The Big Story

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Island Pay yesterday reported 59 percent of its 8,500 applicants have been verified as the company acknowledged inaccessibility to kiosks during the lockdown period. Jeffrey Beckles, the company’s public relations consultant, said the lockdown impacted access to the company’s kiosks but defended the platform’s performance noting an 80 percent usage rate. “Let me just say that there...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Hotel bookings for the Fall are ‘surprisingly strong’, according to Tourism Director General Joy Jibrilu. Jibrilu told Eyewitness News said that tourism officials are ‘cautiously optimistic’ of a strong rebound for the country’s number one industry over the next 12 months. She was addressing a Ministry of Tourism Yachting Webinar on Tuesday noted that indicators for The...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The yacht charter market continues to show positive signs, according to a well-known marina operator, with the industry hoping to get back to its pre-COVID growth. While addressing a yachting webinar yesterday, Joe Dargavage, managing partner at Romora Bay Resort and Marina noted that the marina industry in The Bahamas had enjoyed “banner years” prior to the...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health officials confirmed 44 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, bringing the number of cases in the country to 989. Of the new cases, there are 26 in New Providence, 10 in Grand Bahama, 2 in Abaco and 1 in Inagua - the first for the island. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the easing of lockdown restrictions...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Water and Sewerage Corporation will suspend parts of its operations today after a staff member was identified as a potential contact of a relative who may have been exposed to COVID-19. WSC said the corporation was alerted yesterday evening, and further confirmed that no staff member has tested positive for the virus to date. "The Water and...

DPM also in quarantine NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest have entered voluntary self-quarantine after their offices were exposed to COVID-19. In a statement, the Cabinet Office said it has not been confirmed whether the pair were directly exposed. The statement announced that the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, which houses the Office...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Scores of unemployed persons seeking assistance from the National Insurance Board (NIB) have expressed anger and dissatisfaction with the digital payment platform Island Pay after being unable to access much needed unemployment benefit payments. Dozens of irate individuals have inundated the company’s Facebook page to express their dissatisfaction after being unable to access their funds. In a...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The National Insurance Board is working to restore its online portal for the government-funded Unemployment Benefit Extension Programme this week, according to its director Dr Nicola Virgill-Rolle. "Our IT team is working on that," Virgill-Rolle said yesterday. "They've been working on that from the weekend, doing some updates, some necessary fixes that were there. "We hope to have...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — With businesses shuttered and thousands unemployed due to the country's lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus, thousands of people have had to turn to the government's food assistance program in order to feed their families. Lisa Brown, a mother of one who asked that her name be changed, told Eyewitness News that she never expected...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas National Commission on Marijuana (BNMC) is expected to reconvene today for the first time since March. The commission plans to discuss the way forward for the completion of its recommendations on the legalization of marijuana in The Bahamas, Eyewitness News was told. The group’s preliminary report was tabled in Parliament in early February and recommended that marijuana be decriminalized...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Bahamas needs to revise its marketing strategy to ‘very aggressively’ target high-end travelers, according to a well-known banker, warning that the country can ill afford to wait for tourism to rebound globally. Gowon Bowe, the Fidelity Group’s chief executive said: “We need to revise our marketing strategy in tourism to every aggressively target those that have...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Commercial property landlords are formulating plans to work with tenants and get them ‘at least’ through the typically busy Christmas period, according to a well-known realtor and commercial property specialist. David Morley, Morley Real Estate’s president said the past several months have involved “a lot of hand holding”. He told Eyewitness News that there was ‘no doubt’...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A prominent Abaco retailer yesterday bemoaned the island’s lack of reliable power supply as the critical hurdle for Abaco’s revival. Chad Sawyer, owner of Maxwell’s, also raised concerns over theft on the hurricane ravaged island in an interview with Eyewitness News. “The main thing that’s holding this island back now is electricity,” Sawyer said. “I know many...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Education minister Jeffrey Lloyd has tested negative for COVID-19 after he was exposed to a positive case, according to the Cabinet Office. In a statement today, it was revealed Lloyd received a negative COVID-19 RT00-PCR test result on August 8. "Following the Ministry of Health’s protocols, Minister Lloyd was tested after learning he was exposed to a...

One man dead, two officers wounded NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A man is dead and two officers are wounded after a family dispute escalated into a deadly shootout at a residence in Pinewood Gardens this morning. According to Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle, a team of officers kicked down a door inside the home after a man who opened fire on...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday revealed the government is supporting the National Food Distribution Task Force with $1 million per week to assist more than 110,000 people. Now entering its 11th week, Minnis advised the task force will move to restructure aid into three categories: most, moderately and least vulnerable; with assistance to be distributed weekly,...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Super Clubs Breezes has been identified as a National Response Facility to meet the needs of non-COVID-19 “low medical care” patients during the pandemic. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced plans to utilize the east building of the hotel during a national address yesterday. He said the hotel has only asked the government to cover the cost...

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Health officials confirmed one additional coronavirus death yesterday, taking the total number of COVID-19 deaths in The Bahamas to 15. The latest death was reflected on the Ministry of Health's daily dashboard; however, no further details were provided up to press time. Last week, Chief Medical Officer Pearl McMillian said officials were investigating as much as three...