NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper yesterday dismissed as “political nonsense” the Opposition’s claim that the government is now subsidizing the cost of COVID-19 tests for visitors to return to the United States.
Cooper, the minister responsible for Tourism, Aviation and Investments told reporters yesterday that there is no additional cost to the government and no change in the model of the health visa in terms of cost.
Opposition leader Michael Pintard in a recent statement asserted that the $40 fee paid by visitors for a Health Visa includes only the cost of the mandatory health insurance although the government has announced that this $40 fee will also include the cost of a Covid-19 test.
According to Pintard, when the government pays its vendor for the health insurance and the COVID-19 test, the $40 fee paid by the visitor will be insufficient to cover both costs.
“Ultimately, if the government is charging visitors only $40 for a Health Visa that it will pay $58 for. As a result, each time a visitor takes a Covid-19 test, the Bahamian taxpayer subsidizes the Health Visa to the tune of $18 ($58 less $40). Simply put, this Government is now subsidizing the cost of COVID-19 tests for visitors to return to the United States,” said Pintard.
Cooper said however that the assertion was “political nonsense”.
“The facts are that this administration and the previous administration have always provided a five day test or two day test as the case might be as a part of the fee that’s being charged for the travel heath visa. If it is unprofitable now it was unprofitable then. If we were subsidizing the travel for tourists now we were subsidizing it then,” said Cooper.
He added: “The reality is that we are transitioning with the health visa matter. We do have a batch of tests on hand and we made the determination that that is how we would handle it. This is no additional cost to the government, it’s no change to the model whatsoever in terms of cost, it’s what it is. The fee for the travel health visa always included a test. We are now saying that that is the same test you can access for when you are returning to the United states.”
Cooper said that the travel health visa will be eliminated at some point but was unable to specify when.
“If we are fortunate that there’s not a fourth wave then there will be no real tangible reason to continue on with the travel health visa in the form its in,” said Cooper.
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