Amendment: Lockdown lifted for Spanish Wells, Potter’s Cay vendors allowed to operate this Saturday

Amendment: Lockdown lifted for Spanish Wells, Potter’s Cay vendors allowed to operate this Saturday
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. (BIS)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has issued an amendment to lift the 24-hour curfew and lockdown in Spanish Wells.

The amendment also allows vendors at Potter’s Cay dock to sell produce to essential workers tomorrow, August 15.

The vendors will be allowed to operate between 8am and noon.

Spanish Wells joins other islands where restrictions have been lifted: Inagua, Mayaguana, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay, Long Island, Chub Cay, Rum Cay and Ragged Island.

According to the current lockdown order, those islands are now under the Emergency Powers (Covid-19 Pandemic) (No 3) Order, 2020, which was amended on July 31 to extend the curfew to 10pm until 5am.

A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister, released this evening, advised that Spanish Wells may resume normal commercial and social activity, effective immediately.

“The lockdown and curfew have been lifted for Spanish Wells because health officials have not recorded any recent suspected COVID-19 activity on the island for at least two weeks.

“Residents of Spanish Wells must continue to practice COVID-19 prevention health guidelines in accordance with the Emergency Powers Lockdown Order.

The OPM statement added: “Consideration for the resumption of normal commercial and social activity will continue to be given to other Family Islands that have not recorded suspected COVID-19 activity for at least two weeks on a case by case basis.”

About Ava Turnquest

Ava Turnquest is the head of the Digital Department at Eyewitness News. Her most notable beat coverage spans but is not limited to politics, immigration and human rights, with a focus especially on minority groups. In 2018, she was nominated by the Bahamas Press Club for “The Eric Wilmott Award for Investigative Journalism”. Ava is deeply motivated by her passion about the role of fourth estate, and uses her pen to inform, educate and sensitize the public.

12 comments

So when is Inagua getting locjed back down?? Or when will San Salvador, Hope Town, Man o War, Harbour Island and mainland Eleuthera be set free??

so Spanish wells lifted which is a part of Eleuthera which have Coronavirus case but other island can not be lifted hmmm. This lock down isn’t working cant keep locking down how do u want people to pay there bills …. feed there kids ….. pay rent. Only people who making income are people who are considered essential works and government jobs. Other people can’t afford to always keep getting lock down only nib can payout… plenty people still up to today haven’t got rental assistance. Some family island still trying to recover after dorian plenty people paying rent because they lost everything and without income how do you want them to live homeless. Coronavirus will be here tell it die out all you have to do is be clean and follow rules.

But yet laundromat are not considered essential. Whenever he does decide to open them,it will be chaotic and may attract another surge. Keeping it closed isn’t flattening the curve.

As Islands are removed from the list of islands under a strict lockdown, on the basis that they have not recorded any COVID 19 cases in at least two weeks, then why are those same islands under curfew?

What is the need to have these islands on a curfew if inter-island travel is restricted, and if the government’s travel policy is sound?

According to the constitution the people who are sick with an infectious disease are the ones who supposed to be lockdown for their own safety and well being as to protect the public from catching an infectious disease healthy people should be free to go to work move about as normal but if we all are lockdown together how is that going to change anything, also there isn’t enough testing going on the government should make it mandatory that the entire bahamas get test especially Nassau and Grand Bahama until this happen we be playing cat and mouse forever, there’s no way we can continue these lockdown the economy can not survive this, also in the end if our economy collapses the Bahamian people will go against the government and they will surely be defeated at the polls come next election by a landslide. The people will speak yet again, just food for thought.

Why the government dont put the polices in all activities to make sure all the persons respect social distance and they have face mask. If he do that everyone can work

The government and first responders are doing a good job responding to the pandemic. It’s the first natural disaster of this magnitude the world has seen in our lifetime. We in the Bahamas are about to have approximately 2000 cases short term. Community spread increases at a higher rate without lockdown. Maybe someone can come up with online fundraising to assist the community that can’t pay rent and other expenses while you at home musing about the economy. This pandemic will pass however community hardship remains and it maybe good to examine solutions to improve conditions while we in lockdown and many have difficult time finding a place to shelter.

How is it that Spanish Wells be lifted off of curfew and has had suspected cases and is apart of Eleuthera, whereas Harbour Island had NO suspected cases and curfew here hasn’t been lifted?! PM got some explaing to do. What makes Spanish Wells different? Brilanders need to speak up on this.

This is a very difficult time and the decision to lock a country down is not easy. It is even harder for those who don,t know how they are going to make it. Those without jobs ,homeless etc. However we are not doctors and this is something that we never had to face before. It is for the safety of everyone and also when we have people out there who are not listening we have the problem that we are now facing. For those who really don,t need to be out there, stay home and for those who must be out there,be very careful. We must help each oth÷ which other in which ever way that we can. Let’s be more considerate and stop complaining

We are lucky to have 6 months of history on the virus and see what other countries did. The virus affect elderly with co-morbidity factors. Mortality risk below 65 is less than the flu. The 25,000 Bahamians above 65 should be protected and the rest of the population could live normally and let the virus run its cours. Most young people have the virus with no symptoms. After that they are immune and will protect the rest of the population.
Lockdown will have more negative effect as we can see in countries that had them. Countries that did nothing, like Sweden, had the same number of death per capita than countries with severe lockdown. Also worth noting that Sweden had the same number of total death (All causes) this year then previous years. Same for many countries that did severe lockdown. Lockdown or no lockdown human will still die, the question is how we choose to live our life.

Comments are closed.