NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The resolution to extend the state of emergency and emergency orders to May 23 has been passed in the Senate.
Opposition senators did not support the resolution.
Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Dr Michael Darville categorized the extension of the sweeping emergency powers as a “big mistake”, insisting there is no reasonable explanation for the extension.
Darville said that in the 10 months under the state of emergency, the government has failed to present any strategic plan or legislative agenda to Parliament.
He accused the government of using the powers to issue impulsive changes to protocols, without clarification or explanation, for managing crime in the country and to give the Free National Movement (FNM) the upper hand in their political campaign.
He noted that as a COVID-19 survivor, it is encouraging to see the country’s COVID numbers continue to trend down after a difficult second wave, “despite the multitude of challenges in our healthcare system and notwithstanding the critical errors made by the competent authority”.
He warned that the reduction in the numbers can give a false sense of comfort regarding the ability to deal with the potential third wave given the unaddressed deficiencies in the previous waves.
Darville also insisted that the government has not demonstrated the capacity to monitor and manage the protocol put in place by the Ministry of Tourism, pointing to the 21,000 people who failed to take an antigen test five days after arrival in the country.
However, Attorney General Carl Bethel underscored the need for the state of emergency and emergency orders amidst the continued global pandemic and the threat of new variants of the virus.
Bethel said given the possible risks of the more infectious and deadly variants, The Bahamas cannot afford to let its guard down.
“We are now in a race against the virus and its mutations to hurry up and get our people vaccinated,” he said.
“…The longer the bulk of humanity is not vaccinated, there are going to be continual opportunities for this virus to mutate and possibly to become even more contagious, even more variant, meaning that it will kill more people.
“So, the critical race now is to obtain vaccines and to vaccinate as many Bahamians as possible, pending that we will not drop our guard.
“We cannot drop our guard. We made that error once in July of 2020 and we paid dearly for it.
“We will not drop our guards again until we have reached the level of vaccination of Bahamians and residents — and when I say residents, I mean all populations in The Bahamas. All without discrimination or recrimination.
“And when we reach that level, yes, we will ask the governor general to ‘please consider whether you think it’s OK to let the emergency orders go.'”
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