Category Archives: Bahamas

NASSAU, BAHAMAS Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr Carissa F. Etienne yesterday urged countries to continue to take major control interventions as they move to restart their economies.

Etienne pointed specifically to the challenge of countries reopening for travel and implementing measures that have seen limited impact.

Although the entire world is racing to develop new tools to prevent and cure COVID-19, a safe and effective vaccine that can be manufactured and delivered at scale is not around the corner, Etienne said, during PAHOs weekly press briefing.

And yet, our region has started to resume near-normal social and public life at a time when COVID-19 still requires major control interventions.

The reasons for doing so are understandable children need to learn, families need money to eat and live, and global commerce cannot be restricted forever.

But we must be clear that opening up too early gives this virus more room to spread and puts our populations at greater risk.

She noted this does not mean countries should reverse course on their measures given pressing social and economic realities facing them.

It does mean, however, that we must approach daily life in a new way that reduces risk and places health at the very center of every decision that we make and policy that we implement, she continued.

Whether its re-starting schools, re-opening public markets or resuming international travel, when and how we do it matters.

TRAVEL AND RESTRICTIONS

The PAHO Director also pointed to challenges in the Caribbeanwhere several countries that had virtually no cases, experienced spikes as tourism resumed.

We are seeing many places within and outside of our region apply travel measures that have limited impact, Ettiene said.

I want to emphasize that relying on laboratory tests for travelers is expensive, it is hard to implement and it is of limited impact in controlling the international spread of the virus.

We must ensure that individuals who are sick or suspect theyre sick with COVID and their contacts be quickly identified and isolated to minimize the chances of getting others infected, first and foremost, prior to departure, as well as after arrival.

And all countries should collectively work to limit travel for those who have active symptoms or have been recently exposed.

Over the past week, the Americassaw over half a million deaths, and nearly 15 million cases have been reported in the region.

Etienne said there has been an increased spike in cases throughout the Americas, withCaribbean countries like The Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic also seeing drastic spikes in cases in some areas.

Death rates are also climbing in some areas of Mexico with similar trends in areas of Ecuador, Costa Rica and Bolivia.

This is a stark reminder that countless people in our region remain vulnerable to infection, especially large populations that have not yet been exposed, she said.

She further urged leaders across the world facing pressure to resume social and public life, not to make decisions in a vacuum insisting that theres no one-size-fits-all approach.

Data about the viruss spread and the state of health systems and services must guide each countrys plans to reopen, including the mix of preventive measures that should remain in place to keep people safe, Etienne said.

She insisted that counties must ensure staff, tools, and resources are in place to contain the virus and must be prepared for testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine and have sufficient bed capacity for patients who develop severe symptoms.

Make no mistake: Lets not fool ourselves if our health systems are not prepared, it is not the time to re-open, she added.

Doing so would risk a handful of cases in one area becoming a full-blown outbreak.

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PAHO Director: If our health systems are not prepared, it is not the time to reopen - EyeWitness News

NASSAU, Bahamas In a national address on Monday, September 7, Minister of Tourism & Aviation Dionisio DAguilar announced additional details of the forward-looking recovery and reopening plan for The Islands of The Bahamas. DAguilar wants to jump-start the countrys tourism industry while protecting the health of all concerned.

Beginning October 15, The Bahamas will enter Phase 3 of the Tourism Readiness & Recovery Plan ahead of the busy holiday season, which will include the reopening of beaches and major hotels.

The countrys in-depthTourism Readiness and Recovery Plan can be seen here.

As part of Phase 3, beaches and major hotels will reopen on all islands.

DAguilar announced that all hotel guests must abide by a 14-day Vacation-In-Place (VIP), which will allow guests access to all amenities, including hotel spas, gyms, bars and more. Phase 3 will also see the reopening of attractions, excursions and tours on November 1.

Ahead of the reopening, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation is working with airlines to get more direct flights from key markets where Covid-19 is less prevalent.

Additionally, the Ministrys communication team is prepared to commence a marketing campaign, complete with authentic storytelling and aggressive PR and sales strategies, leaning into current travel trends, such as the preference for vacations closer to home, as well as options that afford seclusion and outdoor pursuits.

Following the safe move into Phase 3, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation along with the Ministry of Health and other government agencies will recommend a date to enter Phase 4, in which other attractions such as casinos, cruises, and ferries will be reopened.

Effective, September 1, 2020, the Bahamian government announced new entry requirements, including:

The government recommends that all travelers interested in visiting The Bahamas review requirements applicable to each member of their party at Bahamas.com/travelupdates before booking a trip, to determine what steps need to be taken to be granted entry.

Since 1950, tourism has played an integral role in The Bahamas economy, accounting for more than 50% of the countrys GDP and 60% of national employment. The COVID-19 Pandemic has had an unprecedented effect on global tourism and The Bahamas economy has felt the impact, particularly following 2019s record-breaking tourism numbers, where the country welcomed 7.2 million visitors.

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Bahamas New VIP Plan: Allow Tourists In, Then Lock Them Down. - The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer

The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) has called off the search for boaters who went missing during an incident last weekend.

After some four days of canvassing an expansive area of waters around Chub Cay, and the Berry Islands, and based on wind and tide models, we have suspended search and rescue operations for the five persons reported missing at sea last weekend, said Commander William Sturrup, the search and rescue coordinator with the RBDF.

According to Sturrup, there were no signs of life or wreckage found during the overflights or vessel patrols in that area.

He added that the RBDF is grateful to its interagency partners and the United States Coast Guard for its support in the search.

The missing boaters were passengers aboard a 27ft vessel that capsized on September 12 in waters.

The 12 migrants, said to be a mix of Jamaicans and Haitians, were subsequently rescued and search efforts were conducted to find the remaining persons without success.

CMC

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Search Called Off for Missing Jamaicans and Haitians in Bahamas - caribbeannationalweekly.com

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Bahamas has proven that public health strategies can work to reduce transmission and strike a balance between reopening the economy, said Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Health Emergencies Department Director Dr Ciro Ugarte yesterday.

However, Ugarte urged the country to follow public health measures, noting that the increase in cases since July is a cause of concern.

A large number of cases in New Providence and ongoing detection is one source of optimism in terms of the capacity of the health system to rapidly detect the cases, he said.

I would say that the public health measures must be strictly followed in the country to reduce the transmission, at the same time that nationals are considering the relevance of new cases.

In this regard, I would say that the number of cases that we are seeing in The Bahamas and in other countries in the Caribbean thats increased because of the opening of the economy, is a source both of concern.

We need to know that these measures must be implemented in the long run, but at the same time, we have to put in balance opening the economy and also open the access to other essential services in the country.

Ugarte noted that PAHO is following the countrys progress very closely and continues to be in close coordination with the Ministry of Health and local authorities.

He said while The Bahamas did very well in the first wave fromMarch to June when it saw a small transmission of cases, local authorities are now facing a challenge with an increase of cases identified on the Family Islands.

Ugarte acknowledged that those challenges include the slowing of progress on New Providence, the high rate of infection of healthcare workers, and the capacity of the laboratory.

As of yesterday, the total number of confirmed cases in The Bahamas stood at 3,087.

The number of COVID-19 deaths stands at 69 with12 deaths now under investigation.

Hospitalized cases also increased from 66 to 74.

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PAHO: Bahamas showing balance between reducing transmission and reopening - EyeWitness News

Banker: Gov't must discard 'lawyer brain'

Brands BPL, Cable, BTC as digital 'jokes'

Entrepreneur: Doors close if name 'not right'

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas "is as far from becoming the Singapore of the Americas as a fifth division soccer team is from the UK's Premier League", a prominent banker warned yesterday.

Gregory Pepin, Deltec Bank & Trust's chief executive, told a webinar organised by the TCL Group that while this nation has the potential to achieve such status it has much work to do before realising such lofty ambitions.

Arguing that it remains "a struggle" to gain approvals for any form of investment and business outside tourism, Mr Pepin said he had personally experienced such challenges over the past six months "to bring new business" to The Bahamas.

While COVID-19 has presented an opportunity to "reinvent" the Bahamian economy by reducing its dependency on tourism, the Deltec chief said this can only be seized if the Government "stops thinking like a lawyer and thinks like a businessman".

He also warned that The Bahamas' digital economy and "technology hub" aspirations were currently built on extremely shaky foundations, describing all three of Bahamas Power & Light (BPL), Cable Bahamas and Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) as "a joke" for offering services that were either unreliable or too costly compared to regional and global rivals.

While The Bahamas' proximity to major consumer markets in the US and Canada, and connectivity to other key jurisdictions such as the UK, remained critical strengths, Mr Pepin said this nation lacked "the right policies to take advantage" of this.

He described this as being akin to "a bad house in a rich neighbourhood", where the investment climate and regulatory framework were not sufficiently efficient, robust and business friendly to attract major foreign direct investment (FDI) and capital flows.

"The biggest problem with The Bahamas is not position," Mr Pepin said. "You can be the Singapore of the north, the Singapore of the Americas, but knowing how Singapore works we're as far from Singapore as a fifth division team is from the Premier League.

"The challenges you have to go through to get there are discouraging. The reality is if you want to do business here other than tourism it's challenging.... anything else is a struggle. That's a fact. Whoever the Government of The Bahamas is I don't care. Invest in the population, invest outside tourism.

"I've been trying to do some things for the last six months to bring new business here, and it's a challenge, it's an effort. That shouldn't be the case. Hopefully the Government will take away their lawyer brain, and thinking like a lawyer, and think like a businessman. Stop thinking like a lawyer and take decisions to make things work."

Urging The Bahamas to break away from dogmatic thinking, and the bureaucracy and red tape that continues to strangle private sector-led growth and job creation, Mr Pepin also called for initiatives to "inspire" young entrepreneurs who he described as the country's future.

With The Bahamas' relatively young population providing hope for post-COVID-19 prospects, the banker said incentives to encourage Bahamian and foreign investment in small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) were sorely lacking.

One such entrepreneur, Robbyn Thompson, who started her hair and beauty business in 2012 to finance a college education, told the webinar that successive governments had not been effective in meeting the Bahamian people's needs or providing "a conducive environment for business to thrive".

With politicians tending to cater to the interests of the elite from which they are drawn, she said policies lacked input from younger persons while often also widening the gap between rich and poor in Bahamian society.

"As a young person and entrepreneur I feel the Government has failed in its mandate to provide opportunities for young entrepreneurs and people," Ms Thompson said. "They want seats at the table, they want to have a role in policies. They're tired of having other people speak for them. How can you design a policy for young people but have never asked us" for input?

She criticised the composition of the Government-appointed Economic Recovery Committee, whose role it is to generate a road map for The Bahamas' short and longer-term recovery post COVID-19, arguing that its members all came from "elitist positions" while the interests of start-ups, entrepreneurs and persons under 30 years-old were not represented.

"Until young people are given an opportunity to have a piece of the pie, there will always be a gap in our country in terms of economic growth," Ms Thompson said. She argued that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were already "under-appreciated and under-assisted" prior to COVID-19, with the sector's two main weaknesses involving access to resources and networking.

Recalling a speech she gave in London, where she "bragged" that The Bahamas is investing $25m over five years in SMEs, Ms Thompson said: "Somebody came up to me after the speech and said that number was a joke.

"Twenty-five million dollars is a lot, but we're only now beginning to take SMEs seriously and pay attention to them when other countries recognised long ago that SMEs were the backbone of the economy and key to driving growth."

Recalling how she had applied for an initiative under the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), Ms Thompson continued: "Many of these organisations sound wonderful in theory but bureaucracy and red tape makes it difficult to access resources.

"We need more accountability and transparency in these resources, and make sure people in these organisations realise what it means to have $1 and a dream..... It honestly seems that when you knock on doors in this country, and they ask who's there, if you call a name they don't recognise the door doesn't open.

"Our government has to do a better job of making sure no one gets left behind, and that every entrepreneur regardless of background, name and colour of skin is given equal opportunity access to resources in this country."

This prompted Mr Pepin to exclaim "great read out of the situation", adding that "if you don't know someone" who is able to facilitate the necessary permits and approvals then someone who does invariably jumps ahead.

"That's not how you build an economy, that's how you destroy an economy," he added. The Deltec banker also warned that the Bahamas Bar Association's effective closed shop, and restrictions on international and regional law firms setting up affiliates here, was further undermining the country's competitiveness as business was directed to other jurisdictions.

He added that a "big trading firm" had approached him about the conditions for setting up in The Bahamas during the webinar, but were already questioning the feasibility after being told they had to use a local law firm, along with BPL's unreliability/pricing and the costs of Internet access.

"BPL is a joke. That's a fact, sorry. Cable Bahamas is a joke. BTC is a joke," Mr Pepin added, when it came to The Bahamas' digital economy and technology hub prospects.

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'Fifth division Bahamas' faces uphill struggle to hit Singapore ambition - Bahamas Tribune

Back to the Bahamas, the week of Labor Day 1980.

I was 17 on my first trip out of the United States, which included my first time on an airplane, and traveling with a group which included friends and soon-to-be friends.

Some of my most vivid memories (sorry, Mom said I cant share them all):

Many of the locals referred to us U.S. tourists as my cousin, as in John, my cousin, let me show you where to find the best deal, or Lahn, my cousin, you are beautiful lady and you honor us by being in daily poolside fashion show. Lahn, is how our Bahamian cousins pronounced my partner in shenanigans Lambs name. She and Rosa Whitten did indeed participate in a fashion show, featuring the loveliest Bahamian attire available in the Holiday Inn Freeports gift shops. But it wasnt poolside. It was indoors in the lobby, where those of us who were willing to take a break from the sunshine that day sat in wicker and rattan furniture and clapped.

One of my only souvenirs from the trip was a pullover V-neck shirt I can best now describe as Bohemian rather than Bahamian. I wore it on the trip home. A picture of me wearing it, in the hotel parking lot, appeared in the 1981 Dobyns-Bennett annual. Believe it or not, I wore it for several years. Im sure I still have it, in storage, somewhere. Many of my friends came home with Its Better in the Bahamas T-shirts.

Another day it rained. A lot. Most of us sat it out in our rooms. Some gathered for impromptu parties in this or that room, taking turns darting through the rain to the poolside bar for trays of drinks.

The elevator frequently stopped between floors. This did not stop us from using it, however, even though it was only one floor from the lobby to most of our rooms. I remember being stuck several times, once with the elevator quite crowded. I was standing face-to-face with Mitzi Johnson Hurd, whod been my older sister Pams friend since I was in grade school. Mitzi assured me it was fine and all would be OK. I might have slipped a grasshopper from a tray she or someone else was carrying from the bar back to the room, filled with nothing but a dozen or so small glasses of that sweet, mint and chocolate cocktail. I think that was during the rainy spell. My only previous experience with minty alcohol was when this or that Skobys waiter would make my order of fried ice cream extra special by drizzling a teaspoon or so of creme de menthe on top. Whenever I eat grasshopper pie I think of rain-swept beaches, old friends, and ... taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

One day several of us signed up for a snorkeling trip. We walked into the surf from the hotels beach side and waded out about chest deep, where we climbed up a ladder and into a good sized boat. I was excited to try to snorkel but I hate going underwater at all. So once we reached the spot and dropped anchor, I basically dog paddled around on top of the water just looking through my mask toward the oceans floor. I still had fun. Until the sky suddenly turned dark and the boat operators rushed us all back on board to try to beat a storm to shore. It was just like the opening credits of Gilligans Island, that storm and how it came up so quickly.

As we got close to shore, the captain was saying something I didnt quite catch, but most everyone was nodding OK and started diving overboard. Hed said due to the waves caused by the storm he couldnt get as close to shore as when hed picked us up ... could we swim for it?

I really didnt fathom how deep the water was, and had only dived into water one time since Judy Brookshire and Marty Brotherton (more friends of sister Pam) gave me swimming lessons when I was about 10. I looked around on that boat deck, but neither Judy nor Marty were anywhere to be seen. Neither was the D-B gym teacher whod made me take that one required swimming-class dive into the deep end of the schools pool.

Everyone else was diving and swimming toward shore in the choppy water. I stalled for time. Finally, a couple not with my group walked over to me and asked if I was going to have trouble. I said I could swim, but not underwater. The man told me to go ahead and hed be right behind me ... and was calm enough to tell me that if I did have trouble and he tried to help, not to panic and drag him down. I jumped (not dived) into the water. I went under. I swallowed some saltwater. I surfaced, and began to swim best I could toward shore. I wasnt making much progress. True to his word, the man appeared next to me as suddenly as the storm had arrived at our snorkeling spot.

I thought you said you could swim, he shouted over the rain and waves.

I can.

No, I dont think you can.

I just keep getting water in my mouth.

Shut your mouth!

His wife was soon beside us as well. He basically towed me ashore, or at least to the point I could stand up and walk, while she followed a few feet behind.

I thanked them for saving my life. He said he thought the praying helped. I asked when hed prayed. I said a silent prayer before you jumped off the boat ... and you were screaming for Jesus the rest of the way.

I havent been snorkeling since. But I did take another swimming class. I still cant dive and cant stand to go underwater.

One night, late, one of us wanted to make a telephone call home (remember traveling before cell phones?) and no one was answering at the front desk. Rosa, who worked at the Holiday Inn here in Kingsport, wanted to know just what was going on at the front desk. We went up to the lobby and found the front desk completely unmanned. Rosa climbed over the counter and began running the switchboard. She didnt get to stay long, but she did get the call put through to Tennessee. And she gave the hotel employee who finally showed up (and demanded she get back across the counter) such a dressing down Im sure they were convinced she was a corporate mystery guest.

Two new friends I made on the trip were Lori Kloempken and her bestie Iva Clark. Lori won the trip, for two, in a bikini contest. If I remember correctly, the contest was at the Nite Life. That was a nightclub on the old road to Johnson City. Being only 17 at the time, I will admit only to having been in the Nite Life (legitimately) one time at that point: I was a model in a fashion show at the club one Sunday afternoon, featuring clothes from stores in the Fort Henry Mall. I modeled in that show for, I think, the County Seat (if thats the store that was near Record Bar, and uniquely had a staircase in its center that led to a balcony that ran the perimeter of the store). I think the clothes I modeled included the blue shirt I was wearing in the photo that ran with last weeks column.

The trip (or the contest) was also the first time our tour director, Doug East, met Lori. Im still friends with both. Both live in Myrtle Beach (for years now) and have been friends these 40 years.

Mitzi worked at Skobys at the time and was among several of the waitstaff there who went on the trip. I cant remember exactly who all went. Donna Wheelock. Steve Ayers. Don Moore?

There was an older couple (compared to me at 17 and most everyone else in my group in their 20s) whose full names I cant remember. Dottie and Big E. Doug said he doesnt remember if they were on this particular trip. Maybe Im mistaken. But whatever trip I met them on, they watched out for me like I was their own.

I feel in love with air travel on the way down. On the way home, I learned its not always friendly in the skies. For some reason we were routed through Roanoke. Doug thinks it was due to bad weather in Charlotte. Well, guess what, bad weather moves around (maybe it was that storm from snorkeling day, following me) and when we landed at Roanoke it was in a terrible thunderstorm. Id now know that was the type conditions that lead to downdraft wind bursts and crash landings. In all my years of travel since, I think that was the worst landing Ive ever experienced.

Ive rambled on a lot now about my first trip to the Bahamas. If youve made it this far, youve maybe noticed I didnt say much about the Bahamas, the beach, the food, or the shopping. Thats because the best memories are always about the people (even when you cant remember their names).

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Back to the Bahamas: It's the people you remember most from life's adventures - Kingsport Times News

EDITOR, The Tribune.

The strategy of divide and conquer was first develop by Sun Tzus, a Chinese General 2500 years ago. In the west, the divide your enemy so you can rule approach is attributed to Julius Cesar he successfully applied it to conquer Gaul twenty-two centuries ago.

Elements of this technique involve: creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects to prevent alliances that could challenge the sovereign aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers encouraging meaningless expenditures that reduce the capability for political and military spending.

The Caribbean have inherited the tendency to divide and rule from the British. It is inherent in the Westminster System as the ruling party and the opposition. It is meant to keep people divided and benefiting from one party and disliking the other. The creation and perpetuation of Hindu-Muslim antagonism was the most significant accomplishment of British imperial policy: the colonial project of divide et impera (divide and rule) fomented religious antagonisms to facilitate continued imperial rule and reached its tragic culmination in 1947. The British divided up the Middle East after World War I, and they did it again in India. The Caribbean and the Bahamas continued the British system of divide and rule. Loyalty is more important than competence for executive position in government and related private sector. The question I ask is will we mindless continue a system that has created crime and poverty for the many with a few elites that acts as managers so the developed world can plunder the countrys resources.

From June 13, 1789 to July 1, 1789 in the assembly in France, people to the left of the president of the assembly were against the monarch and stood for movement or progress while the people on the right were for the monarch and for order. This division of left wing and right wing continues today. But what has happened recently is that the right has moved more left thereby keep order and having social programme for the marginalised. In the US Donald Trump a Republican, a right wing party sends US $1200 cheque to Americans for doing nothing free money like a left wing politician. In the Bahamas both parties (PLP and FNM) were moderate pro-Western parties committed to democracy and free enterprise. The division in the Bahamas is between the have and have nots. The department of social services programmes and the R.I.S.E programme to Tackle Poverty are attempts to alleviate poverty. These programmes put a band aid on a gunshot wound. The evidence is the high homicide rate in the Bahamas and the exponential growth of youth involvement in criminal gangs. They have create a vacuum where the people will find alternatives to deliver what they want and need. Sometimes, it is drug selling, scamming, prostitution or robbery because many are Machiavellian by any means necessary. Election does not bring fundamental changes because politics is the art of deception. The Bahamas will continue to be colonized once the people are divided. We have external colonizers and their internal collaborators. The people have power but they naively bestow it to their political leaders instead of exercising it for their own benefits. I agree with Malcolm X when he said, what, what do you call second-class citizenship? Why, thats colonization. Second-class citizenship is nothing but 20th slavery. There is still a lot of work to be done, especially with the impact of COVID-19 health and economic crisis.

To look at the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Bahamas and the world. Just like the US Patriot Act crippled privacy for financial transactions after the twin towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001, the response to this pandemic will cripple freedom of movement and health privacy. Biosecurity will trump civil liberties. Whether that is a wise move is for the people to decide. Lets get ready to rumble.

BRIAN ELLIS PLUMMER

Nassau,

September 15, 2020.

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Divide and rule - Bahamas Tribune

A year ago this month, nature was less than kind to one of its paradises, when the Bahamas experienced one of its worst-ever natural disasters.

Category 5 Hurricane Dorian struck the Abaco Islands on 1 September, before sweeping west to Grand Bahama. It was not only the severity of the storm that proved so tragic and affecting, but the amount of time up to 48 hours in parts that the surge lingered over land.

These prolonged and intense storm conditions destroyed thousands of homes in the northern regions of the Bahamas. There were sustained winds of 185mph, gusts of 220mph, and waves in excess of 20ft. At least 74 people died and hundreds reported missing. The country was left with a $3.4bn (2.6bn) bill the costliest disaster in its history.

Six months later just prior to the further blow of Covid-19 I visited the archipelago to find out how tourism, its biggest economy accounting for half of the countrys GDP, had been recovering. I travelled to the capital Nassau, then to Exuma, two areas that largely escaped the hurricane, but suffered indirectly.

Dorian meant visitor numbers dropped and Covid means they have disappeared almost entirely. Yet the Government wants people to know that most of its islands emerged from the hurricane largely unscathed; to rebuild those that suffered, tourism is a necessity.

On the first anniversary of the disaster, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism moved to encourage visitors back. As we mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Dorians landfall we are reminded of the resilient nation that still stands, and the spirited people that continue to rebuild and move forward, read a statement.

For a nation so reliant on tourism, Covid is another barrier to navigate, with quarantine restrictions and curfews in place. But flights have resumed and hotels are re-opening. Though we are currently experiencing a different type of crisis I am confident that our beloved nation and our tourism economy will come back stronger than ever, Joy Jibrilu, the director general of the Ministry of Tourism, said of the pandemic. Onward and upward.

It was halfway through my first day in the Bahamas that a tsunami warning flashed up on Google Alerts. An earthquake had hit below the sea just south of Cuba, with reverberations felt hundreds of miles away our spot included, if only slightly. Cuba and the Cayman Islands looked in a perilous position. Miami beaches had been evacuated. We continued our tour of Nassau, keeping an eye on updates.

By chance we were on the islands highest point, visiting Graycliffe, the celebrity-favoured hotel with views second only to the Governors residence nearby. Built by a pirate as his mansion in the late 1700s, its recent guests had included Jay-Z and Beyonc. In the wine cellar, the third-largest private collection in the world, we admired a 200,000 half-bottle of German wine, as old as the house. Something not dissimilar to a riesling, perhaps. Back outside among the colourful shop fronts and cafs, where rum punch is stirred and conch fritters fried, there was no alarm among locals. The town was busy and all was relatively calm. And then, a few hours later, the emergency was all but over. No tsunami came.

After a few days in Nassau, we travelled by plane to the Exumas, brought to the worlds attention most recently not by Dorian, but by the fraudulent Fyre Festival that left hundreds of wealthy Instagrammers stranded with nothing to eat but anaemic-looking sandwiches.

Arriving at the airport, sun out and birds singing, I could see why so many people were hooked by the opportunity to party here.We were staying at Sandals Emerald Bay, which radiates from an enormous pool and stretches out along a private beach. There are swings subtly submerged in the waves, jerk chicken cooked on fire pits nearby, long strips of lush grass, and, a little dubiously, an English-style pub the resort owner is a fan and brings back artefacts from trips to the UK. After that first night on Exuma, the Bahamas unleashed its most enchanting finery on me. We travelled out of Grand Exuma by boat and sailed past a multitude of cays, each as beautiful as the last, green-blue waters encircling the sand.

After an hour, passing houses owned by the rich and famous as well as rickety shacks, we stopped to snorkel and were led into a grotto full of fish. Later, we stopped to paddle with nurse sharks and met a band of beady-eyed chameleons on land. At the much-photographed Pig Beach on Big Major Cay, a brash, unwanted guest too reluctant with his bread was bitten on the bum by a large hog called Dumpling. Around 20 swine live on the cay and draw a steady stream of tourists each day. I appreciated the pigs penchant for swimming it cannot be easy with hooves.

Lunch was idyllic, marrying Caribbean cooking with a little southern American influence. The macncheese was baked and covered in Louisiana Hot Sauce; the peas and rice garlic-strewn and fragrant, tomatoes providing a rich sweetness.Another lunch at ChatnChill, a buzzing bar set up by former London financier KB, came close. There, I tried a huge plate of pork ribs with peas and rice and coleslaw. Lime juice and tomatoes were added, bringing freshness, and an altogether punchier hot sauce, made on site, was bold against the fat of the charred pork.

Of course, Bahamanian assets do not stop at cuisine. We dived and we visited galleries to see the works of talented artists. We also met schoolchildren, some of whom were orphaned by Dorian and had to move south; now, they are partially supported by hotel donations.

Such a dependence is underscoring of the inadequacies of the world, not least while tourist dollars are suspended by the pandemic. The fact remains that when boats stop coming in, the islands economy suffers. Visitors will be needed more than ever when restrictions allow.

Kenneth KB Bowe, owner of Chat n Chill:

When going fishing, never leave behind the ingredients for a conch salad: tomatoes, onions, sweet green pepper, goat pepper for spice, lime and sea salt. After prepping your fresh catch with lime, sea salt and hot pepper,add it to a foil pouch along with a drizzle of oil, pat of butter and half a cup of water. Close tightly, place over the fire and poach until it steams. When finished, add a fresh squeeze of lime and enjoy!

The Foreign Office currently advises against all non-essential travel to the Bahamas. Emergency visitor restrictions include mandatory testing and quarantine.

British Airways flies from Heathrow to Nassau, with flights due to resume in October (BA).

Sandals offers five nights at the Royal Bahamian Spa Resort in Nassau and five nights at the Emerald Bay Golf, Tennis and Spa Resort in Great Exuma from 3,909, all-inclusive, with flights from Heathrow (sandals.co.uk).

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A year after Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas, the islands are eager to welcome back visitors - iNews

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT

tsmith-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

THE Pan American Health Organisation has raised alarm about countries in the region returning to near normal social and public life, despite the fact a COVID-19 vaccine is not around the corner.

One PAHO official said the recent spike in cases in The Bahamas and other countries in the region can be tied to the reopening of economies, which is a cause for concern.

Dr Ciro Ugarte, director of health emergencies at PAHO, spoke at the weekly Zoom webinar organized by PAHO where he assessed The Bahamas COVID-19 trends from March until now.

The number of cases that we are seeing in The Bahamas and other Caribbean countries has increased because of the opening of the economy and is a source of concern, Dr Ugarte said.

The large number of cases in New Providence and ongoing detection is one source of optimism, however, in terms of the capacity of the health system to rapidly detect the cases.

I would say that the public health measures must be strictly followed in the county to reduce the transmission and at the same time considering the relevance of new cases that are a source of concern. We need to know that these measures must be implemented and at the same time we have to put in balance the opening of the economy and access to other essential health services. .

PAHO earlier commended The Bahamas on the actions of its COVID-19 contact tracing task force which, it said, was vital in the fight against the spread of the disease.

Dr Urgarte said The Bahamas has proven that public health strategies can work to reduce transmission and bring a balance to opening the economy.

In the first part of this pandemic, from March until June, The Bahamas did very well, he continued.

Since July, some of the cases were identified on Family Islands and most of the cases in the last few weeks have been recorded in Grand Bahama and New Providence. The number of cases have remained, kind of the same in Grand Bahama, but the process is slower in New Providence where 75 percent of the population resides.

So the health authorities are still faced with a challenge there, in particular the high rate of infection with the healthcare workers and the capacity of the laboratory. So we are following this very closely and we are in coordination with the Ministry of Health and health authorities there.

Speaking on a regional level, Dr Carissa Etienne, director of PAHO and World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Americas, said the uptick in COVID cases shows the region remains vulnerable.

Within the Caribbean, many large islands like Jamaica, The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic are witnessing drastic spikes in cases, she noted. Death rates are also climbing. This is a stark reminder that countless people in our region remain vulnerable to infection, especially large populations that have not yet been exposed.

Although the entire world is racing to develop new tools to prevent and cure COVID-19, a safe and effective vaccine that can be manufactured and delivered is not around the corner. And yet, our region has started to resume near normal social and public life at a time when COVID-19 still requires major control interventions. The reasons for doing so are understandable children need to learn, families need money to eat and live and global commerce cannot be restricted forever.

She said it must be clear that opening up too early gives this virus more room to spread and puts populations at greater risk.

In August, Dr Sylvain Aldighieri, PAHOs deputy director, attributed the alarming numbers of COVID-19 cases here to the opening of borders to non-essential travels and Bahamians travelling to destinations where the virus rates were skyrocketing.

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PAHO: Vaccine not around the corner - Bahamas Tribune

NASSAU, BAHAMAS John Watlings Distillery said yesterday that export sales for its rums continues to grow as the US begins to reopen its economy, with its co-founder noting that local sales have also increased as restaurants and liquor stores reopen.

Pepin Argamasilla, co-founder of John Watlings Distillery, said: Export sales for John Watlings rums continue to grow as the United States reopens its economy. In The Bahamas, we have noticed an increase in rum and vodka sales as restaurants reopen for outdoor dining and liquor stores for curbside sales.

Back in April, the company announced the productionofa hand-sanitizer for The Bahamas.

Argamasillasaid that aftera flood of import hand sanitizer into the market sales have now stabilized.

The 8 oz bottles have been discontinued and we have launched a 16oz with spray tops and one gallon bottles, Argamasilla continued.

What is very concerning is the amount of non-alcohol hand sanitizer in the market. Much of this hand sanitizer is anti-bacterial but not anti-viral. It is important that consumers understand that in order to combat COVID-19. The hand sanitizer must be anti-viral, which according to the CDC, the sanitizer must have a minimum of 60 percent of iso or ethyl alcohol. Our sanitizer is made from ethyl alcohol.

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Distillery sales return as US and local economy reopens - EyeWitness News