NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A well-known bottled water producer said it was likely a week behind on its bottled water deliveries due to a surge in demand and COVID-19 restrictions.
Geoffrey Knowles, Aquapure’s managing director urged consumers not to hoard water.
“We have been inundated,” he said.
“We are still probably behind by a week on deliveries from the added demand plus the restrictions. We normally operate 7am to 10pm now we are doing 6am to 9pm. This is the height the season and it’s very hot out there. We have our full staff on, we’re paying overtime and our employees are rising to the challenge. They understand what’s going on and how important bottled water is.”
He added: “People are still hoarding water. People who normally take two bottles a week now want 10. We try to limit to five bottles per person. People are shopping for friends and family. We try to discourage the hoarding.”
Knowles urged Bahamians to adhere to COVID-19 protocols.
“We are going to do what we can and live with it,” he said.
“This thing is not going away anytime soon . The problem is too many people are not taking it serious and that’s why we see the government taking certain actions.”
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis reversed course on a complete seven-day lockdown and allowed food stores, pharmacies, water depots, gas stations and hardware stores to open from 6am to 9pm until further notice.
