The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Chamber of Commerce's chairman said last night's easing of COVID-19 restrictions showed the private sector's "recommendations and concerns have not fallen on deaf ears".

Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson, in a statement issued following the Prime Minister's national address, said that while loosening their limitations on businesses and their operations would help bring staff back to work and increase revenues, The Bahamas was still some way off from returning to "normalcy, viability and predictability" with its economy.

"The BCCEC (Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation) has been consistent in its position regarding the impacts of restricting retailers, restaurants and other businesses to offering curbside pick-up and delivery services," she said.

"We feel justified in seeing other business-related organizations [The Bahamas Federation of Retailers] echo the sentiments that the BCCEC expressed immediately following the announcement of the restrictions. We are further pleased to see that our recommendations and concerns have not fallen on deaf ears, as seen by the implementation of most of the BCCEC’s recommendations on easing restrictions.”

Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson spoke out after Dr Hubert Minnis, in unveiling a widely-expected easing of COVID-19 measures following the drop in cases in New Providence and Abaco, announced that the 24-hour weekend lockdowns will cease and retailers will be allowed to resume curb-side services with effect from today.

Retailers will also get much of their Saturday sales period back, with the Prime Minister saying: “The weekend 24-hour curfew is lifted. The curfew on Saturdays and Sundays will now be from 6pm to 5am. The weekday curfew will move from 9pm to 5am, and this 9pm to 5am curfew will also apply to Grand Bahama on weekdays and at the weekends.

"The retail sector, including pharmacies, may resume in-store services Monday to Saturday, following the protocols prepared by the Bahamas Federation of Retailers (BFR) and certified by the ministry of health.”

Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson added: “The impact of such easing is likely to result in businesses being able to service their customers more efficiently, increase the revenue generated, or lack thereof, over the past few months, and bring employees back to work.

“However, current easing is not sufficient to return to a sense of normalcy, viability and predictability. Moving forward, we will continue to advocate for the continued compliance with all COVID-19 safety protocols and the enforcement thereof.”

She continued: “The return of the tourism market is a welcomed opportunity for the private sector. Every opportunity to create buffers for the continued operation of this sector must be taken. For many months the economy relied heavily on domestic consumption, which has served us well in the absence of the tourist market.

"We, the BCCEC, continue to encourage the Bahamian public to shop locally. However, the business community, through tourism, also welcomes the ability to expand its customer base, increase staff levels and better plan for the future.”

“There is no doubt that to continue to navigate the impacts of COVID-19 is a prodigious task; one that calls for community mindedness, individual responsibility and adherence to the safety protocols, namely, wearing of masks, frequent handwashing, and social distancing," Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson said.

"The BCCEC has been committed to engaging with our members, the wider business community, policymakers, health professionals and other stakeholders in advocating for a balanced approach towards mitigating against the economic and health impacts of COVID-19.

“We are pleased to hear of the various easing of restrictions. We are also happy to hear of the new business grants and support programmes being enabled through the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), of which the BCCEC is a founding partner.”