The Big Story

PM maintains vaccines are voluntary  PLP leader urges workers to get vaccine NASSAU, BAHAMAS — As several employers in the country seek to make it mandatory for employees to get vaccinated, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday reiterated the government’s position, indicating that the coronavirus jab is not mandatory. In recent weeks, as vaccinations in the country begin to ramp...

PLP leader: If govt had just listened to me, we may not be where we are NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis yesterday lambasted the government for what he said was a lack of action and failure to engage a local company to supply vaccines for the country amid the third wave of the coronavirus....

80 percent of samples screened last week contained variant COVID strains “There was not evidence of the variants in the samples up until November 2020” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The percentage of COVID variants among a sampling of positive cases quadrupled between March and April — further evidence of more than one strain of the virus impacting the spread of the...

Minnis: I understand you were overcharged by the former govt but I cannot change that NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis clarified in Parliament yesterday that he had made no pledge to provide rebates to homeowners in the Ardastra Gardens Estate #3 subdivision, whom he asserted had been overcharged for their residence under the previous administration. Minnis, after...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government has apologized to a man who was falsely detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Center as part of a Supreme Court order that determined the government was liable and will have to pay costs and damages to be determined to the plaintiff. Joseph Amihere was named as the plaintiff. He was mistakenly believed to be...

Sands: New travel requirements great for the economy NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) voiced its support of travel protocol changes announced by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday, noting that the decision will have a “decisive positive impact” on visitor arrivals. BHTA President Robert “Sandy” Sands, in response to the government’s decision to remove the...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas International Securities Exchange (BISX) has announced that four investment funds administered by the Winterbotham Trust Company Limited have successfully completed the BISX Mutual Fund Listing Process. According to BISX, these funds are Gables Resources Fund Ltd, Quest 21 Investment Fund Ltd, Latam Parc Opportunity Fund Ltd and Envision Special Fund Ltd. As a result, the...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government must treat the issuance of Crown land grants, particularly as it relates to the Family Islands, with the “urgency and respect” it deserves, East Grand Bahama MP Peter Turnquest said yesterday. Speaking briefly on the issue of Crown land grants in the House of Assembly, Turnquest, the former deputy prime minister and former minister of...

ABACO, BAHAMAS — The prime minister’s decision to push back the curfew on mainland Abaco by two hours was branded a “big deal”, especially for small businesses on the hurricane-ravaged island. Abaco Chamber of Commerce President Ken Hutton. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, during a COVID-19 communication in Parliament yesterday, announced that the 8pm to 5am daily curfew on mainland...

“Today, I still give although that money is gone, and people believe I still have it“ Proposed bankruptcy settlement could see more than $7K apiece given to defrauded Fyre Fest victims NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Maryann Rolle, 67, the owner of the Exuma Point Bar and Grille, said of the more than $200,000 she and her husband, Elvin, have received through...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has announced eased travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travelers as the government seeks to expand its vaccination program across the archipelago. He announced that fully vaccinated individuals — after receiving the second dose of the vaccine — will be immediately exempted from RT-PCR testing when traveling domestically. He also announced that effective...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health officials indicated yesterday that more contagious variants of the coronavirus likely arrived in The Bahamas since last month and have contributed to some extent to the increase in COVID cases, which has been labelled a “surge” and the “early phases of a third wave”. “The emergence of variant strains of COVID-19 is of significant concern,” National...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee is reviewing options for a new travel regime that could see travel requirements for fully vaccinated individuals in The Bahamas eased, according to committee Chairperson Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis. “The competent authority will announce the various revisions or changes to the policy for travel, but if you are fully vaccinated — and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bahamian woman returned to court yesterday to be arraigned on additional charges of forgery and possession of a forged document in relation to the recent trend of fake coronavirus tests. Laderia Russell, 35, once again appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt and was charged with a total of 160 counts. She previously pleaded not guilty to possession of...

Nearly 22,000 vaccine doses administered NASSAU, BAHAMAS — National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee Chairperson Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis revealed yesterday that the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVAX Facility will deliver another 33,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of May. The government secured an allocation of 100,800 vaccine doses by making a down payment of $250,000. A...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Carlene Edgecombe said the last time she spoke to her two daughters was over the phone, as they told her in horror of the waters rising in an Abaco church shelter during Hurricane Dorian. Edgecombe was testifying via a Zoom call during an ongoing coroner’s inquest into victims lost during the deadly September 2019 storm. The bereaved...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Many Bahamian businesses have been able to sustain their operations despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of the government’s business continuity loan initiative, according to Minister of State for Finance Kwasi Thompson. Thompson, who was addressing the Charley’s Philly Cheese Steaks grand opening, noted: “The coronavirus pandemic halted progress for so many...

Lab analysis of DNA samples hindered by onset of COVID pandemic, court hears “There is quite a number that have not been identified” NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Police have positively identified 11 out of 47 DNA samples of victims who were killed during the deadly Hurricane Dorian in September 2019. The revelation was made during the continuation of a coroner's inquest...