FREEPORT, GRAND BAHAMA — Hardware stores in Grand Bahama will be allowed to open tomorrow for the duration of the island-wide lockdown to aid storm preparations.
In a statement, Minister of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson said the move will allow all Grand Bahamian residents the opportunity to purchase needed supplies in preparation for a storm.
Thompson underscored the threat of a possible storm impacting The Bahamas generally and Grand Bahama specifically, later this week.
“We want the public to monitor the possible storm and we also want the public to be in a position to make all of the necessary preparations,” he said.
“We know that in Grand Bahama, we are under a lockdown and only certain businesses were exempted and allowed to open; namely food stores, gas stations and pharmacies, but the prime minister has announced that he would allow hardware stores to be opened the same time as our grocery stores and our pharmacies.
“We are also allowing our residents to leave their premises to make the necessary hurricane preparations, in the event the storm affects The Bahamas and Grand Bahama.”
Thompson said that the hardware stores will be allowed to open until the end of the lockdown on August 7.
The statement added: “He admonished all Grand Bahamian residents that as they go out and about making storm preparations and buying necessary items, that they continue to observe the health protocols in regard to COVID-19, namely the wearing of masks, observing social distancing and washing hands and using sanitizer on a regular basis.”
The weather system currently in the Atlantic could impact The Bahamas as a tropical storm “at best” by Saturday, according to the Department of Meteorology.
As of 5pm the weather system was 435 miles east, southeast of the Leeward Islands.
