Central and North Andros and Cat Island out of lockdown

Central and North Andros and Cat Island out of lockdown
[FILE PHOTO]

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — After three weeks, the lockdown measures on Central and North Andros and Cat Island are now lifted and the islands placed on respective curfews, announced the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday.

The two islands were placed under a lockdown on May 24 to mitigate spread of COVID-19 in those communities, as case numbers began to increase.

However, due to ongoing concerns about new coronavirus infections on Central and North Andros and Cat Island, the lockdown orders were extended for both islands for another week, until June 14.

There have been 54 cases of COVID on Andros over the past month and 58 on Cat Island.

In a statement, the Office of the Prime Minister said amendments to the Emergency order will implement a daily curfew of 6pm to 5am for North and Central Andros and 8pm to 5am for Cat Island starting today.

Additionally, the latest amendment to the order permits restaurants on Exuma and Eleuthera, including Harbour Island, to operate beyond the 9pm restriction.

As of Saturday, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country stood at 12,199, with 743 active cases.

Health officials confirmed 40 new cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas on Saturday, of which 34 were on New Providence, three on Grand Bahama, one on Bimini and Cat Cay and two on Andros.

There were 38 people hospitalized, 34 of whom were moderately ill and four in the Intensive Care Unit.

The COVID death count stands at 237, with 28 deaths under investigation.

As of June 11, there were 17, 827 fully vaccinated people and 50, 292 people who have received one dose of the vaccine.

Up to Friday, there were 68,119 doses of vaccines administered throughout The Bahamas.

On Friday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced a day where individuals who have been inoculated against the coronavirus will be able to engage in certain activities that are currently prohibited, such as vaccination parties, happy hours at restaurants and bars and an adjusted curfew, among other perks to be announced.

While the prime minister did not provide a date for the “Vaccination Day”, he said an announcement will be made soon.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.