The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian businesses were last night bracing for the imposition of additional restrictions to combat “out of control” COVID-19 infection rates, with one saying: “It cannot be business as usual.”

Fred Albury, the Bahamas Motor Dealers Association’s (BMDA) president, told Tribune Business the pandemic “is just like a bad nightmare that won’t go away” while revealing that himself and others are readying for tougher measures such as extended curfews, curb-side sales and weekend lockdowns ahead of the prime minister’s address tonight.

Arguing that these restrictions were “very justifiable” given The Bahamas’ soaring COVID case numbers, with another 118 new infections discovered on Friday following a record 228 detected on Thursday, he added that “the health of the nation must come first and said: “It’s no use making money if you are not alive to enjoy it.”

However, the Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement last night, indicated that no wide-ranging or long-lasting lockdown is being considered as Dr Hubert Minnis seeks to balance livelihoods and the economy’s recovery with public health and saving lives.

“The prime minister has fought throughout the pandemic to get vaccines for Bahamians. He will provide an update on additional vaccine supplies. He continues to work to save lives and livelihoods,” the statement said. “The Bahamian economy has shown remarkable growth in recent months. Bahamians are getting back to work.

“The prime minister wants to protect our economic growth and job creation, ensuring Bahamian businesses can operate responsibly while also protecting public health. The Prime Minister advises Bahamians to keep abiding by the public health rules: Continue to wear masks properly; remain physically distant when out; and to wash or sanitise your hands frequently.”

Mr Albury said he will be watching closely to see what Dr Minnis unveils, and told this newspaper: “Everybody’s expecting there’s going to be some sort of restrictions with extended curfews, weekend lockdowns or a full lockdown. This situation we face is out of control. It cannot be business as usual.

“Most of the young people are not taking this seriously. I was out last Saturday, and there’s a club between Arawak Cay and Saunders Beach and the place was full. We’ve got to stop the gatherings out there to get this thing to slow down. Whether we like it or not, there’s no use making money if you’re not alive to enjoy it. The health of the nation has got to come first.

“In the back of my mind, I feel that’s what has to happen. A lot of people feel the same way, and the statistics are so bad on new case numbers coming out of the Ministry of Health. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. Other places have locked down. This thing is just like a bad nightmare; it won’t go away. The best we can hope for is a bit of tightening and more people getting vaccinated.”

The Prime Minister’s Office yesterday indicated that the Government plans to shift away from the current COVID-19 Emergency Orders “to a new legislative approach”, which would require the passage of laws to fulfill essentially the same function that they are providing now.

The House of Assembly is being recalled early from its summer recess, which was supposed to last until September 22, to meet tomorrow to table a resolution to extend the existing emergency powers orders beyond their August 13 expiry. The House will then meet on Wednesday to debate and to pass the Resolution.

The Senate will meet the same day, August 10, to table the same resolution and will meet on Thursday to pass it. Mr Albury, meanwhile, said he was trying “to push” all staff at his Auto Mall business to become vaccinated against COVID-19 without mandating or forcing them to do so.

“Every week someone in the office is being tested positive,” he added. “One of our sales ladies is just coming off a serious bout with this. She had to go to the South Beach clinic and be put on a respirator, but is thankfully doing better now.

“We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, and people are willing to accept that. For at least three weeks, if we’ve got to go back to curb-side sales or take the curfew to 8pm at night and weekends with a lockdown, I think it’s justified; very justified in light of the circumstances.

“When you start to feel like something positive is happening, another COVID variant comes out and we have to deal with it. I go in my office, stay clear of people and after that I go home. I don’t go out anywhere or go socialising.”

Leonard Sands, a former Bahamian Contractors Association (BCA) president, told Tribune Business that resorting to lockdowns of the type experienced in 2020 would “be really disastrous” for a surging construction industry that was “pretty much shouldering the economy”.

With much depending on the nature and type of restrictions that the Government may announce, Mr Sands said: “Right now the sector is doing incredibly well. It’s pretty much shouldering the entire economy, construction, so one hopes there is no disruption to its activities at all.”

While contractors and building materials suppliers presently able to engage in business “pretty freely”, he expressed hope that no further restrictions will be imposed despite acknowledging the severity of present COVID-19 case numbers and the potential threat that the health system will be overwhelmed.

“Right now I think it would be really disastrous for the sector if they did that,” he added. “It’s taking everything it could right now. Everyone’s working and we don’t want to see any disruption right now. I think it would be really terrible. I wouldn’t want us to return to locking down or more restrictive measures.

“The economy is just starting to rebound. Let’s not instantly retard business and interrupt the economy.” Mr Sands urged the Government to “step up enforcement”, arguing that this was “weak” and that there was “a lot of relaxation on construction sites” when it came to mask wearing, social distancing and hand sanitisation.