The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Exuma and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper today implored the government to immediately engage in discussions with Scotiabank to delay or cancel its decision to close branches on several Family Islands. Cooper said the closure of Scotiabank branches in Abaco, Andros, Long Island, and Exuma will deal a serious blow to those economies, which are already struggling...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Atlantis has announced that it will begin a phased reopening before the end of 2020. In a letter to employees on Tuesday,  the resort advised that it will be announcing its plans for reopening in the weeks ahead and expect to welcome its first guests by year's end. "Atlantis will open in several planned phases," the letter...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health officials confirmed an additional 67 coronavirus cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas yesterday. The number of cases in the country now stands at 6,549. Of the latest cases, 62 were in New Providence, one in Eleuthera, one in Exuma, one in Andros, and two with locations still pending. As a result of a data cleaning exercise,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Dozens of local businesses and establishments are moving toward implementing widespread rapid antigen testing amongst their employees. On Sunday, the Ministry of Tourism announced a public-private partnership with the Living With COVID Coalition (LWCC), a local non-profit organization, to secure access to up to three million approved rapid antigen tests. The tests will be utilized to enforce new...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Rupert Roberts, Super Value's president, has called on the government to lift the weekend lockdowns and extend the nightly curfew back to 10pm to allow more time for shoppers. In an interview with Eyewitness News, Roberts said he believes the restrictions have done more to increase the number of cases in the country, adding that The Bahamas cannot...

RBDF commodore acknowledges challenged living conditions for marines in Marsh Harbour NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King yesterday acknowledged the challenging living conditions for marines stationed in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, more than a year after Hurricane Dorian decimated portions of the island. Purported photos of conditions at the container city, which made the rounds of...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) deputy leader and Opposition finance spokesman yesterday urged the government to be forthright in forecasting its financial needs and not “sugarcoat” the economic realities the country faces. Cooper pointed to recent comments by international credit rating agency Moody’s, which said it expects the government’s gross borrowing requirements will likely hit $2 billion. Moody’s...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Opposition Leader Philip Brave said he is prepared to publicly debate Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on national issues leading up to the general election, calling it an appropriate electoral process for Bahamians to “see who they are voting for”. “It is a question of the wishes of the Bahamian people,” Davis told Eyewitness News. “I will...

Senate passes resolution to extend the state of emergency to Nov. 30 NASSAU, BAHAMAS —Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Senator Dr Michael Darville has called on the government to release its 30-day plan for November as it moves to extend the state of emergency and emergency orders. Darville made the call during the debate in Senate on the resolution to extend...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Acting Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson yesterday clarified that goods brought into the country will only be taxed at the point of entry, as concerns have surfaced on social media that taxes may also be levied on online purchases from online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. Johnson said: “Goods brought into The Bahamas will only be taxed...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While the government has been guaranteed to receive any COVID-19 vaccine through the World Health Organization and its regional affiliate, the Chinese Embassy in Nassau stands prepared to assist The Bahamas through bilateral relations to obtain direct access to Chinese-developed vaccines, some of which have been administered in China. China has at least four vaccines in the...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) yesterday clarified that there are just over 3,000 customers who remain without power due to disconnection. The BPL statement read: “Bahamas Power and Light Company Ltd. (BPL) wishes to clarify information in the public domain regarding disconnections: in response to inquiries about the number of disconnections performed between July 1, 2020, and...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While countries such as St Lucia, Barbados and St Kitts and Nevis have maintained a low number of coronavirus cases, other countries in the region, including Guyana, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago and The Bahamas continue to experience a surge of the virus and deaths. The Bahamas recorded another four confirmed deaths and 36 new infections on Monday....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — An out island small resort operator said yesterday it is gearing up to open November 2, with many of its booked clients expressing the desire to vacation in The Bahamas and keep their reservations. Jeff Birch, operator of the Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros said: “We are planning to reopen on November 2nd. We've been in...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Family islanders last night voiced fears that their communities are being relegated to “fishing villages”, with one businessman describing Scotiabank’s exit as yet “another nail in the coffin”. Scotiabank yesterday announced that it has decided to consolidate its banking operations on Abaco, Andros, Long Island, and Exuma into branches on New Providence, revealing that branch traffic had...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Out Island Promotion Board (BOIPB) executive director Kerry Fountain said yesterday that out island resort operators are “optimistic but cautious” over the November 1 reopening of the country’s tourism sector. While the country’s two largest resorts Atlantis and Baha Mar will not reopen November 1, the government has expressed hope that smaller out island properties will...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Bahamian poultry manufacturer said yesterday that it plans to introduce a home delivery service for its products in Nassau “within the next week or two”. Lance Pinder, operations manager told Eyewitness News that its production capacity is still only at 10 percent pre-Hurricane Dorian levels. Pinder said: “We still have a lot of rebuilding to do....

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — While he admitted that the Free National Movement is currently struggling with public approval, former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said he believes that the party can win the next election with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis as the party's leader. Sands made the comments while appearing as a guest on Beyond the Headlines with Clint Watson...