UK direct flights could resume in May

UK direct flights could resume in May
A British Airways plane in flight.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Direct flights from the United Kingdom could resume to The Bahamas in May, according to the UK government.

According to the foreign travel advice of the UK government’s website, British Airways plans to resume flights in May, though the date was subject to change.

It remains illegal for UK residents to travel abroad for holidays and travel is not permitted unless a legally permitted reason to do so is presented.

There are no current direct commercial flights to and from The Bahamas to the UK.

Restrictions on international travel are set to be voted on today, preventing people from leaving the UK and potentially bringing back new variants of the virus — as India discovers a double mutant COVID variant.

In February, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that international travel will not be allowed before May 17.

At the time, the prime minister said the government plans to review the matter on April 12.

There were concerns about the resumption of direct flights from the UK in February as cases of the coronavirus surged across the country.

The Bahamas typically experiences increased travel around the Easter and summer holidays.

Minister of Health Renward Wells said while there are concerns about the upcoming holidays, health officials continue to monitor the situation closely.

“We are wanting Bahamians to do what they have done for Thanksgiving, for Christmas, for the Majority Rule holidays,” he said.

“We ask the Bahamian people to adhere to the health protocols, to remember where we are in regards to this pandemic and for us all to protect each other [and] keep each other safe.

“And the Bahamian people have been doing a fantastic job at that so far…and so, I am encouraging them during this most important time in our calendar, the observance of Holy Week, that when you get together with family again, that we seek to adhere, as best we can, to the protocols.”

The government began its vaccination program more than a week ago.

At last report, more than 1,500 people had been vaccinated against the virus with the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

This week, the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee expanded eligible groups to those 60 and over.

It remains unclear when the program will be expanded further.

The Bahamas recorded another 18 cases of the virus on Tuesday — 10 on New Providence, four on Grand Bahama, three on Abaco and one on Eleuthera.

Thirty-one cases remain hospitalized, with one case in the Intensive Care Unit at Doctors Hospital.

There have been 8,953 cases in The Bahamas, of which 932 remain active.

Another 7,779 cases have recovered.

About Royston Jones Jr.

Royston Jones Jr. is a senior digital reporter and occasional TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. Since joining Eyewitness News as a digital reporter in 2018, he has done both digital and broadcast reporting, notably providing the electoral analysis for Eyewitness News’ inaugural election night coverage, “Decision Now 2021”.