NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday the government will seek to accommodate crabs vendors from the Family Islands who want to travel to Nassau to sell their goods.
Minnis made the announcement during a COVID-19 communication in Parliament where he revealed plans to clamp down on the proliferation of unregulated street vendors in New Providence.
“We also recognize the complications that there are many crab vendors who travel from Andros and other islands who only want to deliver their merchandise here and return as quickly as possible,” he said.
“I can say we will accommodate those individuals because they don’t want to stay in Nassau, they want to return back to their homeland and we will accommodate those individuals to see that that is done.”
Last week, during a one-on-one interview with ZNS, the prime minister sought to explain his decision to allow some Family Islands, including Andros, to reopen for commercial activity and not others.
He explained Andros was selected given the land crab season and the expected economic boost from crab sales.
Minnis described this time for the island as “Christmas” for Androsians.
Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard announced in Parliament that after collaboration with St Barnabas MP Shannendon Cartwright and South and Central Andros MP Picewell Forbes, at least six locations have been identified in New Providence for crab vendors to sell crabs.
“When they come to town we will ask them to go to those locations, observe social distancing, wear the protective gear, clean up after yourself, and [ Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority] will also with the cleaning and sanitization,” he said.
Pintard pointed to an initiative that would provide mobile vendor stations for street vendors.
“We’ve gotten an architect who has designed a number models, where we expect vendors throughout The Bahamas to have mobile vendor stations that they can move at the end of the day so that we don’t create makeshift facilities thought the capital elsewhere,” he explained.
“…All of these makeshift facilities, our goal is in a short while, that they will not be on the side of the street.
“We’ll create something that is affordable. We’re looking at a proper payment schedule to extend out so that they don’t even feel the weight of doing that and just transition into in terms of how we function in this country.”
