‘THERE IS NO PLAN’: Former PM bashes govt’s handling of COVID pandemic amid Family Island surge

‘THERE IS NO PLAN’: Former PM bashes govt’s handling of COVID pandemic amid Family Island surge
(FILE PHOTO)

Minnis: The PLP does not have a way forward on the pandemic

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Former Prime Minister and Free National Movement (FNM) Leader Dr Hubert Minnis lashed the new Davis administration for what he called a “disastrous, incompetent and chaotic response to the COVID-19 pandemic”.

His criticism comes as cases on several Family Islands have increased significantly in recent days.

There have been some 1,948 new COVID-19 cases recorded over the past month, since September 16 — the day The Bahamas held its general election.

Former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

“There are reports of rising case numbers and deaths on a number of Family Islands, which have limited capacity to deal with severe cases,” Minnis said in a statement yesterday.

“Because of limited oxygen supplies, no ventilators and no intensive care units on our islands, except New Providence and Grand Bahama, it is critical to stop the spread of the virus as quickly as possible on the Family Islands.”

Minnis asserted that the government has failed to articulate and execute comprehensive public health measures.

“The PLP (Progressive Liberal Party) promised that it had a plan and a way forward on the pandemic. Tragically, there is no plan as promised,” he charged.

“They do not have a way forward. One of their first decisions was to relax the curfew. They promised free mass testing. What are the plans for such testing?”

The former prime minister noted that his administration sought to balance saving and protecting lives and livelihoods and quickly put in place comprehensive measures to limit outbreaks on the Family Islands.

“We also regularly reported to the country through national addresses, press conferences and press statements,” Minnis said.

He further questioned the government’s strategy to deal with the Family Island outbreaks, the capacity for airlift on those islands and whether any measures or restrictions are being considered to address the increasing number of deaths in the country.

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis.

“During the former administration, the PLP severely criticized the FNM’s (Free National Movement) response to the pandemic,” Minnis said.

“It is now the responsibility of the Davis administration to manage and respond to the pandemic in order to save and protect the lives of the Bahamian people.

“The country awaits the government’s strategy and plans on the management of the pandemic in the days and weeks ahead.”

As of Saturday, health officials had confirmed a total of 21,978 cases of COVID-19 in the country since the start of the pandemic, with 1,196 still active.

The number of COVID-19 deaths stood at 626, with another 53 deaths under investigation.

About Sloan Smith

Sloan Smith is a senior digital reporter at Eyewitness News, covering a diverse range of beats, from politics and crime to environment and human interest. In 2018, Sloan received a nomination for the “Leslie Higgs Feature Writer of The Year Award” from The Bahamas Press Club for her work with Eyewitness News.

1 comments

Campaigning and elections were just 4-6 weeks ago. Politicians up and down shaking hands, taking selfies with voters, and people jammed up in lines to vote. Seriously???? What did they think would happen. All the old and sick people came out to vote. We must learn to live with it. It will trend down again with some more deaths among those who have comorbidities. But they werent worried about health when putting up the sea of campaign signs (some still up)

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