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FOOD LIFELINE Aid scheme extended three more months as many still need help

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE National Food Distribution Task Force has received the go ahead from Cabinet to continue food assistance until the end of June, Financial Secretary Marlon Johnson confirmed yesterday.

The programme was initially set to end in August of last year but was extended several times to assist those still largely impacted by the pandemic.

This third phase, also said to be the final, was scheduled to come to a close at the end of March.

Asked whether the

programme was continuing, Mr Johnson said: “It is my understanding that Cabinet has approved the extension through the end of June, that’s the end of the fiscal year.”

He said the Ministry of Finance has looked at prospects heading into the next financial quarter and made a determination that provisions could be made for the assistance to continue.

“That’s the responsibility of the ministry to make the provisions,” Mr Johnson said when asked how the government could afford to fund the initiative another few weeks.

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WITH national examinations scheduled to begin next week, the head of the Bahamas Union of Teachers says some students are currently “inadequately prepared” to sit the tests.

“The Bahamas Union of Teachers has not seen any changes to process, procedures or policy that leads us to believe that the results of the BJC and or the BGCSE national examinations will be improved or better than the 2020 results,” Belinda Wilson said yesterday.

SEE PAGE FIVE

SEE PAGE THREE

THE government has extended its unemployment assistance programme for those still being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic until the end of April, National Insurance Minister Brensil Rolle said yesterday.

“The government assistance programme has been extended for another month.

We are aware of the struggles that Bahamians are

having consistently and we’re trying to resolve some of these issues,” Mr Rolle said before going to a Cabinet meeting.

“We are hopeful that things will get better and it’s looking a little bit better.

Government has expended over $150m on this project so far and it’s roughly costing the government $12 to $15m a month and so, as soon as persons get back to work, we can divert those funds into some other area.”

SEE PAGE THREE

SEE PAGE EIGHT

UNION SAYS PUPILS NOT READY TO SIT EXAMS

JOBLESS PAYMENT TO CONTINUE - FOR NOW

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

IT’S EVERYONE’S JOB TO KEEP OUR CHILDREN SAFE

‘US SHOULD HELP OUT, NOT POINT FINGERS’

OH LORD

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

APOSTLE Julian Johnson outside court yesterday. He is accused of intentional libel after making comments about Police Commissioner Paul Rolle in a video on Facebook. See page seven for the full story.

Photo: Racardo Thomas

CONCERN OVER DELAY IN POLICE INQUESTS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis said Coroner’s Court inquests into police-involved killings – which have been halted since March 2020 because of COVID-19 – must quickly resume.

His comment yesterday came as the country recorded another policeinvolved killing on April

THE SCENE of a police-involved shooting in February.

2 – at least the fourth police-related killing this year. In the latest case,

the Royal Bahamas Police Force said a suspect fired a gun at police during a foot chase. Police returned fire and fatally wounded the man, the RBPF said.

According to a legal notice released in February, inquests at the Coroner’s Court were supposed to resume last month.

However, The Tribune understands that officials are waiting for plexiglass barriers to

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE TWO

THE Chinese Embassy in Nassau yesterday denied any intention by its government to pursue geopolitical advantage in the region, adding it was disappointed The Bahamas’ relationship with China was recently cast in a negative light.

SEE PAGE THREE

TECHNOLOGY NEW GALAXY AVAILABLE IN THE BAHAMAS

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Concern over delay in police inquests from page one be erected throughout the courtrooms to ensure compliance with health and physical distancing protocols.

Mr Davis said “we ought to be concerned” about the backlog of inquests.

“The coroner herself might raise the alarm about the inability to function,” he said. “If she doesn’t, you expect the government, that someone has to pay attention to ensuring that the court becomes operational.”

The Coroner’s Court has a history of facing a significant backlog of police-involved killing cases and some lawyers say the court is usually among the last to get what it requires.

After this newspaper reported on the longstanding issues with inquests in 2017, Attorney General Carl Bethel said there were about 28 outstanding

PLP leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis at a curbside breakfast event at party headquarters at the weekend. police-involved killing cases requiring an inquest, adding that he found the delays “distressing” and “unacceptable”.

Progress soon emerged. Eighteen inquests were held between January 2018 and June 2019, three of which resulted in

unlawful killing rulings and one of which resulted in an open verdict finding. The other killings were deemed lawful.

The Bahamas recorded 11 police-involved killings in 2017, 2018 and 2020 and has one of the highest per capita rates of

police-involved killings in the world – higher than the United States.

Mr Davis said a prompt investigation of the deaths is needed to ensure public confidence in law enforcement.

“The issue of police killings is really disturbing and requires some attention by what I call the political directorate,” he said.

“One of the fundamental pillars upon which the efficacy of any police force rests would be the confidence that the general public would have, recognising that the policy force is supposed to be the guardian and protector of persons, their safety, and to ensure that the peace is not breached. If the general public has no confidence in the police force, we are truly headed to anarchy and some attention has to be paid on these matters.

When you consider our per capita as a nation, it is alarming that we are unable

to get to the root of it and I think part of it is because of the lack of confidence Bahamian people have in law enforcement. If there is a police killing, a quick resolution of any concern that might arise should be pursued or else problems will linger.”

Mr Davis suggested that because of his background, he would approach the issue differently from previous administrations if elected Prime Minister.

“My experience and background in matters relating to the administration of justice will definitely have some positive impact on matters such as this,” he said.

Youel Johnson, a lawyer and former superintendent of police, said timely inquests are important, but so too is a system that does not let police investigate police-involved killings.

“My concern is that the information the coroner has to determine findings rests

on what the police gives them,” he said yesterday.

“If the police is involved in the shooting and they are involved in the investigation, the coroner would only have the information that they give them. If I’m the police officer investigating it, do you think I would offer evidence to charge myself? I say no. As a country there needs to be more concern that we have had too many police killings recently and they go mostly unexplained to the public as far as I’m concerned.”

Asked what his experience as an officer taught him about how policeinvolved killings are investigated, he said: “I am well aware that police officers are citizens of the Bahamas and they make mistakes and if you leave it up to me to cover my mistakes, I will cover my mistakes. That’s the long and short of it and that’s why I say police shouldn’t investigate police.”

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021, PAGE 3

Aid scheme extended three more months as many still need help from page one “We looked at what the prospects were going into the next quarter and gauged the fiscal responsibilities and made the determination from there.”

However, Bahamas Feeding Network executive director Phillip Smith expressed some disappointment that the extension was not given for a longer period of time.

He has previously said the programme should continue at least until the end of September.

“I thought it should have gone until at least September,” Mr Smith told The Tribune yesterday. “But you know it’s something, until the end of June. I don’t know what you think but will most people be back to normal by then? That’s the question. I don’t know.

“I thought it should have gone until September, which again is conservative,” he added.

He estimated that by then, many now needing help with food should be returning to normalcy.

As it stands, Mr Smith said the need remains “dire”.

“A lot of people are in need,” Mr Smith said.

“What I find is not a lot of people are certain and they are out of work. Everything is shut down. They need the money to go to the store. A lot of people are quite desperate you know.”

He also said: “it’s pretty dire. So, I am hoping they decide to extend for a longer period of time.”

The task force, which was created by the government last June, was established

AMONG those helping those in need has been Police Commissioner Paul Rolle, whose teams were distributing grocery packages and hot meals to Adelaide residents over the Easter holiday.

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff to render emergency food assistance to those most vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, Mr Smith said many households were still grappling with hardship as he pointed to the need

for a six-month extension.

The government has invested a total of $36m into the food assistance

programme.

The task force was granted $16m for the initial roll out of the initiative

and another $10m for phase two. An additional $10m was allocated for the current third phase.

JOBLESS PAYMENT TO CONTINUE - FOR NOW from page one

Mr Rolle said those eligible for unemployment assistance will still receive $100 per week.

“We have been consistent with that amount since we’ve moved back from $150,” he said.

“We have not changed that but there (are) some industries and areas where individuals are getting something from their work programme and so we are

only supplement(ing) the difference so that everyone in the programme will at least get $100 per week for the entire duration of the programme.”

To assist with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Minnis administration in March 2020 launched its unemployment benefits programme, among other initiatives, for selfemployed people directly connected to the tourism sector and later expanded

it to include self-employed people outside of the industry.

The programme was initially set to last year but has been extended several times to help those still left unemployed amid the health crisis.

Yesterday, Mr Rolle told reporters that officials have seen “a slight decrease” in demand since the initiative first began but noted “there are some individuals who may go to work but (have) a small level of support.”

Asked if the government plans to extend the programme on a month-bymonth basis if the nation’s economy doesn’t improve by then, the minister replied: “I think we understand the struggles that Bahamians are having at this time and we are there to support the Bahamian people and we’re looking forward to providing whatever assistance is necessary for them and on a monthly basis, the Cabinet has been evaluating the process and as you know,

the initial programme was to end in December but we have extended it so far up until April.”

The economic strain placed on NIB has raised concerns about the possibility of the agency’s contribution rates rising in the future, a question that has been previously put to various officials.

Asked about the issue again yesterday, Mr Rolle only reminded Bahamians to make their monthly NIB payments so the agency

would not have “consider its funding and other issues”.

He said: “Those persons who are working should make their monthly contribution and if we focus on ensuring if persons make their contributions to NIB then there wouldn’t be a need for NIB to consider its funding or its cost and other issues but, it’s a situation where there are some sections of the economy and some individuals do not pay their contributions on time.”

‘US SHOULD HELP OUT, NOT POINT FINGERS’ from page one

Embassy spokesman Yin Haigang said instead of the United States finger-pointing, it would be much better to do more for vaccine accessibility for developing countries, helping to create jobs and protect the livelihood of the local people.

These, he said, are the real concerns of people in this region.

The Chinese official was responding to recently published remarks in a local newspaper attributed to General Glen VanHerck, the US Air Force commander for the US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defence Command.

While testifying before the US Senate Armed Services committee on March 16, the general said China continues to undermine US influence globally.

He warned that China is also attempting to use influence in The Bahamas by offering large-scale economic investments and

material support for infrastructure projects.

General VanHerck said officials were closely looking at China’s influence specifically its attempts to influence the Bahamas, working through 5G, for example. He said the same was happening in Mexico.

5G technology is not currently available in The Bahamas, however last month Attorney General Carl Bethel announced telecommunications companies have submitted recommendations to the government for the implementation of such a network in the country.

General VanHerck was also adamant that China continues to pursue what was viewed as aggressive geopolitical strategy.

This strategy sought to undermine US influence around the globe and shape the environment to its advantage.

Additionally he said in USNORTHCOM’s area of responsibility, China has made deliberate attempts to increase its economic and political influence with

the United States’ close partners in Mexico and The Bahamas.

Responding in a statement yesterday, Mr Haigang said: “China has, over the years, been committed to developing friendly and cooperative relations with Caribbean countries on the basis of mutual benefit.

“China has no intention to pursue geopolitical advantage in the region, nor seek to replace anyone’s predominance in any part of the world.”

He said the remarks show a tendency of viewing the Caribbean as a backyard that no one else should get involved in.

“This is a reflection of typical Cold War mentality. The Caribbean region should not become an arena for major power competition, and regional countries should not be forced into a position of having to take sides.

“The cooperation between China and Caribbean countries is grounded on mutual benefit and mutual needs. The relevant investment and cooperation

by Chinese companies were

carried out on the basis of consultations on an equal footing and consistent with commercial principles and local laws and regulations.

The projects China has participated in have played a positive role in improving livelihoods and creating jobs for the local people.”

Mr Haigang noted recent assistance to The Bahamas.

“In the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China has assisted The Bahamas in post-hurricane reconstruction and in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will soon provide another batch of medical supplies to this country. In the context of the ongoing pandemic, it is all the more disappointing to hear such negative comments about China-Bahamas cooperation.

“Instead of finger-pointing, it would be much better to do more for vaccine accessibility for developing countries, and for helping to create jobs and protect the livelihood of the local people. These are the real concerns of people in this region.

“The development of China-Caribbean relations does not target or exclude any third party,” he continued. “Quite the contrary, many of the projects in the Bahamas constructed

by Chinese companies use design, equipment and materials from the US, are managed by American companies, and enjoyed by American tourists, too.

“All parties are winners in such cooperation. We hope that relevant countries will abandon the outdated concept of zero-sum game and view China-Caribbean cooperation from an open and inclusive perspective.

“The development of China-US relations based on coordination, cooperation and stability serves the interests of both countries and is the common wish of people across the region.

China is ready to continue working with the US in this direction.”

General VanHerck, speaking at the US Senate Armed Services committee last month, also referred referred to China as remaining “among the

world’s most capable and brazen cyber actors, stealing volumes of sensitive data from US government, military, academic, cleared defence contractors, and other commercial networks each year.”

This is not the first time that the US and China have faced off over the latter’s involvement in the country.

In December, the Chinese Embassy in The Bahamas said reports that China has spied on Americans via Caribbean phone networks were false and another attempt by the United States to sow discord between China and Caribbean countries.

The claims of China’s spying prompted a strong response from the US Embassy in Nassau.

At the time, the US Embassy in Nassau said trust cannot exist where telecoms vendors are subject to an authoritarian government, like the People’s Republic of China, that lacks an independent judiciary or rule of law that would effectively prohibit this misuse of data.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

Officials hope Easter events won’t lead to rise in cases

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net WITH several large gatherings seen over the Easter holiday weekend, Health Minister Renward Wells said yesterday officials are hoping the social events do not lead to an uptick in coronavirus cases.

Mr Wells spoke after several videos made the rounds on social media showing large crowds at local businesses and even at one major resort, despite repeated warnings from government and health officials.

On Monday, health officials recorded seven new positive cases, pushing the nation’s total count to 9,270.

The holiday weekend saw 92 new COVID-19 infections being recorded, with 28 additional cases confirmed for Thursday, 35 on Good Friday, 16 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday.

Yesterday, Mr Wells said the rising COVID-19 numbers continue to concern health officials, who are closely monitoring the uptick in positive cases and hospitalisations – particularly on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and Eleuthera.

This also comes amid mounting fears that the Bahamas could be on the brink of a third wave of COVID-19.

Mr Wells said while there is no evidence to suggest the country has entered its third wave, health teams are constantly “assessing the data” for further confirmation.

However, he said additional details will be provided by the Ministry

of Health when it holds a press conference today.

“There’s been lots of concern among the health officials as to the increase in numbers and the increase in hospitalisations,” he told reporters before going to a Cabinet meeting.

“The Prime Minister you would remember said at the airport when we were receiving the vaccines from PAHO… he was asking the Bahamian people during the course of this holiday to exercise additional due diligence in regard to the health protocols because we had seen the increase in the numbers.

“As you know this virus has a 14-day incubation period so when you began to see an uptick, you know in 14 days that there’s the potential for greater numbers and so we are and have been concerned in health and we have been reminding the Bahamian people to adhere to the health protocols especially during the holiday that we just simply went through.

“There was lots of activity and lots and lots of activity and so we are hoping at the end of the day that what we saw does not (lead) to increasing numbers.”

The recent social gatherings coupled with the high COVID-19 infections over last several weeks have also sparked fears about the possibility of more restrictions being added for certain islands.

Asked if health officials have recommended tighter COVID measures for certain communities, Mr Wells said: “I would say that we are going to assess the data.

We are going to be looking at the data and obviously,

the Cabinet of The Bahamas, the Prime Minister would speak to any potential move in future as to how the country is going to go.

“Because obviously, the Prime Minister is an individual who’s never afraid to make hard choices and decisions and so at the end of the day, we’re going to look at the data that we’re seeing.

(Today the Ministry of) Health will give us a better assessment because we have been assessing the data.”

Given the rising COVID19 numbers, Mr Wells said it has become more crucial for Bahamians to follow all of the health guidelines in order to prevent a surge of new infections.

He said the situation also applies to those in the political arena.

“As a people, we need to remember we are still in this fight,” he said. “We are still in a war and the prime minister used the analogy that we’re in a race and we’re in a race to vaccinate our people faster that COVID could spread.

“And so, at every stage we need to be responsible at all times and I can say I know there’s been a lot of political activity. I know I had activity on Friday. Mine was a drive through by the way. There was more than 2,000 meals given out by me alone in Bamboo Town and I saw other activities and events, political events, with people gathering.”

In recent weeks, both the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party has faced heavy criticism for hosting campaign gatherings which featured more than 20 people. Current rules

TOTAL CASES

TOTAL DEATHS

9,270 189 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES MONDAY 7 CASES NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA ABACO

TOTAL TESTS

78,117

5 1 1

HOSPITALISED

restrict social gatherings on New Providence.

Asked if health officials will be closely monitoring large political gatherings: Mr Wells replied: “Yes, and we are asking that even if you’re going to be doing campaigning that you do it

38

CASES IN ICU

3

in the ambit of the health protocols. I believe right now you’re not supposed to have more than 20 persons gathering together in one particular place.

“Twenty individuals is more than enough to do a door-to-door campaigning

RECOVERED

8,729

but you need to be able to social distance, wear your mask, hand sanitise and so there’s opportunities within the ambit of the protocols to be able to have your political activities but it has to be done in a very responsible manner and responsible way.”

MORE VACCINATION SITES PLANNED ‘NO EVIDENCE’ OF NEW STRAINS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

WITH COVID-19 vaccinations set to resume in New Providence and Grand Bahama today, officials are also hoping to open up additional vaccination sites to accelerate the process.

Vaccination sites identified in New Providence include Loyola Hall on Gladstone Road, Church of God of Prophecy on East Street and in Grand Bahama, the Susan J Wallace Community Centre.

In a statement released on Sunday, the National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee reminded that only those in the first priority group, including health care workers, people age 60 and over at those in the uniformed branches etc, will be eligible to receive their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at the aforementioned centres.

Yesterday, Health Minister Renward Wells revealed

the ministry’s plans to open up additional sites to get more people vaccinated.

“The good news is we have additional vaccines and we want people to take it and I say that not because persons are not taking it because Bahamians are going online, they’re calling me, they’re upset that some of them don’t have an appointment in May,” he told reporters before going into a Cabinet meeting.

“So, we’re looking at how we can open up additional sites to make sure that everyone is able to get in to get that vaccine so that we’re able to combat the potential further increases…and given what we are currently seeing in our numbers to ensure that we’re able to get a handle on what’s going on.”

Mr Wells said he believes that some 10,000 people in the country have already received their first dose of the vaccine since the campaign was launched.

Last week, Eleuthera became the first Family

Island to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca doses since the country received the shots in March.

The nation’s vaccination programme will expand to several more islands in the days ahead, specifically Abaco and Bimini which are expected to begin vaccinations sometime this week.

Yesterday, the minister could not give a definitive date as to when vaccinations will begin on those respective islands.

“I don’t want to give a date that’s not correct but all of our intentions was to start this week with Bimini and Abaco and there may be others who might be added to the mix in our fight to stay ahead of the increase in cases because we are ahead,” he said.

Asked whether the ministry has received any reports about negative side effects of the vaccine, the health minister replied: “None to date. Not that I know of... I have not seen any evidence to suggest such.”

IN COUNTRY, SAYS MINISTER

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH Minister Renward Wells said there is “no evidence” any of the new coronavirus strains are present in the country after dozens of positive samples sent abroad earlier this year produced negative results for the COVID-19 mutations.

Speaking to reporters ahead of yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Mr Wells revealed officials have finally received the longawaited tests results of the positive COVID-19 samples sent to Brazil in January.

Of the 55 samples sent, the Health Minister said only some 30 samples were still able to be tested months after they arrived in Brazil, all of which produced negative results for the new strains found in the UK, Brazil, South Africa.

Dozens of countries worldwide have since detected the mutations.

Yesterday, Mr Wells said: “To date, we have no evidence of the new strains

MINISTER RENWARD WELLS but again, we will speak to those (during a press conference today), but we would’ve gotten back the results from PAHO lab in Brazil. Of the 55 samples we sent, I think 30 of them (were) still viable to be tested. We tested all 30 and none of those showed that we had a new variant. It’s just the old COVID strain, the initial strain that we have in country.”

However, some might argue the test results might not necessarily reflect an accurate picture on the situation since the samples were sent earlier this year.

Since March, the Bahamas has seen a sustained uptick in positive COVID19 cases, with some of the new cases related to travel.

Yesterday, Mr Wells said officials plan to send additional test samples to a reference laboratory in Trinidad for further confirmation, which he says has a quicker turnaround time for test results.

“We are now sending our samples for genomic sequencing to CRS down in Trinidad, the Caribbean lab to do it for us and they have a more of a two-week turnaround time so we would be able to get a better sense as to where there is a variant.

“But you know the vaccines have been proven effective against the variants as well especially Pfizer, Moderna, and the others as well and so again, we have in hand the solution for what ails us and that is the vaccine.”

The Bahamas does not have the capacity for the genomic sequencing that is necessary to determine if more infectious COVID-19 variants found abroad are present in the country.

However, Mr Wells has previously said the government is currently looking at ways to secure the tools needed to do so.

RBDF COMMODORE AWAITING TEST RESULT

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King is still experiencing mild symptoms after being exposed to COVID-19, however test results have not yet come back to determine if he has the disease.

“Results aren’t back as yet. We’re waiting for those PCR results. At this time, we are still pending his result,” force medical officer, Lieutenant Commander Dr Derwin Johnson told The Tribune.

News of the Commodore’s exposure was revealed in a Cabinet Office statement on Sunday. The statement noted he was experiencing “mild symptoms” and that Deputy Commander

Captain Shonedel Pinder will manage the affairs of the RBDF during Commodore King’s absence.

When asked if there was an improvement in the commodore’s condition, Dr Johnson replied: “Oh yes…. very mild symptoms and he is on some immune support like the vitamins and so forth and he’s just resting comfortably at home.”

Asked how many people on the force are quarantined due to exposure, Dr Johnson said more than 30, however he said they were not all connected to one incident. “. . .We have persons who have been exposed from home contacts in terms relatives, persons in their homes. You have persons who have been exposed from social contacts in terms of friends and so

forth. So, there’s not all one scenario.

“If you’re looking for a total of persons who are in quarantine at this moment, those persons would total about 35.”

Asked if he was able to say how many officers were in quarantine in relation to the RBDF commander and were in contact with the same person as Commodore King, Dr Johnson answered,“No, because we don’t know who that contact was.”

The Commodore was the first RBDF personnel to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in March.

The force medical officer previously reported 80 people were vaccinated at the RBDF base when it was an inoculation site.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021, PAGE 5

Union says pupils not ready to sit exams from page one In March, Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd announced the country’s national exams will be held between April 13 through June 25.

He said as of March 12, there were 5,087 students registered for the Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) exams while 9,382 candidates were registered for the Bahamas Junior Certificate tests.

There was some debate over last year’s results,

which came during a school year disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 results showed the number of BGCSE candidates that received at least a C grade in five or more subjects declined by 5.8 percent while the number of BJC students receiving a grade of C or higher in five or more subjects declined by 2.7 percent. However education officials maintained that the exams were successful considering the constraints students and educators were under last year.

The BUT release said a

decrease in class time and student attendance are reasons why some students are not prepared for the exams.

“Based on information received from teachers thus (far) is that many students have not taken advantage of the face-to-face classes as some are still roaming the streets,” the release read.

“The fear of being infected by COVID-19 is still a reality and teachers and students are mentally and physically drained.

Students are inadequately prepared to sit the BJC and BGCSE examinations at this time. Many students

did not access online classes and now they are face-toface two days out of the week, the class time has been cut down to 30/40 minutes. The students are simply not ready to sit the exams.

“The hybrid model does not lend to quality teaching as some schools have seven periods per day with additional subjects being taught each day but less class time.

“Hence, the time allocated for face-to-face teaching is insufficient for BJC and BGCSE preparation. Very concerning is that students’ attendance is low; this is

unsatisfactory. Some teachers have only seen their students for little over two hours in the entire Easter term.”

The issue of exam coursework was also highlighted.

“Every teacher exclaimed that the deadline for the coursework submission does not allow sufficient time for the coursework to be completed, the content for the coursework in various subjects were not covered because of disruptions and the short time frame for preparation.

“Some of the subjects that require coursework

are social studies, art and design, family and consumer science. Sadly, it seems as though the results of the national examinations for 2021 will be as dismal or even worse than 2020 results,” the BUT said.

The union called upon the Ministry/Department of Education to conduct a full assessment of the online, face-to-face instruction, students’ attendance and content covered in an effort to draft policy and make decisions that “are congruent with the reality in the educational system”.

INSIDE the restored Genesis Academy.

REGENESIS AS ACADEMY’S RESTORATION COMPLETE

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

FULL restoration of the Genesis Academy is now complete, and the Ministry of Education will begin a gradual phase-in of students at that facility.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority’s reconstruction team and G&T Construction have now completed restoration of the facility, which is located in the Children’s Village for at-risk students.

Following severe flood damage during Hurricane Dorian in September 2019, the students were relocated into the mainstream public school system until the school’s restoration could be completed.

Ivan Butler, district school superintendent for Grand Bahama, Bimini,

and the Cays, commended the GBPA for its assistance in restoring the facility.

“On behalf of the Ministry of Education, (Minister of Education) Jeffrey Lloyd, Director Mr Marcellus Taylor, and the many students that will benefit from this initiative, I extend sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Grand Bahama Port Authority for their assistance and partnership in making this day a reality,” he said.

“We look forward to a continued relationship with them. To this end, the Ministry of Education is pleased to announce that Genesis Academy will begin a gradual phase-in of students.

We appreciate the value the Port Authority sees in our programme and thank them for their faith in our ability to deliver the education,

THE ENTRANCE to the restored Genesis Academy.

support, and care that these students deserve.”

Mr Butler said Genesis Academy provides continuing education for at-risk boys and girls who also receive intensive counselling..

“The vision of Lady Henrietta St George in establishing this school has proven to be invaluable in providing a second chance for education amongst these students,” he said.

The academy’s programme is tailored to teens who are working to refocus on education and obtain their high school diplomas.

The trained, specialised staff help students who are rehabilitating from delinquency, recovering from substance abuse, and from other specialised needs that might not be addressed in a regular classroom.

The classrooms are small,

with low teacher-student ratios, providing students with individualised access to academic development, behaviour therapy, social interaction, and experiential training services.

Unfortunately, in September 2019 Hurricane Dorian, the facility sustained major damage to the interior, the roof, and the students’ agriculture and aquaponics installation.

School Principal Dr Ricardo Major is looking forward to the return of their students.

“The facility’s restoration was a daunting task,” he said. “But thanks to the Port Authority, the work is done and the Genesis team is eager to welcome

our students back. GBPA’s support has enabled us to provide specialised education that meets our students’ unique needs, and to offer after-school programmes and projects that help guide them back into mainstream life.”

Mr Butler said the Ministry of Education has enjoyed a partnership that spans more than 20 years with the GBPA. “It has provided the opportunity for continuous education for students regardless of their challenges or circumstances,” he said.

Sarah St George, acting chairperson at the GBPA, believes that every child deserves a second chance.

She said the Genesis Academy has provided support and much-needed attention and care to many of Grand Bahama’s teens.

“Our youth are our future, and we must nurture their development – regardless of their challenges or transgressions – it will help them to become productive and contributing members of our communities,” said Ms St George.

“I’m delighted to resume this very successful partnership that the GBPA had with the Ministry of Education for the past 20 years and I’d like to thank the Ministry and Mr Ivan Butler for their continued commitment to the Genesis Academy.”

PAGE 6, Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

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Cases must not be delayed further IN this column yesterday, we discussed the principle of justice delayed being justice denied – and just how much it is delayed in the case of policeinvolved killings has become clearer still.

Coroner’s Court inquests into such killings have been halted since March last year because of COVID-19. They were due to resume last month, but nothing has happened yet – apparently because officials are waiting for plexiglass barriers to be erected throughout courtrooms as part of pandemic protocols.

There have been four police-related killings this year so far, adding to a backlog already stretching back too long.

PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis is right when he says that prompt investigation of such deaths is needed to ensure public confidence in law enforcement.

He said: “One of the fundamental pillars upon which the efficacy of any police force rests would be the confidence that the general public would have, recognising that the police force is supposed to be the guardian and protector of persons, their safety, and to ensure that the peace is not breached.”

Of course, Mr Davis, in campaigning mode, then suggested he would handle such matters better than previous administrations if he was in office – which doesn’t say much for how he wielded his influence as Deputy Prime Minister.

The important thing, however, is that a timely resolution to such investigations – and calling officers to account where appropriate – gives the public confidence that these situations are being dealt with properly. It also stops such investigations hanging over the head of officers for years in cases where they acted appropriately. For the good of the public, for the good of the force, for the good of the justice system, these matters should not drag on for years.

We have a higher number of police killings than the United States, when determined per head of our population, and one of the highest in the world. Understanding what is going on with these cases can show us if there are ways we should be changing what we are doing – and bringing down that number.

We cannot learn if we don’t assess what has happened, and we cannot assess what has happened while we sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for plexiglass that surely shouldn’t be much of a hurdle to solve.

This needs to be addressed, for the longer it goes unresolved, the more our faith in our guardians is undermined.

Lifeline extended

A much-needed decision has been made to extend food assistance for those in need until the end of June.

The programme was due to finish at the end of March, so those making use of it will have been urgently waiting on the word of where their next meal was coming from.

This is the right call – although the extension could have been longer.

The goal of this scheme is simple – to keep people fed. There are many families whose breadwinners have been without a job and without pay for months now, so this helps those in the toughest of circumstances.

We need only think of the long lines at food giveaways to understand just how many Bahamians are in a desperate situation.

Bahamas Feeding Network executive director Phillip Smith was among those calling for a longer extension.

“I thought it should have gone until at least September, which again is conservative,” he said. “But you know it’s something, until the end of June. I don’t know what you think but will most people be back to normal by then?”

Do you think so? We don’t. The tourism numbers for March were encouraging but no more than that, showing the start of a recovery not the recovery itself. Will hotels be back to full employment by September? Will support businesses be able to take people back on? Will the Straw Market be open and bustling again by then? All these seem unlikely right now – and even if they were, the programme would surely scale down as the number of people being supported reduced. Extending the programme a little longer would give those making use of it a little more certainty for a little more time. That cannot be a bad thing.

“A lot of people are in need,” said Mr Smith, “What I find is not a lot of people are certain and they are out of work.

Everything is shut down. They need the money to go to the store. A lot of people are quite desperate you know.”

If the deadline needs extending again, let’s do it as early as possible to try and ease that desperation.

It’s a simple need – surely we can make sure we can feed our fellow Bahamians in this toughest of times.

To vaccinate or not?

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE salient question that is now foremost in most Bahamians and residents minds is: “Do I voluntarily take the recommended vaccine and just how safe is it?”

During the past two weeks I have been polling listeners on my radio talk show: ExpressYourself @ 99.5 FM on exactly that same question. So far, in excess of 75% of the responders stated that under No Circumstances, except mandated by the law, would they be injected with the vaccine, Astrazeneca, now available in limited quantities in The Bahamas.

Some have expressed fears that the vaccine is the advent of the ‘Mark of the Beast’ and that it was foretold in The Book of Revelations. Others say that the potential side effects, such as blood clotting and breathing issues, were too risky. The rest said that they will simply rely on The Lord Jesus Christ to keep them safe and well.

What will you be doing, my fellow Bahamians going forward?

Unless and until there is a better explanation about All of the properties of any vaccine and a better public educational relations programme I, for one, Will Not be receiving what is now available. Several nations around the world have rejected the purported safety of the AstraZeneca vaccination partially or outright. Apparently we do not now have access to the other vaccines that have been “approved” by other manufacturers. The FNM administration has indicated that “more dosages’’ are on the way.

One member of the medical task force, Dr Dellon Brennen, has indicated that we might not receive enough dosages of any vaccine until 2022! How many Bahamians and residents could/will die while we are awaiting these? Who will decide who will have access to the limited supplies on hand? A Death

Commission? Are the raw data and test results on the humans clinically tested available to the general public? If so, how may they be accessed?

And so, as it stands right now I Do Not Recommend that anyone who values his/ her life to be injected with what could be a “dubious” vaccination, at this time. I fully appreciate and understand that the nation must return to a sense of normalcy as soon as possible BUT at what cost? Will the available vaccine lead to more COVID-19 related deaths than the actual pandemic itself?

While the jury, so to speak, is still out on the efficiency and safety of the available vaccines, I, too, will trust in The Lord Jesus Christ to protect and sustain me. To God then, the Great Physician, in all things, be the glory.

Jr

ORTLAND H BODIE Nassau, March 16, 2021.

Travel trouble EDITOR, The Tribune.

LIKE the rest of the world, I have grown COVID weary with lockdowns, travel restrictions, and curfews. I miss hugging my family and shaking hands when I meet someone. After a year of seeing Bay Street deserted, the novelty of being able to park downtown is wearing off and I’m looking forward to seeing more tourists. In the face of an uncertain job market, homeschooling, and curfews Bahamians push on with stoic optimism.

I will admit that I did not take the summer travel restrictions gracefully.

When the airports closed in July 2020 I was bitter, but when food stores closed a couple of weeks later I was outraged. I hadn’t signed up to live under martial law and felt that the government had overreached.

Last summer, I endured travel visas, charter flights, COVID-19 PCR testing, and quarantining with significant resentment and frustration. I was downright angry with how restrictive the Bahamian government was.

Yet, in recent months I’ve had to eat some humble pie as the COVID numbers in the Bahamas continue to

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net stay low and the bold action taken by the government in the summer is paying off.

Unlike Germany, Brazil, and India whose numbers continue to surge, the Bahamas has the data to justify the removal of the 14-day quarantine for travellers. After a tough year of waiting, the nation can slowly open for tourism and get the economy going again without a dramatic spike in COVID numbers.

Contrast that with the new travel restrictions in Canada. Starting in February, travellers are required to take a COVID-19 molecule test at the border to gain entry into Canada.

You are also required to download the ArriveCAN app so your location can be tracked as part of your 14-day quarantine.

If you fly into Canada you are required to pay up to $3,000 for a mandatory three-day quarantine at a government-authorized hotel while you wait for your test results. If you test positive you go to a government facility rather than finishing your quarantine at home with another COVID-19 test on day 10.

Breaking quarantine or isolation results in a fine of up to $750,000 or up to 6 months in prison. In addition to government regulations, Air Canada and Westjet are refusing to fly to “sun destinations” but the COVID numbers in Canada continue to rise with a spike in January and another in March.

For many years, my husband has patiently listened to me extol the virtues of my Canadian homeland.

However, in this case, hands down the Bahamian government instituted more effective travel restrictions that were timely and effective to curb the spread of COVID. The response of the Canadian government is too late and largely ineffective in slowing the rising numbers in Canada. Residents and citizens returning to Canada face the significant financial burden of a hotel stay, which seems like an unnecessary addition to the 14-day quarantine that is already in place. Canadians could learn a thing or two from Bahamians when it comes to compliance with government mandates and how to set effective travel restrictions.

A FREQUENT TRAVELLER April 6, 2021

Tourism figures EDITOR, The Tribune.

WE have visited The Bahamas for fifty years and our family has owned a holiday property for a long time.

Regularly following The Tribune we keep in touch with the Bahamas news.

I was struck by the comments today of your Tourism Minister that he is encouraged by an increase in tourist numbers. The fact remains that March saw a 92% decline from the previous March. In March last year the numbers had declined rapidly because the borders were closed and flights ceased. This is a very serious situation.

The imposition of unworkable entry rules and the unnecessary Health Visa have meant many persons who would have travelled simply cannot make the journey. Over many months there have been well written and well meaning letters

sent to The Tribune by part time residents, regular visitors and concerned travel agents. The Minister has failed to make any concessions, but has added further restrictions. We are seeing the results. The important tourism industry has basically collapsed.

Little thought seems to have been made to how prospective visitors could comply with the rules. Our family members have not been able to come to our property for over a year.

We have had problems getting appointments for the COVID-19 PCR test because we are healthy and a low priority. We would have a 90 minute car journey to get to a place who would test us for a $250 fee but wait two to three days for results. Then sending all the forms to Nassau for the Health Visa takes time and even finding a flight these days is difficult. There are so few. We cannot get there

within five days from the test. How many officials who designed these rules have ever tried to go through this time consuming process?

We have a reason to come.

The great majority of prospective visitors do not have the time or are unwilling to complete the process and are going elsewhere according to our travel agent.

How will The Bahamas ever recover if policies are implemented which discourage tourism rather than encourage it? If cruises do return they will be subject to even more restrictions.

It is not a good business model. I felt compelled to write out of concern because our family has always held the Bahamian people in the highest regard. We only want the country to prosper.

JOHN D LANCASTER Princeton, New Jersey, USA April 6, 2021.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 7, 2021, PAGE 7

Reverend spends night in custody after libel accusation

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A REVEREND who was accused of making offensive allegations against Police Commissioner Paul Rolle in a Facebook video that has now gone viral was yesterday charged with intentional libel.

Julian Johnson appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt after he was accused of last month recording and posting a video on Facebook accusing Commissioner Rolle of sexually assaulting female officers on the force in an attempt to defame him.

Last week, the Royal Bahamas Police Force released a statement saying the reverend “surrendered himself” to the Criminal Investigation Department and had been arrested in reference to the “defaming” video.

During his hearing, Johnson denied the allegation.

However, before the issue of bail could be determined, the prosecution requested an adjournment to consider its position on the matter.

In response, Johnson’s attorney, Jomo Campbell, told the magistrate there was no basis for the refusal of bail at this time. He also argued its deferral would

result in his client being remanded in the interim.

After listening to arguments from both sides, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said she found the request of the Crown reasonable.

She also said she did not want to set a precedent where they would have to be “hurried” to make a decision.

She adjourned Johnson’s bail hearing to be heard before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes this morning.

As a result, he spent one night in custody to give the prosecution an opportunity to review the facts of his case before addressing the issue of bail.

APOSTLE Julian Johnson outside court yesterday.

Photo: Racardo Thomas

TWO ACCUSED OF SEPARATE MURDERS

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN and a teenager were yesterday charged in Magistrates Court with murder in connection with two separate incidents.

In the most recent case, Zencil Rolle, 23, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with the shooting death of Charles Williams on March 27.

Shortly before 8am that day, police were alerted to gunshots emanating from Gibbs Corner. When officers arrived, they were directed to a residence where they found a man’s body.

During his arraignment yesterday, Rolle was not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to May 28 for service of a

ZENCIL ROLLE, left, and Daquannte Brown. voluntary bill of indictment.

Rolle was denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Meanwhile, 19-yearold Daquannte Brown appeared before Magistrate Forbes after he was accused of murdering Carrieo Duncombe on March 25.

Police said around 11pm that night, a man was walking in the Fox Hill area when he was approached by

two males who came from nearby bushes and shot him before fleeing the scene.

The victim was transported to hospital but later died.

Brown was not required to enter a plea. He was denied bail and remanded into custody until May 28 when he will return to court to be presented with a voluntary bill of indictment.

Both Rolle and Brown have a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

WOMAN SAYS SHE PAID FOR TEST

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

AN attorney representing a woman accused of using forged test results in an attempt to travel to Abaco last week said she paid for what she thought was a legitimate test from fraudsters purporting to operate a mobile unit connected to a hospital.

Margo Dean was one of several people who appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt yesterday after she was accused of using forged test results to travel to Abaco on April 2.

After she denied the allegations, her attorney, Jomo Campbell, told the magistrate his client was not aware the test she presented to officials at the airport was fake.

He said there were people purporting to operate out of a mobile unit of Doctors Hospital who were administering the tests and charging people for them.

Campbell said although his client did a nasal swab test she paid for, the results she received back were not real.

As a result, the prosecution sought an adjournment to review the facts of the case.

Dean returns to court on April 27.

In a separate matter, an Andros man who admitted trying to use falsified COVID-19 test results to return home must pay $5,000 to avoid spending six months behind bars.

Creswell Neely, 28, pleaded guilty to presenting a forged Premiere Clinic RT-PCR COVID-19 test to a COVID ambassador at the airport on April 2 when he also appeared before Chief Magistrate FergusonPratt yesterday.

The court heard when Neely showed the fake test to the official, she suspected that it was fraudulent and reported the matter to police. Neely was then taken into custody while his test was submitted to Premiere Clinic’s laboratory for its authenticity to be validated. The prosecution said the medical facility later informed police that the test had not been issued from them. Neely was subsequently charged.

During the hearing, Neely asked the magistrate to be merciful. He said he was trying to return home but because he was unemployed, he made a “bad decision based on his circumstances”.

In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said when a person did wrong it could never be justified. She also told Neely the court was appalled by his actions and said his reckless and careless acts could have put people’s health in jeopardy.

As a result, she fined him $2,500 for having the fake test and another $2,500 for uttering it. She said if he failed to pay the fines by Friday, he would be sentenced to six months in prison.

She said the court was taking a more severe approach because it had seen an escalation of these cases in recent times.

Meanwhile, Edisha Adderley, 29, was also fined $5,000 after she tried to use a fake test to travel to Freeport over the holiday weekend.

After pleading guilty to the offences, she told the magistrate she was living in Nassau but the rest of her family resided in Grand Bahama.

She said she tried to use the fraudulent results to travel to the island to surprise her parents for her birthday.

Several people also faced charges last week over fake COVID tests which they tried to use to travel domestically.

COUPLE ARRESTED AFTER GUN FIND

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A FREEPORT couple was arrested for possession of a firearm and ammunition yesterday.

Superintendent of the Police Terecita Pinder reported that the arrest was made shortly after 2am on Tuesday by officers of Northeastern Division and Rapid Response Unit.

Officers, acting on information, executed a search warrant at a residence on Cromwell Drive, where a black Smith and Wesson .40 pistol with six live rounds of .40 ammunition and one .40 hollowed tip ammunition were found hidden in a bedroom.

As a result, a man and a woman who reside in the

residence was arrested and taken into police custody.

Police also discovered a firearm and ammunition in the Williams Town’s area on Easter Monday.

Supt Pinder reported that officers of the Drug Enforcement Unit were on mobile patrol shortly after 9pm when they observed a group of men congregating in the area of the public rest rooms.

She said the men looked into the direction of the police vehicle and quickly dispersed. Officers searched the area where the young men were and discovered on the western side of the building, inside a concrete water metre box, a black .380 Glock pistol with four unfired hollow tip ammunition.

No arrest was made in connection with the matter.

In a another matter, a Freeport man was arrested after police searched a residence and found suspected marijuana.

According to reports, officers of the Flying Squad, acting on information, went to a residence on Drake Avenue on Monday shortly before 5pm to execute a search warrant.

Supt Pinder said the male resident attempted to flee but was caught by officers.

The male suspect was searched by officers who allegedly found a plastic bag, containing suspected marijuana and cash. Officers then searched the home and discovered in a bedroom a quantity of suspected marijuana hidden in the air mattress.

As a result, the man was arrested and taken into police custody.

BRANDON MILLER, left, and Johnnie Emil outside court. Photos: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

TWO ACCUSED OVER $3M COCAINE HAUL

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were arraigned in a Magistrate’s Court yesterday in connection with the recent seizure of more than $3m worth of cocaine which was recovered by officers during a drug bust in Eleuthera last week.

Police said Brandon Miller, 28, was found in Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera with a quantity of cocaine they accused him of importing into the country on March 29.

They further alleged Miller, along with Johnnie Emil, 45, conspired to possess and import the “dangerous drugs” into the country, with the intent to supply sometime between March 22 and 29.

Last week, police said they received intelligence concerning an aircraft inbound to the country with suspected cocaine on board.

As a result, local law enforcement — assisted by the US Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection and the US Drug Enforcement Administration — launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

“Shortly after 12 noon (on March 28) this aircraft landed at (the) Governor’s Harbour, Eleuthera airstrip. As a result, our international partners along with our local law enforcement officers commenced surveillance exercises of the aircraft and the airstrip. Observed leaving the aircraft (were) two individuals,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Solomon Cash told reporters at the time.

“They were searched, however, nothing (was) found in their possession.

That operation continued on into the night. As the surveillance team and a search team continued their operation at the airstrip, sometime this morning

at 9am, that surveillance team and the operational search team recovered from the airstrip some six multi-coloured bags each containing a large quantity of suspected cocaine. I can tell you when we completed the count it was 155 packages with the street value of $3.1m.”

When Miller and Emil appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Andrew Forbes yesterday, they both denied the allegations and their case was adjourned to September 1 for trial.

Miller was granted $10,000 bail. However, the prosecution objected to bail for Emil since the Rock Sound native had been convicted of a similar offence in 2019.

As a result, Magistrate Forbes told the prosecution and Emil’s defence counsel to prepare affidavits so that he could review their arguments formally.

He said he will determine the issue of bail for Emil on April 12.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

CHILDREN returning to school after the resumption of in-person learning - but are we doing enough to ensure they can get to and from school safely?

Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

It’s everyone’s job to keep our children safe APRIL is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and, in recent weeks, there have been several reports of men attempting to assault school-age girls. There has been the usual outrage. It is horrifying to know these predators are on the loose, targeting children. If not for the vigilance and intervention of others, more children would be victims of sexual assault.

We must remember, however, that there are children who have not been protected and may or may not have reported their experiences of sexual violence.

Whether or not children are safe depends on regular citizens. It depends on us doing our jobs as security officers and government officials, having a sense of community responsibility as we drive and walk, and participating in conversations in private and public spaces.

When stories of sexual predators and the wouldbe victims come to the fore, attention often shifts from the perpetrator and the systems that allow sexual crime to proliferate to the victims and people close to them.

In the case of children, blame is assigned to parents. People ask why they are letting their children walk to and from school alone, suggesting that parents are putting their children at risk by sending them to school. Ideally, all children would be accompanied by adults. No one would prey upon children.

They would be able to safely travel to and from school, with or without their parents.

We do not live in this

By Alicia Wallace

ideal world. It is not possible for all parents to drive their children, or even walk with them, to school. In this version on the world, parents do not all have cars.

They have jobs. They work shifts. They do not always have family members or friends to rely on for assistance. Children must learn the route to school and how to be alert. Whether or not we believe parents are failing to protect their children and it is their responsibility alone, children are at risk.

It is lazy to assign blame to parents who do not have the resources to ensure their children are supervised at all times, particularly en route to and from school.

By law, all children must be enrolled in and attend school. Still, there are no systems in place to ensure they are safe while in transit, or even while on school property.

There was a recent report of a stranger trying to take a child off campus when the mother saw and interrupted by blowing her car horn and shouting her child’s name.

How did that man get on campus? Is anyone allowed to walk through school gates and engage any child?

If there is a lack of sufficient measures taken on school property, how much worse is it on the outside?

Asked about one of the

incidents affecting a student, Minister of Education Jeff Lloyd said: “Now when you talk about security near the school this happened, as I’m advised some distance away from the school, maybe about 150 to 200 yards, I just don’t know what the ability we have in the Ministry of Education to provide security that far out for our students.”

This is an absurd statement, along with Lloyd referring to the student as a “young woman” when she is a girl. There are clear steps the Ministry of Education should take to protect students.

1.

Extend security beyond school property to cover a prescribed radius within which students walk to get home or catch a bus.

2. Implement a school bus system for children who do not live on or near bus routes.

3. Provide bus vouchers for children whose parents or guardians cannot afford to provide bus fare. The obvious starting point is children on the lunch programme and those impacted

by COVID-19 and related loss of employment.

4. Coordinate walking groups with two or more adults.

5. Teach bystander intervention to administrators, teachers, students, and

parents and guardians. children “on the basis of Abdicating responsibil- capacity by every approity for ensuring the safety priate means” and includes of children is unacceptable financial assistance where and shameful. It is not dif- needed.

Clearly, the Ministry of ficult to develop solutions Education and the Govand implement systems. ernment of The The Bahamas Bahamas are has ratified the ‘It is lazy to for Convention on assign blame responsible ensuring children the Rights of the to parents have access to Child. education, includArticle 3 speaks who do not ing the ability to to the responsibil- have the get to and from ity of public and resources to school safely. private social wel- ensure their We can look to fare institutions, the International children are administrative Labour Organizaauthorities, par- supervised tion’s Convention ents and legal at all times, 190, also known guardians, and as C190, for particularly institutions with an example of regard to the en route to the expansive safety and well- and from thinking and defibeing of children. nitions we need school.’

Article 19 oblito use in order gates the State to to centre the “take all appropriate legis- rights and safety of people lative, administrative, social within systems. Rather and educational measures than narrowly focusing on to protect the children from the workplace as a buildall forms of physical or ing or property, it uses the mental violence, injury or language of “the world abuse, neglect or negligent of work.” This includes treatment, maltreatment the workplace, places or exploitation, including where the worker is paid, sexual abuse”. places where the worker Article 28 speaks to the takes breaks, washing and commitment to make edu- changing facilities, workcation accessible to all related communication,

employer-provided accommodation, and the commute to and from work.

In all of these spaces, workers are protected under the Convention.

Applying this concept to education, we see that students ought to be protected not only on school campuses, but in testing centres, attending classes virtually, on field trips, and while travelling to and from school.

Children are entitled to education. They have a right to safely travel to and from school. Children and their parents reasonably expect safety on and around school campuses.

The government is responsible for the safety of its citizens, including children.

It is the duty of the Ministry of Education to ensure that education is accessible to all children, and that means they are able to get to and from educational institutions safely. As it stands, safety is not assured.

Specific systems can be adopted to ensure that students are not bait for sexual predators. That begins with officials understanding that their responsibility does not begin and end with the ringing of a school bell.

IF YOU’VE GOT THE TIME

AN IMAGE from the Bodies of Water film by Lavado Stubbs.

1. Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Diaz.

This memoir is about growing up in the projects, moving from Puerto Rico to Miami, a family being separated, and Jaquira becoming responsible for her survival and getting into trouble. She wanted love and a family, and she seemed to come close a few times, but it did not quite work out. The memoir jumps around the timeline of her life, but if you can keep up with it, there is an interesting story of a real life that can give the kind of perspective that helps to build empathy.

2. Watch your old favourite television shows.

Many of the television shows being produced now are integrating COVID19 into their storylines, some more smoothly than others. In some shows, it seems to have taken over the plot. Though it is true to life, all of us aren’t interested in consuming entertainment media that so closely mirrors this reality. If you’re not interested in watching COVID-19 affect your favourite television characters who help you to briefly escape our current situation, revisit the oldies.

3. Bodies of Water by Lavado Stubbs.

Produced by Bahamian filmmaker Lavado Stubbs of Conchboy Films for Only One, in under ten minutes, this short film presents the ocean as home, as history, and as mystery.

From the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade to the view from space, experts and practitioners, including Nikita ShielRolle, Christopher Curry, Dr Lester Gittens put the Bahamian ocean in different frames to expand and challenge our thinking about it. Watch it at only. one/watch/bodies-of-water.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, April 7, 2021

THE TRIBUNE

PHILONISE FLOYD, left, the brother of George Floyd and other family members along with Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, take part in a prayer vigil led by the Rev Al Sharpton outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis yesterday where testimony continues in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

Photo: Jim Mone/AP

Chauvin ‘trained to avoid neck pressure’ MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS police are taught to restrain combative suspects with a knee on their back or shoulders if necessary but are told to “stay away from the neck when possible”, a department use-of-force instructor testified Tuesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.

Lt Johnny Mercil became the latest member of the Minneapolis force to take the stand as part of an effort by prosecutors to dismantle the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when he put his knee on George Floyd’s neck last May. Several experienced officers, including the police chief himself, have testified that Floyd should not have been kept pinned to the pavement for close to 9 1/2 minutes by prosecutors’ reckoning as the Black man lay face-down, his hands cuffed behind his back.

According to testimony and records submitted Tuesday, Chauvin took a 40-hour course in 2016 on how to recognise people in crisis — including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use — and how to use de-escalation techniques to calm them down.

Sgt Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of crisis-intervention training, said officers are taught to “slow things down and re-evaluate and reassess”.

Records show Chauvin also underwent training in the use of force in 2018.

Mercil said those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life is a cornerstone of departmental policy and that officers must use the least amount of force required to get a

suspect to comply.

Under cross-examination

by Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson, Mercil testified that officers are trained to use their knee across a person’s back or shoulder and employ their body weight to maintain control.

But Mercil added: “We tell officers to stay away from the neck when possible.”

Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer “did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career,” and he has suggested that the illegal drugs in Floyd’s system and his underlying health conditions are what killed him, not Chauvin’s knee.

In fact, Nelson sought to point out moments in the video footage when he said Chauvin’s knee did not appear to be on Floyd’s neck.

Nelson showed Mercil several images taken from officers’ body-camera videos, asking after each one whether it showed Chauvin’s knee appearing to rest more on Floyd’s back, shoulder or shoulder blades than directly on Floyd’s neck. Mercil often agreed.

Nelson acknowledged the images were difficult to make out. They were taken at different moments during Floyd’s arrest, starting about four minutes after he was first pinned to the ground, according to time stamps on the images.

In other testimony, Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution use-of-force expert, said officers were justified in using force while Floyd was resisting their efforts to put him in a squad car. But once he was on the ground and stopped resisting, “at that point the officers… should have slowed down

or stopped their force as well”.

Stiger said that after reviewing video of the arrest, “my opinion was that the force was excessive”.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. Floyd, 46, was arrested outside a neighborhood market after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. A panicky-sounding Floyd writhed and claimed to be claustrophobic as police tried to put him in the squad car.

Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled at Chauvin to get off him sparked protests around the US that descended into violence in some cases.

Instead of closing ranks to protect a fellow officer behind what has been dubbed the “blue wall of silence,” some of the most experienced members of the Minneapolis force have taken the stand to openly condemn Chauvin’s actions as excessive.

Chauvin had been certified to perform CPR, and Minneapolis Officer Nicole Mackenzie, who trains members of the force in medical care, testified Tuesday that department policy required him to start aid before paramedics arrived, if possible.

Officers kept restraining Floyd — with Chauvin kneeling on his neck, another kneeling on Floyd’s back and a third holding his feet — until the ambulance got there, even after he became unresponsive, according to testimony and video footage.

The officers also rebuffed offers of help from an offduty Minneapolis firefighter who wanted to administer aid or tell officers how to do it.

WAS KNEE ON NECK AUTHORISED? A CRITICAL factor for jurors to consider at a former Minneapolis police officer’s trial in George Floyd’s death is whether he violated policy on neck restraints when he knelt on Floyd’s neck.

The Minneapolis Police Department banned all forms of neck restraints and chokeholds weeks after Floyd’s death, but at the time of his May 25 arrest by Derek Chauvin and other officers, certain neck restraints were permitted — provided certain guidelines and conditions were followed.

What neck restraints did Minneapolist police authorise?

The policy, in place for at least eight years at the time, divided permissible neck restraints into two categories, according to testimony by city police chief Medaria Arradondo.

Neck restraints were defined in the policy as a “non-deadly force option”.

One, a “conscious neck restraint”, was for light pressure applied to the neck to help control a person without rendering unconsciousness.

The other was an “unconscious neck restraint”, in which officers could use their arms or legs to knock out a person by pressing carotid arteries on either side of the neck, blocking blood flow to the brain. The policy called for it to be used only for a person “exhibiting active aggression” or actively resisting.

Police guidelines also instructed officers, at the first possible opportunity, to turn people on their

position and to frequent department training on the importance of moving someone as quickly as possible into a recovery position. The photo included in Nelson’s filing included text that read: “Place the subject in the recovery position to alleviate positional asphyxia.”

sides once handcuffed and under control to avoid “positional asphyxia”.

Training manuals also instructed officers to be attentive to whether a suspect was having difficulty breathing. Chauvin and the other officers never turned Floyd on his side, even as he said he couldn’t breathe 27 times before his body went limp.

What do attorneys say?

Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson, in a pretrial filing, said Chauvin followed policy and “did exactly as he was trained to do”.

The filing included a photo in department training materials of a trainer with a knee on the neck of an instructor.

Prosecutors have already put supervisory officers on the stand to testify that, even if Chauvin pinning Floyd with his knee fell within policy, doing so for 9 minutes, 29 seconds did not. In their pretrial filing, they said Chauvin and two other officers held their positions for four minutes after Floyd lost consciousness — and two minutes beyond when he no longer had a pulse.

Witnesses also testified to the danger of Floyd’s

Which type of restraint was Chauvin trying to perform?

That’s unclear. Donald Williams, a former mixed martial arts fighter who saw Chauvin restraining Floyd, testified he believed Chauvin was attempting what he knows as a blood choke — a permitted move in competitions in which carotid arteries are pressed for no more than 10 seconds to render an opponent unconscious.

The police chief testified he believed Chauvin was attempting a conscious neck retraint but held it far longer than allowed.

How much pressure was Chauvin applying?

That’s also in dispute.

One witness testified she saw Chauvin lift his right leg at one point, shifting his full weight onto Floyd’s neck with his left leg. Another said Chauvin never eased up, either by putting a hand on the ground or leaning on a squad car next to him.

Nelson said a medical examiner found no bruising of Floyd’s neck or any injury to neck structures.

Nelson has also made clear he will argue that Floyd died because of drugs he had taken, not because of Chauvin’s actions.

BIDEN MOVES UP DEADLINE FOR ALL ADULTS TO HAVE VACCINE ACCESS WASHINGTON Associated Press

PRESIDENT Joe Biden announced yesterday that he’s bumping up his deadline by two weeks for states to make all adults in the US eligible for coronavirus vaccines. But even as he expressed optimism about the pace of vaccinations, he warned Americans that the nation is not yet out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic.

“Let me be deadly

earnest with you: We aren’t at the finish line. We still have a lot of work to do.

We’re still in a life and death race against this virus,” Biden said in remarks at the White House.

The president warned that “new variants of the virus are spreading and they’re moving quickly.

Cases are going back up, hospitalisations are no longer declining”.

He added that “the pandemic remains dangerous”, and encouraged Americans

to continue to wash their hands, socially distance and wear masks.

Biden added that while his administration is on schedule to meet his new goal of distributing 200 million doses of the vaccine during his first 100 days, it will still take time for enough Americans to get vaccinated to slow the spread of the virus.

But he expressed hope that his Tuesday announcement, that every adult will be eligible by April 19 to

sign up and get in a virtual line to be vaccinated, will help expand access and distribution of the vaccine. Some states already had begun moving up their deadlines from the original May 1 goal.

“No more confusing rules. No more confusing restrictions,” Biden said.

Biden made the announcement after visiting a COVID-19 vaccination site at Immanuel Chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. During

his visit, he thanked everyone for administering the shots and for showing up to receive them.

“That’s the way to beat this,” Biden said. “Get the vaccination when you can.”

The president also said no one should fear mutations of the coronavirus that are showing up in the US after being discovered in other countries. He acknowledged that the new strains are more virulent and more dangerous, but said “the vaccines work on

all of them”.

Biden also announced that 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been shot into arms since his inauguration on January 20. That puts the president well on track to meet his new goal of 200 million shots administered by his 100th day in office on April 30.

Biden’s original goal had been 100 million shots by the end of his first 100 days, but that number was reached in March.