The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar suggested yesterday the government does not currently plan to move away from its RT-PCR testing requirement for domestic travel and utilise rapid antigen testing instead, despite increasing calls over the issue.

He spoke after nine people, including a 17-year-old girl, were charged on Monday with possessing and uttering forged documents after they attempted to travel domestically using falsified COVID-19 test results.

The incident has reignited debate over whether the government should revisit its current RT-PCR testing protocol for domestic trips and instead require rapid antigen test results, which are less costly and also said to be equally as effective.

Yesterday, Mr D’Aguilar said while he understands the frustrations of Bahamians concerning the high costs of the RT-PCR tests, locals must also understand the protocols in place are designed to protect and prevent further COVID spread – especially to the Family Islands.

“It’s very important and neither you nor I are in a position to know or to opine on what is the best test or not and the health professionals have decided that if you travel to New Providence or Grand Bahama, you need a PCR test,” he told reporters before going into a Cabinet meeting.

“It is absolutely critical that we prevent as best as we can any growth in COVID cases in the Family Islands because the health facilities just do not exist to provide adequate care and so the government is taking the advice of their providers in order to prevent it. I know it’s costly. I know it’s annoying. I know everybody is fatigued but we just cannot allow for an uptick to happen.”

Former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands has previously expressed support for the use of rapid antigen test as a requirement for travelling locally, saying it makes no sense to still be requiring PCR tests for domestic trips.

He told The Tribune on Sunday: “The question is whether or not as a country we ought to be requiring RT-PCRs for people to travel back and forth within the country. I don’t think that that is necessary, but that’s my personal opinion and an antigen test done by a competent lab is an adequate tool for determining (infection) and contagion. As a matter of fact, it’s probably a better tool for determining who’s contagious than the RT-PCR. So, definitely you need to have some tool. The antigen test appropriately done is probably as good if not a better test than the RT-PCR…”

Asked if the government is minded to revisit the travel protocol as more and more people become vaccinated, Mr D’Aguilar replied yesterday: “So, the studies are beginning to show although the science is not yet complete that when you get vaccinated it prevents you from getting sick and it significantly diminishes your ability to spread the virus if you’re infected. So, if you have been infected and you get vaccinated, A you won’t get sick and B you are less likely to spread the virus on to someone else.”

In the meantime, Mr D’Aguilar is urging Bahamians to follow all the health protocols, insisting that being fined or jailed for not adhering to COVID-19 orders is “not worth the risk.”

“So, when you look at these tests every day we begin to know which are and which are not fakes and the penalties are so substantial. I think it’s three years in jail or two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. To me, it is not worth the risk and not only that, it’s irresponsible and I said before disappointing if you take those measures,” he said. “They are in for a reason to prevent community spread. Please, abide by the rules and not try to deviate from them and that is why we are probably to a certain degree having some uptick in our COVID numbers.”