Daily Archives: March 31, 2021

THE Pan American Health Organisation has clarified that contrary to an earlier report, The Bahamas was not specified as a country that is scheduled to receive its shipment of the COVAX COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this week.

However, PAHO has said all countries in the region should get their first deployment of the shots by early April.

At a virtual press conference on Tuesday, PAHO/ World Health Organisation Director Dr Carissa Etienne said in response to questions from regional journalists: I want to assure you that PAHO is doing all that it can to accelerate access to vaccines in our region.

Following PAHOs negotiations with the COVAX partners, we have ensured that 21 countries in the Americas will receive their first deployment of vaccines by the end of this week. And in early April, all countries in our region will be able to receive their first deployment of vaccine. This is good news.

In a clarification sent on Thursday, PAHO noted that The Bahamas was not specified as a recipient of the vaccines scheduled for the end of the week.

PAHO/WHO said it understands the urgent need for vaccines as part of the response to the COVID- 19 pandemic and will continue to provide safe, effective vaccines through the COVAX facility.

The Minnis administration has made a downpayment for about 100,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine through COVAX. The government has previously said the first batch of these vaccines should arrive by the end of this month, with the remainder expected in May. The countrys vaccination programme began last week, however these vaccines were donated by the government of India.

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PAHO: Bahamas will not receive shipment this week - Bahamas Tribune

Gia Giudice joined her family for a heart-warming getaway in the Bahamas to reunite with her father Joe Giudice. Gia and her sisters jet-setted offfor a little fun in the sun and sand. And the20-year-old wasted no time seizing the opportunity to show off her incredible warm-weather style that included a slew of adorable swimsuits and beachwear.

Gia took to Instagram on March 20 to share a series of sun-kissed pics as she posed by the beach and en route to the pool in a variety of trendy looks. Like her mother Teresa Giudice, Gia knows how to shine bright on the beach thanks to playful swimsuits in shades of sea bluewith cutouts and cute details.

In one shot, Gia showed that she's mastered the tricky upside-down bikini top trendin an electric blue and white printed suit that she topped off with a delicate belly chain. In another colorful photo, Gia walked through town decked out in a monochromatic ensemble that included light wash denim shorts, an oversized French blue button-down, and a simple sky-hued bikini top with her trademark sunnies worn atop her hair.

Naturally, Gia brought a few designer bikini buys with her (and if the recent RHONJ episode is any indication, she might have borrowed it from her mom's extensive collection).

In a post on March 25, Gia sat perched on a swim in a sleek, black and white, logo-laden Balenciaga bikini with little more than salt water-styled hair and a smile.

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Gia Giudice Shows Her Incredible Bikini Collection While Visiting Joe in the Bahamas - Bravo

In a lopsided Group F contest at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium in Nassau, St Kitts whipped hosts the Bahamas 4-0 with the 27-year-old Freeman netting on either side of half-time.

Keithroy Freemans brace handed St. Kitts and Nevis its second straight win while former Charleston Battery forward, Quinton Griffith, also netted twice to keep Antigua and Barbuda unbeaten in the opening round of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Saturday.

He opened the scoring in the 25th minute to give St Kitts a 1-0 half-time lead and added to his tally in the 65th, in between a 53rd-minute penalty from Kimaree Rogers and an 82nd-minute strike from United Kingdom-based Omari Sterling-James, who entered the game as a 77th-minute substitute.

The victory was the second on the trot for St Kitts who edged Puerto Rico 1-0 in their opening game in the Dominican Republic four days ago.

Veteran 36-year-old striker Peter Byers gave the visitors the lead in the 26th minute before the 29-year-old Griffith struck in the 34th and 42nd minutes to dominate the Group A match.

Antigua was held to a 2-2 draw in their opener against Montserrat in Willemstad.

The other four fixtures on Saturday saw teams suffer heavy defeats.

At the neutral IMG Academy venue in Florida, Israel-based forward Nigel Hasselbaink smashed a hat-trick to inspire Suriname to a 6-0 crushing of Aruba in Group B.

The 30-year-old scored his first in the 37th minute to put the Dutch side up 3-0 before adding a brace in the second half.

In Group D at the Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Dorny Romero and Nowend Lorenzo both scored in either half to register doubles, and fire the Dominican Republic to a 6-0 thrashing of hapless Anguilla.

And in Group E at the Estadio Panamericano in San Cristobal another neutral venue Turks and Caicos Islands suffered a chastening 7-0 defeat at the hands of a rampant Nicaragua, who were inspired by two goals each from Juan Barrera and Ariagner Smith.

At the Ergilio Hato in Willemstad, British Virgin Islands conceded twice in the first half of their Group C contest to go down 3-0 to Central American side Guatemala.

CMC

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Soccer: SKN Remain Unbeaten with Win Over Bahamas - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

Made millions from alleged law breaches

But held off Securities Commission for year

And able to flee jurisdiction for St Vincent

ByNEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A former Bahamian broker/dealer, which held the Securities Commission at bay for more than a year, has been charged with making millions of dollars through violations of US federal law.

Guy Gentile andMintBroker International, the former Swiss America Securities, were this week accused by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) of enabling thousands of American clients to circumvent the rules by operating as an unlicensed broker/dealer from their Bahamas base.

The SEC, which has long targeted Mr Gentile and his operations, credited assistance from itsBahamian counterpart in helping build a case against a broker/dealer that was said to have expanded over an eight-year period to employ 75 local staff with 40,000 customer accounts and $10m in assets.

Mr Gentile did not respond to Tribune Business phone and e-mail messages before press time last night.However, this newspaper can reveal that he managed to successfully hold-off the Securities Commission of The Bahamas own efforts to initiate regulatory action until MintBroker International and its business had managed to flee the jurisdiction for St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Represented by Philip Davis QC, the Oppositions leader, Mr Gentile successfully obtained a Supreme Court injunction to overturn the Securities Commissions five-day suspension of MintBroker Internationals licence in late September 2019.

Healso launched a Judicial Review challenge on the basis that the Securities Commission had exceeded its authority and was not properly exercising its power in relation to the five-day suspension,with the combined legal moves thwarting the regulator by tying the matter up for over a year in the Supreme Court.

Christina Rolle, the Securities Commissions executive director, in a March 1, 2021, affidavit obtained by Tribune Business confirmed that Justice Ruth Bowe-Darville had set aside both Mr Gentiles injunction and Judicial Review challenge.

In summary, the Judicial Review application failed, Ms Rolle alleged. In her oral decision, her ladyship [Justice Bowe-Darville] was not satisfied that there was any unreasonable conduct on the part of the Commission finding, among other things, that the Commission did not act for an improper purpose, and there were several breaches committed by Swiss America Securities both before and after the Judicial Review matter.

John Delaney QC, who represented the Securities Commission in the case, subsequently told this newspaper that the judge had found Mr Gentile and his companies had failed to give full and frank disclosure.

Ms Rolles affidavit revealed that a written ruling is still awaited from the judge, who gave an oral decision back in November 2020. In the meantime, well-placed sources said Mr Gentile used the wait for a verdict to wind-up his company without the Securities Commissions approval in a breach of Bahamian law, and transfer the entire business and client portfolio to St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Mr Gentiles near decade-long stay in The Bahamas wasboth colourful and controversial, featuring numerous regulatory battles in both this nation and the US. He even enjoyed several successes in defeating SEC actions against himself and his businesses in the New Jersey federal court.

The US capital markets regulator is persistent, though, and has now come back with a south Florida lawsuit that alleges Mr Gentile and his Bahamas broker/dealer - which operated in this nation from late 2011 to at least November 2019 - breached federal securities laws by soliciting American clients despite not being registered/licensed to conduct business there.

The SEC, in itsMarch 22, 2021, lawsuit alleges that MintBroker International, which did business under the name SureTrader, operated an offshore broker/dealer in The Bahamas designed to help day traders in the United States circumvent the USrules that regulate pattern day trading.

Claiming that this started almost from the moment Mr Gentile arrived in The Bahamas and set-up his broker/dealer in Bay Streets Elizabeth on Bay Plaza in downtown Nassau, the SEC implied that this rules-breaching strategy was critical to the businesss survival.

With only about 100 customers and bleak business prospects, Gentile recognised that SureTrader would go out of business absent an influx of new customers, the SEC alleged. Gentile focused his gaze on the US, where pattern day traders are subject to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authoritys (FINRA) Pattern Day Trader Rules.

Asserting that Mr Gentile began marketing SureTrader as a way to avoid the rules by trading through an offshore broker-dealer, the SEC added: Lest US customers miss the point, SureTraders website explicitly advertised itself as a way to avoid the nasty PDT [Pattern Day Trading] rule.

Gentiles plan worked. At various times, up to 80percentof SureTraders customer base was comprised of UScustomers. SureTrader grew from a three-man shop to one with 75 employees, more than 40,000 customer accounts and assets of more than $10 million. According to Gentile, SureTrader effected transactions in excess of $1bn on behalf of its customers.

And Gentile and SureTrader profited from the broker-dealer services they provided. US customers paid SureTrader commissions on their transactions to the tune of millions of dollars.

And, in failing to comply with US laws that require all broker/dealers to be registered there if they are seeking US clients, the SEC alleged that Mr Gentile and his business were able to avoid regulations subjecting them to its regulation and oversight, plus strictures on financial record-keeping.

Noting that all MintBrokers accounts were transferred to F1Trade Ltd, a St Vincent and Grenadines broker that appeared to be run by several of Mr Gentiles management executives, the SEC action also noted how the Securities Commissions attempted regulatoryintervention.

In September 2019, the Securities Commissionsuspended SureTraders broker/dealer registration for five days based on, among other things, concerns regarding whether SureTrader customers orders were entered into the market as represented and for failing to disclose the existence of Canadian and UK subsidiaries, the SEC alleged.

In March2020, the Securities Commissionfiled with the Supreme Court of the Bahamas a winding up petition seeking a court-supervised winding up of SureTrader and the appointment of a joint provisional liquidator to take possession of SureTraders books and records. The litigation is ongoing.

So-called pattern day trading involves persons, who are trading on margin andusing borrowed money secured by their securities holdings, trading in the same stock (buying and selling) on the same day. They repeat this four or more times in five days, with the transactions worth more than 6 percent of the clients total trading activity.

FINRA, according to the SEC, has identified such trading patterns as high risk - especially for persons with limited means and financial resources - and implemented rules to govern these practices as a result.

The US capital markets regulator alleged that Mr Gentile and MintBroker International did not require their clients to comply with these rules, allowing customers to open an account and trade with as little as $500 and no margin account balance.

As of October 25, 2017, Suretrader.com attracted over 5,759 visitors per day and, as of December 14, 2017, approximately 56percentof the traffic to SureTrader.com for the prior three months was from the US, with the next highest concentration of traffic coming from Italy with 4.2percent, the SEC claimed.

According to a sample of IP addresses, from about 2016 until about 2017, more than 50percentof trades placed by SureTrader were for UScustomers. The US regulator also alleged that Mr Gentile and his company sought to conceal their solicitation of American clients by requiring them to sign account opening documents denying this had occurred.

And the web-based Internet Protocol (IP) blocker telling that was added to SureTraders website in October 2017, saying it was not intended to solicit US clients, was branded as nothing but window dressing by the SEC which alleged that the company was still directly advertising to them via its affiliates and social media.

As a result, the SEC is seeking a permanent injunction against Mr Gentile and his businesses to bar them from such conduct in future, along with an order that they disgorge all ill-gotten gains and proceeds generated by their conduct.

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Ex-Bahamas broker in new US accusations - Bahamas Tribune

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Bahamas Petroleum Company (BPC) said yesterday that while its first exploration well did not result in the discovery of commercial quantities of oil in The Bahamas, it intends to exercise its right to renew four of its licenses, which will allow for another three-year period for oil exploration.

The company said yesterday that following the completion of the Perseverance #1 well and the promising technical results, it has had a number of discussions with industry counter-parties in relation to a potential farm-out of their remaining Bahamas licenses.

BPC holds five exploration licenses, covering approximately four million acres. Four of the licenses, referred to as the southern licenses, are located in the southern territorial waters where Perseverance #1 was drilled; and a fifth, the Miami license, is in northern territorial waters.

In early February, BPC reported that drilling had ceased on the Perseverance #1 well, with the well permanently plugged and abandoned after commercial quantities of oil were not found.

The newly acquired technical data will facilitate valuable updates and refinements to the process of exploration and subsequent production of oil in the region, BPC said.

As a result, the company is working to formalize and launch an entirely new farm-out process. The farm-out will seek to introduce a funding and operating partner for the next stage of exploration activity in The Bahamas.

The company is in the final stages of integrating the well information with its historical data set and expects to commence the farm-out process upon completing this work in the coming days.

The company added: Although the Perseverance #1 well did not result in a commercial discovery, the company is encouraged by the presence of hydrocarbons it is one single exploration well on a structure more than double the size of New Providence and in licenses that cover three million acres.

Data derived from Perseverance #1 provides an opportunity for a modern-day recalibration of existing mapping across the whole license area.

Importantly, the technical results from the drilling campaign support the view that other structures and deeper exploration plays, in particular those rocks of Jurassic age, continue to provide significant prospectivity with multiple viable drillable prospects of scale which merit additional study and exploration activity across the entire extent companys license areas.

BPC further noted that it intends to exercise its right to renew the four southern licenses into a third exploration period at the end of the current second exploration period at the end of June 2021.

The third exploration period is scheduled to last for three years, will allow exploration for this resource to continue and carries an obligation to drill a further exploration well (at no financial cost to the government), failing which the licenses would be forfeited, the company noted.

BPC had secured approximately $50 million of funding since early 2019, which enabled the company to drill the Perseverance #1 well in spite of delays and disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a collapse in oil prices and an ultimately unsuccessful last-minute legal action by environmental activists to halt drilling.

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ROUND TWO: BPC looks to continue oil exploration in The Bahamas for another three years - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has advised The Bahamas that it will receive 33,600 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility this week, according to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee.

In a statement, the committee underscored that the batch represents the first tranche of a total of 100,800 doses earmarked for The Bahamas and pre-paid through the PAHO Revolving Fund.

The Bahamas received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines on March 10 via a donation of 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca from India.

The vaccination program was rolled out on March 14.

Since then, more than 7,000 people have been vaccinated on New Providence and Grand Bahama with a first dose of AstraZeneca a two-dose vaccine.

According to the committee, the highest number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered on a single day totaled more than 1,000.

To date, 63 percent of those who have received the vaccine are over the age of 60, the committee said.

Others include healthcare workers and staff of the uniformed branches.

Forty-two percent of persons who received the vaccine were male and 58 percent, female.

There were concerns about India, the largest manufacturer of AstraZeneca, suspending exports of the vaccine to ensure local demand was met amid an increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Yesterday, the committee said vaccinations will continue on New Providence and Grand Bahama today through the end of the month and on Eleuthera on Tuesday until Thursday.

Staff of the uniformed branches will be exclusively vaccinated today and tomorrow at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road, according to the committee.

These include the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Royal Bahamas Police Force, COVID Ambassadors, Bahamas Department of Corrections, Bahamas Customs and the Department of Immigration.

On Wednesday, appointments at Loyola Hall will be open to the staff of the judiciary, unformed staff branches, healthcare workers and members of the general public over the age of 60.

To receive a vaccine at Loyola Hall an appointment is required.

Vaccinations will continue at the Church of God of Prophecy on East Street today through Wednesday for residents 60 and older, healthcare workers and staff of the uniformed branches.

The committee said the focus of the vaccination effort will be on the east and west ends of Grand Bahama at the start of the week and will continue at the Susan J Wallace Community Center beginning mid-week.

Residents eligible to receive the vaccine should continue to check http://www.doctorshosp.com/vaccine-registration.html for appointments as they become available.

On New Providence and Grand Bahama, mobile units will also provide vaccinations to nursing homes and other residential facilities this week, the statement read.

On the island of Eleuthera, including Harbour Island and Spanish Wells, COVID-19 vaccines will be administered starting with healthcare workers, residents over the age of 60 and staff of the uniformed branches, beginning Tuesday, March 30, through Thursday, April 1.

Clinic administrators will notify residents of Eleuthera of vaccination center locations and times.

The national vaccination program will resume following the Easter holidays.

A schedule of locations and eligible priority groups will be shared with the public in the coming days.

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COVID-19 vaccines to arrive this week Eye Witness News - EyeWitness News

The Bahamas (Vax Before Travel)

The warm Caribbean Sea and sandy beaches of The Bahamas are once again welcoming millions of vacationers from around the world.

However, due to the ongoing fluidity of the COVID-19 pandemic, entry requirements for The Bahamas have changed, says the U.S. Embassy for The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Furthermore, the new restrictions and regulations can change with little or no advanced notice, stated the US Embassy on March 4, 2021. Before departing on your trip, review the guidance directly from the Bahamian government at the Office of the Prime Ministers webpage.

Each visitor to The Bahamas must go to gov.bs, select International, and submit a Travel Health Visa Application. The application will require a negative RT PCR molecular nasal swab COVID-19 test result.

Prospective visitors must present the final confirmation document of their Travel Health Visa application, along with their negative RT PCR COVID-19 test results, upon boarding flights to The Bahamas and again upon arrival in The Bahamas.

Certain travelers are exempt from presenting a COVID-19 test: Children under the age of 10, pilots and crew who will remain in The Bahamas for not more than one night; a person traveling from any island, except New Providence, or Grand Bahama, to any otherBahamian island.

Visitors entering The Bahamas or traveling inter-island agree to monitor by self-reporting through the completion of a daily health questionnaire for 14 days or the duration of stay (whichever is shorter); by the Ministry of Health; by members of the COVID-19 Enforcement Unit; and by unscheduled visits by the Royal Bahamian Police Force.

A person traveling to The Bahamas on a commercial or personal vessel whose arrival in The Bahamas extends beyond the five days for a valid PT PCR OVID 19 molecular diagnostic test result will be granted a Travel Health Pass via upon application and permitted to enter The Bahamas provided the captain of that vessel can prove at their point of entry into The Bahamas that the vessels travel to The Bahamas was a direct one with no prior stops to any other ports of call.

For visitors staying four nights and five days or longer, on Day 5 of the visit, a COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test must be taken by any individual who enters The Bahamas or who travels inter-island from New Providence or Grand Bahama, and the results must be submitted to the Ministry of Health online via the health travel website.

Every port of entry in every Family Island shall be closed except for any port, which is a public dock. All individuals entering by boat must follow all entry requirements above, plus must stop at the port of entry of their intended destination and deliver a copy of their negative RT PCR test results, not more than five days old, and a copy of their valid Travel Health Visa.

If a visitor traveling by boat is symptomatic, they must go to the first port of call and submit to the RT PCR COVID-19 test and mandatory quarantine until the test results are available. If the RT PCR COVID-19 test result is positive, the individual must remain in compulsory quarantine for 14 days or the duration of stay, whichever is shorter.

A list of COVID-19 test sites is available herescroll down to DAY-FIVE COVID-19 TESTING SITES.

All visitors are required to opt-in to mandatory COVID-19 health insurance when applying for their Travel Health Visa. The insurance covers travelers for the duration of their stay in The Bahamas.

For questions regarding Bahamian visa extensions for residents and/or tourists, please visit the Bahamas Immigration.

Any person who fails to undergo the rapid COVID-19 rapid antigen test is liable to a fine of $1,000 or one-month imprisonment.

This summary does not include information on retail, restaurants, social gatherings, and other areas. To learn about current restrictions due to COVID-19, please regularly check the websites noted above.

Furthermore, the U.S. CDC says, visit your doctor at least one month before your trip to get travel vaccinesor medicines you may need. A list of travel vaccines is posted on this CDC website.

Vax-Before-Travel publishes research-based travel news.

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The Bahamas Re-Welcomes Travelers to the Caribbean - Vax-Before-Travel

NASSAU, BAHAMAS National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee Chair Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis said yesterday that notwithstanding reports to the contrary, the Pan American Health Organizations (PAHO) last advice concerning The Bahamas receiving its allotment of COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility has not changed.

PAHO is expected to receive the vaccine doses for The Bahamas on April 4.

There were concerns raised among some quarters of the public after PAHO and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that The Bahamas was not specified as a recipient of the vaccines scheduled for the end of the week, though Minister of Health Renward Wells and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis have indicated vaccines through the COVAX Facility were expected to arrive by the end of this month.

Dahl-Regis said she reached out to PAHO and the date provided has not changed.

I have had no updates from PAHO, Dahl-Regis told Eyewitness News.

The only update I have was that it was due from the manufactures in the Netherlands on April 4 and I have not received any updates.

That was the last communication I have had with PAHO.

Asked when the vaccines could arrive in The Bahamas, Dahl-Regis said the committee has to await the delivery to PAHO before speaking to them about the time frame.

She said she did not wish to speculate.

Weve had a number of dates and that was the last date Ive have, she said.

And you know there are global issues with supply.

During a press conference on Tuesday, PAHO Director Dr Carissa Etienne assured that the organization was doing all it can to accelerate access to vaccines in the region.

The PAHO director said: Following PAHOs negotiations with the COVAX partners, we have ensured that 21 countries in the Americas will receive their first deployment of vaccines by the end of this week. And in early April, all countries in our region will be able to receive their first deployment of vaccines. This is good news.

Yesterday, PAHO/WHO said it understands the urgent need for vaccines as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to provide safe, effective vaccines through the COVAX Facility.

As the leader in public health, PAHO/WHO will continue to support countries in vaccine deployment and the response to the pandemic, read the statement.

Exportation halt

This week, India, one of the largest manufactures of AstraZeneca, suspended exporting the vaccine to shore up domestic supplies as cases of the virus surge across the country.

While there have also been reports of a mutant strain of COVID in India, there were insufficient cases to attribute the increase in infection to the new strain.

Of the halted exports of AstraZeneca from India, Dahl-Regis said: It is concerning; yes, it is.

Asked if The Bahamas had any assurance, the health consultant said: I can only tell you the last thing I got, the last communication. I have no further information.

The government rolled out its vaccination program with 20,000 doses of AstraZeneca donated from the government of India.

It intends to provide the first dose to the same number of people.

AstraZeneca is a two-dose vaccine, with recommendations for the second dose to be administered within 12 weeks.

While there are other manufactures of the vaccine, the suspension from India raises questions about The Bahamas ability to secure additional doses in time to provide a second dose to recipients of the first dose.

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STILL WAITING: Dahl-Regis says PAHO due to receive The Bahamas' vaccine allotment on April 4 - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS As the government expands its vaccination programme, doses of Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have begun to be administered on Eleuthera.

Vaccinations will continue on the island through Thursday beginning with healthcare workers, residents over 60 and staff of the uniformed branches, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday at Jet Aviation Nassau as 33,600 doses of the vaccine arrived in The Bahamas via the COVAX mechanism.

Vaccinations on Abaco and Bimini are also expected to begin next week, just after the Easter holidays.

We want to contain those who have the virus and offer the best care to the population, so that they wont have to be hospitalized, the prime minister said.

In recent weeks, new infections have increased nationwide.

More notable spikes have been recorded on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera.

Health officials are closely monitoring developments and assessments are being carried out on islands where outbreaks have been recorded, Minnis said.

Following various assessments, which should come in early next week, we may take further steps based on the findings.

According to the prime minister, vaccinations will continue this week on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera, leading up to the Easter holiday.

Today, appointments at Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road will be open to the staff of the judiciary, uniformed branches, healthcare workers and members of the public over the age of 60.

Vaccinations will also continue at Church of God Prophecy for residents 60 and older, healthcare workers and staff of the uniformed branches.

The vaccination programme will resume on April 7.

Minnis said that at that time, those with disabilities, teachers and hospitality workers will become eligible to receive the vaccine.

He also noted that provisions will be made for students and athletes, coaches and support staff who require vaccinations to travel abroad.

To accommodate the expansion, the prime minister advised that additional vaccination centers will be opened on New Providence.

More information will be provided in the coming days on various details of the vaccination programme, Minnis said.

More than 7,000 people have received their first dose of AstraZeneca since the rollout of the vaccine programme on March 14.

The highest number of vaccines administered on a single day totaled more than 1,000 people though the capacity has been said to be more than double that figure.

To date, 63 percent of vaccine recipients were over the age of 60.

Of the total vaccinated, 42 percent were men and 58 percent were women.

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COVID vaccines rolled out on Eleuthera; further expansion set for next week - EyeWitness News

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamian tourism industry must be realistic over the speed at which its employees can be vaccinated against COVID-19, one hotelier says.

Chris Morris, the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Marinas general manager, told Tribune Business that while he wants workers in the sector to be vaccinated as soon as possible these aspirations must be tempered by The Bahamas ability to secure the necessary doses.

Pointing to the presently limited number of COVID-19 vaccine shots available to the public, Mr Morris said blaming the government for not vaccinating tourism workers quickly enough was unfair. He added that The Bahamas cannot compare its vaccination roll-out pace to other Caribbean countries because many have been able to draw on their status as UK and US overseas territories to obtain supplies.

Mr Morris said: If we had the vaccines, then yes, I would love to have every hotel worker back, but is that realistic?

He was responding to comments by Kerry Fountain, the Out Islands Promotion Board executive director, who is urging The Bahamas to step up its game on vaccination efforts for tourism workers.

Mr Fountain was pointing to vaccinations taking place in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where 60 percent of hotel workers have been vaccinated already, and in Barbados, where just over 20 percent of the entire population has been vaccinated.

The Turks & Caicos, a British protectorate, received its first batch of vaccines from the UK government in early January, while Barbados received its first batch in early February. Both countries have smaller populations than The Bahamas.

Matthew Brear, Cape Santa Marias general manager, said: I think that the quicker the vaccine is rolled out, the better. I dont know the logistics facing the roll-out here in The Bahamas. Im unable to compare the logistics here versus those in the Turks.

Vernon Grant, general manager of Castaways in Grand Bahama, said: I think that the pace is adequate and sufficient because you have a lot of persons who are resistant to being vaccinated.

But I believe, as we progress and move forward, the momentum is going to pick up because persons will realise that they need that certification for travel. I think its going to ramp up even quicker.

Jeff Birch, owner/operator of the Small Hope Bay Lodge in Fresh Creek, Andros, said the vaccinations he has witnessed at Loyola Hall in Nassau have been carried out professionally and smoothly.

He warned persons opting not to take the vaccine to not listen to the conspiracy theories until you have confirmation from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on any potential side effects the vaccine may have.

The Bahamas received 20,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in early March, and since that time has vaccinated 5,000 persons, averaging just over 1,500 jabs a week.

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Tourism must be 'realistic' over vaccination roll-out - Bahamas Tribune