Sands asks how long govt will hold ‘let’s see what going to happen’ approach to COVID
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands yesterday slammed what he called the government’s “laissez-faire” approach to the current COVID-19 surge, criticizing it as being too lackadaisical.
Sands, the former Elizabeth MP, in an interview with Eyewitness News, said: “I think this COVID situation has progressed mercilessly and all of our major healthcare facilities are under major strain.
“The narrative seems to keep changing — ‘It’s only omicron’, ‘It’s only mild’, ‘There’s not too many people hospitalized’, and now we have almost 170 people hospitalized.
“Then it was the statement that there weren’t too many people in intensive care and there weren’t too many people dying.
“All those narratives have changed and we still see a very laissez-faire approach to COVID.”
He added: “We have asked for some indication as to what point do we respond and move from a ‘let’s see what going to happen’ attitude.
Right now, it’s every man for himself and God for us all.
– Former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands
“Do we wait until the cow has bolted the barn?
“As we navigate these rough waters, we want to know that someone is paying attention to the details and looking out for the welfare of Bahamians. Right now, it’s every man for himself and God for us all.”
Health officials confirmed 222 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, taking the number of cases recorded in the country to 31,915, with 7,529 active.
Ninety-eight of the newly confirmed cases have a history of travel within the last 14 days.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week issued a Level 4 travel advisory for The Bahamas, a move which Tourism, Investments and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper said was not unexpected given the exponential rise in cases over the past two weeks.
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