Officials braced for the fourth wave, but what about the public?
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — With the number of daily COVID-19 cases making the all too familiar climb from single to double digits, the country appears to be strapped in for a fourth wave just as forecasted by health officials earlier this year. The Progress Liberal Party campaigned on the removal of key COVID-19 measures like lockdowns and curfews that had a deleterious impact to the nation’s economy and psyche, but proved effective in directly managing spread.
So it remains to be seen how the Davis administration will signal a marked shift in the status quo to combat the fourth wave and the highly transmissible Omicron variant undoubtedly on our doorstep.
COVID-19 cases around the world are surging, much like our tourism arrivals, with Omicron featuring an unprecedented rate of transmission while not much is conclusive on its severity and impact on deaths just yet.
Our neighbor’s leader, US president Joe Biden, has promised Americans there will be no lockdowns this holiday season instead their response focuses on increasing vaccinations, expanding free testing, and military support for hospitals.
While scientists lament the response is not significant to stem the tide, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered The Bahamas’ COVID-19 Travel Risk Advisory Rating from Level 3 to Level 2.
The drop in risk has come as airports around the world report heavier traffic as more people seek to reconnect during this holiday season.
Just this weekend, the Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) recorded the arrival of some 6,000 passengers to the capital through the Lynden Pindling International Airport (LPIA).
Yesterday, Minister of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation Chester Cooper warned the country should not be “lulled to sleep” by the move.
“Now that we are at Level 2, it doesn’t mean we are completely out of the woods.
“The reality for right now, at this point, this is good for business. There is a lot of pent-up demand. Out numbers are exceeding what they were at pre-pandemic levels.
“We are now anticipating that we are going to get the big groups, the conventions, and corporate business.
“This is a win-win for our economy, a win-win for tourism and it’s great for the Bahamian people.”
But our pandemic experience has proven that a win for tourism is not a total win for the country.
Following the reopening of the country’s borders to international travel on July 1, 2020, just over 23,000 visitors were recorded for that month.
Cases exploded by 250 percent just one month after the full re-opening of the country, and at the time, then-Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis blamed the rapid spread on the failure of many people in The Bahamas to adhere to the health measures.
As the country stares down the board at yet another wave of cases that threatens to disrupt the fragile shoots of economic revival garnered from the country’s reopening and removal of
For many, the COVID-19 pandemic represents a seemingly endless loop of deadly surges and short-lived successes at flattening the curve.
The unknown pneumonia cases that would later be identified as a novel coronavirus, were first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019. However, it would not be until March 2020 that The Bahamas would join the global tally that has bloomed to 276 million cases worldwide.
In under two years, the country has battled three consecutive waves with the last representing the deadliest thus far. The country flattened the curve of the second wave in February reducing cases to single and low double digits but by the end of March, officials were already marking the signs of a third wave.
Health officials speculated as early as June that the delta variant could already be in the country but the variant would not be confirmed as the dominant strain until nearly three months later in September.
We do not have three months to wait before we confirm Omicron and mount an effective strategy. In fact, we have less than three weeks as we attempt to get public schools back to a blended learning environment and begin to close the academic chasm that exists in this country.
Yesterday, Health minister Dr Michael Darville once again hinted that increased measures are actively being considered.
The minister has the power to reintroduce restrictions such as curfews and lockdowns with the enactment of the Health Services (COVID-19)(General) Rules, 2021; but any return to curtailing liberties must be premised by clear and consistent public education.
The public state of emergency fell away on November 13 along with the existing curfew. Although the new health rules largely provide for similar measures and a wide range of health protocols, the highly visible promulgation of public events is sending mixed messages.
The government must sensitize Bahamians in a consistent and effective matter to the COVID-19 status of the country, infection trends, and the flagging capacity of the healthcare system.
Nurses are burnt out and in short supply with Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU) President Amancha Williams recently telling Eyewitness News between 50 and 100 additional nurses are needed in preparation for a potential surge.
At its most recent peak, the country recorded more than 3,000 cases and 63 deaths in a single month completely inundating the healthcare system and pushing frontline workers to their breaking point.
The use of the University of the Bahamas’ Nursing School facility early next year to house a temporary infectious disease unit is a comforting sign that the administration is making strides to bolster capacity in preparation for a fourth wave.
Greater efforts must be made to break through the public’s COVID fatigue and foster cultural adherence to health protocols.
