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The Tribune

Volume:118 No.41, JANUARY 22, 2021

Established 1903

Weekend

WEEKEND: NATIONAL GALLERY ADAPTS TO ‘NEW NORMAL’

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

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Friday, January 22, 2021 photography art gardening history music fashion puzzles animals

BIDEN DELIVERS CRIPPLING BLOW

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net UNITED States President Joe Biden yesterday signed an executive order requiring travellers to quarantine on arrival to the US, potentially dealing what Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar says could be a devastating blow to the Bahamian economy.

Mr D’Aguilar, in an interview with The Tribune, expressed a desire for the US to forgo the rule for the English-speaking Caribbean.

President Biden’s

announcement comes as COVID-19 variants in the United Kingdom and South Africa – that are said to be more infectious, but not more deadly than the original strain – have spread around the world.

“In light of the new COVID variants that you’re learning about, we’re instituting now a new measure for individuals flying into the United States from other countries,” President Biden said during a press conference the day after his inauguration.

SEE PAGE THREE

FROM PANDEMIC TO A POLITICAL SOAP OPERA

SEE PAGE EIGHT

LUCAYAN OPENING ON HOLD? THE Minnis Cabinet will decide “very shortly” whether to act on the Grand Lucayan Board’s plan to re-open the resort on February 1, a Cabinet minister revealed yesterday.

Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar told Tribune Business the Government was “still analysing” the costs associated with opening the property.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

BTC UNIONS UNHAPPY AT SEVERANCE PROPOSALS

parent our children”.

The debate surrounding corporal punishment has been reignited after a shocking video went viral this week, showing children being severely beaten by staff at the Children’s Emergency Hostel.

On Wednesday, a woman who identified herself as an employee of the Hostel called in to the Darold Miller Live show on ZNS saying “if you don’t beat, the children will beat you.”

SEE PAGE TWO

pg 10

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

TIME WE FACED ENDING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION officials are having a “vigorous conversation” about whether corporal punishment should still be allowed in schools, however there are some who are opposed to phasing out the practice, Education Minister Jeff Lloyd said.

Mr Lloyd, who has gone on record voicing his opposition to the practice, said Bahamian society must determine “how do we properly and effectively

Page 2

Bearing fruit

Art and agriculture come toget her

New President unveils quarantine rule which will devastate tourism

INAUGURAL FASHION REPORT

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

PRESIDENT Joe Biden signing executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House. Among his first actions was to introduce a quarantine for people arriving in the US. Photo: Evan Vucci/AP

THE Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s two unions yesterday revealed they have filed a trade dispute over what the carrier branded “the most generous retirement package in the Caribbean”.

Union chiefs argued the company made the offer directly to workers rather than going through the two unions first.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

LUNCHTIME KILLERS ON VILLAGE ROAD A MAN is dead after a shooting at Village Road yesterday.

Details were limited up to press time, but police said around noon they were alerted to a shooting. Officers responded and were told the occupants of a blue vehicle approached a man and shot him multiple times in his body.

The victim was taken to hospital in a private vehicle. He later died from his

THE SCENE of the shooting on Village Road. injuries. He is the eighth person to be killed this year.

This comes three days after a woman was found dead in an area off Marshall

Road with blunt force trauma to the head.

Assistant Superintendent Audley Peters told reporters at the scene that Monday’s victim appeared to be in her early to midtwenties and was in the early stage of rigor mortis, suggesting she had only been dead for a few hours.

Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

THE LIGHT OF HOPE SHINES AS TRUMP LEAVES

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Friday, January 22, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

THE BAHAMAS Children’s Emergency Hostel.

‘We must find better ways to discipline our children’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

A LOCAL therapist believes when it comes to raising children, parents and guardians should avoid using corporal punishment as a form of discipline.

In an interview with The Tribune yesterday, cognitive behavioural therapist Harrison Thompson said while corporal punishment has been used in the country for years, the time has come to find other ways to teach children valuable lessons.

“We recognise that

corporal punishment has been used for years in this country,” he said Mr Thompson.

“In the past it was used on the basis of fear. It could change your behaviour if you fear what is going to happen to you.

That works until that child gets older, until they start to grow and they get bigger and are the disciplinarian and there’s no need to fear and once you remove the element of fear that child reverts back to doing whatever they want to do in the first place.

“We need to get back to

discipline being based on respect and understanding because we want to create a culture of understanding why and when we make punishment out of anger the goal, you remove the why and without that why, children are not able to connect why they are getting the outcome they are getting.

“So, I think we need to find a way to deviate from corporal punishment and physical forms of punishment and we need to become more involved with our children so that punishment is not needed in the first place.”

Mr Thompson compared what transpired in the video of children being beaten at the emergency children’s home in Nassau to a “gladiator ring”.

“In the beginning I said it seems like a pretty typical experience that I would even recall from my primary school days, but as I continued to watch the video it got worse and worse and worse and it almost began to seem like a gladiator ring and these teachers, there guardians are just waiting to get a piece of the pie.

“It seemed to be less about discipline and more

about enacting anger and that really disturbed me because when parents and guardians start disciplining children out of anger, they remove the lesson out of the discipline and all that child remembers is pain and that’s how we birth trauma.”

He added: “I don’t think it helps because these are problems that don’t necessarily start in the school they start in the home, but because there is not enough dynamic parenting in the home it’s a bottleneck that piles up in the school and so teachers aren’t free to teach.

Teachers have to be parents. Teachers have to be counsellors. Teachers have to be friends and eventually these teachers reach their wits end as well and it creates these types of environments where we’re blurring the lines between schools being a place of education or these homes being a place of education to being a dungeon of punishment.”

Moving forward, he said, much needed to be done to reverse people’s positions in support of physical discipline, as he supported an investigation of the situation.

TIME WE FACED ENDING CORPORAL PUNISHMENT from page one

Mr Lloyd yesterday reiterated his opposition to this practice. He said people have “misunderstood” the Proverbs 13:24 Bible passage – a verse commonly used to support beating children.

“I have gone on record all my life virtually, as being opposed to corporal punishment,” the South Beach MP said. “I am a member of the Catholic faith and we ourselves decry the application of violence in any form at all times. I have thrown out the challenge to the Bahamian society in the House of Assembly.

“Let us have that conversation about it because we seem to believe that you spare the rod, whatever that means, and you spoil the child which is a complete misunderstanding of that scriptural passage from the

Old Testament - complete.”

He said the Ministry of Education has a policy on corporal punishment in schools, which is it is to be used in the “absolute last resort”.

When asked why corporal punishment is still carried out in schools if he is opposed to the practice, he said: “That is now a vigorous conversation and discussion here at our Ministry of Education along with our stakeholders right this very minute and I can tell you that there are pockets within the ministry that are opposed to us eliminating (the practice).”

Mr Lloyd spoke about the issue in Parliament in 2019 after there was public debate in the aftermath of a father’s outrage on social media over the beating of his seventh grade son by a St Augustine’s College senior official.

While making his

contributions during the budget debate, the minister noted that the government was not going to be “sucked in” to the conversation unless or until society decides what it wants to deal with in terms of corporal punishment.

“So, you ain’t going to put nothing on us while you half kill your child at home,” Mr Lloyd said in the House of Assembly at the time.

Corporal punishment of children is legally permitted in home and schools.

In the school system, such punishments should only be carried out by an administrator in the presence of another administrator or teacher.

Yesterday Mr Lloyd “threw that challenge yet again” for a conversation on the issue.

“I threw that challenge yet again, but now you see that video wherever it is

from wherever it is has gone viral and elicited outrage.

But just on the outrage, let us come have a conversation about the application of corporal punishment wherever it is applied – in the home, in other societal institutions, or even in the school,” he said yesterday.

“Happy to have that conversation and I don’t want to hear no outrage and I don’t want to hear nobody being upset. No let us come to the table, let us have that conversation and let us as a society determine how do we properly and effectively parent our children and is corporal punishment a part of that menu of parenting skills.

“If it is, then we will determine how that’s to be. If it is not then let us be affirmative in our stance on it and let every man stand and be counted on it. Not hide behind no organisations.”

EDUCATION MINISTER JEFF LLOYD

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 3

Biden delivers crippling blow from page one “In addition to wearing masks, everyone flying to the United States from another country will need to test before they get on that plane, before they depart, and quarantine when they arrive in America.”

It is not clear when the quarantine requirement will take effect. The parameters of the policy have not yet been outlined.

It was announced by US officials last week that all travellers entering the country would have to have a negative COVID-19 test, beginning January 26.

President Biden’s executive order says the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security “shall promptly provide” him with a plan for how the US government could implement the “CDCrecommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after a flight to the United States from a foreign country.”

The order further says: “It is the policy of my administration that, to the extent feasible, travellers seeking to enter the United States from a foreign country shall be required to produce proof of a recent negative COVID19 test prior to entry; and required to comply with other applicable CDC guidelines concerning international travel, including recommended periods of self-quarantine or self-isolation after entry into the United States.”

The CDC currently advises people who participate in “higher-risk activities” during international travel to be tested three to five days after travel and to stay home for seven days after arriving in the US, even if they test negative for COVID-19.

According to the CDC, higher risk activities include travelling from a country or US territory with a Level 2, Level 3 or a Level 4 Travel Health Notice.

The Bahamas currently has a Level 4 CDC Travel Notice.

President Biden’s actions are in sharp contrast to his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, who has been accused of not doing enough to stop the deadly spread of COVID19 in the US.

PRESIDENT Joe Biden speaks about the coronavirus, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, in the State Dining Room of the White House yesterday.

Photo: Alex Brandon/AP home,” Mr D’Aguilar said officials will seek a similar “The (order is) a little yesterday. exemption for any quaran- vague,” he said. “Unfor“This is bringing insta- tine requirement. tunately, the Caribbean is bility to the travel market, “I will reiterate my ear- small in stature, but this uncertainty and that will lier comments which are, decision is going to hurt us deter people from travel- the English-speaking Car- quite tremendously so we ling internationally. One ibbean have relatively low need the United States to could understand the levels of COVID, have look at the Caribbean in a United States is now imple- small populations and as different light. We’re not menting more stringent such are very low risk to the Europe. We’re not Asia. I protocols in their country United States and given our notice (the executive order) and we did the same thing tourism dependency on the talks about their brothtoo, but this is going to be United States – also under- ers in Mexico and Canada significantly impactful. A standing that we are in their but don’t forget your small traveller deciding they want sphere of influence – those brothers and sisters right to go on holiday, they are countries that are as tour- off your border. After all, to navigate our protocols ism-dependent as we are, Nassau is the closest capital. and once they get to their we’re asking that we be “I’m also not sure how destination, they are to nav- given special considerations this will impact the cruise igate protocols to go back given our low-risk status,” industry. I would presume TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar. home. For some, it’s going he said. this makes it even more difPhoto: Terrel W Carey/Tribune Staff to be too much. We already “This is a body blow. We ficult to start that industry The new quarantine occupancy levels. Baha have world travel down by need our good neighbour to up,” he said. requirement comes after Mar, meanwhile, reopened 70 percent, this is going to the north to seriously conLast year, The Bahamas local resorts and hotels, in December with 1,800 probably negatively impact sider the impact that this briefly required all travelbuoyed by the stable employees. that percentage even decision will have on coun- lers entering the country to COVID-19 situation in “This news is devastating greater. It’s quite depressing tries that singularly rely on quarantine for 14 days upon the country, began to because even though the really.” visitors from the United arrival. That policy was reopen.

Tourism officials have States for much of their later changed and travellers specifics of the quarantine Atlantis welcomed have not been articulated, sought a Bahamas exemp- economic existence.” now must have a negative 2,500 employees back last any prospective travel- tion from the impending Mr D’Aguilar said tour- PCR test to enter the counmonth, though the resort ler is going to be uncertain requirement that travellers ism operators around the try, a travel health visa and has since furloughed some and unsure of the proto- to the US produce a nega- country are likely in shock if staying more than five workers after experienc- cols that they will have to tive COVID-19 test result. following President Biden’s days, must take an antigen ing lower than expected undertake when they return Mr D’Aguilar suggested announcement. test on day five.

LLOYD STILL WAITING FOR APPROVAL ON IN-PERSON LEARNING

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

EDUCATION Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said his ministry is still awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Health as to when face-toface learning can resume on certain islands.

Asked why officials have not yet given the green light, Mr Lloyd said it was due to prevention of a third wave of COVID-19. However, he said he expects a decision to be made soon.

“They want to prevent what they call the third wave or an outbreak. They are now able to have some handle on this coronavirus,

as you would’ve recognised the prime minister, the competent authority, has just eased yet again some restrictions,” Mr Lloyd said.

“The next step now is to see how we may be able to return to in-person learning and I suspect based on my conversation with them is that decision is imminent.”

He added: “We want to begin as quickly as we can.

We have set a target date of February the 1, but we are still awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Health and the health officials as to when we can resume faceto-face learning.”

All government schools reopened after the holidays

for instruction on January 4, however students on the islands of New Providence, Abaco, Eleuthera and Exuma were told not to report to a school site, but to log in to their school via the Department of Education’s virtual learning platform.

Earlier in December, the minister indicated face-toface will be back by next month.

He said at the time: “Soon as the Ministry of Health gives us the okay and we’re ready to move and we’re more than likely gonna be starting in New Providence and Abaco with blended learning.”

PAGE 4, Friday, January 22, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Bahamas ‘has tamed COVID-19 pandemic’

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas is one of just 27 countries that have tamed the COVID-19 pandemic, according to over 4,000 scientists and community organisers worldwide.

The list of countries “beating” COVID-19 was put together by scientists from EndCoronavirus.org, a self-described international volunteer coalition made up of researchers and other community stakeholders.

A local infectious disease expert said although the country’s healthcare officials should be congratulated by the situation, citizens should not drop their guard.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/ AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, said: “The Bahamas is one of those 27 countries that has flattened the COVID-19 curve. That is good, but remember this can change in a relatively short period of time if we put down our guard. We see countries that had flattened the curve are having challenges with COVID outbreak now, so we know that things can change rapidly.

“So, yes, we should be congratulated. We have learned a lot about COVID19 and what we need to do to keep the curve flat. The lessons we learned over the last year were hard, learned lessons. They were painful.

We have to focus on what we still need to do.”

Other countries on the list which are “beating” the disease are: Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Holy See, Iceland, Laos, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Monaco, Mongolia, New Zealand, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu and Vietnam.

Explaining the road to flattening the curve, Dr Forbes said: “We know that we have flattened the curve of the first and second wave.

So, when we look at how the curve got flattened it’s a combination of things. We have a robust prevention strategy we have the public health recommendations and also you have to have a good control strategy.

“You have to be able to isolate, do contact tracing and quarantine. One of the most important things is how well we adhere to the public health recommendations. That is what is needed to stop the ongoing spread

of COVID-19 and keep the curve flat. We were able to flatten the COVID-19 curve twice, but there is something more important than that and that is keeping the curve flat.”

On Wednesday, America saw the swearing in of Joseph Biden Jr, its 46th president. Before the day ended, President Biden reversed the decision of his predecessor and returned America as a member country of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Tribune asked Dr Forbes what this means for The Bahamas in terms of assistance in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines.

She said: “The WHO has support for member countries. With the United States returning as a member country there should be additional contribution and support.

This may not necessarily mean direct assistance. The WHO has a platform called COVAX which essentially will be very helpful to vaccine accessibility and equability. So, if there is more member country support, there would be more help for developing countries.”

The Bahamas is a part of COVAX. Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control has updated its guidelines to say instead of six feet, airborne COVID-19 can infect a person from as far as seven feet.

Asked if this means The Bahamas has to amend its protocols which currently ask for social distancing at six feet, Dr Forbes said an amendment is not necessary.

She explained: “Not necessarily because scientists had an idea that there were certain scenarios where people can get infected outside of the usual six feet.

Example, if you are in a crowded closed room with a lot of people or if a person sneezes or coughs and a fan is blowing or if an air-condition vent is blowing in one direction, this is where the guidelines come in – wear a proper fitting mask and avoid closed rooms with a lot of people.

“So, there are examples where you can get COVID even if you are further than six feet away from someone, but there are only certain scenarios with that. Most infections of SARS CoV-2 are spread from close contact and not airborne transmissions.

Basically airborne transmissions only occur under special circumstances like enclosed spaces and prolonged exposure.”

Recently Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center reported that about

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

8,088 175 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES WEDNESDAY 13 CASES NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA

TOTAL TESTS

57,484

9 4

HOSPITALISED

13

CASES IN ICU

0

RECOVERED

6,720

SIX SANDILANDS PATIENTS TEST POSITIVE FOR VIRUS THE Public Hospitals Authority has confirmed that six female patients at Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre’s Geriatric Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.

“In keeping with COVID-19 protocols and out of an abundance of caution, the clients who tested positive have been placed in quarantine,” the PHA said.

“Additionally, SRC Employee Health Department has commenced the relevant protocols with regards to the assessment of staff and 17 percent of COVID-19 survivors retested positive in a follow up study in Italy.

These people were said to have recovered from

follow-through based on the results.

“All SRC staff continue to adhere to the infection control precautions and the institution continues to restrict visits at this time.”

Last August, there was a coronavirus outbreak at SRC where 23 people tested positive there.

According to the PHA at the time, the patients at SRC’s male ward caught the disease after a staff member, who worked across three wards at the institution, tested positive for the virus.

COVID and then upon retesting two weeks later they were found to be positive and displaying symptoms of sore throats and rhinitis. Asked about

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reported 13 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday bringing the nation’s total to 8,088. Nine of those cases are in New Providence and four are in Grand Bahama.

Thirteen cases are currently in hospital. In addition to the six at SRC, there are five COVID-19 patients at the Princess Margaret Hospital, one at the South Beach Clinic and one at Doctors Hospital.

One hundred and seventy-five people have died from the disease.

this, Dr Forbes said scientists have also learned that if they test people weeks and even months after they have recovered from COVID-19 they can still

detect the virus.

The good news, she said, is that even though the virus can still be detected, it is no longer infectious in most cases.

DONATIONS TO HELP ONLINE LEARNING THE Ministry of Education in conjunction with Leno Trust received more assistance in reaching the goal of "placing a tablet in each child's hands" yesterday with donations of 106 tablets and $10,000 to children with special needs from ALIV and the Bahamas Delta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Nicole Pratt, president of the chapter, and Damian Blackburn, chief officer of ALIV, both expressed their organisations' interest in assisting children with special needs.

Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd (pictured fourth from left, standing) said education is everyone's business, and you only get out of it what you put into it.

Photos: Patrick Hanna/BIS

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 5

THE STENA IceMAX drillship.

‘Publish documents on oil drilling project’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net A COALITION of environmental groups is urging the government to make public all documentation relating to Bahamas Petroleum Company’s exploratory oil drilling amid renewed calls to halt what they deem an “ill-conceived project” that threatens disaster.

Chief among Insure Our Future’s concerns is an issue over BPC’s insurance coverage.

Insure Our Future is a campaign that brings together a global network of NGOs and social movements calling for insurance companies to divest from and cease insuring coal, tar sands, oil and gas and support the transition to clean energy.

According to Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation

(BREEF), which is a part of the coalition, there is a conflict between Lloyd’s of London and BPC because the former has said it has no record that the oil firm’s activity in The Bahamas is being underwritten by the Lloyd’s market.

However, BPC’s environmental scientist Roberta Quant, as previously reported by Tribune Business, said that all necessary insurance cover had been secured through Aon UK, with insurers from Lloyd’s of London and other international markets underwriting it.

Simon Potter, BPC’s chief executive, in a statement to Tribune Business also previously accused environmental activists of making “baseless” allegations that expose “a near complete lack of understanding and continued naivety” over how business in The Bahamas and internationally is conducted.

In a statement yesterday the group said: “Regardless of insurance provision, this new offshore exploratory oil drilling project in The Bahamas is ill-conceived and should not go ahead due to the multiple serious climate, environmental and governance issues it presents.

“In the meantime, whether or not Lloyd’s insures the oil drilling that has already commenced must be clarified. Lloyd’s head of responsible business, acting on behalf of Lloyd’s CEO John Neal, responded to clear enquiries about insurance cover for BPC by stating that ‘At present we don’t have any record that this risk is being underwritten in the Lloyd’s market.’ Lloyd’s was given notice of the intention to publicise its statement and to highlight the apparent contradiction with BPC statements, and also was given the

opportunity to comment further prior to publication, but chose not to do so.

“In response to Our Island Our Future publishing Lloyd’s statement and noting the contradiction with what BPC has previously said, BPC’s CEO Simon Potter responded with the heavy-handed accusation of ‘gross misrepresentation of basic facts’ by the campaign group, and re-asserted that ‘All necessary insurance cover had been secured through Aon UK, with insurers from Lloyd’s of London and other international markets underwriting it.’ He also stated that no one individual can attest to speak on behalf of Lloyd’s as a whole.”

The group said Lloyd’s representatives “have a clear moral responsibility to clarify whether or not any aspect of this exploratory oil drilling in The Bahamas

is being insured in the Lloyd’s market.”

“If Lloyd’s is insuring BPC, it needs to explain its previous statements and how insuring this project fits with the vision of responsible underwriting and investment to help accelerate society’s transition from fossil fuel dependency, towards renewable energy sources,’ which it stated in its new ESG policy,” the group said.

“Meanwhile, BPC openly contradicts Lloyd’s statement, yet refuses to publish the evidence that it actually has insurance coverage with one or more Lloyd’s syndicates.” the statement continued.

“Citizens, other affected companies, and representative organisations surely have a right to know and a right to expect to be provided with evidence that insurance is in place. The bluster and insults traded

by BPC are no substitute for evidence. BPC should simply produce the certificate of insurance, now.

“Overall, this ill-conceived project threatens environmental destruction and climate disaster. We call on the government of The Bahamas to transparently provide all documentation relating to this project and take urgent action to halt the drilling.”

BPC commenced drilling its exploratory well Perseverance One on December 20, 2020 and has said Bahamians could learn in a matter of weeks if The Bahamas is an oil rich nation.

A Supreme Court judge has given environmentalists leave to seek judicial review of the government’s approvals for BPC to drill its exploration well in Bahamian waters, ruling that Save The Bays and Waterkeeper Bahamas Limited have “an arguable case”.

ABACONIANS ‘FED UP’ WITH DISASTER AUTHORITY

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE promises from the Disaster Reconstruction Authority that all commitments will be honoured, Abaco residents say they are fed up.

They just want to hear back from the agency about when its Small Home Repair Programme will resume because its suspension is only further delaying the rebuilding efforts there.

The programme, which was launched last February, was suspended after concerns were raised by suppliers in September about not receiving payments from the agency.

Since the initiative was placed on hold, many locals have expressed frustration with the DRA, questioning when the programme will continue, allowing them to receive much needed home supplies.

Rochelle Albury, of Marsh Harbour, is one of them. Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Ms Albury said that after her 70-yearold father lost his home to Hurricane Dorian they applied to the DRA in the hope of securing help in rebuilding.

However, despite being approved by the agency, the resident said her father has yet to receive the promised assistance.

“My father is a senior,” she said. “He got approved for the (voucher) which was ten grand after his home was destroyed and he hasn’t gotten the first piece of lumber. I have cleaned up my dad’s yard twice. He has no income and you still have tons of people still living with other people, some living in tents. My dad was also approved for a

dome and he never even got it because that’s on hold.”

The situation, Ms Albury said, has left residents frustrated and uncertain. “(The DRA) called me this week and was like ‘how’s it’ going’ and I was like ‘what do you mean, how’s it’s going?’ I said ‘y’all have the (programme) on lock’ because y’all didn’t pay your bills and the lady said ‘that’s going to be corrected shortly, probably within the next week’ and I’m still waiting.”

She added: “This government has just been so hopeless for Abaco. I think they should do something more for the elderly like my daddy and single mothers because you could pick through the town and you have your few that need extra help.”

Junior Menard, of Hope Town, also does not feel optimistic that the agency will be able fulfil all of its promises to the Abaco people, pointing to the DRA’s failure to finish its repair programme among other things.

“The DRA has failed us and the government, in that regard,” he said. “It’s actually appalling what they did.

They came around. These people had this big press conference, community meeting for Abaco from months ago and a lot of people got 50 percent of the money that was promised to them and they’re still living in other people’s homes and the DRA has not honoured that.

“Then the government keeps coming forth saying they’re going to make the difference, but I don’t think that that’s going to happen.

This is definitely slowing down the rebuilding process in mainland Abaco and now mind you, Hope Town

is a little different because we have a lot of second homeowners here and so they had a lot of insurance money that poured into the community and that helped us come along really well.

But on the mainland, it has come to a screeching stop.”

Last month, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness Iram Lewis told reporters that officials needed to acquire more than $13m to fulfil its current obligations to those who were approved for repair help.

At the time, he said officials were actively working towards the goal and were seeking to get the approval it needed from the Cabinet.

When contacted by The Tribune on the matter earlier this month, DRA Chairman John-Michael Clarke said DRA officials were still working to secure the finances needed to complete the programme and planned to give an update on when the payouts will be made near the end of this month.

He told The Tribune: “We’re working towards getting the necessary financial resources to continue the small home repair programme and we understand the delay and we want the people to know that as soon as we’re able to address the delay with resources in hand, we have every intention of making sure that every vendor is paid and every appeal issued is honoured and we will give an update on the status of that before the end of the month.

“So, we will let people know exactly where we are and we’re not still making promises that by the end of the month, you’ll be able to do something. We’re only saying we will be able

to tell you definitively by the end of the month what the situation is realistically, but in the interim, we are, as we stated in December, we are trying to secure the necessary resources for the completion of that programme and the temporary shelter programme.

Those two programmes are going.”

There are some residents who are calling for more transparency from the DRA, questioning how the

funds are being spent.

“I’ve been asking for a breakdown of the funds,” said Roscoe Thompson, chairman of the Marsh Harbour/Spring City Town Council. “You got domes sitting out there that haven’t been given out. There’s millions of debris out in the Spring City site (that needs to be managed) and we’re still moving debris from people’s yards.

“I mean why did they even form a ministry and

waste that five to seven million dollars in salaries that could’ve been used via NEMA? Why didn’t they just revamp NEMA and use local government.

You have hotel licensing, you have port, you have town planning, all of these are under local government.”

According to the DRA chairman, the agency plans to publish a comprehensive report detailing its expenditure by next month.

PAGE 6, Friday, January 22, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

The Tribune Limited NULLIUS ADDICTUS JURARE IN VERBA MAGISTRI “Being Bound to Swear to The Dogmas of No Master”

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Quarantine rule is a disaster for The Bahamas DEVASTATING. That’s the word Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar uses to describe the introduction of a quarantine requirement for people arriving in the United States.

“In light of the new COVID variants that you’re learning about, we’re instituting now a new measure for individuals flying into the United States from other countries,” said President Biden yesterday. “In addition to wearing masks, everyone flying to the United States from another country will need to test before they get on that plane, before they depart, and quarantine when they arrive in America.”

The details of the policy and when it will be introduced have yet to be clarified, but it’s a hammer blow to hopes of restarting tourism. How many people are going to come to The Bahamas if they face a compulsory quarantine when they fly back to the United States?

It’s the worst possible news for tourism in our country.

There are reasons for the US clampdown, of course. It’s the sign of a new administration looking to turn things around after a previous administration that let things slide and presided over more than 400,000 deaths.

It is the internal spread of the virus that the US is currently wrestling with.

In Los Angeles, things were so bad that air quality limits had to be lifted because of the number of cremations for COVID-19 victims.

There may be reasons, but that doesn’t help us as we look to rebuild after living up to our end of the effort to curtail COVID. Despite our efforts, the US lists us with a Level 4 CDC Travel Notice, putting us in the higher risk categories for travelling from.

Mr D’Aguilar wants the US to give the English-speaking Caribbean countries a pass when it comes to the new rules – but there’s far from any guarantee that

will happen.

Instead, we face the prospect of hotels reassessing whether they should keep their doors open if tourism is about to fall off a cliff again, and the possibility of more staff on furlough as we wait for the US to deal with its own COVID downfalls.

The damage to our economy, already seemingly incalculable, is going to keep going on, a price paid in jobs and livelihoods and businesses closing their doors for good.

Amid it all is a glimmer of a solution – and it’s those PCR tests and the next evolution of testing for COVID being tested around the world by Prenetics something our own government seems stubbornly reluctant to embrace.

With a strong testing regime in place, there is far less likelihood of a traveller moving with the virus than people catching it within their communities. These US rules are as much about stopping variants of the virus, such as the one ravaging the UK right now, as the original virus itself. We, thankfully, have not seen any sign of that new virus yet as far as we can tell. Why? Well, that testing requirement might be part of it.

If the testing is enough to do the job, then the quarantine might be unneeded.

That’s what we need to drive home to the US, then live up to our end of the deal here.

To do that, we have some distance to go. The failure to test around half of visitors with the five-day test does nothing to show our discipline, and we need to fix that, not shrug it off as Health Minister Renward Wells has so far.

Make no mistake, this is a huge blow for our tourism industry. The US has a long way to go to fight back against COVID. We have to show to the best of our ability that we are not part of the problem, but that our experience can be part of the solution.

Challenge to the two-party system EDITOR, The Tribune.

LAST week we celebrated the 54th anniversary of Majority Rule – the day we pay homage to the pioneers of our modern democracy. Whether you stayed safe at home, took a day in at the beach or exercised your constitutional right to protest, we must never forget the day’s importance. I would like us to reflect on three significant submissions contrary to the notion that The Bahamas is a two-party political nation.

1. There was no “TwoParty” system in the transition to A New Bahamas.

Since its formation, the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) has been pressed against the narrative that we exist in a “two-party system”, but as Winston Churchill once said, “the farther backward a man can look is the farther forward he is likely to see.” On the 10th January 1967, Sir Randol Fawkes led the Labour Party (ie, a third party) to a seat at the table, which led to a short-lived coalition government.

Despite many Bahamians attributing this past event as a victory for the PLP, the truth is, that moment was beyond the UBP, PLP or any other political party to emerge thereafter. A closer look

will reveal how we, the average voters, possess the same power to redefine our future for “A New and Better Bahamas”. A New Bahamas that will be pushed to compromise until we get it right for the masses – ultimately advocating for and listening to the unheard cries over many decades. The Bahamian people have a real opportunity or beacon of hope to achieve this, with trust, in a revamped DNA party. A party with visionary leaders that will not fold if elected, and instead deliver and uphold good governance.

2. History often repeats itself, so let’s make history for the Better.

If we do not learn from our past, then we will continue to perpetuate the same internal struggles.

Indeed, the struggle for economic empowerment, equality of opportunity, and social justice still remain the unheard cries of the Bahamian people.

Since 2017, the DNA has championed issues and supported movements that address good governance, crime, education, environment, energy, food security, health and even our natural resources. We have been the only party to be present and accounted for - advocating for the best policies for a Better Bahamas. For more information visit: https://www.mydnaparty.

org/issues The question is, will the average Bahamian register, participate and most importantly vote to ensure an historic change for our policies to be effectively implemented within The Bahamas.

3. Your vote matters!

My fellow Bahamians, I understand that many of us are extremely wary about voting in this upcoming general election. However, the next general election will undoubtedly be one of the most important elections of our lifetime. There is no need for apathy at the final hour; despite our challenges and disappointments with the status quo, we must always exercise our franchise and not forfeit our right to determine who leads our nation. Millennials, Generation Z, and women voters will play pivotal roles in the outcome of the election. I implore you to continue practising discernment towards the status quo and demanding more from those in power.

The power to challenge the so-called two-party system is in your hands. I pray that we remember that our right to assemble, to participate, and to vote in our democracy is ours and ours alone.

Be kind to each other and mobilise safely and wisely in 2021.

BOYKIN G SMITH Nassau, January 20, 2021.

COVID test to enter US a good step EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE latest fit of hypocrisy to take hold here is the protestations from some Bahamians at the fact that the US is finally taking steps to bring its intractable Covid crisis to heel.

There is no uniform mask mandate and lockdown measures were few, limited and ineffective giving the US a global failing grade on pandemic management.

Starting this month, the US is finally implementing the same policy we put in place seven months ago.

Anyone wishing to enter the US must present a negative result from a recent Covid test.

The howls and cries were quick. The same Bahamians who wouldn’t set foot in any of the 50 states tomorrow, somehow think it is brutish for the US not to realize the harm this public health policy will do to our tourism industry.

The sooner the US gets its own house in order, the faster we will recover here.

It doesn’t help to see self-righteous US-based travel agents writing to the press here to say our public health policies are forcing them to send their tourist customers elsewhere in the region with less stringent border formalities. Places like Cancun in Mexico where Covid cases are raging. Or the Dominican Republic which likewise is taking it on the chin because of rising Covid cases.

How quickly some forgot that we managed to keep Covid at bay until July when we flung our borders open allowing Bahamians to go to Florida and come right back without testing.

The virus hitched a ride with many of them and our cases mounted.

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net Things are tough financially for many Bahamians, but it will get better. We need to applaud and thank the churches, charitable organisations, the public, social service safety net and even gambling houses for stepping up to feed thousands while we wait for the vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the American voice of science and sense put it best when he compared the vaccine to the cavalry riding in to rescue fighting troops.

You don’t stop fighting just because they are on the way.

Covid is getting worse, not better, yet still we act with shock that some tourists seemingly don’t want to risk their lives at this time just to soak up the sun on our beaches.

For us, Covid has miraculously done what hurricanes and crime sprees in Florida haven’t been able to do. It has placed a pause on Bahamians flocking to Walmart, the Flea Market and the Sawgrass Mall in South Florida.

These often-frivolous shopping trips surely would have put added pressure on our health care system while completely wiping out our dwindling cushion of foreign exchange.

It was not encouraging to see tourism officials practically begging for an exemption from the new US testing protocols for those brave (or impetuous) Americans who still want to travel in Covid times.

Those officials should refer to the actual order

from the Centers for Disease Control in the US. It was issued pursuant to their Public Health Service Act. The intent is to preserve human life.

It does allow for some exemptions but not based on economic pleas from foreign governments. It allows for airlines to ask for and get waivers from the policy if it can be demonstrated that a foreign country lacks available Covid testing capacity.

Such waivers will be good for 14 days and can be renewed by the CDC. So instead of whining about the US regulation designed to protect its citizens, we ought to boost our own testing capacity throughout the country, making Covid testing readily available and cheap, if not free.

Tourists will only trickle in when the US gets a grip on the pandemic. With a new administration there, hopes are high for more civic and scientific engagement to vanquish Covid.

Until then we will have to draw our belts in yet another notch and plan for a robust tourist season starting this fall.

In the meantime, we could join the growing international consensus for a digital vaccination certificate to enable freedom of movement beginning with those who are vaccinated.

Vaccination is a key to safely reopening borders and stimulating tourism and economic recovery.

Caricom should consider this initiative which will give everyone the confidence to fly into our region without the barrier of quarantine.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, January 20, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 7

ALEXANDER Butler pictured outside court yesterday.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

Man accused of killing two while driving dangerously

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 33-YEAR-OLD man was yesterday charged with two counts of killing in the course of dangerous driving in connection with a horrific three-car collision that claimed the lives of a married couple on Christmas night.

Alexander Butler appeared before Chief

Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt after he was accused of driving his vehicle on West Bay Street in a manner dangerous to the public which ultimately led to the deaths of Brent and Eulona Johnson.

The prosecution also alleged that Butler drove his car while he was not covered against third party risk insurance.

According to initial

police reports, shortly after 6pm police received reports of a traffic accident that occurred on West Bay Street and Blake Road.

When they arrived at the scene, they found a threecar collision involving a black Honda Accord, a burgundy coloured Nissan March and a black Chevy Malibu.

“An inspection of the vehicles revealed that six occupants sustained injuries

as a result of the accident,” police reported.

“Emergency Medical Services were summoned and following their examination of the victims, an adult male and female were pronounced lifeless on the scene and four persons were transported to the hospital to receive medical attention.”

Police said the driver of the Nissan March was travelling east along West Bay

Street when the driver of the Honda Accord, which was travelling west, overtook a vehicle and collided into the Nissan March. The driver of the Chevy Malibu, which was also travelling west on Bay Street, also ran into the Nissan March.

During the arraignment, Butler denied causing the couple’s death through reckless driving, but admitted to driving without third party risk insurance.

After the charges were read, his attorney asked the magistrate to consider granting his client bail; however, the prosecution requested more time to assess their position on the matter.

As a result, the case was adjourned to January 28 for a bail hearing.

Butler was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services in the interim.

MAN CLAIMED HE WAS KEEPING MARIJUANA FOR FRIEND

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 46-YEAR-OLD man who was found with more than $5,000 worth of marijuana, which he claimed he was keeping for a friend, was yesterday fined $7,800.

Police arrested Craig Smith after they seized five pounds and seven ounces of Indian hemp from him on January 19.

He pleaded guilty to one count each of possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to supply and simple possession during his hearing before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

The court was told that officers, acting on information around 1pm on the day in question, went to Smith’s residence and informed him that he and his home would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms.

During their investigation, officers found one plastic wrap with marijuana in one of the accused’s jacket pockets. They also discovered a brown box filled with marijuana lying

in a shed in the back of Smith’s yard. He and the drugs were then taken to the Drug Enforcement Unit. When he was questioned Smith took ownership of the marijuana found in his pocket, but claimed another person gave him the box that was found in his shed “to keep”. According to the prosecution, the drugs had a combined street value of $5,700.

After pleading guilty, the construction worker was fined $7,500 or one year in prison for the marijuana found in his shed and another $300 or one month behind bars for the plastic wrap found in his pocket.

Yesterday, another man who was found with an assortment of drugs, was fined $1,100.

Samy Paskel, 46, was arrested after officers found eight ounces of marijuana, two amphetamine pills and one gram of cocaine in his home on January 19.

The court was told that that day officers went to Paskel’s residence to conduct a search. However,

MAN MUST PAY COMPENSATION FOR HITTING BROTHER WITH FAN

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who hit his brother with an iron fan during an argument was ordered to compensate his sibling for the injuries he caused.

Police said Gary Smith threatened to kill his brother before striking him on the right side of his face with the household appliance on January 18.

He pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly instrument and threats of death when he appeared before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

The prosecution said when Smith and his brother

got into a disagreement that morning, Smith punched him, threatened to kill him and his children and struck him in the face with an iron fan. After the complainant reported the matter, Smith was arrested. In an interview with police at the Grove Police Station, he admitted hitting and threatening his brother on the day in question, but denied using an object to do so.

Yesterday, Smith, who works at a car wash, was ordered to compensate his brother $250 for his injuries. He was also bound over to keep the peace for one year. If he fails to do so, he could risk spending nine months in prison.

when they knocked on the door, no one answered.

Minutes later, they saw a light turn on in one of the rooms and saw the accused trying to run away. Officers

then breached the door and stopped Paskel as he was trying to flee. When they searched him, they found all of the drugs on him. He was subsequently arrested.

When he was questioned in custody, he told officers he only sold marijuana.

During his hearing, he was fined $800 or nine months for the marijuana,

$200 or three months for the gram of cocaine and another $100 or one month for the two tablets. All of the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

PAGE 8, Friday, January 22, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

From pandemic to a political soap opera ONE thing I’ve kept a keen eye on from the sidelines (thanks to the COViD-19 global pandemic) is the soap opera playing out between the current FNM administration and the opposition PLP in regards to the handling of the entire pandemic and the subsequent results.

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY A global pandemic of this magnitude is uncharted territory that comes without a map.

A major problem for any administration FNM or PLP. Just have a glance at the rest of the world!

Despite the naysayers, in my opinion the Minnis Administration has worked to unite the country as best

A Comic’s View

By INIGO ‘NAUGHTY’ ZENICAZELAYA

it can in an attempt to bring people together from all divides to find life saving solutions.

Yet, despite constant offers and opportunities extended by the FNM (genuine or not) to come to the table and be a part of the process and part of the solutions, the PLP has remained entrenched in politicising any and everything, having chosen to use the pandemic to score cheap political points.

TEAM WORK The FNM’s COVID-19 committee is comprised of accomplished health professionals, that have worked tirelessly with a wide range of community leaders to address the challenges brought on by this virus.

Despite the political mud slinging by the PLP, it is clear that the emergency measures implemented by Dr Minnis and his administration have saved Bahamian lives in the long run.

There were many critics, myself included, that took the Competent Authority to task over some of his decisions in relation to the global pandemic.

While third waves of COVID-19 are ravaging the rest of the world, the Tahamas currently has only eight percent of its peak cases thanks to the measures implemented by Prime Minister Minnis and his administration.

What still baffles me is that instead of accepting the offers of this government to work across the aisle on behalf of the Bahamian people, the PLP has chosen to play politics with the pandemic by refusing invitations to join briefings and sessions on the pandemic response and the way forward.

Nonetheless, the FNM has stayed the course in the fight against COVID19, whether proactively or reactively, with a team of expert medical professionals and real doctors, including the award-winning Dr Dahl-Regis.

Meanwhile, the PLP COVID-19 Task Force is an ill-conceived, politically motivated sideshow that demonstrates the PLP’s desire to foolishly play politics during a deadly pandemic.

Sadly, it’s now getting monotonous to hear the PLP regurgitate their same old tired attacks on the government amidst the COVID-19 response, as if a career politician like PLP Chairman Mr. Fred Mitchell (that’s who’s pulling the strings in the PLP in my opinion) is more qualified and knowledgeable in this regard than the award-winning Dr Dahl-Regis?

Not! GLOBAL RECOGNITION In addition, The Bahamas was recently named among 27 countries that have tamed the Coronavirus.

According to www.endcoronavirus.org a coalition of over 4,000 doctors and scientists.

The Bahamas is one of the nations that enacted the right protocol and policies to mitigate against the spread of COViD - 19 in the country.

Here’s who else made the list : Australia Total Cases: 22,258 Recent New/Day: 1 Bahamas Total Cases: 8,075 Recent New/Day: 9 Bhutan Total Cases: 850 Recent New/Day: 2 Brunei Total Cases: 174 Recent New/Day: 0 Cambodia Total Cases: 453 Recent New/Day: 6 Djibouti Total Cases: 5,913 Recent New/Day: 3 Dominica Total Cases: 113 Recent New/Day: 0 Fiji Total Cases: 55 Recent New/Day: 0 Holy Sea Total Cases: 27 Recent New/Day: 0 Iceland Total Cases: 5,975 Recent New/Day: 5 Laos Total Cases: 41 Recent New/Day: 0 Liechtenstein Total Cases: 2,405 Recent New/Day: 5

Marshall Islands Total Cases: 4 Recent New/Day: 0 Mauritius Total Cases: 556 Recent New/Day: 1 Monaco Total Cases: 1,262 Recent New/Day: 19 Mongolia Total Cases: 1,584 Recent New/ Day 15 New Zealand Total Cases: 1,144 Recent New/Day: 0 Saint Kitts and Nevis Total Cases: 35 Recent New/Day: 0 Samoa Total Cases: 2 Recent New/Day: 0 San Marino Total Cases: 2,815 Recent New/Day: 13 Solomon Islands Total Cases: 17 Recent New/Day: 0 Somalia Total Cases: 4,744 Recent New/Day: 2 Taiwan Total Cases: 870 Recent New/Day: 4 Timor-Leste Total Cases: 53 Recent New/Day: 0 Trinidad and Tobago Total Cases: 7,430 Recent New/Day: 17 Vanuatu Total Cases: 1 Recent New/Day: 0 Vietnam Total Cases: 1,544 Recent New/Day: 3 THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE In all of this the numbers don’t lie, and presently actions are speaking much louder than words.

It really doesn’t matter if you like the PM or not, he’s getting results where it counts and that’s the bottom line.

Let me break it down like this for some of you to better grasp it.

I’m no fan of LeBron James, despite him playing for my Lakers I still root against him.

In all of this, the numbers can’t be denied.

James’ career statistics are flat out phenomenal and despite his losing record (4-6 ) in the NBA Finals he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer, why because the numbers don’t lie.

Politicians may lie, but the numbers don’t.

You may not be a fan of ‘Doc’ and that’s fine, hell if he drops the ball tomorrow I will be all over it holding him accountable.

But until that happens I can only tip my hat to the PM for handling this situation impeccably.

Look and see for yourself, the numbers don’t lie.

THE TRIBUNE

Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 9

JOE Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Jill Biden holds the Bible during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

KAMALA Harris is sworn in as vice president by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as her husband Doug Emhoff holds the Bible. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The light of hope shines again as shameful Trump leaves the stage O N Wednesday, a huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of the world. Donald Trump left Washington.

As the chopper carrying the most divisive president in US history lifted off the ground, it was almost as though we were free to breathe again.

I never expected the sensation to be so physical nor the sense of freedom so palpable.

It was one of many surprises of Inauguration Day 2021 that will be etched in memory. The sense of renewal, of hope, of promised unity was restored, not just in America or for

DONALD Trump speaks on his last day as president. (AP) Americans, but for people around the world who felt like, finally, America could get back to being America again.

Gone was the man who, despite some successes, including standing up to China, spread lies daily on a foghorn called Twitter.

Gone was the commander-in-hate who incited a riot on January 6, urging followers to believe his most recent lie that the election was stolen from him and he was counting on their action to take it back.

Gone was the man who endorsed white supremacy by his silence when it reared its ugly head in churches and at ceremonies. Gone was the man with blood on his hands who scoffed at maskwearing, social distancing and other warnings by experts and lied to his fellow Americans, promising them they were winning the war against COVID even as the 400,000th victim lost his life.

That sense of relief at the departure of the man who will probably go down as the worst president in US history was complemented by a feeling as close to jubilation as you can get when talking about politics.

Watching the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, renewed and restored faith in the democratic process, in what Ronald Reagan said in 1981 was the “miracle” that has occurred every four years

without fail since George Washington was President. It was not just black America that proved Martin Luther King right about the ability to overcome.

America itself said we shall overcome and they did and the world watched and applauded with lifted hearts and buoyed spirits.

In my small office, we watched the entire procedure, the arrival of former Presidents and spouses, the music, the good humour of mistress of ceremonies Amy Klobuchar, the reprieving of a shred of legacy

by Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell, the swearing-in ceremony, the many tender moments.

In our office with four women and one young man, all the women wore pearls in honour of Sen. Kamala Harris, now Vice President Harris. With CNN and NBC on our monitors, we tried to work or fit work in between a valiant speech or a dramatic performance but every time there was another reason to celebrate, we all gathered around one screen or another, masks still on, reminding ourselves to distance when we all wanted to jump and hug and laugh and cry.

We clapped so loud when Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks performed we thought our hands would hurt. Then we clapped even louder when national youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman urged us to “be the light” and we were spellbound when the new President delivered what is perhaps the best and the most badly needed positive inauguration speech in the annals of American politics.

There was one detail we did not focus on until later when we looked back at the images and realized that the new President wore a purple tie and the Vice President wore a shade of purple. The Colour Purple, the name of a book by Alice Walker about a nearly-broken girl who is the victim of incest and all the bad that life can dish out to a poor black child in the Deep South, took on new meaning. The colour purple on this inauguration day ushering in a new and welcomed era in American history symbolized the blending of Republican red and Democratic blue.

On this day, January 20, 2021, the colour purple took

It’s still not time to celebrate

T

HE Bahamas was included in a list published this week of countries winning the battle against COVID. The website endcoronavirus.org divided countries into three categories, those winning the battle, those nearly there and those that need to take action.

The Bahamas with 8075 cases since the start and nine new cases on January 20 was one of only 27 countries in the world to make the winning list. Most countries, including the US, fell into the need to take action category. The US has suffered 24,434,283 cases since the start with 193,617 new cases on the same day that The Bahamas was repeating its single digit performance.

There was one day in the past week when The Bahamas totalled minus 1, a case that was reclassified from the previous day and no new cases at all.

on new meaning, unity. It was the first promise Mr. Biden kept, even before he was sworn in as President.

That was a good signal, Mr. President.

No, a great signal. We in The Bahamas are rooting for you, just like former President Barack Obama said. Keep the purple flowing.

NATIONAL youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)

Winning one battle, but are we losing another? How long can we hold on?

C

ongratulations to the health and medical experts and to a government that heeded their advice to control the spread of COVID-19 in a country whose population is plagued by co-moborbidities and whose health care system could have been easily overwhelmed.

But the cost to economic well-being is evident in the photos of downtown Nassau and in Grand Bahama.

Boarded up doors, shuttered shops and papered-over windows, locked arcades and empty storefronts, For Rent signs and roll-downs that don’t open at what should be the start of another business day are outnumbering the retail stores still open for a business on a daily basis.

EMPTY stores on Bay Street.

Thank you, once again, to John Bull for your presence and your perseverance and to fine stores like Coin of the Realm. Downtown Nassau will rebound.

Sometimes, it’s just hard to hold your breath for as long as it takes to stay alive.

PAGE 10, Friday, January 22, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

A MAN looks through the first wall at Friendship Park, near where the border separating Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego meets the Pacific Ocean.

Photo: Gregory Bull/AP

Biden halts border wall after Trump’s final surge SAN DIEGO Associated Press IN THE days before Joe Biden became president, construction crews worked quickly to finish Donald Trump’s wall at an iconic cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean, which then-first lady Pat Nixon inaugurated in 1971 as a symbol of international friendship.

Biden on Wednesday ordered a “pause” on all wall construction within a week, one of 17 executive orders issued on his first day in office, including six dealing with immigration.

The order leaves billions of dollars of work unfinished — but still under contract — after Trump worked feverishly last year to build more than 450 miles (720 kilometers), a goal he said he achieved eight days before leaving office.

As of January 15, the government spent $6.1 billion of the $10.8 billion in work it signed contracts to have done, according to a Senate Democratic aide with knowledge of the contracts who spoke on condition of

anonymity because details have not been made public.

The full amount under contract would have extended Trump’s wall to 664 miles (1,069 kilometers).

Biden, seeking to fulfill a pledge not to build “another foot”, gave his administration two months to determine how much it would cost to cancel contracts and whether money could be spent elsewhere.

The Senate aide said fees would be negotiated with contractors and the administration would seek to spend whatever’s left on related uses on the border, such as roads, lights, sensors and other technology.

Publicly, the Trump administration said it secured $15 billion for the wall. The Senate aide said it was actually $16.45 billion as of Wednesday, $5.8 billion of which was appropriated by Congress and the rest diverted from the Defense and Treasury departments.

The Trump administration notified the Senate aide on Jan. 14 that it was moving ahead with a contract for $863m, but it was not awarded.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which has awarded wall contracts with Defense Department money, said Thursday that it told crews not to install any additional barriers and to limit activity over the next few days to what is “necessary to safely prepare each site for a suspension of work.”

John Kurc, an activist who posts videos of dynamite blasts by wall construction crews, said he saw one dynamite charge being set Wednesday afternoon in Guadalupe Canyon in easternmost Arizona, even as the inauguration was playing out in Washington.

Heavy machines have been crawling over roadways gouged into rocky mountainsides, tapping open holes for posts on US Bureau of Land Management property.

Advocates in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, the busiest area for illegal crossings, and near Nogales, Arizona, saw idle construction equipment Thursday.

But in San Diego, crews were out replacing a steel fence with imposing, tightly spaced poles topped with flat steel plates rising 30

feet (9 meters), said Dan Watman of Friends of Friendship Park, a group that promotes public access to the cross-border park overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Contractors began last week, said Watman, who was informed of the project in a December conference call with Border Patrol agents but got no explanation for it. The agency referred questions to the White House, which had no immediate comment.

Trump said the border wall would be “virtually impenetrable” and paid for

by Mexico, which never happened. While the wall is much more formidable than the barriers it replaced, it isn’t uncommon for smugglers to guide people over or through it. Portions can be sawed with power tools sold at home improvement stores.

Despite Trump’s bravado, Border Patrol officials have said the wall was never meant to stop everyone but rather to slow their advance.

Jose Edgar Zuleta, whose business selling religious jewelry in the Mexican city

of Puebla dried up during the coronavirus pandemic, cleared two walls in Friendship Park in October with a special ladder. He moved through brush in a heavily patrolled area for about half an hour before getting caught. His 21-year-old son, who went ahead of him, got picked up hours later.

The cross-border park has hosted yoga classes, concerts and countless news conferences, including one in 2018 with then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to announce a “zero tolerance” policy that caused thousands of children to be separated from their parents at the border.

An old bullfighting ring and ocean-view restaurants surround the Mexican side; wetland scrub stretches into the United States.

Years ago, people passed baked goods, kissed and shook hands through a chain-link fence. Watman remembers passing tools back and forth in 2007 to plant a cross-border garden that still stands.

Since 2012, after construction of a double wall at the park, the Border Patrol has opened a gate

many weekends for up to 10 people at a time to exchange words with those in Mexico.

SLSCO Ltd. of Galveston, Texas, won contracts to build double walls blanketing 14 miles (22 kilometers) in San Diego. Company spokeswoman Liz Rogers said work at Friendship Park is separate and done by another company.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next month on whether the government’ illegally diverted billions of dollars from the Defense Department to build the wall after Congress denied money that Trump sought, triggering a 35-day government shutdown in 2017.

It is unclear if Biden will adopt Trump’s position before the Supreme Court.

The government’s brief is due Feb. 11.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador welcomed Biden’s decision to stop wall construction but, in defence of Trump, noted that US presidents going back to 1990s built border barriers. He displayed a chart to prove his point.

BIDEN VOWS ‘HELP IS ON THE WAY’ WASHINGTON Associated Press

WITH a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that America’s war on COVID-19 is under new command, promising an anxious nation progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly a year.

At the same time, he tried to manage expectations in his second day in office, saying despite the best intentions “we’re going to face setbacks.” He brushed off a reporter’s question on whether his goal of 100 million coronavirus shots in 100 days should be more ambitious, a point pressed by some public health experts.

The 10 orders signed

by Biden are aimed at jump starting his national COVID-19 strategy to increase vaccinations and testing, lay the groundwork for reopening schools and businesses, and immediately increase the use of masks — including a requirement that Americans mask up for travel.

One directive calls for addressing health care inequities in minority communities hard hit by the virus.

“We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it will take months to turn this around,” Biden said at the White House. US

deaths have have surged past 400,000, and he noted projections that they could reach 500,000 in a month.

But then, looking directly into the TV camera, Biden declared: “To a nation waiting for action, let me be clear on this point: Help is on the way.”

The new president has vowed to take far more aggressive measures to contain the virus than his predecessor, starting with stringent adherence to public health guidance.

A key difference is that under Biden, the federal government is assuming full responsibility for the COVID response. And instead of delegating major tasks to states, he is offering to help them with technical backup and federal money.

He faces steep obstacles, with the virus actively spreading in most states, vaccine shortages, slow progress on distribution and political uncertainty over whether congressional Republicans will help him pass a $1.9 trillion economic relief and COVID response package.

Adding to the challenges are virus mutations, particularly one that has emerged in South Africa, that may make vaccines somewhat less effective. Dr Anthony Fauci told reporters at the White House briefing that “we are paying very close attention to it”. Biden’s plan includes an expansion

of research capabilities to map out the genetic structure of new variants.

On Thursday a group influential with Republican office holders lent its support to the president’s strategy. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, “We support the new administration’s focus on removing roadblocks to vaccinations and reopening schools, both of which are important steps to accelerating a broad-based economic recovery for all Americans.”

Biden officials have said they’ve been hampered by a lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the transition.

They say they don’t have a complete understanding of their predecessors’ actions on vaccine distribution. And they face a litany of complaints from states that say they are not getting enough vaccine even as they are being asked to vaccinate more categories of people.

Biden’s mask order for travel applies to airports and planes, ships, intercity buses, trains and public transportation.

Travelers from abroad must furnish a negative COVID-19 test before departing for the US and must quarantine upon arrival. Biden has already mandated masks on federal property.

Although airlines, Amtrak and other transport

providers now require masks, Biden’s order makes it a federal mandate, leaving little wiggle room for passengers tempted to argue about their rights.

The action was applauded by airline unions and supported by a major industry trade group.

It marks a sharp break with the culture of President Donald Trump’s administration, under which masks were optional, and Trump made a point of going maskless and hosting big gatherings of like-minded supporters. Science has shown that masks, properly worn, cut down on coronavirus transmission.

Biden said his administration’s coronavirus decisions would be based on science, not politics.

Biden is seeking to expand testing and vaccine availability, with the goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office. But some independent experts say his administration should strive for two or three times that number.

Even with the slow pace of vaccinations, the US is already closing in on 1 million shots a day.

“It’s a disappointingly low bar,” said Dr Leana Wen, a public health expert and emergency physician.

Asked about that at the White House on Thursday, Biden told a reporter: “When I announced it, you all said it’s not possible.

Come on, give me a break, man.”

Fauci told reporters the US could return to “a degree of normality” by the fall if the vaccination campaign goes well. Achieving widespread or “herd” immunity would require vaccinating as many as 280 million people.

Biden has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin setting up vaccination centers, aiming to have 100 up and running in a month.

He’s ordering the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to begin a program to make vaccines available through local pharmacies starting next month, building on a plan devised by the Trump administration. And he’s launching an effort to train more people to administer shots.

Biden has set a goal of having most K-8 schools reopen in his first 100 days, and he’s ordering the departments of Education and Health and Human Services to provide clear guidance for reopening them safely. States would also be able to tap FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to help get schools back open.

Getting schools and child care going will help ease the drag on the US economy, making it easier for parents to return to their jobs and for

restaurants to find lunchtime customers.

But administration officials stressed that reopening schools safely depends on increased testing.

Biden is giving government agencies a green light to use the Cold War-era Defense Production Act. It allows the government to direct private industry to produce supplies needed in times of national emergency. In this case it could be anything from swabs, to masks, to certain chemicals.

“We do not have nearly enough testing capacity in this country,” said White House coronavirus coordinator Jeff Zients.

The Biden plan estimates that a national vaccination strategy with expanded testing requires $160 billion, and he wants an additional $170 billion to aid the reopening of schools and universities.

As part of his strategy, Biden ordered establishment of a Health Equity Task Force to ensure that minority and underserved communities are not left out of the government’s response. Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans have borne a heavy burden of death and disease from the virus. Surveys have shown vaccine hesitancy is higher among African Americans, a problem the administration plans to address through an education campaign.

SPORTS

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Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 11

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Marathon Bahamas Virtual 2021 had participants from 25 countries, 15 United States, 4 Canadian Provinces and far-reaching tentacles throughout The Bahamas.

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SUPPORT THE BLOOD BANK

SAVE A LIFE GIVE THE GIFT OF HOUSTON Rockets guard Eric Gordon (10) shoots past Phoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton during the first half Wednesday night in Houston.

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

DEANDRE from PAGE 16

had games against the Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors and Indiana Pacers postponed.

They returned on January 18 in a 108-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies where Ayton had 18 points and a previous season high 16 rebounds.

“We just had to make sure we were on top of our conditioning. We tried to get in a practice here and there and do our professional things, but at the end of the day, we’re professionals. The NBA never stops, it just postpones so you just have to be ready any day, that’s not just the NBA, that’s the new world, you just have to adjust,” he said. “This team is solid and we are going to stay on top of each other to make sure that we’re good and we can play games.”

The Suns are currently 8-5, No.4 in the Western Conference and are expected to contend for a playoff spot. Despite the

addition of Chris Paul, many pundits said the Suns’ progression will hinge on the continued progression of its franchise centre - the No.1 pick in the 2018 draft.

“Since I’ve been in the league I’ve been waiting for this type of pressure, I needed to feel something, and I love it,” Ayton said.

“I love this type of pressure. I love the feeling of everyone depending on me, it just makes me that player I’m supposed to be every night. If it helps my team I’ll do whatever to get a win for my team.”

The Rockets scored early in the fourth quarter to cut the Suns’ once sizeable lead to five, 89-84. Ayton scored 10 of the Suns’ final 20 points on a final run to put the game away. His offensive versatility was also on display as his 11 field goal attempts included three alley oop finishes, two tipins, two long range jumpers, two created shots off the dribble and two dunks via dump offs.

“He was a monster for us tonight,” Suns head coach Monty Williams said.

“Anytime he can have that

effect on the defensive end it just gives us a lot of juice.

When he was able to block (Victor) Oladipo’s shot on those drives, I thought it just gave our team a ton of energy, to know that we can play aggressive defence and then you got somebody like that behind you that can cover it up.

“He also gave us 26 points and was efficient and gave us six offensive rebounds, getting those extra possessions when you don’t shoot as well from the three-point line. He anchors the defensive in a number of ways - being able to switch out on smaller guys, distracting and blocking shots and we hope he understands that he can be that kind of player every single night.”

The Suns host the Denver Nuggets 10pm tonight local time as Ayton looks to continue his double double streak.

“The best players in this league, they do it night after night. Not just once every few games,” Suns point guard Chris Paul said.

“So we’re going to keep pushing him.”

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Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 13

Some athletes shelving Olympic bids amid delayed Tokyo Games

By KEN MAGUIRE AP Sports Writer DRIVING to Dublin — it’s, well, a long way from Tipperary. Too long for Dean Gardiner, especially with a new baby and fulltime university courses.

The Irish super heavyweight boxer tried to endure the grind of travelling and training for another shot at the Olympics, but he’s called it a career. The four-time Irish champion said the Tokyo Olympics, delayed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic, are no longer his top priority.

“I just couldn’t do it all,” the 32-year-old Gardiner said of his packed schedule, which included driving several times per week from Tipperary to Ireland’s high-performance training centre in the capital 100 miles away.

“The year was going by, I was getting older, I have the responsibility of being a father, I have a responsibility to give everything to my college,” he said. “I have other priorities now that are higher up the list than boxing.”

Gardiner is just the latest athlete deciding against another Olympic run. Lin Dan, a two-time Olympic champion in badminton from China, retired last year. British rower Tom Ransley and Australian cyclist Amy Cure are out.

Japanese rugby player Kenki Fukuoka said he will pursue a medical career.

Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut had hoped to finish his career in Tokyo last year, but he announced his retirement in December, saying “I just can’t physically and mentally get to 2021.”

GOLDEN State Warriors centre Andrew Bogut looks on during a game against the Denver Nuggets April 2, 2019.

(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) Belgian swimmer Pieter Timmers and his wife, Elle De Leeuw, had drawn up what they had called their “watertight” plan. It included Tokyo and moving to a new house with their 3-year-old daughter.

“I was going to stop after the Olympics,” said Timmers, who turned 33 yesterday.

Timmers won a silver medal in the 100-metre freestyle at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, bringing home Belgium’s first Olympic swimming medal in 20 years. He also anchored two sprint relay teams.

“It’s extremely unlucky because I had an opportunity to go to my third Olympics and do well,” said Timmers, who also

BELGIUM’s Pieter Timmers holds up his silver medal after the men’s 100-metre freestyle during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, August 11, 2016. Belgian swimmer Pieter Timmers had planned to retire after Tokyo last summer. He’s decided to stick to his timeline rather than disrupt his family’s plans. (AP) competed at the 2012 London Games.

He retired in November after competing in the International Swimming League. Continuing would be unfair to his family, he said.

“It’s not practical to keep swimming for one more year,” he said.

About 11,000 athletes are expected to compete in the Olympics — set to start on July 23. The Paralympics add another 4,400 athletes.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has framed the games as “proof of

FORMER IOC VP POUND SAYS TOKYO OLYMPICS COULD GO AHEAD WITHOUT FANS

BY STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — Former IOC vice president Dick Pound says the Tokyo Olympics could go ahead without fans. And he predicted the games will open on July 23 despite surging coronavirus cases in Japan and around the globe.

“The question is — is this a ‘must-have’ or ‘niceto-have.’ It’s nice to have spectators. But it’s not a must-have,” Pound said in an interview with Japan’s Kyodo news agency published yesterday.

Pound is no longer a part of the IOC’s decision-making executive board, but he has been speaking out recently to generate enthusiasm for the postponed Olympics.

His words come as recent polls in Japan show 80 percent of the public believe the Olympics should not happen with virus cases surging — or will not happen.

Pound, a veteran Canadian Olympic official and inaugural president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, repeated what the IOC and local organisers have been saying for months: the games will be cancelled if they cannot be held this time. There will not be another postponement. “It’s either 2021, or nothing,” he said.

Pound said “nobody can guarantee “the Olympics will open on July 23. But I think there’s a very, very, good chance that they can, and that they will.”

Pound’s words suggest the Olympics may be shaping up as a largely TV-only event with athletes kept in a bubble, transported back and forth to venues, and encouraged to leave Japan as soon as their participation ends.

Japanese media have said the opening ceremony will be limited to 6,000 athletes.

WORLD Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound as he gestures during a press briefing at the 119th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Guatemala City on July 6, 2007.

(AP) About 11,000 are expected to compete in the Olympics. The Paralympics add another 4,400 athletes.

For the Switzerlandbased International Olympic Committee, getting the event on television — fans or no fans — is critical to its finances.

IOC President Thomas Bach has acknowledged finances are under “pressure” because of the one-year postponement.

The IOC earns 73 percent of its revenue from selling broadcast rights. In Tokyo this could amount to $2 billion to $3 billion in lost income if the games were canceled.

“I think the IOC and the organisers are committed to going ahead with the games, if at all possible,” Pound said. “And so they’re not going to cancel unless there’s a consensus among the government, health authorities and the IOC that it would be too dangerous.”

“But at the moment, the plans are in place. All the indications are that we should go ahead. There’s no reason why the games can’t go on.”

The local organising committee has budgeted $800 million in income from

ticket sales. The absence of fans would mean a shortfall in revenue. Any shortfall will have to be assumed by various Japanese government entities.

Officially, Japan says it’s spending $15.4 billion to prepare the Olympics, However, several government audits suggest it’s $25 billion or more. All but $6.7 is public money.

The local organising committee budget shows the IOC contributes about $1.3 billion to the financing of the Olympics. A University of Oxford study published last year showed Tokyo is the most expensive Summer Olympics on record.

A date to watch is March 25 when the torch relay begins with 10,000 runners heading to Tokyo over a four-month journey. Kyodo said Pound suggested the relay could be shortened or cancelled if necessary.

There was talk early of calling off the relay, but it is heavily sponsored by Toyota and Coca-Cola.

Tokyo and several other prefecture are under a state of emergency until at least February 7. Japan has attributed about 4,700 deaths of COVID-19, relatively low for a country of 125 million.

human victory against the coronavirus.”

The International Olympic Committee and local organisers are adamant the games will happen, but there’s also speculation around them being cancelled.

Along with his new responsibilities, Gardiner was also fed up with the uncertainty.

He held out hope that Europe’s qualifying tournament — postponed last March — would be held in February. If so, he may have given it a shot. He

was scheduled to fight in the round of 16. “But when they got moved back to April, I was like, ‘I’m not going to be able to do it,’” he said. “I was also thinking they might get moved back (yet) again.”

Gardiner would have qualified for Rio if he beat Italian boxer Guido Vianello in qualifying held in Azerbaijan in 2016, but he came up short.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Irishman has also traded blows in the amateur ranks with Joe Joyce, who is now 12-0 as a professional.

Gardiner has turned down opportunities to go pro and said he’s now fully focused on life after boxing. He’s even hoping to distance himself from his well-known nickname, “Breakfast,” which he picked up in childhood, not from his physique.

“I was in my prime last year, and I’m still just about there,” he said. “But there’s only one place as an amateur boxer where I’m going to go, that’s downhill a bit because I’m nearly 33.

“I felt a bit of relief when I made the decision.”

SERENA from PAGE 16 sporting scene last year to focus on her academics, making the Dean’s List, posted the national record of 60.39 metres or 198-feet, 1-inch at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, on March 31, 2018. That year, her junior at Texas A&M, she also placed eighth at the NCAA West Preliminary (176-9) and 13th at NCAA Championships (165-7).

The performances came after she made her debut as a freshman at Texas A&M with an 11th in the shot put at the SEC Indoor Championships (47-1 3/4).

Outdoors, she posted 180-3 (54.95m) in discus at the NCAA West Preliminary and was third at the SEC Championships (170-8, 52.01m).

The St Augustine’s College graduate, who placed fourth in the discus at IAAF World Juniors in Poland with a national record and national junior record of 173-0 (52.73), was hoping to improve on her collegiate performances at Iowa, but last year she had to deal with COVID-19.

“It’s been interesting, but the university has been handling it pretty well,” Brown said. “I am sad about not having any spectators though.”

Despite the restrictions as far as the competition is concerned, Brown said she’s been making the most of the opportunity to train. “It has been going well.

I’ve been making strides with my technique,” she said. “My main goal is getting my left down sooner in the front.”

Those are some of the things Werskey has been working on with Brown, especially as they prepare during the offseason in the gym. “I think she’s had a year to understand how our programme works at Iowa,” he said. “We have had to make some adjustments to suit her needs, but she’s been diligent on her recovery methods and understanding the training demands as well.”

After training Brown for the past year, Werskey said he’s seen vast improvement, but he’s just as eager to see how well it materialises on the field in competition.

“From January until March 2020, she had made great progress. She was in really great shape to throw really far just before the whole world shut down due to COVID-19,” he said.

“Her training marks resembled those of some high quality performances in the 58 to 59 metre range up until March when everything shut down with heavy weights. That was a good indicator for us that in peak form, she would have thrown around 62-63 metres.”

Having left Texas A&M with a shoulder injury, Werskey said Brown has shown that she has fully recovered.

He mentioned the fact that she bench pressed up to 230 pounds with one repetition.

“It’s just a matter of her getting a little more fitness and getting her strength

SERENA BROWN ready for the 2021 outdoor season,” he said. “I know she has her own list of goals, but she’s incredibly talented with a great work ethic, so we want to make sure she attains her goals.”

Werskey said Brown is in a good training environment with the group of female competitors, but they won’t know how well that works out until they start competing at the end of March, depending on how COVID-19 pans out in the United States.

In the meantime, Werskey said he’s appreciative of the working relationship he’s had with Corrington Maycock, the founder and head coach of the Blue Chips Throwers Club, who worked out with Brown during her visit home.

“Corrington does a fantastic job at the youth level and whenever Serena is home, he and I communicated very well with her training,” he said. “We still maintain contact because he’s a great resource.”

Hopefully, Werskey said because of the relationship with Maycock and the performance by Brown, Iowa will be coming to the Bahamas to recruit a few more throwers in the near future.

SPORTS

THE TRIBUNE

RHEMA COLLINS, of the Bahamas, has been listed at No.15 among the Class of 2023 in the latest edition of the Prep Girls Hoops Florida rankings.

Rhema emerges as one of the top prep prospects in Florida

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net JUNIOR national basketball team standout Rhema Collins has quickly emerged as one of the top prep prospects among her class in the state of Florida.

Prep Girls Hoops Florida lists Collins at No.15 among the Class of 2023 in the latest edition of its rankings.

The 6’2” wing has averaged 16.8 points and six rebounds per game this season for Schoolhouse Prep in Miami, Florida.

She opened the season with 18 points against American Collegiate

Academy, followed with nine points and eight rebounds against West Oaks and a season high 23 points against Miami Christian. She also posted two double doubles on the season - 19 points and 10 rebounds - against DME Sports and 15 points and 12 rebounds against Cardinal Newman.

At the AAU level, Collins joined the Miami Suns programme, which is a member of the Nike Girls EYBL. At the national team level, Collins was most recently a member of Team Bahamas that finished sixth at the FIBA Centrobasket Under-17 Championships

for Women in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Bahamas finished the tournament 2-3 overall.

Collins averaged a double double with 11 points and a team-leading 10.8 rebounds per game. She also led the team with 2.6 blocks per game.

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Friday, January 22, 2021, PAGE 15

SPORTS PAGE 16

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

Deandre Ayton posts career-high 5 blocks

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

F

ollowing a week of postponements and three missed games due to the NBA’s COVID19 protocols, Deandre Ayton continued to play his best basketball of the season once the Phoenix Suns returned to the court.

Ayton finished with 26 points, 17 rebounds both season highs - and a career-high five blocks in a 109-103 win over the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday night.

He shot an efficient 11-15 from the field and also added three assists.

“I think I did what I was supposed to do tonight, it’s just that as a whole team we were all locked in and we finished that game down the stretch,” Ayton said.

“I’m not worried about the hype and what people have to say. I just have to consistently do it over and over and over.”

His rim protection was a particular point of

emphasis on Wednesday night. Reserve point guard Cameron Payne noted that perimeter players are able to be more aggressive and take chances defensively knowing that Ayton serves as the anchor and rim protector.

“It’s a lot of responsibility and you have to have consistency every night just to show your teammates that you got their back,” he said.

“Trust just ain’t something you give somebody.

That responsibility, you have to earn it. On this team, I’m proud to be that anchor. I’m proud to take on that challenge,” Ayton said.

“Just be there for my guys. That’s the main thing: I’m there for my brother.

That’s all it is for me. That’s the pride and dignity that I have in it. I’m not gonna let that guy beat up on my brother. And I know if I help then my brother got my back.”

Following a January 11 game against the Washington Wizards, the Suns

SEE PAGE 11

SEASON HIGH DOUBLE DOUBLE: Suns centre Deandre Ayton, far right, is congratulated

by Mikal Bridges (25), Cameron Johnson (23) and Devin Booker (1), not in picture, after hitting a free throw during the second half against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in Houston.

(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

SEE PAGE 15

DISCUS NATIONAL RECORD HOLDER SERENA HAS LOFTY GOALS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS women’s discus national record holder Serena Brown is working on some lofty goals in her senior year as a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s track and field team.

After transferring from Texas A&M in January, 2020, the 22-yearold Brown spent the past year under the tutelage of coach Eric BROWN Werskey. But with no events to compete in due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brown is more eager to compete this year.

“I want to medal in the B10 and make the top five for the (NCAA) Nationals (Championships),” said Brown, whose Bahamian national goal is to qualify for the postponed 2020 Olympic Games.

Brown, who took advantage of the inactivity on the

SEE PAGE 13