. Planes fly right away, but in the maritime business it doesn't happen like that and we have a number of weather variables."

Mr Maury said the issue represented a potential danger for a marina sector that is "probably the biggest contributor to hospitality right now". He added: "I wish they'd [the Government] take into account what we go through. If you're going to change the window to five days, allow us to test on arrival. We're set up for it. The boats are under quarantine anyway because they have to come in and clear."