Wide-sweeping restrictions to begin Monday

Wide-sweeping restrictions to begin Monday
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

Nightly curfew to come into effect Monday, inter-island travel to be discontinued

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has announced beginning Monday a nightly curfew and discontinuation of inter-island travel, among other restrictive measures due to the surge of coronavirus cases.

Effective Monday, a curfew will begin from 7pm to 5am.

A weekend lockdown will come into effect tonight at 10pm until Monday at 5am.

During a Ministry of Health press conference, Minnis said the government anticipates more weekend lockdowns going forward until health officials recommend otherwise.

The prime minister said health officials recommended a full national lockdown, the closure of domestic borders, a discontinuation of indoor and outdoor dining, a restriction on social gatherings, weekend lockdowns and a full national lockdown.

He said health officials continue to closely monitor the spread of the virus.

While commercial activity will continue Monday, all business must be completed by 6pm

Indoor and outdoor dining at all restaurants will be discontinued, but curbside and delivery will be permitted, Minnis announced.

He also said sporting events, group exercise, social gathering, and in-person church services will be discontinued.

Funerals will be limited to graveside service with a maximum of five people.

The same number will be permitted for weddings.

Barbershops and salons will be allowed to accommodate one client at a time in establishments.

However, gyms will be closed as of Monday.

The prime minister said the government continues to learn from its decisions, and will put in place the best measures to protect Bahamians.

“If they are not working, we will alter them to improve he situation,” he said.

As of today, there were 316 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Data indicates that a large portion of people who tested positive for the virus had a travel history, according to the prime minister.

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”.

17 comments

Come on People. We need to just control ourselves and be responsible. Stop blaming the PM for our own carelessness. We are to educated for this.

Our own carelessness?? This outbreak proliferated with the opening of the borders. BAHAMIANS followed those curfews to the T!!!

Jason it is high time you stop blaming the Bahamian people.

I say if Minnis keeps blaming the Bahamian people for everything, vote he hip OUT!!!

Well…Bahamians we’re also the ones asking for the borders to open up furthermore we are also in fault because some people did travel to the US, which seems like a Covid breeding ground at this point, and brought it back. Is the PM abusing his powers, no, but is he adversely affecting the people by these sudden shifts in lockdown and curfew, yes. Furthermore, you still have to acknowledge the fact that a lot of people are not following simple rules to prevent the spread of covid, such as wearing masks and staying apart. Honestly, I hate these sudden shifts to lockdown, I would enjoy if i got a heads up a week before but it is what it is, he just doing what he can in hopes to prevent spread.

Hes going overboard, if you get tested and have a negative result and fill out the mandatory form to enter, why add on a 14 day quarantine? its extra abuse of power. Make the red states with the high numbers like CA, NY, NJ, GA, require a 14 day quarantine, don’t make everyone or people trying to go home suffer. With the economy at a standstill, this is not a time people can afford to stay in a government facilIty at their own expense. Only rich people and celebrities, but those are who are free to enter with a private plane. RIDICULOUS. BOY BYE!

Close the bourdes okay u keep opening it open it once to two twice a month wear masks all the times u can’t keep on putting us on lockdown some of us don’t have money like that for no lockdown social distance would keep going on the online classes for government school and for private school they probably could be able to go to school or not do not let people leave The Bahamas don’t Lett people come to The Bahamas lock us down some weekend not all be mindful of others think use ya knowledge use your wisdom come on am so glad that your prime minister in this type of situation so u could be stress out cause am a plp u need someone who have knowledge and wisdom smt and smh

Yes stop abusing your power . And destroying the Bahamas because obviously they don’t no what they are doing. At the end of their failure they will try and blame Dorian and covid 19 for their dumbness.Worse government ever. And am a life time supporter. Every thing people say he trys to brush it off and say that’s people from the other side but no most of them are your people from your side seems like you are like a little spiteful child

Our people complain and complain. I know that common sense is not common to many. The many Bahamians are not taking this COVID epidemic serious. The Bahamas DOES NOT have the facilities, not anywhere in the Bahamas, to accommodate Bahamians
should we have an increase of infected like Florida or New York or like many other countries per day.
This epidemic is new to everyone. So let me ask the know-it-alls out there. What is your solution on how we live day to day to this virus that is causing death to hundreds of humans by the day in many countries?
Stop the complaining and start asking God to cover you , our families and our nation. It’s a miracle that we have only 11 deaths from the COVID 19. This a prophecy my fellow Bahamians.
Take this time to get in the word of God. Take this time to heal your mind and body. Take this time to better your relationships. Take this time to clean your homes and yards. Take time this to organize your businesses or jobs. Take this time for you.
This has nothing to do with any political party. This is a situation where “everybody has to work out their own salvation”. We have to come together and be a strong Bahamas.
Pray for our country because this is serious times. Turn on the news. We are blessed……WE ALIVE!!!

This is NOVEL VIRUS, which means there is a learning curve. I did not vote for this Prime minister, but I fully understand the predicament he and this Country faces.
Freedom without responsibility, is bondage. To CONTAIN a microorganisms, means also containing its HOST. I support the Government and the Prime minister in this endeavor.

End or the day we as Bahamian feeling the pinch because of bad decisions the hotels nagging or putting pressure on the government to open the borders because the want occupancy if the whole world is facing this same pandemic why would you open the borders ?? Those same hotels don’t matter how much is employed pay the staff of so they can have smtg in pocket to at least hold them . you open the country up because things was under control not one new case .now from that decision corona spread like wildfire. Closing beaches how many in new Providence got infected from the beaches but you said and know the majority if not all new cases had history of recent travel

There are persons who are on family islands and wish to return back to nassau and were only waiting to accumulate funds to leave and now you are saying that can’t leave anymore. Some persons got stuck because the pandemic, weren’t able to make anything, they got a little freedom to try make something and now it’s a no go and only right within the Bahamas. Keep in mind Mr.PM I understand your concerns for our country and I share them also but am Suggesting that you take another view on inter island travel considering it can still assist Economy and also Sir as you are making decisions for the country their are persons who still haven’t catch themselves from the first wave and to shut everything down and restrict hours on business that employ persons today.
MY SUGGESTION SIR IS (CLOSE ALL SOCIAL AND CONGREGATIVE LOCATIONS, ALLOW FLIGHTS BUT WITH STRICT RESTRICTIONS ON THOSE MOVING INTERNATIONALLY/ MORE LESS MANDATORY RESTRICTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVELING, FOR DOMESTIC TRAVELS YOU CAN HAVE A SYSTEM SET UP THAT SHOWS THE ACTIVITY OF THOSE FREQUENTLY TRAVELING INTER ISLAND AND DETERMINE IF ITS REASONABLE CAUSE FOR THEIR EXCESSIVE MOVEMENTS AND PUT RESTRICTIONS. BASICALLY SIR I WOULD JUST LEAVE ALL SOCIAL, CONGREGATIVE PLACES CLOSE UNTIL HEALTH OFFICIALS DEEM SAFE BUT AS FOR THE REST SIR THE BAHAMIAN PEOPLE MUST GO ON WITH THEIR LIVES AND TAKE CARE OF THEIR FAMILIES SIR.

Dictatorship nation , whoever’s in power set up a sovereign fund so all Bahamians can eat you won’t empower your people but treat them like kids oh don’t do this / that acting like a parent scolding their kids because you did smtg wrong if the country wasn’t open up no new cases would of come to our islands now its spreading like wildfire, doctors suppose to tell you prevention is better than cure , the hotel owners need occupants and their millionaires and billionaires instead of pressuring the government to open the gateways to the Bahamas pay of your staff when things get back to normal rehire . government benefits being mishandle only catering to a selected amount not cross the board , exporting goods for pennies and importing the same product at a way greater price , empower your people there’s enough land for every Bahamian but they can’t afford because the price I’d to high people find themselves renting homes for a lifetime billions of dollars pass through this country yearly still we owe China , European bank and so forth ,killing people with high light bills and water bills basic necessary things people need to survive because of bad management and stealing the wealth from the rightful owners the Bahamian people . please empower your people distribute crown land in portions not this has acre and acre and many don’t have a cubic feet thats why the crime is out of control at times because if everyone gat his own they won’t watch or bother no one else .talking bout the Bahamas for Bahamians and knowing y’all done sell us to the Chinese , tax the rich and take care of your own poor people and yes I’m from one thing to the next because if we could sustain ourselves as a nation nobody can dictate to us having us around the place like we starving looking for smtg to eat give us land so we can feed ourselves and patrol our borders better from poachers so we can continue to have one of the healthiest barrier reefs . share the wealth if only every month put smtg in a private savings for every raw bone Bahamian on a fix acc let it grow over a period of a lifetime so at the end of the day Bahamian can say they own a piece of the Bahamas what y’all selling out from under us. Sovereign wealth fund should be on a referendum instead of politricks give each his own if your to old and stuck in your old ways thats the new way to go , share the wealth then the Bahamas can truly be for Bahamians

Every tom dick and harry think they no how to run a country, next time run to be the next PM.

I understand what the government is facing given the times that we are in and I do support some of the measures that are put in place but sometimes it same like some things are not really thought out properly like the quarantining of tourist for 14 days when most of them only visits for about 3 – 7 days at max I can see the people cancelling there trip now. Bahamians needs to understand what we are dealing with and stop traveling to know hotspot I know sometimes we wanna get away and go on vacation or even take a little trip away but now is not the time for it I’m sure we can hold off until things get better, it same like we as a world once a major crisis has passed it almost like we always same to forget what happen and don’t even bother to learn from it because this isn’t the first pandemic and as long as the earth remains it won’t be the last the Spanish flu alone infected over 500 million people and killed around 50 million people worldwide, hopefully after COVID-19 we as a world learn from it so that the same mistake won’t be made again.

That quarantine for 14 days went over your head. Just think about it for a second and you’ll see the logic behind it.

Churches Should be Allowed to Open on Sunday’s.
If Places of Business is open through the week. Most Churches only take 2 to 3 hours In Church. Prime Minister needs to consider this.

Comments are closed.