covid19pandemic

As the Free National Movement hosted another night of its drive-in rallies in Eleuthera, the Progressive Liberal Party opted for a different campaign, a television-style programme to highlight the government’s “failures” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

After putting its drive-in rallies on hold, citing high cases of death and hospitalizations in the country due to COVID-19, PLP Leader Philip Davis faced the camera to deliver a critical message of the government’s handling of the pandemic and the collapsing health care system.

“Why is the competent Authority dancing, instead of fixing the problems? Where is his sense of urgency? Where is his sense of decency? …Don’t tell me it had to be this bad,” Davis said while looking onto the lens of a camera to his supporters.

Davis said if the PLP is elected to govern the country, it will implement measures besides vaccinations, to fight the infectious disease, which would include high-quality masks, educational town hall meetings on vaccines, and ventilation and air filtration measures to reduce virus particles in facilities. Davis said vaccinations alone won’t prevent the spread of the virus.

While on a stage in Eleuthera as supporters sat in their cars and blew horns, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said vaccinations are the only way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minnis prided his government’s securement of nearly half a million doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

He dismissed Davis’ ability to lead the country in the middle of a pandemic, citing his “lousy” representation of Cat Island and San Salvador.

“Davis can only show plans of what could have been done (in Cat Island and San Salvador). He was deputy prime minister and minister of works. He did not use his power to help his people

“A lousy MP will make a lousy prime minister.”

As the general election loom, the political arena saw its first drive-in rally.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis addressed hundreds of supporters in Grand Bahama who stayed in or near their vehicles, to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19.

Despite its high cases of infection in the country, the Free National Movement found a new way to reach its supporters.   The party supporters waved pom-poms from their car windows, blew the car horns in support of their candidates, while others danced while social distancing from others.

Minnis touted his vaccination program stating that 11,000 more Bahamians were vaccinated between Monday and Friday.

He hit out at the Leader of the Progressive Liberal Party Philip Davis who has criticized his government’s COVID-19 policies to control the virus.

Minnis praised the “decisive leadership” of his government.

“Some other people played down the pandemic and the vaccine. They talked fool and voted against the Emergency Order. If Brave Davis was leading the country, we would be in much, much worse shape,” Minnis said.

“He and I are distinctly different. I wanted to save lives. He wanted to open the bars.”

Minnis added that he laughed when he saw the PLP’s slogan, ‘A New Day.’

“I bust out laughing when I heard that…He is a PLP from the dark days of the ’80s…Brave is no new day. Brave is yesterday’s news. He would take us back to the dark days.”

Last week, Davis said his party will postpone drive-in rallies to help battle the spread of the infectious disease.

The big story

Bahamians will head to the polls on September 16 in an early election called by Minnis. It comes at a time when the country is battling high deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

The government has launched its vaccination campaign to combat the further spread of the virus. Three vaccines are now available–AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

Nearly 300 students returned to the Eva Hilton Primary School, on Tuesday, for the first day of ‘in-person learning’ using the hybrid method.

Principal Jermaine Butler said, “For the first day we were able to get through quite smoothly. The kids have been prepped at home and in sessions, and they know what the expectations should be.”

Why it matters

February 23rd marked the first day since students returned for in-person classes at public schools in New Providence, Exuma, Eleuthera, and Abaco,  since its closure on March 16th, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public schools are using a blended system which means a group of kids comes in Monday/Wednesday, the other group comes in Tuesday/Thursday.

Details

Registers are checked at the gate. If the child is on the register, the child’s temperature is taken, the child is sanitized and then ushered to particular rooms to receive instruction.

Hand sanitation stations, including automatic and soap dispensers at strategic locations, desks spread out to maximize space between students, signage, markings on the ground with instructions, plexiglass barriers at teacher’s desks, are some of the precautionary measures in place.

Friday will be used to assist students who may have had problems with technology and were not able to get on the platforms. Principal Butler said they are trying to get them back in gear and fill in the gaps.

Featured Images BIS Photos/Patrick Hanna

The majority of the members in the House of Assembly voted in favor of the continuation of the Emergency Order to May 23.

Members wrapped up the debate at 10:45 on Wednesday night to debate the extension.

Seventeen members voted ‘yes,’ to the extension, seven voted ‘no’ and fourteen members were absent for the vote.

Why it matters

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on Monday presented a resolution to extend the state of emergency in the country as the pandemic is still ongoing and continues to challenge the country’s health facilities.

He acknowledges, however, that the COVID-19 numbers are now low compared to recent times when double digits were recorded.

The big picture

Countries around the world are fighting variants of the disease and health officials are trying to secure vaccines to combat the virus. The Bahamas has not accessed the vaccine but has secured them for 20 percent of the population for when they become available.

PM Minnis’ Case for Emergency Order Extension

— “Let me be very clear with this point: The pandemic is not over. Though there is light on the horizon, because vaccines are slowly starting to reach more countries, we still have a long way to go before we get back to normal. The Bahamas has had many months of low COVID-19 numbers. Our health guidelines are working; the emergency measures are working, and the Bahamian people are complying with the rules.

— “With new strains circulating, it is quite possible for us to have additional waves before our population is vaccinated. We cannot, under any circumstances, let our guard down. The more we abide by the measures, the more we prevent a greater resurgence of the virus. We cannot become complacent and think the pandemic is over just because we have had a few good months.

Parliamentarians voting against the resolution

• Opposition members–Philip Davis, Chester Cooper, Glennys Hanna-Martin, Picewell Forbes, and Vaughn Miller
• Former Minister of Health Duane Sands
• Independent MP for Centerville Reece Chipman

Worth noting

The Senate will now vote on the extension.

Six COVID-19 cases were confirmed today at The Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC).

In a statement, the PHA confirmed that currently, six female patients at the Geriatric Hospital have tested positive for the infectious disease.

The patients have been placed in quarantine in keeping with COVID-19 protocols and out of an abundance of caution.

Additionally, SRC Employee Health Department has commenced the relevant protocols with regards to the assessment of staff and follow-through based on the results.

All SRC staff continue to adhere to the Infection Control Precautions and the institution continues to restrict visits at this time.

Health officials reported 13 new cases for the country on Thursday, with 9 in New Providence and 4 in Grand Bahama.

The country’s total stands at 8088 cases; 1141 active cases and 6720 recovered cases.

President of the Bahamas Union of Teachers Belinda Wilson says she is in no way surprised by the results of the 2020 national exams that worsened when compared to 2019.

Why it matters

• Fewer students received A, B, and C grades and more students received D, E, F and G grades, and the results show that the overall number of candidates that sat the exam, were lower when compared to 2019.

The big picture

• BUT President Belinda Wilson and the Ministry have been in a squabble over when students should sit the BJC and BGCE examinations. She lobbied for the national exams to be cancelled, and for the MOE to award students predictive grades. However, MOE insisted that students sit the national exams for 2020 to help with employment and college entrance.

What Belinda Wilson says

Wilson predicts that the 2020/2021 exams will be worst due to the “educational gap” that was widened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She says the interruptions, challenged virtual platform, the late start for the school year, the incomplete 2021 syllables, and the ministry’s inability to reach the nearly 14,000 students who never attended the virtual learning, will produce worse results in 2021.

She asks, “What changes have been put in place to ensure that the 2020-2021 exams will not be a repeat of 2020? What policies will be adopted based on the data of the exam results? The results show that girls outperformed boys. So what new program will be executed to assist boys? Will the ministry continue with the status quo?”

The good news

• Of the 27 subjects tested, there was improved performance in 15 of them, including auto mechanics, biology, bookkeeping and accounts, chemistry, clothing construction, combined science, commerce, economics, electrical installation, food and nutrition, graphical communication, history, music, office procedures and Spanish.
• Performances in English language and literature remained unchanged, according to the ministry.
• More than 80 percent of the grades awarded continues to range from A-E.
• Performances improved in English language, mathematics, art, craft study, family and consumer science and literature, with the performance in general science remaining the same.

Minister of Health Reward Wells said healthcare officials will be paid for the services that they gave during the onset of the pandemic, as promised by the government.

Why it matters

• The government promised voluntary payment to health workers who worked between March and June. They will receive–an honorarium of $5000.  Family members of healthcare workers who lost their loved ones will receive $100,000.
• On Monday, the Bahamas Nurses Union said the government has until December 31st to pay them for their services. The union’s president Amancha Williams called the government “dishonest”  as they have yet to receive the honorarium.

What Health Minister Renward Wells says

Renward Wells acknowledges the honorarium is still outstanding but promises the payment of the monies when the government is in a better position to do so.

• He says, “No one has gotten the honorary. No one has. Now what the gov of the Bahamas has also been doing is paying the overtime as a result of covid, in paying the nurses the overtime. The doctors, we are still looking at their overtime. And we’re looking for overtime for the support staff.”
• Wells adds, “We will pay the honorarium to those folks who qualify for the honorarium. It’s for everybody in the healthcare system. It was to encourage folks initially at the beginning of the pandemic who stepped forward and said, ‘Here am I Lord, send me.’ That is what it was.”

What BNU Amancha Wiliams says

Amancha Williams told the Tribune that the union wishes for better treatment from the government.

• “Our essential staff have worked and have sacrificed their families. Many of their family members were sick and some of them were sick. We have lost three nurses to COVID. These families have yet to hear anybody consult them on the insurance. The government has yet to speak to these families on their insurances. This looks terrible on the government.”
• Williams added, “You cannot treat healthcare workers like that. You cannot treat all the essential workers like this. If you couldn’t afford it, then come to the table and speak to the unions. We understand that this might be an economical problem, but you have not cut the salaries of the government ministers or the members of Parliament and you are still making sidewalks.