Daily Archives: May 7, 2021

NASSAU, BAHAMAS When Tim Rodland, partner in Better Homes & Gardens MCR Bahamas, signed the listing agreement for the 293-acre Powell Cay, Abaco, with more than 22,140 linear feet of white sand beach, he wanted the best tools in his selling kit to reach that elusive audience of potential buyers. He called on Concierge Auctions, a company that has redefined the meaning of auction from a last-ditch effort to a smart first-step marketing thrust, to partner.

Only 13 years old, Concierge controls 90 percent of the high-end residential auction market, has broken world records for the highest-priced homes ever achieved at auction, is active in 29 countries and is a success story that would have been implausible had it not been for an increasingly virtual reality world.

In The Bahamas, where luxury properties and fantasy islands dot the landscape, Concierge is showing up in more and more real estate listings. Its not just about reaching the super-wealthy, though that database is as irresistible as Cristal to a lover of fine champagne. Agents gravitate toward the online bidding process for the speed, simplicity and protection of their percentage. Most sales take place within 30 to 45 days of the signing and once bidding opens, prices heat up for five to seven days before the virtual gavel bangs and the auction is closed.

So this month, while Rodland called Concierge in for Powell Cay with its blank canvas of potential, John Christie lassoed the marketing firm for his listing of a nearly $7 million estate called Casa Azul on the island of Exuma.

This estate has everything someone who dreams of living on the oceanfront with all the luxury imaginable, including their own stone-line lagoon pool, could want, said Christie, a veteran of the industry.

The 7,000-square-foot residence features five oversized bedrooms and five and a half baths and has never been offered for sale before. The asking price is $6.75 million with a $3.4 million reserve.

Casa Azul is sprawled across two lots at the very pinnacle of Emerald Bay, said Christie, who never hesitated taking the listing directly to auction.

Its sure to draw great interest. It boasts its own expansive terraces that overlook the Greg Norman-designed 18-hole championship golf course. It has a great room with a cathedral ceiling for entertaining, a gourmet kitchen, a large guest cottage.

You could live there forever and never tire of the views, coffee in the morning as you watch the sun rise over the turquoise sea and enjoy evening cocktails watching that same sun, worn out from warming you all day, slip beneath the horizon. Its a magical place.

That magical place, along with Powell Cay in the Abacos, opens for bidding this Friday, May 7. Both close one week later.

Concierge Auctions Director of Business Development Danny Prell said: Both of these properties, the ready-to-move-into Casa Azul, fully furnished, and Powell Cay, on which you design and build your own perfect world, are extraordinary listings.

I am excited about bringing these properties to market with our database of 600,000 high-net-worth individuals including our special 10,000 property connoisseurs, including 60 billionaires.

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Another fantasy island in The Bahamas hits the market, along with Exuma's getaway home - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme Dr Nikkiah Forbes suggested yesterday The Bahamas must take action or risk a further increase in coronavirus infections.

Forbes comments come as the country tries to mitigate a third wave of COVID-19 cases since the pandemic first hit locally in March 2020.

We are absolutely in the third wave of COVID-19 and if we continue business as usual, cases are going to continue to go up, she said in an interview with Eyewitness News.

We know what it takes to flatten the curve. Public health measures have to be followed; they also have to be enforced.

Forbes noted that measures aimed at stopping the spread implementing robust contact tracing, putting positive cases in isolation and putting high-risk contacts in quarantine are the only way to flatten the curve once again.

If that is not working, then you have to look at other measures, she said.

She explained that when the healthcare system reaches capacity, policymakers are forced to make difficult decisions to prevent the country from becoming vulnerable.

Referring to stricter protocols, Forbes said: That may have to be considered.

Health officials confirmed 26 new cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas on Monday, taking the number of cases in the country to 10,602.

Of the new cases, 19 were on New Providence, four on Grand Bahama, one on the Berry Islands, one on Exuma and one on Andros.

The number of active cases now stands at 669.

A 92-year-old man from Long Island, who died on May 2, has been confirmed as the latest COVID-19 death.

To date, there have been 211 COVID-fatalities, with 24 deaths under investigation.

The Bahamas recorded 336 cases in January and 335 cases in February.

Cases nearly doubled in March with 613 cases.

There were more than 1,200 cases recorded in April.

Last month, health officials indicated various COVID-19 strains were detected in a sampling of positive cases that were sent away for testing.

Health Minister Renward Wells said the trend in the data showed one or more variants of concern likely entered The Bahamas sometime in early March and have rapidly come to dominate infections in the country.

The variants are more infectious than the initial COVID virus and can also make people sicker.

Forbes noted yesterday: We do have to be concerned about that and it could be contributing to what we are seeing, in addition to people not following the public health measures as they did before.

Despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and reports of large gatherings, Wells has highlighted a need for more enforcement instead of restrictions.

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TAKE ACTION OR PAY: Public health measures must be followed and enforced or cases will continue to rise, health official warns - EyeWitness News

Jamaica has lost another woman of distinction. On April 22, Dr Yvonne Skeffrey died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 90. Her heart just stopped beating. It was her nurse, Trudy, who gently broke the news: One of the ladies gone. I immediately asked which one. Dr Ouida Skeffrey and, more recently, her sister Yvonne were my neighbours.

Almost two decades ago when I moved next door, Ouida welcomed me. I enjoyed chatting with her over the fence. She was a constant gardener and would come out most mornings to do a little pruning. There really wasnt a fence between us. It was an assortment of makeshift barriers including metal railings.

I decided on my own to install a proper chain-link fence with a cut stone base. After construction started, I asked Ouida if she would consider contributing to the cost. She drily told me I should I have consulted her if I wanted her input. Thats classic Ouida. All the same, she did cover part of the cost.

The exceptional Skeffrey family has given outstanding public service in the medical field. By the time I met Ouida, she had retired from her practice as an optometrist. Yvonne had specialised in family medicine; their mother Violet had been a public health nurse; and their father, William, a pharmacist. The Gleaner archives are quite a rich source of miscellaneous information. In my research on the Skeffrey family, I came across a report headlined Drug Store Larceny. It was published on Friday, November 28, 1930.

The punctuation is rather erratic: Cecil Clarke who is in custody at the Central Police Station, was again arrested by Detective Wilson on a charge of shop-breaking and larceny of a quantity of goods valued 6, the property of Mr. William Skeffrey, druggist, along North Street. The complainants establishment was broken into rece ntly and a large quantity of powder, soap, perfumery, and other things stolen. Almost a century ago, the pound went a far way.

Much to my amusement, I discovered that The Gleaner used to have an Airport Reporter who tracked the comings and goings of important people. The social pages of the newspaper were, clearly, our original social media. But far less democratic than all those sites that can now give everybody visibility! Then, I wonder how many people got busted because of this regular airport report.

On Friday, September 16, 1949, Airport News announced that, Miss Yvonne Skeffrey who had been here for the past three months on holidays, left yesterday for Miami on her way to New York to resume her studies at Manhatanville (sic) College of the Sacred Heart. She is a past student of Wolmers School.

A devout Catholic, Yvonne attended what was then a strictly religious college. In a December 1970 article by Linda Greenhouse, cleverly headlined, Manhattanville: Catholic and catholic, the New York Times reported that the college had dropped of the Sacred Heart from its name. It seemed no longer relevant for an independent liberal arts college. Im not sure Yvonne would have approved.

After graduating from Manhattanville in 1951, Yvonne entered The University College of the West Indies (UCWI) to study medicine. In the 1950s, UCWI was still a college of the University of London. The establishment of similar colleges in Africa was part of a process of lingering colonialism. Nevertheless, these institutions gave students the opportunity for tertiary education at home, instead of being forced to travel abroad.

The imperial history of UCWI did not impede the growth of both national and regional consciousness. As students sat in classes with their counterparts from all over the Creole-Anglophone Caribbean, they learned that they shared a common identity. They were citizens of the wider Caribbean, not just their country of birth. And long before dating apps allowed viewers to swipe right or left, The UCWI enabled romance across national borders and in the flesh.

Just a few of the marriages that blossomed, even if they did not all flourish, include the following: Peter Carr, Trinidad and June Smith, Jamaica; Archie Hudson-Phillips, Trinidad and Angela Lewis, St Lucia; Rudolph Collins, Guyana and Viv Brown, Jamaica; Hugh Wynter, Jamaica and Dorothy King, Barbados; Lawrence Mann, Guyana and Juliette Jessamy, Trinidad; and Duke Pollard, Guyana and Velma Brodber, Jamaica.

After graduating from The UCWI, Yvonne went to work in the Bahamas. It might have been another kind of romance the glamour of travel. She made the country her home. To mark the 40th anniversary of Independence of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, the Medical Association hosted a Special Physician Recognition Ceremony. Dr Yvonne Skeffrey was among those honoured for giving more than 40 years service to the nation.

Yvonne used to come to Jamaica every Christmas. My sister, Donnette, would also come for the holidays. Ouida and I would keep each other updated on when the sisters would arrive. I would look out one morning and there was Yvonne. In 2019, she decided to come home for good. Her health was failing and so was Ouidas. The sisters physician was Dr Shantell Neely, a Bahamian who came to medical school at UWI in 2002 and remained after marrying a Jamaican she met on campus, Andrew James.

As a child, Shantell knew Yvonne in the Bahamas. They both attended the St Josephs Catholic Church in Nassau. Across the generations, the lines of affiliation intersected: a Jamaican doctor who once served in the Bahamas lovingly cared for by a Bahamian doctor in Jamaica. An inspiring fulfilment of the promise of regional integration sustained for so long by The University of the West Indies!

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.

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Carolyn Cooper | Yvonne Skeffrey a Jamaican at home in the Bahamas - Jamaica Gleaner

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The United States will export at least 10 percent of its stock of COVID-19 vaccines to other countries by July 4, according to Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt, a senior advisor to President Joe Bidens coronavirus response team.

While it remains unclear which countries will be the beneficiaries of the COVID-19 vaccine from the US, Slavit said the vaccine export is in an effort to help the globe fight the virus.

During a During a White House press briefing, Slavitt was asked about the US providing AstraZeneca to other countries, Pfizers US-based manufacturing facilities distributing shots to other countries directly, and how the US was directing the exports of the vaccine.

Well, as you may be aware, the prior administration prohibited that that type of export, Slavitt said. Weve lifted that.

And just to review some of the bidding so far: With our own vaccine supply, we have been supplying vaccine, we announced, to Mexico and to Canada.

We also announced that we would be exporting the entire block of AstraZeneca vaccines to countries that have approved AstraZeneca just as soon as we have approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

One of the things that president announced yesterday is that, by the time we get to July 4th, a full 10 percent of our stock of vaccines that weve acquired will have been distributed to other countries at a minimum so thats very important as part of our commitment.

Jurisdictions across the globe such as India and Nepal have been dealt devastating blows from the latest surges of the virus.

The US has millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the US.

The Bahamas has received 53,600 doses of AZ to date a donation of 20,000 doses from the government of India and 33,600 doses from the World Health Organizations COVAX Facility.

The Bahamas made a down payment to COVAX for the vaccine doses last year.

Another 33,000 doses are expected to be delivered by the end of May, though it remains to be seen if COVID vaccine shortages will impact the timetable of the delivery.

Slavitt urged Americans to get vaccinated sooner rather than later to help other nations receive the vaccine faster.

One of the benefits of everybody getting vaccinated as quickly as possible is it will allow us to do a better job in leading the way in helping the globe get their vaccines as well, Slavitt said,

The senior advisors appeal is not dissimilar to that of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who has encouraged Bahamians to get the jab in order for The Bahamas to reach herb immunity and return to some normality.

More than 25,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine in The Bahamas.

All persons who have received a firstdoseof the vaccine will be eligible to receive thesecond dose.

Administration of the second doses isscheduled to begin on May 10.

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US to export 10 percent of vaccine supplies to other countries by July 4 - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday that The Bahamas is not in a good place as it continues to see a climb in new COVID-19 infections.

With a significant increase in cases over the past few weeks, officials have confirmed The Bahamas isexperiencing a third waveof coronavirus infections.

In an interview with Eyewitness News, Sands noted that over the last 14-days the country has averaged nearly 60-cases per day, calling the rise in cases a very unfortunate situation.

Sands said: Weve had more cases in April than March, February, and January combined. That is a very, very concerning issue because cases come first and deaths come after.

Weve seen a number of younger people hospitalized, some in their 20s, some in their 30s, thats not a good thing.

The Bahamas recorded 336 cases in January and 335 cases in February.

Cases nearly doubled in March with 613 cases.

There were more than 1,200 cases recorded in April.

Between Friday and Saturday, health officials reported 96 new COVID-19 cases.

Of those cases, 72 were on New Providence, 13 on Grand Bahama, one on Bimini & Cat Cay, one on Abaco, one on Eleuthera, two on Exuma, one on Long Island, one on Andros; and four additional cases with locations pending.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed six deaths that were previously under investigation to be COVID-related, bringing the total number of COVID deaths to 209.

The six deaths, all on Grand Bahama, included four women, ages 69, 68, 64, and 61; and two men, ages 80 and 56.

Another 24 deaths remain under investigation while a total of 44 deaths have been classified as non-COVID-related.

There are currently 52 hospitalized cases, 48 of which are moderately ill and four are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The total number of cases in the country stands at 10,519, of which 711 remain active.

Sands insisted yesterday that Bahamians must continue to follow public health protocols, such as social distancing, wearing masks, and washing their hands, in order for the country to get a handle on the cases.

That is where we are falling down as a people right now, he said.

He warned that stricter protocols, such as lockdown and shorter curfews, may have to be considered if the behavior does not change.

We are absolutely not in a good place and hopefully we will see the trend turn or the tide change. But to have an average over 14-days of 58 to 60 cases is not good, he added.

Health Minister Renward Wells has said the government does not intend to implement stricter protocols and has highlighted a need for more enforcement instead of restrictions.

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TEETERING: More cases in April than first three months of 2021 - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS With hurricane season fast approaching, meteorologists are predicting another busy one this year.

The season runs from June 1 to November 30, but some meteorologists have been lobbying for the seasons start date to be moved up to May 15.

Last year, there were nine named storms between May and July alone.

The Weather Company, a meteorology unit of tech giant IBM, has projected 18 named storms, eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes with Category 3 or greater wind speeds during the upcoming season in the Atlantic.

Despite the above-average forecast, the company does not anticipate conditions to be as favorable for a repeat of the hyperactive levels of storm formations and landfalls observed last year.

Meanwhile, Colorado State has predicted 17 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes at Category 3 or higher.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season saw a record formation of storms, rapid intensifications and numerous landfalls.

There were 30 tropical storms, breaking the 2005 record of 28 named storms.

The vast number of storms forced forecasters to roll out names from the Greek alphabet by mid-September as they had already exhausted the 21 names for predicted storms.

Ahead of the season, there was consensus among forecasters in their predictions of an active season.

The Weather Channel noted that 10 systems last season met the criteria for rapid intensification a term that became familiar in The Bahamas after Hurricanes Matthew, Joaquin and Dorian made landfall.

The most notable of the 2020 season was Hurricane Iota, a Category 5 storm that packed 160 mile-per-hour (mph) winds one of the most intense on record.

Twelve storms made landfall in the US in 2020, another record since 2016.

A total of nine systems made landfall along the US Gulf Coast.

Dorian in September 2019 packed winds of over 185mph when it pummeled portions of Abaco and Grand Bahama.

In each of the last five hurricane seasons, there has been at least one Category 5 storm.

These include Matthew in 2016, Irma and Maria in 2017, Michael in 2018, Dorian in 2019 and Iota in 2020.

Some pundits, politicians and environmental organizations have pointed to climate change as the reason for the increasingly active hurricane seasons.

The government of The Bahamas has concurred, with Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis making repeated appeals on the international stage for developed countries to do more to reduce their carbon footprint, as small island nations like The Bahamas take the brunt of the impact associated with climate change events.

A wealth of research, including that of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), points to stronger storms as a result of ocean temperatures rising.

The Bahamas was spared last season, a much-needed reprieve as the nation continued recovery efforts from Dorian on the islands impacted and battled its second wave of the coronavirus, which threatened the public healthcare system as cases spiraled in the thousands.

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WET WEATHER INCOMING: Another active hurricane season projected for 2021 - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The current voters register stands at 189,288 voters, with just over 500 voters added to the register since the beginning of April, according to Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Lavado Duncanson.

In an interview withEyewitness News, Duncanson advised that as of May 1, 2021, there were 131,074 voters registered on New Providence; 30,214 on Grand Bahama; and 28,000 on the Family Islands.

Various centers have been opened for expanded voter registration exercises on New Providence and Grand Bahama, including for individuals who are not on the 2017 register or who may need to make an address transfer.

There were 181,000 registered voters in the 2017 General Election, with a voter turnout of around 88 percent.

The governmentpassed the Parliamentary Election (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in December, which made the voters register from the last general election in The Bahamas a continuous or permanent register.

There is not an expectation for an influx of people registering before the election is called.

The Parliamentary Voter Registration Department has estimated there will be approximately 20,000 to 25,000 people who may register themselves including new graduates coming out of high school annually.

Constituencies Commission Chairman and Speaker of the House of Assembly Halson Moultrie has said the commission may recommend adding four more constituencies to the current boundaries three on New Providence and one on Grand Bahama.

He explained that the commission has gleaned from the register that some constituencies have far more voters than others making voter parity in the current form difficult.

Moultrie has also noted that the commission observed a strange phenomenon in a decrease in registered voters on four sparsely populated Family Islands.

The Parliamentary Registration Department has been actively engaged in cleaning up thenow permanent registerby removing those who have died since the last general election and registered voters who have transferred from their constituencies.

The commission has been awaiting legal advice on how to handle displaced storm victims from Abaco and Grand Bahama, who have been unable to return to those islands but were ordinary residents up until Hurricane Dorian decimated those islands in September 2019.

The speaker has previously said the commission wasconsidering a special voting privilegethat would allow displaced storm victims to vote in the constituency in which they ordinarily resided.

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MORE AND MORE: Nearly 200000 registered to vote; more than 500 added in the last month - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Executive Chairman Adam Stewart said yesterday he has no doubt that the Royal Bahamian resort on Cable Beach will be fully booked out when it reopens in early November following a $37 million renovation.

Stewart, who gave insight into the renovations to be undertaken while touring the property yesterday, said 980 jobs will be available when the all-inclusive resort reopens on November 4.

According to Stewart, there is no question as to the pent-up demand for travel. He noted that The Bahamas is well-positioned to take advantage of this, given its proximity to the United States and its sterling reputation in the tourism industry over the years.

I think we are going to have a pretty good summer Caribbean-wide and The Bahamas included, said Stewart.

Sandals does a tremendous amount of its bookings many months out and so we have a good pulse of the trend and pace of whats coming. In our own company, we are seeing the booking pace in excess of 25 to 30 percent ahead of 2019. When you see that kind of booking pace, it says that were putting the wheels back on the bus.

He said there is no doubt the hotel will open fully booked out in November, noting that the chain resorts properties across the region are currently seeing occupancy levels in the range of 80 and in some instances 90 percent.

Stewart noted that despite the crippling effect the pandemic has had on tourism in general, the company has benefited from consumer trust, having been in operation in the Caribbean for 40 years.

The company announced last month it will unveil several new features and facilities like the addition of iconic river suites as well as the refurbishment of over 200 rooms and suites ahead at the Royal Bahamians reopening.

The resort had previously been slated to reopen on January 28, but that date was pushed back to March 31 then May 1 and later to the now November date.

Stewart revealed yesterday that the company does not hold a position regarding its employees receiving the COVID vaccine, as some other local organizations have been mandating.

We dont have a position; were agnostic. Its the individuals right unless the government has a policy on that. The government sets policy we follow it, he said.

We are supporting our team members whichever pathway they choose.

Stewart also lauded the success of the resort chains Emerald Bay Exuma property, which reopened in March.

Exuma is up and running and doing very well. What I love about our relationship in Exuma is that we have pulled together, he added.

One of the great things that has happened during the pandemic is that we have come together like never before with the government and other hoteliers, all doing our best to try and earn our way out of a situation that none of us created. The unity in Exuma is at the best I have ever seen it in our 11 years there.

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SUCCESS EXPECTED: Sandals has no doubt NP resort will reopen fully booked out after $37M renovation - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS PwC in the Caribbean and the PwC Charitable Foundation have collectively donated $100,000 to disaster relief and recovery efforts in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

On April 9, 2021, the La Soufriere volcano erupted, sending ash and gas plumes miles into the sky and affecting neighboring islands. The disaster has displaced about 20,000 people and left the population of 110,000 people without clean drinking water or electricity.

PwC firms operating in the Caribbean contributed a total of $60,000. The funds were raised by the partners and staff of PwC firms in The Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, East Caribbean (Barbados and St Lucia), Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, the PwC Charitable Foundation approved a grant of $30,000 to the St Vincent and the Grenadines Red Cross, through the American Red Cross. And a donation of $10,000 was made by L&F Indemnity Limited (L&F), the Bermuda-based captive insurance company for the PricewaterhouseCoopers network of firms.

The funds are being donated to local and international organizations, including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

Frazer Lindsay, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers Caribbean Region Ltd, said: We stand in solidarity with the people of St Vincent and everyone affected by La Soufrieres eruption. As we have done in the past with natural disasters in our region, our people have rallied quickly to demonstrate our support for those most in need and we thank them for their tremendous efforts.

Prince Rahming, territory leader, PwC Bahamas, said: The Caribbean region has experienced its share of disasters. We are all connected to each other and in times of devastation and crisis, one countrys loss affects us all.

Many countries came to our aid and provided assistance in response to Hurricane Dorian. Now it is our time to unite and stand with St Vincent and the Grenadines and lend our support.

We are grateful to our people within the PwC network for their efforts in raising these much-needed funds. It shows the power of community and the adage that we are indeed our brothers and sisters keepers.

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PwC in the Caribbean and the PwC Charitable Foundation donate $100K to St Vincent volcano relief efforts - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS While the government saw an improvement in its revenue intake during the third quarter of the fiscal year due to the continued relaxation of COVID-19 restrictive measures and the restart of the tourism sector, total revenue still saw a nearly 30 percent decline over the same period in the previous fiscal year.

According to the Ministry of Finances combined nine-month fiscal snapshot and report: The continued relaxation of COVID-19 restrictive measures during the third quarter FY2020/21 and the restart of the tourism sector have improved Bahamian economic activity, resulting in a firming of revenue collection in the third quarter FY2020/21.

Compared with the same period in FY2019/20, however, total revenue declined by an estimated $527.4 million (30 percent) to $1,229.7 million or 70 percent of last years collection and 69.8 percent of budget.

The Ministry of Finance noted that the third-quarter fiscal results confirmed that the Bahamian economy, although still below pre-crisis performance, is steadily progressing along the path of recovery.

Value-added tax (VAT) receipts strengthened to $183.4 million in the third quarter, from $151.7 million in the second quarter and $134.7 million in the opening quarter of FY2020/21.

It was also noted that during the third quarter, there was a boost in collections of real property taxes, increasing year-on-year by $11 million for the quarter due to the Real Property Tax (RPT) Forgiveness Programme, as well as a steady recovery in VAT and business license receipts, in the context of broadening gains in economic activity.

It was also noted that improvement in VAT collections was aided by the expiration of certain clauses of the Special Economic Zone (SERZ) concessions designed to aid in the rebuilding of areas of Grand Bahama and Abaco damaged by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.

State Minister for Finance Senator Kwasi Thompson noted: We are seeing moderate signs of economic recovery as we are able to stabilize the public health crises. The third-quarter fiscal results provide optimism for the future.

We are pleased to see economic activity return as the domestic economy and export sector open up more and more. It is important for us to stay disciplined and vigilant, and for the vaccine rollout to continue in earnest, to allow for the ongoing relaxation of restrictions.

It would be clear to all objective observers that the governments Resilient Bahamas Plan has proven effective in providing real and tangible assistance to Bahamians while supporting stable macroeconomic conditions. Further, consistent with the governments strategy, the plan has ensured that the country has been able to weather this economic storm, while still keeping its foreign currency reserves at high levels, allowing the Bahamian dollar to remain as strong and secure as it has ever been.

Thompson further noted: Although we have not achieved pre-pandemic levels, the third-quarter results clearly indicate the situation is improving and we have successfully prevented any worst-case economic scenarios from materializing.

Outside of the necessary increases in social welfare spending to maintain unemployment benefits and to provide food to those in need, we have managed to contain other discretionary expenses to offset these increases.

This is what we set out to do as part of our fiscal adjustment plan: curtail non-essential capital expenditure by $100 million. So far, we have had notable success and we feel confident we will meet our fiscal target.

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SLOW CLIMB: Govt revenue improves in third quarter but still down nearly 30 percent - EyeWitness News