NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Attorney General Carl Bethel indicated yesterday the decision not to extend New Providence’s curfew as was done on Grand Bahama was due to ongoing “spikes” of coronavirus cases on the island.
Bethel noted that while cases on New Providence have been low in recent months, there continues to be “little spikes every so often”.
“From what I see, Nassau has the preponderance of the cases that are going on right now; 27 or something (on Saturday),” Bethel told Eyewitness News.
“Freeport always had regularly lower numbers than Nassau, over the last month to month-and-a-half, always.
“Whenever there were these spikes, they were largely in Nassau.”
Last week, Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes said The Bahamas had passed the point of flattening the curve of the second wave.
In recent days, there has been an uptick in new daily confirmed cases, though it remains to be seen if the trend will be sustained.
For example, there were six cases on Sunday; 11 new cases on Saturday; 27 last Friday; 21 last Thursday; and nine last Wednesday.
Of those 74 new infections since last Wednesday, 62 or 83 percent were confirmed on New Providence, eight on Grand Bahama, two on Abaco, one on Eleuthera and one on Andros.
On the recent uptick in cases, the attorney general said: “So long as they are properly contact traced then, you know, limit this issue of community spread.
“So, you may end up having a spike, but if you properly contact trace everybody, you greatly reduce community spread.
“That’s the real danger with this disease; when it’s spreading unobserved throughout the community and hits you with a wallop.”
When Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis extended the curfew from 9pm to 10pm last December, the measure was extended to Grand Bahama, New Providence and Abaco.
The orders provide for businesses, agencies, establishments and institutions to operate from 6am to 9pm, Monday through Saturday, subject to health protocols.
A curfew remains in place for Exuma, between 10pm and 5am, Monday through Sunday, among other restrictions introduced last year.
Exumas and Ragged Island MP Chester Cooper has objected to the ongoing restrictive measures on the island and called on health officials, including Minister of Health Renward Wells, to perform a review of the measures and the virus epidemiology.
As of Sunday, there were 8,376 cases in The Bahamas, of which 1,124 remain active.
Another 7,020 cases have recovered.
Loading ...
