NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Minister of Health and Free National Movement (FNM) Chairman Dr Duane Sands yesterday called on the government to provide the data used to inform the “dramatic changes” to COVID-19 health protocols.
Sands’ comment comes after the government announced further relaxations of the protocols over the weekend.
The new protocols include the removal of a requirement to wear face masks in a lobby, corridor or casino of a hotel or an outdoor setting when there is at least three feet of space between people.
Perhaps if the government is able to share the data on which they have based this very peculiar set of COVID-19 restrictions, we would be happy to look at it.
– FORMER MINISTER OF HEALTH DR DUANE SANDS
In an interview with Eyewitness News, the former health minister labeled the restrictions as “fairly dramatic changes to COVID-19 protocols in the country” and indicated the changes do not seem to have been based on any supporting data.
“We also find it very, very interesting that in The Bahamas, the virus behaves differently in hotel lobbies and casinos than it does in businesses owned by ordinary Bahamians,” Sands said.
“So, perhaps if the government is able to share the data on which they have based this very peculiar set of COVID-19 restrictions, we would be happy to look at it.”
The new mask mandate also removes the requirement for people with disabilities or specified medical conditions to wear a mask, provided such individuals have in their possession a medical certificate or letter signed by a medical practitioner proving the existence of such disability or medical condition.
Business establishments are required to ensure employees are wearing faces masks and are required to deny entry to any person not wearing a face mask or not wearing a face mask in the proper manner.
Individuals found in contravention of the rules will be liable to a $250 fine, one month in prison or both.
Several other international jurisdictions have similarly dropped or altered masks mandates since the beginning of this year.
Sands noted yesterday that while it is “perfectly reasonable” to eliminate outdoor mask mandates, the concern will be what happens in indoor spaces and whether or not the aggressive move to relax restrictions is data-driven.
“I think only time will tell. We obviously hope and pray for the best, but sometimes a degree of caution is appropriate,” he said.
He said although the reduced number of COVID-19 cases in The Bahamas in recent weeks has been encouraging, data to support the changes must be presented.
“Can you share with us the data and how do we rationalize the fact that the WHO (World Health Organization) continues to say that the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, that there are some serious hotspots in the world?” Sands added.
“In Europe and the United States in the far East, COVID hospitalizations and deaths remain a significant cause for concern.
“Let’s be sure, even as we welcome freedom because we’re all sick and tired of COVID, let’s be sure in our low-immunization country that we are doing the right thing for the right time for the right reasons.”
