Coronavirus: Govt. pulls out of hosting OAS General Assembly

Coronavirus: Govt. pulls out of hosting OAS General Assembly

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Minister of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has confirmed the country will not host this year’s General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The government had offered to host the 50th General Assembly during last year’s talks in Colombia.

Regular sessions are usually held in June.

“Currently, the global community is faced with a major international health concern,” the MOFA statement read.

“Therefore, having carefully considered all aspects of the matter, the Government of The Bahamas has taken the decision to withdraw from hosting the 50th OAS General Assembly in Nassau.”

MOFA said it has been monitoring the spread of the new coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, over the past few weeks.

The statement continued: “To date, international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and World Bank have cancelled or postponements meetings with large gatherings and the numbers of such are increasing daily.

“In many capitals, large social gatherings have also been cancelled or postponed. The Government of the Bahamas takes seriously the wellbeing of our citizens and all people throughout The Bahamas.”

About Ava Turnquest

Ava Turnquest is the head of the Digital Department at Eyewitness News. Her most notable beat coverage spans but is not limited to politics, immigration and human rights, with a focus especially on minority groups. In 2018, she was nominated by the Bahamas Press Club for “The Eric Wilmott Award for Investigative Journalism”. Ava is deeply motivated by her passion about the role of fourth estate, and uses her pen to inform, educate and sensitize the public.