NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) chief executive Jeffrey Beckles yesterday said a ‘careful balance’ must be struck in order to protect the current and future interest of the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic and fallout.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Carl Bethel suggested that Parliament may agree to extend the 24-hour curfew based on the recommendation of medical experts.
According to Bethel, these experts have recommended the curfew be extended for at least another 30 days.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis imposed a 9pm-5am curfew which began last Friday. On Monday, the curfew was extended to 24 hours. The curfew and other restrictions contained in two emergency orders are set to expire on March 31.
Addressing the possibility of an extension of the curfew and restrictions, Beckles said, “No one in business nor everyday life wants to hear that.
“But on the other hand, we don’t want to experience what could happen to our businesses and way of life if we got overrun with new cases of COVID 19 as that would be even worse for everyone and the country may find it hard to recover from that, then what?”
Beckles said: “It is fair to say that these measures are challenging but necessary for the good of our country. The BCCEC clearly understands the challenges of leading in this time, and that a careful balance must be struck in order to protect our current and future interest as a country.
“We have been working with the policy makers to ensure that we have a balanced approach.”
