GB business community tells PM: No more lockdowns

GB business community tells PM: No more lockdowns
Grand Bahama businessman Darren Cooper.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The government has been warned that it will receive serious ‘push back’ from the Grand Bahama business community if additional lockdowns are imposed on the island.

Darren Cooper, a Grand Bahama resident and businessman told Eyewitness News that 184 business persons attended a Zoom meeting on Saturday to voice their concerns.

Those concerns have been outlined in a letter to Minnis, the competent authority, warning of the community’s dire position.

The letter warned that any further lockdowns would take the business community to an “insolvent position”.

“The Chamber of Commerce did their thing but we are not Chamber members and we decided to come together ourselves, some 184 business owners on Grand Bahama. Pending the announcement or address by the Prime Minister we will know what course of action to take,” said Cooper.

If additional lockdowns are imposed, Cooper said businesses intend to descend on the Office of the Prime Minister on Grand Bahama and demand the island’s economy be reopened with a clear plan forward; or that the government provide concession cheques to cover their mounting expenses.

“We cannot continue to remain locked down,” he said.

“All the restaurants are closed, as well as the beauticians, barbers, nail salons, bars and liquor stores. There are hundreds of families being impacted.

“National Insurance is unable to keep up. People have mortgages to pay, many can’t take on any additional loans and while the utility companies may not be disconnecting the bills are mounting. We have a mountain of issues to deal with,” said Cooper.

Cooper noted that many companies have put in the necessary safety protocols and should be allowed to continue to operate.

“The government has given us no choice but to look at taking some sort of action. If the Prime Minister locks Grand Bahama down again there will be serious push back from the business community. If they want to send the police to arrest us, know that we have 20 plus lawyers who are with us on this.

“We are hurting, Grand Bahama is hurting and has been hurting for a long time,” said Cooper.

14 comments

Yes reopened the Bahamas let’s fight we need to open I need to get back to work. Money need to make 150 is no money cant even pay 1 bill in this country…mr. minnis open the Bahamas now

While I get that people are frustrated with how the government is announcing and implementing the lockdowns, people need to understand that GB doesn’t have a real hospital at this moment. The influx of cases due to people running off to Florida (undoubtedly some of those 184 people included) when the borders opened has put us on the jagged edge of unchecked community spread and I would suggest anyone who doesn’t understand how serious that is go watch videos from Italy and Spain and then realize that those places did have hospitals and many people died all the same.

I agree that GB is at levels low enough to open with a clear plan to move forward in a pandemic. We need citizens to step up and follow all protocols to protect their families and community. Bigger countries can look at the numbers they have lost and not blink an eye because they have millions of people. Please remember Bahamas that we have no one to spare. No one is expendable. Grammy and Grand dad, the hypertensive, the diabetics etc. are not to be thrown on the chopping block. The Doctors and Nurses should be in high consideration by the community because we all need to protect them as they fight for us. Bottom line, we ain’t gat no spare people!

I am totally confused as to why Grand Bahama has this Covid19 problem when their very own Dr. Bethel claims to have preventative and curative solutions for Covid19!

If what Dr. Bethel says is true, then why aren’t everyone simply contacting him for a cure?

Will someone please explain?!

Per the except from Mr. Cooper’s statement. : “The Chamber of Commerce did their thing but we are not Chamber members and we decided to come together ourselves, some 184 business owners on Grand Bahama.”, please note out of that number there were members of the Chamber in attendance. So the full figure of 184 is inclusive of members and non-members of the Chamber. Also we have sort over the years to encourage ALL businesses on Grand Bahama (from East End to West End) to join and become members of the Chamber.

Whereas we agree that businesses need to be opened, we also need to convey accurate information and not for it be been taken out of context or interpreted otherwise that what is accurate.P

everyone should be allowed to decide on his own. WHy government is treating the nation like children? If you believe you can handle covid, open your business! if you believe you cant, remain closed! if you are scared of contracting covid stay home, do not go to barber shop! What is so difficult about this?! WTF is that

Truthfully we shouldn’t have to suffer because the lack of hospitals which was problem for years now what no government seems to address, we have a population of almost 400,000 people which I believe is much higher due to the amount of illegals in the country, could someone please tell me why pmh is the only hospitals here the health care system in this country needs to be address. Right now you have WHO warning country not to lockdown again because the social, health, and economic fallout is to massive even study are coming out proving that lockdown don’t work what works is social distancing, serious contact tracing, wide spread testing, practicing good hi gene and equipping the health care system with the necessary tools that they need. Like WHO said we could be dealing with this virus for the next two years so we need to learn to live with it.

if the numbers werw fix during HDorian what makes you think there is a difference now , let not forget people .

This sort of selfish thought is the core reason of why this virus spread in the way that it has and why we have had lockdowns in the first place. Its very easy to shout every man for them-self right up until its you or your relative dying alone on a ventilator with no-one around to comfort you. If instead we had lock-downs and a phased re-opening with adherence by citizens we would already be past this stage.

You are so right, see Mr. Davis as an example that is a leader of the country and contracted the virus, also the USA allowed him to come and be treated when not one American infected would be allowed to even go to the Bahamas testing positive, health care there should be way better specially because they are so close to the USA and have so much help to have their people trained, PPE now is an issue there for the nurses because the PM just knows how to lockdown but not use his influence with other countries to get help and donations for PPE and help his own people, his plan consists on lockdowns after lockdowns, do not forget the economy of the Bahamas is NOT strong as the USA(which now it is not in the best but still provides more help to citizens) and locking down everything there for all this time will just destroy the country even more, educate and have system in place to deal with this virus, like you said imagine if this last another 2 years, a strong plan must be in place, lockdowns are happening there for a long time and that is not containing the spread of the virus.

You guys should follow Sweden’s plan, that’s a democracy right there, pay attention people.

Saw Sweden plan but you know us in the Bahamas last to do everything and we have all the answer like only us in the world having this problem

Sweden has a robust and fully functioning healthcare system with a citizenry that already have a reduced disease rate and even still they have 5,000+ dead. Following Sweden’s plan with The Bahamas’ system would be an. extremely foolish thing that would lead to a massive spike in dead.

Their rate is 36 deaths to 100,000, I don’t think that is foolish seeing all the population free, business the same and the life goes on.

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