04202020 NEWS

MONDAY 20 Pc McNuggets $7 + VAT i’m lovin’ it!

The Tribune Established 1903

24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

HIGH 89ºF LOW 77ºF

Biggest And Best!

HO US E & 12

VOLUME:117 No.101, APRIL 20TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

PAGES

HOME

INSIGHT: ABANDONING TOURISM A FOOL’S ERRAND PM condemns wealthy owners who rushed to lay off staff

Where’s your heart ... your compassion ... your soul?

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Minnis makes passionate plea to business community

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis criticised wealthy business owners who have laid off longterm staff due to the COVID-19 economic fall out, questioning if they have a heart or soul.

In his first public passionate plea to the business community

yesterday, the prime minister said he was disappointed that companies had been laying off workers who made them wealthy despite employees’ loyalty. Such actions he said were taking “advantage of” the workforce.

“I want to make a very strong plea to business owners who are in a strong financial position to do so, to hold off from laying off employees for as long as

possible,” Dr Minnis said during a nationally televised press conference. “Such generosity of spirit will make a tremendous difference at this time.”

He later voiced disappointment in the wave of layoffs that have come during the pandemic. “I am extremely disappointed when I see Bahamian companies laying SEE PAGE THREE

PMH WARD CLOSED BY POSITIVE TEST POLICE SAT IDLE AS BAR SOLD LIQUOR A WARD at Princess Margaret Hospital has been closed to the public and will be sanitised after a patient there tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.

According to the Public Hospitals Authority, a patient in Medical

Surgical Ward II tested positive for the highly contagious disease.

As a result, PMH has implemented the following measures: there will be no further admissions to the ward in question until further notice; all remaining patients on the

ward have been tested for COVID-19; contact tracing has begun for people who were previously discharged from the ward by the Ministry of Health’s Disease Surveillance Unit; and PHA has begun SEE PAGE TWO

RESIDENTS bought alcohol from the Made Men Sporting Bar last week under the watchful gaze of a suspected rogue police officer despite Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ order that such establishments close during the COVID-19

crisis. Patrons included men and women from diverse age groups, many of whom The Tribune witnessed when conducting an investigation at the Faith Avenue North bar on Friday.

The doorman was happy to sell a Tribune reporter a

half-dozen beers for $30 without asking any questions. The waiting time for the service was about 15 minutes.

Within hours of this newspaper’s visit, videos of the brazen SEE PAGE THREE

US CALL TO HALT BAHAMIAN OIL

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than a dozen US Congress members have voiced opposition to offshore drilling in Bahamian waters, and have asked the US State Department to urge the Bahamian government to stop plans for offshore drilling in the country.

The 16 US Congressmen and women noted their reservations about the planned

US Charge d’Affaires Stephanie Bowers drilling by Bahamas Petroleum Company in a letter dated April 17, sent to US

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Charge d’Affaires Stephanie Bowers.

“The United States cannot afford another Deepwater Horizon disaster,” the letter read.

“This bipartisan group of members respects the sovereignty of the Bahamas, but a spill in Bahamian waters could bring ruin to both of our countries’ shorelines.

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE SEVEN

TRIBUTE REMEMBERING KINGSLEY POITIER, FORMER MR WORLD

SEE PAGE SEVEN

PAGE 2, Monday, April 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

A Private Funeral Service For

MICHELLE PATRICE BUTLER, 59 of Sheila’s Court, Sandilands Village will be held on Friday April 24th, 2020. at the graveside St. Anslem Catholic Church Cemetery, Fox Hill Road.

Officiating will be Fr. Noel Clarke and Deacon Ricardo Demeritte.

In compliance with current Government regulations, attendance is limited to ten (10) family members.

Left to cherish her fond memories are her Husband: Anthony Joseph Butler; Children: Anthia Ja-Nae, Anthony Jamaal, Ashley Jade and Ashton Jyles Butler; Sisters: Doreen Rolle (Salu Lobo); Bernadette Rolle-Major; Thomasine “Ida” Wilson; Deborah Dillet (Foster); Pauline Dawkins (Eric); Dr. Bridgette and Dr. Sophia Rolle; Brothers: Theodore Rolle; Lendevenchi “Lenny” Rolle; In-Laws: Dayrrl Butler (Marva); Emily Lockhart (Milford); Christine Butler; Jerry Butler (Georgette); Louis Butler Jr. (Angela); Aunts: Elder Delores Davis-Knowles; Theresa Sampson; Patricia Nixon; Beverley Evans; Uncles: Bishop Frederick Newchurch (Maryann); Kenneth Herrious Sr.; Wendell and Alvin Johnson; Nieces: Asia Rolle; Avrey Wilson; Krystal and Keri Dillet; Holli and Paige Dawkins; Eboni Adderley; Kazia and Kristen Rolle; Kiyata Branker; Dawn Butler; Darlene Thompson; Alyssa Butler; Kristen Bunch; Asia Butler; Antonia Ferguson; Nephews: Blair Major; Kyle Dillet; Asean Wilson; Eric Dawkins Jr.; Sy Laroda; Dane, Marc (Christy) and Dayrrl “Dale” Butler Jr.; Emile and Elwin Lockhart; Jerry Butler Jr.; Jamal Miller and Alexander Butler; Cousins: Bridgette Smith (Glen); Dwight Newchurch of Freeport, Grand Bahama (Yvette), Pastor Audric Newchurch of McDonough, Georgia (Pastor Geraldine), Pastor Da’Niel Marble of Prairie, Mississippi (Rommie), Nicova Jones of Jonesboro, Georgia (Carlton) and Jodie Burrows of Freeport, Grand Bahama; Shane Newchurch (Gaynell); Glenn Herrious of New York; Valerie Curling of New York, Tracey Clemons of Washington DC, Neville and Keith Sampson of New York and California; Barbara Brown (Victor), Phoebe King, Joey, Wendy, Philip, Philippa and Darryl Nixon; Birgitha Moxey (James), Baldwin (Angela) and Brent Evans (Milly); Akema Johnson; Jevon Saunders of Florida (Erin); Rod Johnson of Florida; Kermit, Keith, Della & Ricardo Rolle; Extended Family: Ursil and Jermaine Fritz and Family; Joann Fritz-Creary and Family; Michelle and Daisy Bowleg and family of Nicholl’s Town, Andros; Sandra Olander (Wellington) and family; Beverly Edwards of Atlanta Georgia; Ella Mae Flemming (Clarence) and family of Vero Beach; Nathalie Comas (Ted) and family of Baltimore; Aaron, Chester, Tara and Anjelica Gonzalez of New York; Linda Bain-Miller, Nathalie Bain-Hall, Angela Bain-Rolle, Tyrone Bain of New York, Samuel, Nathaniel, Willie, Gary and Stephanie Bain; Judy Dawkins and family; Cassine Grant-Kinnear and family; Rhodriguez King and family; Ivan King and family; Clarenda King and family; Hubert Ferguson of Deltona Beach, Florida; Wilma Davis-Marshall and Family; Gloria Briggs and Family of New Jersey; Godchildren: Kristy Kemp; Simone Sweeting-Smith; Tariq Kelly; Bernique Pople; Warnika Brown; Jenae Fritz; Whitney Demeritte; Lifelong Friends: Susan Bain and Family; Alma and Everette Sweeting and Family; Donna Grant and Family; Lambert Longley and Family; Stuart and Allison Kelly and Family; Beverley, Shelly, Karen, Peggy, Perry and Terry Archer; Wayne and Marion Edgecombe and Family; Debbie Williams and Cyndi Williams-Rahming; Kenneth Culmer and Family of Eleuthera; Lisa Sawyer-McCartney; Danny Knowles and Family; Hope Shelly-Ann Sawyer-Ratcliffe and Family; Debra Rolle and Family; Betty Moss and Family; Sandra Gibson and Family; Nicola “Nicki” Dawkins and Family; David and Tonia Maynard and Family; Obi Pindling and Family; Vaughn Albury and Family; Judy Davis and Family; Jay Sargeant and Family; Jackie and Vianney Joannette of Quebec; Michelle and Gary Lightbourne and Family of Tampa; Mark and Robyn Sieron of Jacksonville; Other relatives and friends: Herman and Lillian Perry of Daytona Beach; Carol and Willie Smith of Atlanta; Kim and Mona Barr of Atlanta; Charles (Chucky) Barr of Miami; Barbara Ferguson, Patricia Knowles, Claudine Stubbs (Jerry), Tyrone (Sharon), Deon and Anthony Miller; Godwin and Michelle Cargill and Family, Maria Butler and Family; Hubert and Roxanne Chipman and Family; Joseph and Terez Curry and Family; Clarence Ferguson and family; Essie Ferguson & family; Lydia Ferguson and Family; Marcia and Brian Gibson and Family; Dwight and Jacinta Higgs and Family; Effie Higgs and Family; Kerry Higgs and Family; Veronica Hutchinson and Family; Sheila Knowles and Family; Sheldon Maycock and Family; Yolanda Miller and Family; Edgar and Remilda Moxey and Family; Joy and Michael Smith and Family; Philip and Sharlamae Stubbs and Family; Jerry and Carmelita Treco and Family; Maria Hepburn and Family; Bursil and Deidre Woods and Family; Chavasse Turnquest & Family; Stanton “Ricky” Chea and Family, Wellington and Patrice Chea and Family; Deanza and Edrice Cunningham and Family; Anthony and Dale Woodside and Family, Roscoe Davis and Family of New Jersey; Kathy Davis-Ingraham and Family; David Rose of Jamaica; Alphena Hall of Jamaica; the Adderley family; the Bailey family; the Edgecombe family; the Morrison family; Dr. Ricky Davis (Sophia); Godfrey Eneas; Jonelle Gardiner; Elaine Major; Caroline Saunders; Nickeil Davis and Family; Vanessa Clarke; Cimonne (Larry) Davis and Family; Kelley (Serge) Ntabona and Family; Alexandria Dames and Family; Candace and Garvin Newball and Family; Tavares Clarke; The Sawyer Family; Jenny and Javari Southard; Jeffrey Rodgers Jr.; Trevino “Gizzy” Thompson and Family; Tyrea Palmer and Family; Kyle Munroe and Family; Alicia-Marie Thompson and Family; Anthaya Rolle and Family; Amber and Ariel Weech and Family; Terrell Tinker and Family; Theodore Sweeting Jr. and Family; Deshaun Woods; Bradley Outten and Family; Ashton and Aaron Chandler; the Management and Staff of Family Guardian; the Management and Staff of Fingertips Beauty Salon; the Management and Staff of Rolle’s Auto Parts; The Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations (BAAAs); Algernon Cargill and the Bahamas Swimming Federation (BSF); the Junior Baseball League of Nassau (JBLN); David and Laura Charlton and the Star Trackers Club; the Shell Saxons Superstars; THE Government High School (GHS) Class of 1977; the St. Augustine’s College Classes of 1977, 2003 and 2005; the Bolles School Classes of 2010 and 2014; the Management and Associates of Baha Mar Resort & Casino; the Management and Associates of Rosewood; the Pilot Club of Nassau; Dr. Anita Brown and Family; Dr. Don Deveaux and Dr. Neil Parker and the Management and Staff of Oaktree Medical; Dr. Luis Del Pozo; Dr. Charles Osazuwa and the Management and Staff of Seagrapes Medical Center; Dr. John Rodgers and the Management and Staff of Bahamas Vision Center; the Doctors and Nurses of Doctor’s Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital; The Hon. Hubert Minnis and Family; The Hon. Phillip Brave Davis and Family; The Hon. Fred Mitchell; The Most Reverend Patrick Pinder; Fr. Noel Clarke, Deacon Ricardo Demeritte, Fr. Junior Calixte, the pastoral office of St. Anselm’s Catholic Church and its members and the entire Fox Hill Community. Michelle had so many family members and friends, that we may have inadvertently left your name out, and if so, we do humbly apologize.

There will be a live stream due to current government regulations regarding attendance.

Friends may pay their last respects at Bethel Brothers Morticians & Crematorium, #44 Nassau Street on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WARD CLOSED AFTER POSITIVE TEST from page one exposure assessment for all employees who had direct contact with the confirmed case.

When contacted for comment, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said the situation will have an impact on healthcare delivery at the public hospital.

“We take infection prevention and control seriously,” Dr Sands said.

“COVID-19 has changed life as we know it. It has and will have an impact on healthcare delivery in many ways. . .some of them negative. But we must sanitise the ward and make sure that it is safe.”

He said he does not anticipate ward sanitising to

take more than a day. Officials did not say how many people were on the ward with the COVID-19 patient or how many people had been in contact with the person.

Earlier this month, Doctors Hospital temporarily closed its Collins Avenue facility for cleaning after suspected COVID-19 exposure there.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, April 20, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS from page one off individuals who had worked with them 10, 20 years. “(Employees) who had made them wealthy; who had given them the opportunity to send their children to university both here and abroad; who have given them opportunities for their children to become professionals and leaders in this country; who have given them opportunity to live in lavish homes and have great lives - individuals (and) Bahamians who are from humble beginnings but who have made sacrifices to make fellow Bahamians wealthy and living good.

“Yet after all the sacrifices these Bahamians did, those who have attained wealth have laid off such Bahamians. I ask you, are you humane? Where is your heart? Where is your compassion? Do you have a soul?”

He continued: “Please let’s be humane and

Where is your heart?

PM’s passionate appeal to business community consider those individuals who have made great sacrifices to make you what you are today, but as soon as things get tough you want to retain and hold on to all you’ve got and continue to take advantage of individuals.

“I plead and I ask all Bahamians today, please let us not be human beings but let us be humane. I ask you where is your heart or do you have a heart?”

Massive layoffs have

caused a greater reliance on the National Insurance Board.

As of Friday, NIB processed more than 14,000 unemployment claims, Dr Minnis said. NIB has paid out around $7m in this category, he said, with an additional 5,000 applications being worked on.

NIB has also processed 5,592 self-employment applications, he said, with $1.96m paid out in this category. Collectively, NIB has

processed and approved more than 18,000 applications and paid out just under $9m, he said.

“Payments are still being processed for many additional workers across different employment categories. I can assure you that NIB is using innovative approaches, including working with employers to help to speed up the process,” Dr Minnis said.

“Last week, NIB had to appeal to some employers

– both large and small – to comply with document requests, as this is causing some delay in payments to eligible workers. However, to date, NIB has received a positive response from companies, which is helping to move many more payments along.”

Self-employed workers are not normally eligible for NIB unemployment benefit payments, the prime minister said.

“NIB is an insurance

scheme and the normal rules associated with benefit payments apply. In light of this, NIB is also administering the government’s special unemployment assistance programme for self-employed workers.”

He said this was giving thousands of Bahamians, who ordinarily are not able to claim benefits, paycheck support for an eight-week period.

Editorial View - Page 6

A POLICE car outside a liquor store in an image taken from a video circulating on social media

Police watch on as bar opens to sell alcohol from page one undertaking circulated on social media, prompting newly-appointed Police Commissioner Paul Rolle to announce that an investigation has been launched into the matter.

He said he has no authority to permit any business to sell liquor nor has he sanctioned officers to be on the premises of liquor establishments during the coronavirus crisis.

“I received the

video and I immediately launched an investigation into that,” he said during a press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday. “We have the owner of that premises, he is in my custody and I will be putting him before the court (today).

I’ve also asked the deputy commissioner to look into the allegations against the officer and I will come back to the public and inform the public of my decision.”

When The Tribune turned on to Faith Avenue

on Friday, two police cars were immediately observed: one exited the street for Carmichael Road and the other exited the Made Men Sporting Bar property even as patrons trafficked liquor without disguise.

Another unmarked police car, a white Ford Taurus, was stationed about seven feet from the bar’s door, its tinted windows rolled all the way up and its engine humming.

The Tribune understands the officer at the centre of

the controversy is a police superintendent.

According to well-placed sources, the bar was open for at least a week, during which the unmarked police car was often stationed on the property. Some patrons exited the bar with boxes of alcohol and nothing to disguise their purchase from passerby on the busy street.

As more and more people showed up, a line of about ten formed outside the bar. The doorman, appealing to social distancing, restricted how many

could enter the business at one time. One patron said he deserved to skip the line because he was there earlier that day. He had not tasted a Bud Light since lockdown began, he cried.

Another man wanted answers on how long the bar would remain open.

“I’m trying to keep this open for at least another hour,” said the doorman.

In the House of Assembly last month, Dr Minnis emphasised why he has closed liquor stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Medical personnel feel that at this point in time all resources should be utilised to fight the common enemy that we face and that is COVID. It is not unusual for a lot of resources to be diverted to the emergency room to deal with the effect of alcohol,” he said at the time.

“In addition some have questioned the social implications. Alcohol may relax the mind as they say and relieve the stress…

Alcohol would certainly not relax my mind.”

Shopping restrictions eased for certain key businesses

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has relaxed restrictions for certain businesses, revealing several entities will be allowed to reopen in the capital under certain guidelines.

Meanwhile, the 24-hour curfew resumes today with another lockdown scheduled to begin on Friday at 9pm. While the prime minister said he was “alarmed” at the number of people on the street during the 24-hour curfew this past week, he made the decision to reopen additional New Providence businesses as of today.

These include auto parts stores that will be allowed to operate on Tuesdays from 8am to 5pm; hardware and home stores will be allowed to operate on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8am to 8pm and plant nurseries will be allowed to operate on Mondays and Thursdays, 6am to noon.

Landscaping and property maintenance will now fall under essential

businesses and will be allowed to operate during the 24-hour curfew, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

He said the government has decided to continue the shopping schedule that was implemented last week, meaning the general public may shop from 6am-7pm, Monday to Friday. The first two hours should be reserved for the elderly and disabled, he said, while essential workers will have a designated day on Saturday from 6am-6pm. However, people in these two categories can shop on any day or time, he said.

Despite allowing more businesses to open during the curfew, Dr Minnis said this is not the time to wander aimlessly on the streets, adding every person is now required to carry a government issued ID. The Royal Bahamas Police Force will also strictly enforce the emergency powers orders that continue to be in effect, he said, and anyone found without a valid reason for being outside of their homes will be fined.

He said employers must provide workers who are serving the public with masks and appropriate protective equipment. If not, the employer could face a fine. Store owners may also be fined for allowing customers inside their business without a mask or protective face covering, he added.

Concerning the Family Islands without confirmed cases, the government has not yet made a decision on when tough restrictions will be lifted.

However, to support the gradual and safe re-opening of the economy, Dr Minnis said construction will be allowed to resume on these islands. Where work resumes, he said every worker is required to wear a mask.

Also on Family Islands, hardware, lumber, plumbing and electrical stores that cater to construction will be allowed to open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm.

Asked by The Tribune to explain the rationale for the relaxed measures, Dr Minnis said: “You would note that we have

introduced mandatory ID and the police will be very vigilant. Only those individuals who can show proof for evidence that they are going to work or have a reason to be on the street would be allowed.”

The restrictions were relaxed against the backdrop that officials have not seen the number of projected COVID-19 cases that were previously estimated. Currently the Bahamas has seen 60 cases; health officials had approximated that by the Easter holiday there would have been around 90. Still, the prime minister said that the nation had to continue with strict measures to ensure there is not a huge increase in cases.

“Outside of that those other individuals will be prosecuted, so we will be very very strict. For us to advance we will need Bahamians cooperation.”

Dr Minnis explained that every member of the public must show identification when entering any of the newly opened businesses this week, saying police may stop them at any time.

Also when asked about lifting curfew in the out islands, he said: “You would note that we are releasing everything gradually and we do that because we are advised by the health professionals as to the progression forward. We want to ensure that no cases are being introduced and no cases are being discovered and therefore we are being very vigilant and gradually opening up the family islands with caution.”

Government is also enforcing fines for businesses who do not provide employees with facial masks or allow unmasked customers in their stores.

“Employers must provide their employees who are serving the general public with masks and appropriate protective equipment and measures. If not, the employer could face a fine.

Let me repeat: Employers will face fines if their employees serving the public are not wearing a mask.

“Store owners may also be fined for allowing customers to enter their establishments without a protective face covering. If you do not have a mask, use a scarf, a t-shirt, or cotton cloth that covers the nose and mouth,” he said.

PAGE 4, Monday, April 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

‘TOURISM INDUSTRY WON’T RECOVER UNTIL JUNE 2021’

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

JAMAICA’s former tourism minister projects the tourism industry won’t recover from the COVID-19 crisis until June 2021 and will see 80 percent recovery only by winter of next year.

Damian Crawford’s projections come after the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association reported the industry has experienced “near complete suspension”.

Mr Crawford, in a paper shared with The Tribune, noted that World Travel and Tourism data shows the Bahamas ranks ninth in the world for dependence on

tourism, fifth in terms of what tourism contributes to employment and sixth in terms of tourism’s export contribution.

For the industry to recover, he says potential tourists must first be convinced their own homes are safe.

“Our first bar on the Gantt chart, will therefore be dependent on the estimated end of new cases emerging in the United States, in particular the NY tristate, Canada and Britain,” he said. “The mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, suggests that the peak is expected at the end of April. “Assuming a bell curve and the emergence of the first confirmed case in NY on March

HELPING PEOPLE IN NEED

1, this would indicate that the approximate end date for new cases could be June 30. In addition, it is reasonable to assume that these governments will err on the side of caution and by extension, I do not presume that the State Department will lift the Level 4 travel advisory until at least a month after the last reported case. It is also reasonable to assume that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will likely not give an all-clear until a protracted period of no new cases in all 50 states and Washington DC. This is a reason for great concern for the Caribbean as perceived home safety will likely be attained by

the prospective traveler between June and August 1.”

Perception of healthcare in third world countries will be the second factor indicating when tourism will rebound, something he projects will the Caribbean will start benefiting from by November 1.

The third factor will be people’s travel intent, something influenced by finances, availability of flights, promotion of staycations, the season and prices offered, he said.

“Tourism is perceived as a luxury good. In times of uncertainty, luxury spending is often shelved because consumption is generally replaced by savings,”

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

he said. “It is also likely that all routes will not immediately receive critical mass to fly profitably to all destinations. This is a threat to Caribbean nations who depend on air and sea travel for visitors. Many countries will likely promote staycations as a safer, more patriotic alternative to international vacations. Fourthly, if the winter is harsh, it may just serve as a motivator for the bird tourist to fly south for winter, especially if there are great deals.

Research conducted after 9/11 showed that 64 percent of individuals who expressed a fear of flying, responded that they were willing to purchase extremely discounted tickets.”

‘MY FAITH IN GOD KEEPS MY HEAD ABOVE WATER ’

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A GRAND Bahama mother who is now unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown says things are very tough, but her faith in God is keeping her “head above water.”

Two months before the crisis, the single mother was employed at Freeport Harbour and getting her life back to some normalcy after Hurricane Dorian.

She was displaced from her home which was flooded, and lost her previous job after a small business she had managed for many years was destroyed during the storm.

“I had not worked since Dorian, but I got a job at the harbour two months ago and was trying to get settled into that,” the mother, who asked not to be named, said.

Then came the coronavirus crisis which brought the cruise industry to a halt. With the cruise facility closed, the mother found herself again out of work and having to support her seven-year-old son and a godson who is also now living with her. “This really put a damper in my spirit, but I have faith that things will get better, and I thank God because it is my faith that is keeping my head above water,” she said.

The mother said things are very difficult, and she has turned to the government for help through the national assistance programmes put in place.

She has applied and been approved for food assistance and is still awaiting approval for a National Insurance Board unemployment benefit, and monthly rental assistance.

“I got a voucher for groceries, but was told that my NIB benefit was not ready because my employer had failed to explain the reason for my termination, so they are waiting on that,” she explained. “It is

DOZENS of families on East Street and Kemp Road each received two bulging bags of groceries over the weekend thanks to the nearly $50,000 raised by local group, “The Family Help and Support Foundation.”

The food and water, enough to feed each family for five to seven days, was purchased locally and delivered to an inner city warehouse provided by Wildflower Events and Occasions whose staff voluntarily packed the 250 bags. Kasimu Ellis, of Wildflowers organized this side of operation and distribution to homes.

Founder of “The Family Help and Support Foundation,” Sally Van Tooren and one of the directors, Andrew Law, spearheaded the initiative, raising the money and researching names and addresses of needy and, in some cases, desperate families. Dr David Allen of ‘The Family: People Helping People’ programme which facilitates community help clinics for the inner-city emotionally distressed, supplied the majority of the recipients names.

“This is a community driven humanitarian gesture and a matter of urgency – these are desperate times for a particular economic group and we must all do what we can to alleviate their despair and fear,” said Mrs. Van Tooren. “We will continue to raise money to help were we can.” Obviously, we couldn’t do any this without our generous donors, people who believe in being proactive in their desire to help where needed in the community.”

hard, but I am dealing with it and know God will make a way.”

In the meanwhile, the mother said the shutdown of schools is another area of concern. While homeschooling is going well, she said that her son misses school and interacting with classmates. “Structure is very important and I keep a regular routine; we get up early in the morning and do the things we would normally do on a regular school week,” she said.

She plans to enroll her son in the Ministry of Education’s online education programme, but needs a computer. “The computer I had gotten for him was destroyed in the storm, and so I am in the process of trying to get another one for him,” she said.

She said the national lockdowns and curfew have been very taxing emotionally.

She said being indoors has taken a toll on her because she likes to work, visit with family and friends, keep active, and go to church. “I try to do little things here and there to keep busy,” she said. “As a Christian, I am dealing with that by going on social media to connect with family and friends and to hear the word of God, and my pastor preaches live on Facebook every week,” she said.

On the bright side, she said that the COVID-19 crisis has also allowed her to spend more time with her son. “We play games, read a lot, and watch movies together,” she said.

She is encouraging people who are also going through a difficult time to pray and be strong.

“I am hurting, but we also have to be an encouragement to others. That’s what motivates me to keep pushing. The little I have I try to share with other people. God has kept me, and so there is no need to cry because I know where my help comes,” she said.

CUSTOMERS CONCERNED ABOUT SUSPICIOUS CHARGES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A FOOD delivery company is investigating after several of its customers reported suspicious charges to their credit or debit cards after using the business for grocery purchases due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Island Direct Nassau came under fire this weekend after some customers took to social media, complaining of charges they didn’t make showing up on their bank accounts after the delivery service was used. However, a company representative said an internal investigation found no data breach on their end.

Island Direct marketing representative, Odaz Lightbourne said officials started receiving complaints from several customers on Friday, claiming their cards had been compromised.

Less than 15 customers,

she said, have made complaints of fraudulent activity to the company to date.

After launching an internal investigation into the matter, Ms Lightbourne said officials found there was no breach of security at Island Direct. However, if required, she said officials will turn the matter over to police.

“We did investigations on our end from a security standpoint and we found that on our back-end we did not discover any breaches,” she added.

“However, we did find that persons who reported their cards being compromised, they are all in a particular region and so we do have that report and that information all compiled and we will gladly hand that over to the police and to their banker as well to complete this investigation, because we do want to get to the bottom of this. “…We take every

single customer extremely seriously, but we have thousands of customers that we actually service and hundreds of orders and the breach has affected to date, less than 15 (people).”

The Caribbean company operates in Nassau, Bahamas; Barbados; St Croix and St Thomas, according to its website.

Asked yesterday what may have gone wrong, Ms Lightbourne said she could not say as the matter is still under investigation.

She said: “I don’t want to speculate on what may have went wrong, but again we noticed from our investigations, that the persons that reported the breach were confined to a particular geographical area, so we did find that in our passing. “…We have not had any breaches or issues on the other islands and it’s unfortunate because so far, the Bahamas is one of our smaller territories so it’s a difficult time.”

Adding that officials are committed to resolving the matter and locating the source of the security breach, Ms Lightbourne is urging anyone who may be experiencing issues to directly contact the company.

“We’ll be corresponding with them between today and tomorrow and subsequent follow ups for as high as we need to go - to their banks and also to the police, if it requires to be necessary to get to the bottom of it.”

As to those who feel that they may have been overcharged, Ms Lightbourne explained that the company increased its prices due to hiring more workers to meet large demands by respective customers.

“There were also complaints on our page about charges being slightly different than they were in the past and that’s because we recently had to change slightly the way that our business was actually being

run because of the growth,” she told this newspaper.

“So, prior to now, it was done on a shoestring kind of execution where there were only a few shoppers and pickers and that’s what happened but obviously, as the demand increased, we had to go and increase staffing.

“So, we hired some 120 plus persons locally (and) all Bahamians to add into or workforce into order to go ahead and execute on these orders.”

She continued: “…So, there was quite a bit of shifts that happened all at once in order to compensate for the demand and unfortunately, just like what happened with Amazon recently and them hiring 100,000 persons and having some issues with customers and their delays and deliveries and credit card issues etc, we are just experiencing that on a much smaller scale.”

“Even though the story

went quite viral, the number of persons impacted is actually very miniscule compared to the number of customers that we have and transactions that we have.”

Despite this, Ms Lightbourne said the two-year-old Caribbean company, which operates in several islands in the region, is devoted to providing the best service to its customers.

She added that officials are also looking at other payment options where persons don’t have to use their cards directly.

“I just want to let the customers know that they are our primary concern and their safety and the convenience and the deliverability so that, as much information as we can get from them, it will aid us in resolving this issue and also, we’re looking for talent to help facilitate and make sure the company can thrive the way that they should ,” she told The Tribune.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, April 20, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net OFFICIALS ramped up COVID-19 testing over the weekend, beginning with healthcare workers at tertiary medical facilities in New Providence as they seek to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the country.

This comes as the country reported additional COVID-19 patients yesterday, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 60.

Yesterday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said the expanded testing began with medical professionals who are most vulnerable to contracting the respiratory virus.

“We started with our healthcare providers so we are doing additional testing of healthcare providers who are mostly at our tertiary care institutions - Princess Margaret Hospital and

Testing is ramped up as confirmed cases now 60 Doctors Hospital - who are potentially exposed or known to be exposed to COVID-19 cases,” Dr Brennen said Sunday.

However, he was unable to say how many were tested on the weekend or which vulnerable group will be the focus of testing next.

“That is going to depend on what numbers we get out of this because they are the most vulnerable of our grouping so we need to make sure we address that first.”

The expanded testing will also include contacts of active cases, those in

nursing homes and the prison.

The cases announced yesterday are both men: a 67-year-old New Providence man who is in isolation at home, and a 53-year-old New Providence man who is in hospital. Both cases have no recent history of travel.

Three COVID-19 cases were announced on Saturday.

Those three cases are also all in New Providence and are all women - aged, 22, 37 and 70. All three have no history of travel and each is in isolation at home.

Long lines outside NIB

Up to press time, 11 people had recovered from the virus with 898 in quarantine. Nine people have died from the disease.

Last Thursday, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said nine of the country’s then 54 COVID-19 cases were healthcare workers.

At the time he said: “One of the linchpins of evaluation of COVID-19 is laboratory testing. The World Health Organisation and other leading health institutions support enhanced testing capabilities.

“Consequently, the

Ministry of Health is planning our testing expansion for COVID-19 in at-risk populations such as contacts of active cases, nursing homes, the prison and with health care workers.

Expanded testing is critical for us to have an increased understanding of the pandemic in The Bahamas so we can plan and prepare to protect these vulnerable populations.

“To determine our COVID-19 positive cases and to gauge community spread, it is important to have a sustained testing mechanism.”

PINTARD: WE DON’T EXPECT FOOD SHORTAGES

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIANS outside the National Insurance Board on Friday complained about problems with the service’s online portal. They said their unemployment payments had not been sent to their bank accounts.

At NIB’s headquarters on Baillou Hill Road on Friday, a group huddled together as a worker was calling a list of names of individuals whose cheques were ready. It was for these cheques that many were on the line. A queue extending as far out as the road had already formed before NIB opened.

A man in a folding chair said he has been like a “yo-yo” trying to get his payment. He had been told

to go to SunCash. Security was reportedly strictly enforcing the wearing of masks and were not allowing anyone in the building who did not have one on.

Christopher Paul, a husband and father of three, who had applied online for an unemployment cheque was told that the payment would be sent to his bank account. He had received two notifications by email on April 1 and 4 informing him that his cheque would be ready within one to three business days.

However, he has not seen his first payment in his bank account even though he had given his banking details.

“If that was the 4th they send this, that was the 7th it was supposed to be delivered,” he said. “So this why I’m here today to see why it isn’t in the bank or why

they send the email. I send all the stuff, so you see (the bank details), the account number, all of that -– everything is in here.”

It’s been about a month since the company he worked for closed down.

Although he is using his savings and his children are adults, he still would like some financial assistance so his funds are not depleted.

“I don’t want to rely on my babies or my kids to take care of me. I want to do this on my own,” he said.

If he was not able to walk away with his unemployment cheque, Mr Paul said he may have to speak to management to figure out what is behind the hold up.

“Well, we’ll have to go from there,” the father added. “Ain’t nothing I could do ‘cause I know the

whole system is very slow.

They’ll say one thing and do another thing.”

Ellie Ferguson is in the same predicament trying to collect his unemployment benefits. Mr Ferguson, also a father of three, applied at the end of March and was informed by email that he had been approved. He was expected to receive his second cheque by now but has not seen anything as yet.

“They was suppose to send it to my banking account but that didn’t happen,” he explained.

“Then later on down in April, they send me another email stating they don’t have my banking information and they’ll have to send through SunCash or I’ll have to come to pick it up.

“I don’t think they’re quite ready to deal with it online. It should’ve gone

to e-commerce or e-government some time ago but unfortunately they’re trying to push it through, trying to do it now and it’s not working very well for many Bahamians.”

Adolphus Ellis has had to turn to begging to get by and has scrapped some money to open up a bank account in order to get assistance as he has not been working for the past two months. He has people sending him money and has $1,120 in a Western Union account, but he is unable to access it as he was told at the company they are not processing foreign funds.

He said: “People don’t have no bread, no water in their house, and (to) depend on this national insurance thing... Only God knows when you gonna get something from them.”

EQUALITY BAHAMAS BACKS ANOTHER FIVE CHARGED SUPPORT FOR VULNERABLE WITH CURFEW VIOLATIONS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net EQUALITY Bahamas has led the drafting and endorsement of a global feminist COVID-19 policy agenda that calls for countries to prioritise the needs of people in vulnerable environments, including women, the elderly, disabled, LGBT+, migrants and unhoused people.

Equality Bahamas Director Alicia Wallace sent copies of the manifesto to Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell and Department of Gender and Family Affairs Director Dr Jacinta Higgs.

“We draw attention to the pervasive issue of domestic violence which demands a specific response at all times and now requires a response that addresses the complications caused by broad measures which trap people in homes with abusers and limit opportunities to escape or identify and access support systems,” she wrote. “We call attention to the needs of unhoused people and migrant people for whom specific, responsive systems must be developed and operationalised. There is an overlap between social and economic inequality which, when unaddressed, can lead to abuse of power and criminalisation of vulnerabilities such as poverty. “We call for a review

of current procedures, especially following the arrest of unhoused people for breaking curfew when there is a clear need for emergency housing and increased access to information for all.”

Ms Wallace said it is critical the government adopts policies like delivering food to people unable to leave their homes, collecting gender disaggregated data and gender analysis on the infection and mortality rates and impact of COVID-19 crisis on income and mental health and an expanded free internet access to increase access to online educational platforms.

The government, according to the policy agenda, should provide universal basic income for those with lost wages, develop a comprehensive response to domestic violence and remedy potable water issues in communities and homes while building public community sanitisation stations.

The release of the document was coordinated by the Feminist Alliance for Rights (FAR). The manifesto further calls for a moratorium on evictions over rental and mortgage arrears and financial aid to unhoused people and those with disabilities.

The group wants governments to train law enforcement officers, care workers and social workers to recognise vulnerabilities and make necessary adjustments.

He also said: “We believe that each of these groups are separate and we have the capacity to test all of them simultaneously. So we will target health care workers. We will target persons in assisted living homes. We will target those persons in the prison with a goal of expanding the total number of persons tested on a daily basis over time and ultimately we will get to a point where we believe we will have an even more representative sample of what is going on in our communities.”

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net FIVE men were charged in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday with violating the national curfew and the five-day lockdown recently implemented by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

Vanhessyn Hepburn, 25, appearing before Magistrate Sandradee Gardiner, was charged with curfew violation for being on the road at about 9.45 am on Sunday. Hepburn, who pleaded guilty to the charge, told the court he had left home to pick up his daughter from her mother.

Noting that he should have contacted police as he didn’t have permission to leave his home, Magistrate Gardiner ordered Hepburn to pay $400 or face one month at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BDCS).

James Burrows, 57, also pleaded guilty to violating the lockdown after police found him on Gaulin Avenue around 10.45pm on Saturday. Asked by Magistrate Gardiner about his reason for being on the streets on the night in question, Burrows replied that he was on his way to his niece, who was not feeling well at the time.

He was fined $700 and told that failure to pay the fine would result in two months imprisonment.

Also charged for curfew violations was Laish Ferguson. The 31-year-old was found by police at 1am on Thursday on East Street South and Fox Hill Road. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court that Ferguson told officers that he was dropping off a few items for his daughter.

When given the chance to explain his action, Ferguson told the court that he was carrying medicine to his daughter because she had a fever.

He said he didn’t know that he had to call the Royal Bahamas Police Force hotline number to notify them of his reasons for leaving home.

Ferguson was fined $400 and ordered to make the payment on or before Friday, April 24.

Meanwhile, Jamal Wilkinson, 32, who was found by police on Willow Tree Avenue around 5.10pm on Friday, told officers he was not aware of the curfew and was on his way to his sister to get cooking oil.

After pleading guilty to the charge, Wilkinson was given a $500 fine which he paid the same day.

Next was Jason Smith, 26, who was charged for violating the lockdown after police found him at Malcolm Road at 3.05pm on Sunday.

Prosecutor Thompson told the court that Smith told police that he had left his home to get a cigarette.

He was fined $800.

AGRICULTURE Minister Michael Pintard told the Prime Minister that there was no anticipation of a scarcity of food in the short term despite reported fears in the US of a meat shortage – although he urged Bahamians to look for locally produced goods.

Smithfield Foods Inc, the world’s largest pork processor, shuttered two of its American plants. The company’s Missouri plant closed for two weeks while their Sioux Falls, South Dakota, slaughterhouse’s closure was indefinite.

Mr Pintard told The Tribune that he had a discussion with Caribbean ministries of agriculture and they are aware of some companies that have not been able to harvest because of a shortage of labour or being affected because of the lockdown. However, the minister said country leaders in the region have noted an “excess”.

Mr Pintard said: “Is there disruption in the international market?

Without question. How soon that could mean a serious scarcity for The Bahamas – the purchasers locally don’t foresee that over the next several weeks or so, possibly months and I do not have a reason to disbelieve them but I’m certainly reading enough and talking to ministers of agriculture throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and talking to some of my colleagues across the Atlantic.

“So I’m talking to enough persons that they know they see problems if this matter, if COVID persists, if these lockdowns, where if the curves are not flattened and if this continues into Fall they see a potential problem. I’m underscoring that Bahamians ought not wait and see.

We have to wean ourselves off the addiction of things coming from overseas.”

‘WE’RE AWARE OF RACIST CLAIMS’ IN a press release on Friday the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of an April 15 Eyewitness News clip circulating on social media, reporting that Bahamians in China are “fearful of ongoing racial discrimination”. In the clip there is a voice message supposedly of a Bahamian who is expressing such concerns, said the Ministry.

The Ministry said it had not received any reports from any Bahamian citizen of racial discrimination being perpetrated against them in China. Bahamian officials at The Bahamas Embassy in Beijing said they are in regular contact with Bahamian students and residents in China through telephone and “We Chat”, the Chinese version of What’s App.

PAGE 6, Monday, April 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

C.M.G., M.S., B.A., LL.B. Publisher/Editor 1972-

Published daily Monday to Friday

Shirley & Deveaux Streets, Nassau, Bahamas N3207 TELEPHONES

News & General Information Advertising Manager Circulation Department Nassau fax Freeport, Grand Bahama Freeport fax

(242) 322-1986 (242) 502-2394 (242) 502-2386 (242) 328-2398 (242)-352-6608 (242) 352-9348

WEBSITE, TWITTER & FACEBOOK www.tribune242.com

@tribune242

tribune news network

How business owners can show their patriotism WHERE is your heart? Where is your compassion? Do you have a soul?

These were the words of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday as he turned to business owners who have laid off workers despite having considerable personal wealth.

“I am extremely disappointed when I see Bahamian companies laying off individual who had worked with them 10, 20 years,” he said.

He did not name businesses specifically, but spoke of employees “who had made them wealthy; who had given them the opportunity to send their children to university both here and abroad; who have given them opportunities for their children to become professionals and leaders in this country; who have given them opportunity to live in lavish homes and have great lives… yet after all the sacrifices these Bahamians did, those who have attained wealth have laid off such Bahamians. I ask you, are you humane?”

Businesses in the current environment do face a tough balancing act. Owners must protect the long-term survival of the business – there is little use keeping staff on if it swiftly bankrupts the company and leaves those employees out of work anyway. But those weren’t the businesses the Prime Minister was referring to – it’s not the businesses living from their own pay cheque to pay cheque but the ones who are well established and whose owners have personal wealth to draw upon to assist in this period.

Without doubt, some businesses have been quicker than others to point their staff towards the door, shifting the burden onto the public purse and NIB rather than digging deeper themselves.

Some have been exposed as failing in even their basic duties to pay NIB the contributions that have been deducted from employees’ pay cheques.

But other businesses have shone in the way they have treated their employees.

And now, as there are the first glimmers of more businesses starting to open in a limited fashion, it is the businesses who still have their employees on the payroll that the Prime Minister is calling on to hold the course.

Dr Minnis said he wanted to make a “strong plea to business owners who are in a strong financial position to do so, to hold off from laying off employees for as long as possible”.

Money in people’s pockets does more than just give them enough money for their food and their bills, it keeps the economic wheels turning. That money goes to food stores and delivery companies, to water suppliers, to gas stations and, as things start to open up again, each of the businesses opens its doors in turn. The longer people are able to be kept on payrolls, the quicker the economy overall will start to rebound. The more we can minimise individual losses, the more people will be able to spend when we get back to normal.

Those businesses that watch the bottom line closer than they watch the amount of money they have in reserve may be too quick to act in getting rid of employees. They will also be slower to rebound if they are unable to hire all of those employees back again, having to retrain any replacements they get. Some will even struggle despite that - more than one business has found itself on the wrong side of public opinion with the manner it has treated employees, with some vowing never to use that business again.

As Dr Minnis signalled, however, it is also a matter of honour – of standing by the employees who have been the engine driving the business’ success.

Right now, it is an act of patriotism to keep paying workers. It is an act that not every business can afford, but there are those that can, and if they can do so, they play their own part in aiding the nation.

But we would also add that as well as waving a stick, perhaps the government should remember a carrot. For those businesses who do hold the line, incentives for the future can be an encouragement. The government has offered deferrals and loan facilities, but perhaps there is more to support those who do keep on their staff, from licence breaks to contract priorities when all this is done.

No one is under any illusions that it will take the resumption of the tourism market to lift us back to where we were – but the better functioning our internal business market is at that stage, the sooner we will be able to take advantage of open borders.

There will be an end to this. We will come out the other side. And the better shape we come out of it, the better for The Bahamas.

What timetable?

YESTERDAY’S announcement of three new cases of COVID-19 drew this reaction from Happyfly.

“Dear Doc. Am pretty sure we all signed up for the PM giving himself dictatorial powers so that the nation could rapidly conform to the global cry “flatten the curve”. A month later and there has been zero rush on hospitals and there are ample beds and ventilators available.

Can we celebrate your success and let’s get back to work before our ‘work’ doesn’t exist anymore? I am pretty sure the elected government does not have the mandate to do whatever it wants for all eternity and at some point, we will have to trust that the majority of Bahamians have enough sense to avoid getting infected (all on their ownsome) Therefore, as a public question on behalf of all of the young and healthy people in this country that are forced to stay inside their homes - what is the

official timetable to return to the Westminster system of government now that the rest of the world is winding up their shutdowns.”

Which sparked Well_ mudda_take_sic to say this: “Perhaps a better question for Minnis and Sands (both medical doctors) is when does their current ‘modelling’ for the Bahamas now expect that our hospitals, clinics and morgues will be overwhelmed as a result of the Covid-19 crisis that is being used as the reason for shutting down our country?

So far we’ve only had the food stores and pharmacies greatly overwhelmed causing much strife and inconvenience for everyone, especially our more vulnerable senior citizens and the disabled who have no close family support living with them.”

Then ohdrap4 added: “It is really ridiculous that senior’s shopping hours are 6am to 8am, and in aquapures case 7am to 9am.

There is no public transport. Are seniors supposed to walk at 5 am in the dark to get to the foodstore?” tell_it_like_it_is then came in to add: “Another interesting question I have is about Caribbean countries in general. Most countries in the Caribbean are considered “developing” nations. We don’t have the resources that the “developed” countries such USA and UK have.

But the mortality rate in the Caribbean is much lower than I expected for sure. (The reported cases I understand, because testing is lousy) but I find it interesting that mortality all over the Caribbean is very low.

When it is the developed nations that have the best hospitals, health care, etc.

Yet, the developed world won’t study this, I guess for the mere fact that we are ‘developing nations’?”

My three mistakes EDITOR, The Tribune FROM the time that nation/states emerged the chiefs and leaders have experimented and tinkered with the economic order, often to the detriment of the lower and middle classes. Those at the top of the fabled totem, how apt a reference.....’tote them’ are oftentimes, like right here in The Bahamas, are often allied with the politicians and their suitcase people.......some call them bag men/women; lobbyists and facilitators.

Nothing necessarily sinister or suspect but case in point is the imposition of economic cut backs and the drastic curtailing of the Bahamian economy, almost without purpose and certainly badly designed and ill thought out. While the stated objective is to save lives at what costs to the formal and informal economies? The PM said that he feels the pain and suffering of the average Bahamian.

In his private mind he may very well delude himself into believing that bogus litany but he, in my opinion, is playing to his base, such as it is.

Both the PM and the Minister of Health (has he, the latter, been sidelined as lead spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and the coordinator of the regime’s efforts to combat Covid-19) ? Why is there a Health Consultant operating from within the Office of the Prime Minister on this Corona Virus pandemic and what is she being paid and what are her terms of reference? Where is the vaunted accountability and transparency?

I made three serious political mistakes back in 2017 and I apologize to the good people of this wonderful nation. One, I supported and voted for Marvin Hanlon Dames in Mount Moriah. I thought that he would have made a difference compared to the now mercifully retired Arnold Forbes. He has proven, to me at least, to be worse than Messrs Tommy O.A.T Turnquest; Keod Smith and Forbes combined. I wasted my support and vote.

Second, Dr. Duane Sands once commanded my allegiance and political support up in Elizabeth. I used to believe that he really wanted to serve as opposed to simply getting elected and apparently lording it over the vital Ministry of Health. I should have known better. He was one of the biggest rebels against hapless Minnis a few years ago when he and Loretta sought to do Minnis right in, politically.

Thirdly, my most serious

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net regret is endorsing and supporting Elsworth Johnson up in Yamacraw. I had high hopes for him in public life.

His stance when he was President of The Bahamas Bar Council on matters of public policies was refreshing. I fear, however, that he was merely mouthing good sounding cliches and bogus platitudes. I strongly advocated for his appointment to cabinet. I would have preferred that he would have been appointed Attorney General in place of the current Attorney General.

Alas the PM in his wisdom kept the AG in position and sent Johnson up to Immigration and down to Financial Services.

Mind you, he is/was, by his own admission, a grade school drop out while in Cat Island. Now he holds sway over immigration and a large swath of our economy! Shades of tin gods and iron men!

The FNM has shut down the economy of The Bahamas by the frequent curfews and extended lock downs.

Small and medium sized businesses have been decimated and may have been wiped out forever. Tens of thousands of unwashed Bahamians, through absolutely no fault of their own have now been left behind.

We all understand the necessity to limit interpersonal contact during this pandemic and most of us are able to appreciate that our golden goose, tourism, is now a leaden albatross..

The informal economy; liquor stores; auto parts stores, in the main; mom and pop stores; public transportation and access to health facilities have all been shuttered and forcibly closed down or interrupted by edicts of the regime under the guise of The Emergency Powers Act and the attendant regulations.

There has been no court challenge to these pieces of legislation which were rammed down the throats of legislators after the FNM appointed Governor General invoked the same, no doubt after being consulted/instructed by the PM and his legal advisers, vis-avis the Attorney General, et al. The PLP is in a bind in that it cannot appear to be too critical of the FNM during a so-called national crisis.....By the way, was the PLP consulted by the PM before the promulgation of this draconian and possibly unconstitutional set of laws?

The Bahamian people,

generally, have been subjected to economic and political abuse in my opinion. Over the past month, people have been laid off or furloughed often without pay. NIB is challenged to pay the regular monthly recipients now it has to deal with tens of thousands of other Bahamians. The food banks are operating at maximum levels. There is talk that the civil service will be reduced and that salaries and benefits may also be negatively impacted. The regime says that this is not the case, at this time.

Those older employees who would have been laid off or furloughed may as well kiss regular and certain employment goodbye.

Small and medium sized business which do reopen are likely to do so with severely reduced staff levels and it would be natural for those businesses to take on much younger people who are prepared to work for lower wages and salaries.

The older, former workers, the bulk of the small and middle classes, will find themselves unable to service their mortgages and bank loans if they have no income. Who cares?

The Ministry of Social Services & Urban Renewal is a disgrace in its treatment, spear-headed by Minister Frankie Alfred Campbell (FNM-Southern Shores) of the unwashed masses during this crisis period. Bahamians have been reduced to hustling and begging food! The main governmental offices and outlets are challenged to remain open and service the public. They say they have hot lines, inclusive of the Office of the Prime Minister but it would appear that either they did not pay their telephone bills or the lines have bee swamped with calls. By the way, how and why is it that most ministries and agencies do not have email addresses in this day and age?

The success or failure of the FNM to navigate this pandemic will determine the re-election of that party and at least 85% of its current parliamentary complement. Bahamians, by and large, are not too hard to deal with, but failed policies and politicians have always paid a heavy price at the polls. Christie’s perceived arrogance and out of touch characteristics were the nails in his bronze or solid wooden political coffin. COVID-19 will be that in the FNM’s cloth casket. To God then, in all things, be the glory......

ORTLAND H. BODIE, Jr. Nassau April 18, 2020

from page one “Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, we call on Secretary Pompeo to urge the Bahamian government to reconsider its efforts to green-light dirty offshore oil drilling in a region so full of magnificent ecosystems and so dependent on international tourism.”

The letter added that oil spills do not respect state or national boundaries.

“Since the exploratory drilling proposed for next month is only 150 miles from Florida’s coast, and another licence area is only 50 miles from Miami oil slicks from BPC’s drilling activities could affect any Bahamian island as well as the East Coast of the United States. Oil is toxic to marine life and a spill in Bahamian waters could quickly damage vibrant corals, kill off seagrass beds and coat important mangrove ecosystems, which are important carbon sinks.”

The letter says the Congressmen and women hope these concerns are conveyed to the Bahamian

US call to halt drilling for oil in Bahamian waters government.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill was caused by an April 20, 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig—located in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

It is the largest oil spill in history.

Adding their support to the US officials’ stance on the matter, local activists also called on government officials “to heed” concerns by the American legislators.

In a press statement released yesterday, Waterkeeper Bahamas executive director, Rashema Ingraham said: “The United States is by far the most important trading partner and strategic ally for the Bahamas, and it would be highly irresponsible for our government to ignore their valid concerns.”

Noting the proposal as a “critical threat” to the country’s marine environment, she said the situation could also prove potentially catastrophic for foreign relations with the US. “Oil drilling would endanger the entire east coast of the United States, a nation still feeling the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster a decade ago. Our tourism industry is currently being held hostage by the global COVID-19 pandemic and thousands of Bahamians are out of work,” she continued.

“We must do all we can to preserve our good relationship with the United States as the Bahamas seeks to recover from the grave economic fallout. Now is not the time to anger our closest friends.”

Meanwhile, Save The Bays chairman Joseph Darville added: “Congress members are absolutely justified in heeding the lessons of history. Even under the best possible conditions, oil drilling is extremely hazardous; whereas in the Bahamas, we do not have an adequate regulatory regime to govern this industry, nor the resources to mitigate a massive spill.”

He also called on the government to remember the assistance received by the US government in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

“It is our turn to be good neighbours and reciprocate that generosity of spirit,” he added.

Echoing similar sentiments was executive director of the Bahamas Reef Environment and Educational Foundation,

Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, who noted that the country cannot afford another “massive setback”, having gone through Hurricane Dorian last September and now experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a country dependent on tourism and fisheries, the Bahamas cannot the afford the risk to our country that oil drilling in our waters would pose,” she said.

BPC, which has spent more than a decade on its exploration project, is aiming to drill its first exploratory well by October in waters some 100 miles south-west of Andros, and close to the maritime boundary with Cuba.

The Minnis administration paved the way for the explorer to proceed by recently approving its environmental authorisation.

Noting that the the country is at “a crossroads” over the issue, Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreria told Tribune Business last month that the country had reached the stage where it “needs to know” if BPC’s decade-plus exploration work will translate into the discovery of commercial oil fields below the nation’s seabed.

“We are essentially tourism, financial services and fisheries,” he said.

“The country needs another industry. We have to make a decision. Are we going to find out if it exists in commercial quantities? The real fundamental issue at play here is: Do we have oil? That is the $1bn question everyone wants answered. We have to drill a well to make a final determination.”

Bodybuilder Kingsley Poitier, who won Mr World title, dies at 82

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net KINGSLEY Poitier, the first Bahamian to win the prestigious Mr World bodybuilder title, passed away on Sunday at his home on Dean Street.

Poitier, the husband of Tribune veteran secretary Eloise Poitier and the father of four boys - Kingsley Jr, Ramel, Tanzania and Robert Poitier - and two girls - Insley McKinney and Rekell Brice, was 82.

Inducted into the Bahamas National Hall of Fame in 2003, Poitier, was recognised as the ultimate purveyor of physical intelligence, exhibiting an amazing symmetry of body that stoked the metaphysical pleasure-centres of bodybuilding enthusiasts the world over.

His success on both the local and international stage was due as much to the ingenuity he utilized in his training as it was to his prolific work ethic as he forged the muscles of his body by selectively consuming native Bahamian food stuff.

In addition, he was among those invented a new style of posing which revolutionized the manner in which bodybuilders maneuvered themselves from one pose to another, initiating and then maintaining an openly rhythmic pattern of movement, almost a slow dance, that seemingly fused into a single coordinated whole, all the differing and diverse moves required to exhibit the tonality and degrees of development of one’s various muscle groups. ​ After dominating Mr. Bahamas Bodybuilding Championships as a multiple national champion during the 1960s, Poitier advancing to the international arena during the 1960’s where he became the source of marvel to the outside world, attracting the attention of international competitors and judges, all of whom were so impressed with his physique that they continually quizzed him about his diet and his training regime.

Poitier would go on in generous Bahamian fashion, sharing his trade secrets with all who would listen and learn as he establish himself among the elite bodybuilders of the world in 1962 when he won the Most Muscular Award at the Mr. Universe Contest in New York.

Two yeas later, in 1964, he again won the Most Muscular Award at the Mr. World Championships in Montreal, Canada. These performances broke new ground in Bahamian bodybuilding as they marked the first time that a Bahamian

KINGSLEY Poitier and his wife Eloise has achieved any kind of world title in the sport of bodybuilding.

In 1965 at the Paul Sauve Center in Canada, Poitier won the Mr. World title, becoming the first in a long line of Bahamians who ascended the podium as a world champion bodybuilder. ​ For all these individuals efforts however, it was Poitier who brought rhythmic artistry to posing and thereby it might rightly be claimed that upon his broad shoulders stands all present and future Bahamian bodybuilding champions.

Danny Sumner, the vice president of the Central American and Caribbean and president of the Antilles Bodybuilding Association, was one of the first to offer his condolences to the family of Poitier.

“Kingsley Poitier, is to me and most of the bodybuilders in the 60s and 70s era, as the most prolific name to enter the stage of bodybuilding,” Sumner said. “What Kingsley Poitier in going to Mr. World was unprecedented.

“No one at that time, expected Kingsley Poitier, in coming from the Bahamas, to win the Mr. World title. What made his performance so magnificent was that he was not really a big bodybuilder.”

Recalling the performance, Sumner said Poitier weighted between 180-200 pounds and compared to some of the other noted bodybuilders from his era like Tony Carroll and Glen Wells was outstanding.

“Kingsley worked out in the gym with guys like Cyril Smith, Hubert Wing and Dr. Norman Gay,” Sumner pointed out. “That was the group that worked out together consistently.

“They all used to admire

Kingsley Poitier’s physique.

It was one of the best physiques that I have ever seen as a bodybuilder, not just in Nassau, but in the Caribbean at the time. His physique was awesome.

It was a small stream line waist with good shoulders and his legs were off the chain.”

Sumner said Poitier’s legacy will linger on the hearts and the minds of so many bodybuilders, who followed after him because he put the Bahamas on the map for bodybuilding.

Poitier, according to Sumner, also got to personally meet the two founders of the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB), brothers Joe and Ben Weider. Sumner said whenever he ran into any one of the Canadian brothers, Poitier and Wong were the two names that were revered from the Bahamas.

KINGSLEY Poitier receiving one of his internatiomnal awards

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

by MALCOLM STRACHAN

A

MID the seismic shift taking place in the lives of many Bahamians, there is one question most of us are asking - how long can we endure this?

Certainly, the discomfort of being cooped up in our houses for days on end can drive one to the point of insanity. But, when we go beyond the point of the curve flattening and the virus getting to a point where we can control it, we ought to really consider the new life that may await us.

Though it has been advised in this column and elsewhere that the country needs to innovate and diversify its revenue streams, that thinking is at best, abstract. Not diminishing its importance, we must recognise that today, the country is deprived of much-needed and depended upon revenue.

Last month, as the country was put under a series of lockdowns, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Peter Turnquest said the government lost 70 percent of its revenue – a trend we likely need to get used to for at least the next few months.

Putting hyperbole aside, as far as we can see, that isn’t projected to get any better in the short or medium term. Despite best case scenarios by the IDB depicting the country can regain 50 percent of lost tourism revenue by June, that is just as stated – a best case scenario.

With one of our main tourism markets still in the middle of an intense battle and public health experts sounding alarms that the US may too quickly be getting excited by a “false flattening” of their curve, any expectation that an opening of their economy without widespread testing may be wishful thinking.

Moreover, travel experts aren’t recommending an opening of the US economy would translate into a resurrection economies in countries like The Bahamas either.

In reality, we are at the

Abandoning tourism is a fool’s errand - we just need to reimagine it

LAST month, as the country was put under a series of lockdowns, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest, inset right, said the government lost 70 percent of its revenue mercy of something we’ve never seen before.

Atmosphere Research Group, a strategic research firm specialising in the travel industry, makes a compelling case as to why we may not be able to sing any hoorahs until possibly 2023 – when leisure travellers regain confidence and recoup financial losses allowing them to finally take that dream vacation, which for many, has been more of a nightmare experience with more than 6,000 people still stuck at sea on coronavirus-infected cruise ships.

Nevertheless, as we indulge the idea of greener pastures, ARG states that in the first six to nine months of 2021, groups of “tip-toe travellers” will

likely be the first ones to venture out. If all goes well, we may be able to benefit from a spike in tourism from this group, but for the next year and some, people may likely sit tight until a vaccine becomes available.

While those prospects can certainly be worse, a large composition of our tourist arrivals come by cruise ship, which have been coined as “floating dungeons” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While cruise ship tourists are not known for being big spenders, the reality is that they are still a source of revenue, which we can use every bit of at this time.

However, we, and the ministry of tourism, should be pondering if their business will survive this.

Mathieu Porier, an

epidemiologist and professor at York University in Toronto, says cruise companies suffer from a systemic issue that will likely continue to cause outbreaks on ships to remain prevalent.

Pointing to low wages – in many cases under $5 an hour - to staff responsible for cleaning and sanitization, he posits that there is a great deal of uncalculated risk associated with countries supporting the resumption of cruise travel.

Nonetheless, the topic of the cruise industry’s survival continues to be polarising.

While the advent of the coronavirus’ global spread was highlighted by horrific reports of entire ships at sea with the disease spreading among crew and passengers, there has still been a

40 percent increase in bookings for 2021, according to Cruise Compete, an online travel marketplace. Sure, this may be great for The Bahamas with the industry having accounted for nearly 5.5 million visitors to our shores in 2019 – more than three quarters of the 7.2 million people who visited The Bahamas, marking it a historic year. At the same time, it would be a huge gamble with no vaccine available.

Unfortunately for us, our hands may be forced with the revival of Grand Bahama and the Port of Nassau being linked to cruise developments – which is still a pretty big if, with Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar remaining skittish on

discussing the future of those developments.

Therefore, as we continue to navigate through this crisis, our tourism product has to be reimagined.

The government has to invest heavily in the Family Island experience and make eco-tourism more of a priority. Coming out of this experience, the simplicity of life is likely to become even more valuable with so many of our lives grinding to a halt. Coupling tourism projects with initiatives to promote agriculture and food security may be the way forward.

A complete deviation away from tourism would be a radical and unrealistic shift only resulting in a complete waste of our natural resources. Rather, we ought to be focusing on creating new experiences, and bolstering our efforts to ramp up domestic tourism. If we haven’t learned how fragile our economy is in the wake of this global health pandemic, it would truly be a wasted crisis.

Death Notices for ANTHONY BENEDICT CAREY, 49 of Mandrin Drive, Sans Souci died at Doctors Hospital on Sunday, April 13th, 2020.

He is Survived by his mother: Catherine Carey; father: Anthony Carey; stepmother: Sylvia Ferguson-Carey; one sister: Annastasia CareyFrancis; two brothers: Andre and Dominic; three aunts: Sandra and Stephanie Carey and Sheila Butler Francis; four uncles: Ronald “Tippy” Butler, Vincemt, Neville and Francis Butler and other relatives and friends.

STAFFORD DAVID COAKLEY, 79 of Rosalind Street, Polhemus Gardens, Chippingham, died on Friday, April 3rd, 2020.

He is survived by his wife: Joan Lillian Coakley; four daughters: Kimberly Coakley, Stephanie Coakley-Thomas, Sammarra Coakley and Stacci Curtis née Coakley; one son: Rhawli Coakley; eleven grandchildren: Tanya Murray-McCarroll, Antione Cooper, David and Domonique Oliver, Keisha and Dannielle Curtis, D’Andre, Schae, Saadiq, Sammarra and Gisella Coakley; three sisters: Flora Hanna, Ursula and Catherine Coakley and other relatives and friends.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

C

OVID-19 is destroying the prosperity which several Caribbean countries anticipated at the beginning of 2020.

The growth projections by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for Antigua and Barbuda of 6.5 percent; Dominica 4.9 percent, Dominican Republic, 4.7 percent; Grenada 4 percent; and St Kitts-Nevis 3.5 percent, evaporated overnight as COVID-19 walloped the economies of these countries. By the end of March 2020, it was clear all these economies would shrink significantly by the end of the first quarter of the year, and that the second and third quarters would be no better.

Guyana’s economy was on track to grow by a phenomenal 85.6 percent largely because of production and sales of newly discovered oil and gas resources. That growth is also unlikely to happen now as oil prices plummet amid reduced demands in a world that was largely shut down for weeks in March and April in attempts to curb COVID-19’s spread.

The political situation in Guyana, where results of a March 2 general election are still not final and verified as credible, and the contraction of the economy by the effects of COVID19, make the huge projected growth very unlikely.

The Bahamas was already forecast to have negative growth of 0.6 percent, and Barbados, climbing out of a period of prolonged economic decline, was projected to grow by 1.3 percent. The blows delivered to these economies, from the sudden and complete closure of the tourism industry, have further set back their prospects.

A meeting of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on April 16, rightly looked to the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) to access “assistance to meet the financial challenges arising from the crisis”.

In the harsh reality of significantly reduced revenues and increased emergency costs to prevent and contain the coronavirus, many of these countries will find it extremely difficult to pay pensions and wages of their public service establishments. They all need both an injection of money to help them meet budgetary costs over the next nine months at least, and a suspension of debt service payments to other governments and private lenders from whom they have borrowed.

But it is clear the countries that control the levers of the global economy, including the decisionmaking bodies of the IMF, the WBG, and the Paris Club, have no intention of allowing suspension of debt owed by middle-income and high-income Caribbean countries, even though, the criteria is a false measurement of development and financial capability.

G20 Finance Ministers – the representatives of the world’s richest nations – meeting on April 15, issued a communiqué that was long on words, but short on commitment to deliver on the needs of any but low-income countries. It is almost as if countries are being punished for better policies and economic performance.

The COVID-19

INSIGHT

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 PAGE 9

Prepare for a long haul: The storm is not fully formed pandemic has once again highlighted not only inequality between nations but, more importantly, the damaging consequences of an unjust economic order.

While rich nations will suffer unemployment and economic decline, they have all the resources to recover from these circumstances.

Developing countries – particularly small developing states – don’t.

Globally, there is now the prospect of a serious debt crisis and the Caribbean is engulfed in it. If the problem is not addressed, there will be more than $100 billion in capital outflows from developing economies.

That figure, calculated by reputable organisations, is nearly five times the level from 2008 when a global recession was started by the failures of major US banks.

At the end of the disastrous effects of the pandemic – whatever unpredictable shape that takes – small developing countries, for the most part, will be left poorer, highly-indebted and with little fiscal space, after debt servicing, to return to their growth projections in January 2020. COVID-19 has created a storm much worse than any brutal hurricane the Caribbean has ever suffered.

The G20 leaders said they will do “whatever it takes” to stop companies and households in their countries from taking a heavy loss of income. But despite declaring that “global action, solidarity and international cooperation are more than ever necessary”, they have given no such undertaking to the countries outside their own nations, except to lowincome countries, which, in the Caribbean is Haiti.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on March 30, called for a $2.5 trillion coronavirus package for developing countries.

UNCTAD argued this figure matches the sum of 0.7 percent of their Gross Domestic Product that developed countries had pledged to deliver over the last ten years but didn’t.

Only five of them – all in Europe – fulfilled their undertaking.

UNCTAD detailed the use of the funds in three ways: a $1 trillion liquidity injection - a kind of helicopter money drop for those being left behind; a debt jubilee for distressed economies, including an immediate debt standstill on sovereign debt payments; and a Marshall Plan for health recovery, largely in the form of grants.

CAVES VILLAGE Premium Office Space for Lease 1,056 sq.ft. 4 offices, conference room, reception, kitchenette and bathroom, IT closet. $3,696.00 pm. Inc. CAM + VAT Contact Mr. Matt Pyfrom on 327 1575 or 477-0992 Email: matt@cavesvillage.com

While every developing country should agitate for acceptance of the UNCTAD proposal, it would meet strong resistance from the most powerful nations. Already, the IMF’s board of directors was restrained by the countries with largest voting rights from lending to Venezuela and Iran. Further, the defunding of the World Health Organisation (WHO) by the United States because of its perception that China influenced the organisation over the

pandemic, indicate political considerations and not humanitarian or even financial ones.

What the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated again is that the prevailing policies of the IMF and WBG are unhelpful to the majority of nations of the world, including the Caribbean, that are classified as middle or high income, disregarding the many other factors of their underdevelopment and vulnerabilities. For instance, the IMF/Bank proposals did not address rescheduling or forgiveness of multilateral debt or debt owed to private banks.

Caribbean countries will get loans from the IMF and WBG after going through many hoops, but the process will not be swift, and the conditions will be rough. In these circumstances, Caribbean

NASSAU under lockdown governments, the private sector, political parties, and trade unions need to collaborate on the actions they can jointly take to weather the gathering storm that has not yet fully formed. They also must prepare for a long haul.

The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to

the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own. Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com

PAGE 10 MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, left, and, right Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization.

What Trump’s funding threat to WHO means for the rest of the world

by Adam Kamradt-Scott Associate professor, University of Sydney US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has announced the US is cutting its funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – a decision that will have major implications for the global health response to the coronavirus pandemic. The US contributes more than $400 million to the WHO per year, though it is already $200 million in arrears. It is the organisation’s largest donor and gives about 10 times what China does per year.

Trump has accused the organisation of mishandling and covering up the initial spread of COVID-19 in China, and of generally failing to take a harsher stance toward China.

What will Trump’s decision to cut funding mean for the organisation?

Who are members of the WHO? The WHO was established in 1948 to serve as the directing and coordinating authority in international health. It was created with a mandate to improve the health of the world’s population, and defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

While various civil society, industry and faith-based organisations can observe WHO meetings,

only countries are allowed to become members. Every May, member states attend the World Health Assembly in Geneva to set the WHO’s policy direction, approve the budget and review the organisation’s work.

Currently, there are 194 WHO member states, which means the organisation has one more member state than the United Nations.

How is the WHO funded?

The WHO receives the majority of its funding from two primary sources. The first is membership dues from countries, which are described as “assessed contributions”.

Assessed contributions are calculated based on the gross domestic product and size of population, but they have not increased in real terms since the level of payments was frozen in the 1980s.

The second source of funding is voluntary contributions.

These contributions, provided by governments, philanthropic organisations and private donations, are usually earmarked for specific projects or initiatives, meaning the WHO has less ability to reallocate them in the event of an emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Have countries pulled funding before?

Over more than 70 years of

operations, a number of countries have failed to pay their membership dues on time.

At one point the former Soviet Union announced it was withdrawing from the WHO and refused to pay its membership fees for several years. When it then rejoined in 1955, it argued for a reduction in its back dues, which was approved.

As a result of non-payment of assessed contributions, we have seen several instances where the WHO has been on the verge of bankruptcy. Fortunately, governments have usually acted responsibly and eventually paid back their fees.

does not have the power to force member states to accept a team of WHO experts to conduct an assessment. The country must request WHO assistance.

Nor does the organisation have the power to force a country to share any information. It can only request.

Of course, Trump’s comments also ignore the fact the WHO did eventually send a team of experts to conduct an assessment in midFebruary after finally obtaining Chinese approval. The results from this investigation provided important information about the virus and China’s efforts to halt its spread.

Has there been political criticism of the WHO before?

Does China have increasing influence over the WHO?

Yes. In 2009, the WHO was accused of acting too early in declaring swine flu a pandemic, in part over concerns it had been pressured by pharmaceutical companies.

Five years later, the organisation was accused of acting too late in declaring the West African Ebola outbreak a public health emergency.

Trump has criticised the WHO for not acting quickly enough in sending its experts to assess China’s efforts to contain COVID-19 and call out China’s lack of transparency over its handling of the initial stage of the crisis.

But these criticisms ignore China’s sovereignty. The WHO

Understandably China has grown in power and economic influence since 2003, when thenDirector General Gro Harlem Brundtland publicly criticised it for trying to hide the spread of the SARS virus.

China has also been criticised for blocking Taiwan’s bid to join the organisation. Taiwan has had one of the most robust responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

But China is ultimately just one of the WHO’s 194 member states. And one of the great ironies of Trump’s criticism is that the organisation has been criticised by other member states for decades for being influenced too heavily by the United States.

What happens if the US cuts funding?

If enacted, these funding cuts may cause the WHO to go bankrupt in the middle of a pandemic.

That might mean the WHO has to fire staff, even as they are trying to help low- and middle-income countries save lives.

It will also mean the WHO is less able to coordinate international efforts around issues like vaccine research, procurement of personal protective equipment for health workers and providing technical assistance and experts to help countries fight the pandemic.

More broadly, if the US extends these cuts for other global health initiatives coordinated by the WHO, it will likely cause people in low income countries to lose access to vital medicines and health services. Lives will be lost.

There will also be a cost to the United States’ long-term strategic interests.

For decades, the world has looked to the US to provide leadership on global health issues.

Due to Trump’s attempt to shift blame from his administration’s failures to prepare the US for the arrival of COVID-19, he has now signalled the US is no longer prepared to provide that leadership role.

And one thing we do know is that if nature abhors a vacuum, politics abhors it even more.

theconversation.com

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, April 20, 2020, PAGE 11

POPE DREAMS OF POST-VIRUS WORLD WITH NO INEQUALITIES

MAN POSING AS OFFICER KILLS 16 IN CANADA

ROME Associated Press

POPE Francis is urging the faithful to use the coronavirus pandemic’s “time of trial” to prepare for a future where inequalities are abolished and the poorest are no longer left behind. “This is not some ideology,” Francis said. “It is Christianity.”

Francis travelled a few blocks outside the Vatican walls yesterday to celebrate Mass at a nearby church to mark a special feast day dedicated to mercy. Only a few priests were in the pews given Italy’s strict virus lockdown.

In his homily, Francis said the grave, global toll of the pandemic has reminded the world that there are no borders between those who suffer, no differences in nationalities among those who are struck or spared.

“We are all frail, all equal, all precious,” he said.

“May we be profoundly shaken by what is happening all around us,” he said from the altar of the Santo Spirito church. “The time has come to eliminate inequalities, to heal the injustice that is undermining the health of the entire human family!”

TORONTO Associated Press

TOP: thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims gather to attend the funeral of a popular Islamic preacher, defying a ban on large gatherings; left: People attend evening prayers while maintaining a level of social distancing at a mosque in Karachi, Pakistan; above: People gather during the Utah Business Revival rally in Salt Lake City, which wants Utah’s economy to be re-opened.

Crisis pits economic against health concerns WASHINGTON Associated Press THe global health crisis is taking a nasty political turn with tensions worsening between governments locked down to keep the coronavirus at bay and people yearning to restart stalled economies and forestall fears of a depression.

Protesters worrying about their livelihoods and bucking infringements on their freedom took to the streets in some places. A few countries were acting to ease restrictions, but most of the world remains unified in insisting it’s much too early to take more aggressive steps.

In the United States, there was clear evidence of the mounting pressure.

The Trump administration says parts of the country

are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy.

Yet some state leaders say their response to the pandemic is hindered by a woefully inadequate federal response.

Washington state’s Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, even accused President Donald Trump of encouraging insubordination and “illegal activity” by goading on protesters who flouted shelter-in-place rules.

“To have an American president to encourage people to violate the law, I can’t remember any time during my time in America where we have seen such a thing,” Inslee told ABC’s “This Week.’’ He said it was “dangerous because it can inspire people to ignore things that actually can save their lives.”

Trump supporters in

FAST DECISIONS IN BAY AREA HELPED SLOW VIRUS SPREAD SAN FRANCISO Associated Press

ON THE morning of March 15, as Italy became the epicenter of the global coronavirus pandemic, a half dozen high-ranking California health officials held an emergency conference call to discuss efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The tight-knit group of Bay Area doctors organised the call to discuss a consistent policy on public gatherings for the region’s 7 million people, which then had fewer than 280 cases and just three deaths.

Soon, though, the conversation focused on the potentially catastrophic emergency on their hands and how stay-at-home orders could slow the advance of the virus.

“It was obviously spreading like wildfire under our noses and literally every minute we did not take aggressive action was going to mean more and more death,” said Dr. Scott Morrow, health director for San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco.

The doctors who met that day are members of the Association of Bay Area Health Officers, a group born out of the AIDS epidemic that ravaged San Francisco in the 1980s. By mid-March, group members were alarmed by the spread of the virus. Dr Sara Cody told her peers that

COVID-19 cases were doubling every three days.

A day later, the San Francisco Bay Area became the first place in the nation to order residents to stay home. At least 20 other California counties adopted the Bay Area order within hours. Two days later, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all 40 million Californians to stay home unless they had essential jobs.

It’s impossible to quantify how much those orders helped or truly compare states or countries because of other potential factors such as population density, international travel and the number of tests being conducted in each place.

However, experts in disease control say the Bay Area’s early intervention clearly played a significant role in slowing the speed of infection throughout California.

On March 15, California reported 335 cases and six deaths. As of Sunday morning, the state had confirmed more than 30,800 cases and nearly 1,150 deaths. The slowing rate of infection, at 73 per 100,000 residents as of Friday, and deaths is one one of the reasons Newsom says the state can contemplate reopening businesses.

The area is now reaping the benefit of putting stringent recommendations in place “very, very early,” said Robyn Gershon, a clinical professor of epidemiology at New York University’s School of Global Public Health.

several states ignored social distancing and stay-athome orders, gathering to demand that governors lift controls on public activity. The largest protest drew thousands to Lansing, Michigan on Wednesday, and others have featured hundreds each in several states. The president has invoked their rallying cry, calling on several states with Democratic governors to “LIBERATE.” Vice President Mike Pence sidestepped questions yesterday about why Trump seemed to be encouraging efforts to undermine preventive measures his own government has promoted.

Inslee nonetheless likened Trump’s response

to “schizophrenia.” Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, said it “just doesn’t make any sense.”

“We’re sending completely conflicting messages out to the governors and to the people, as if we should ignore federal policy and federal recommendations,” Hogan said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Shutdowns that began in China in late January and spread globally have disrupted economic, social, cultural and religious life and plunged the world into a deep economic slump unseen since the Great Depression. Tens of millions of workers have lost their jobs and millions more fear they’ll be next.

With the arc of infection different in every nation and across U.S. states, proposals have differed for coping with the virus that has killed more than 165,000.

Restrictions have begun to ease in some places, including Germany, which is still enforcing social distancing rules but on Monday intended to begin allowing some small stores, like those selling furniture and baby goods, to reopen.

Authorities in Spain, which had some of Europe’s strictest restrictions and a virus death toll only exceeded by the U.S. and Italy, said children will be allowed to leave their homes beginning on April 27.

A GUNMAN disguised as a police officer shot people in their homes and set fires in a rampage across the Canadian province of Nova Scotia that killed 16 people, the deadliest such attack in the country’s history. Officials said yesterday the shooter was also dead.

A police officer was among those killed. Several bodies were found inside and outside one home in the small, rural town of Portapique, about 60 miles north of Halifax — what police called the first scene.

Bodies were also found at other locations. The assault began late on Saturday, and authorities believe the shooter may have targeted his first victims but then began attacking randomly.

Overnight, police began advising residents of the town — already on lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic — to lock their doors and stay in their basements. Several homes in the area were set on fire as well.

Police identified the man believed to be the shooter as Gabriel Wortman, 51, who was thought to live part-time in Portapique.

Authorities said he wore a police uniform at one point and made his car look like a Royal Canadian Mounted Police cruiser.

Police first announced that they had arrested Wortman at a gas station in Enfield, outside Halifax, but later said he had died.

It was not clear how, and they did not explain further.

“This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province’s history,” said Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil.

POLICE officers prepare to take a suspect into custody at a gas station in Nova Scotia yesterday

PAGE 12, Monday, April 20, 2020 • A MAN was found hanging from a tree on a farm on Saturday, police said. The matter is being investigated as a suspected suicide.

Police said shortly after 8am, officers were called to a property on Cowpen Road where a man was discovered unconscious, hanging from a tree.

Paramedics were called to the scene and the man was pronounced dead a short time later.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

MAN, 54, FINED $1,000 AFTER STEALING FROM PHARMACY

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 54-YEAR-OLD MAN convicted of stealing and receiving stolen goods was fined $1,000 on Friday.

Cairvins Telford, appearing before Magistrate Sandradee Gardiner, pleaded guilty to receiving several stolen items from Lowes Pharmacy on Tuesday. However, he did not plead guilty to the theft charge.

It is alleged that on Tuesday, Telford was at Lowes Pharmacy on East Bay Street when he stole and received an Old Spice deodorant, a Hollister FES VIB, a Curve BLK

cologne, Incanto Heavens, Festival mite and Desire Red Set. The court was told that the items were valued at $495.55.

According to prosecutor Kenny Thompson, Telford denied stealing the items while being interviewed by police.

However, he told officers that his friend had custody of the items, which resulted in him being arrested.

Telford’s attorney, Ian Cargill, told the court on Friday that the father of four was remorseful for his actions.

Taking into account that he had no previous convictions, Magistrate Gardiner ordered Telford to pay $1,000 on or before Monday, April 20, or face three months in jail.

THE TRIBUNE • A BAHAMIAN fisherman was taken to hospital after he received medical assistance by members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force’s Sick Bay medical staff on the high seas on Friday morning.

The Operations Department received a call around 8am that one of the four occupants aboard a 30-ft fishing vessel just off Green Cay required medical assistance.

Patrol Craft P-127 was dispatched with the medical team led by Dr Derwin Johnson, the force’s medical doctor. The patrol craft carrying the medical team met the fishing vessel 40 miles south of New Providence. The 59-year-old male was “experiencing a non-life threatening communicable situation, and was immediately accessed and given medical attention,” the RBDF said. He was brought to the RBDF base and transported to hospital for further treatment.

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net GRAND Bahama police are investigating an apparent drowning after a body was discovered washed ashore at a popular beach in Freeport on Friday morning.

The identity of the victim - a Caucasian male - is not known and police are investigating.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Terecita Pinder reported that shortly after 11am police were called to the Silver Point area, where they found the lifeless body on the seashore.

She said there were no visible signs of trauma to the body and foul play is not suspected.

Police are awaiting the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Investigations are continuing.

SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020

PAGE 14

COVID-19 pandemic leaves us wondering what could’ve been

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live, learn and are entertained in 2020... perhaps for the foreseeable future. The sports world is included in the latter. It’s big business with the power to change lives, but at the most basic level - it’s one of society’s most gratifying forms of entertainment (hence an entire newspaper section dedicated to it).

That entertainment, sports, is all but gone at this point. It may be the least important of the many things this pandemic has stripped away from us, but we lament its loss nonetheless.

This is why the most mundane transactions have dominated the sports news cycle, why we’ve dedicated coverage to athletes playing video game versions of themselves, or playing backyard shooting games with legitimate stakes attached (this HORSE tournament put on by the NBA might be the moment we feared, we’ve hit rock bottom).

In The Bahamas, we lament the loss not only of sport but of the moments this spring and summer were expected to deliver.

We were supposed to rally behind our favourite school programmes and drape ourselves in the flag in the purest form of nationalism any of us get to experience as we cheer on Bahamian athletes abroad.

This year was supposed to provide many of those moments, but with the world on hold, we’re all left in a state of purgatory, wondering what could have been.

Tokyo 2020 Every Bahamian with a feigning quadrennial interest in track and field should

Join Us!

have been locked in for this one. What we know is that we have two of the world’s top quartermilers in Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Steven Gardiner. What we also know is they were both headed to Tokyo with something to prove.

Miller-Uibo is the defending Olympic champion, with a dive at the finish line that grabbed international headlines and won gold over Allyson Felix in Rio 2016. Winning consecutive Olympic golds is a task unto itself, but now we had a new nemesis in the field, Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain.

The track and field world thought Miller-Uibo would cap a dominant 2019 season with a gold at the World Championships, but Eid Naser came from nowhere to run one of the fastest times ever in the event and pull off the upset. Tokyo was supposed to be our moment of retribution.

Gardiner took advantage of an opportunity with reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Wayne Van Niekerk sidelined due to injury for much of 2019. Gardiner’s gold at the World Championships catapulted him to the top of the sport...that is without Van Niekerk in the lineup.

The South African sprinter won gold and set a 400m world record at Rio 2016, but had not run competitively since the 2017 World Championships. He returned in February and has been very vocal in his positive view of the Olympic postponement.

“I see it as more time to work, more time to prepare, more time to invest in the rest of my career,” he told BBC Sport.

We needed to see the reigning World Champion and Olympic Champion go at it head-to-head.

March Madness The NCAA tournament is the greatest revenue draw

SHAUNAE MILLER-UIBO, left, races ahead of Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, right, during the women’s 400m race of the IAAF Diamond League Athletics meeting at the Louis II Stadium in Monaco, Friday, July 20, 2018. Miller-Uibo won the race.

(AP Photo/Claude Paris) in American sports outside of the SuperBowl and any time we get Bahamians to be apart of the madness it provides an additional reason to pay attention to college basketball (or wager for entertainment purposes only).

Before COVID-19 brought conference tournaments to a screeching halt, Charles Bain and his Robert Morris Colonials received an automatic bid, while on the women’s side, Lashann Higgs and the Texas Longhorns were expected to receive an atlarge bid in the field.

The Colonials, NEC champions could have made of those “Cinderalla” runs we all become enamoured with this time of year, Higgs could have made headlines and boosted her WNBA draft stock in her final collegiate season. The

You will be moving in the Right Direction

Secure Your Spot TODAY!

uncertainty of the tournament has always been its greatest draw.

Basketball High School Nationals The Sunland Stingers won a depleted Hugh Campbell championship in a field void of several perennial contenders (CI Gibson and Tabernacle), but the true test of perhaps our most competitive high school sports is the showdown between the best of the best at nationals.

CARIFTA Swimming Going After Number Four The 36-member swim Team Bahamas was going after its fourth straight championship title and its sixth in the past seven years had the meet taken place in Barbados over the Easter Holiday weekend.

In winning last year’s title, The Bahamas picked up a

CALLING ALL: BREA Agents Contractors Landscapers Paint Suppliers Cabinet Makers Furniture Stores Alarm Companies Insurance Companies Financing Institutions

total of 73 medals, inclusive of 35 gold, 18 silver and 20 bronze to finish well ahead of Jamaica, who had 22 gold, 25 silver and 12 bronze for their total of 59.

The Bahamas also finished with 889.50 points ahead of runners-up Jamaica with 748.50.

The Bahamas has won three straight CARIFTA swimming titles and five of the last six.

In Water Polo, the Bahamas’ under-16 boys are the defending CARIFTA champions. The U14 coed team won a silver medal, while the U19 team won bronze World Baseball Classic Qualifiers Team Great Britain (its really Team Bahamas if we’re being truthful about this), was expected to make the leap and qualify for the WBC in 2021.

Then of course, COVID19 forced Major League Baseball to suspend all operations indefinitely, altering the offseasons of Bahamian players with their clubs and others preparing to compete at the qualifiers.

Major League Baseball suspended operations indefinitely which includes bringing an abrupt end to spring training, delaying opening day for both the major and minor leagues and also postponing the WBC Qualifiers indefinitely.

There are currently 20 Bahamians in minor league baseball and many of those players were expected to compete for Great Britain at the upcoming WBC Qualifiers.

The official roster announcement was just days away from release, but several players had already confirmed their participation with the programme.

Bahamian baseball players have been on the roster

for Great Britain at the last two editions of the qualifiers and both sides looked to continue that relationship at this year’s event at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona in March.

Great Britain was set to compete in Pool two, March 20-25 against the Czech Republic, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines and Spain.

Liam Carroll, manager for Great Britain, said the success of having Bahamians on the roster has been vital in the growth of the programme.

With Antoan Richardson and Albert Cartwright on the roster, Great Britain went 1-2 during the 2013 Qualifier played in Regensburg, Germany, where it debuted in the WBC. Their tournament highlight was a 12-5 win over the Czech Republic.

At the 2017 Qualifiers in Brooklyn, New York, Richardson and Cartwright were joined by Ali Knowles, Jazz Chisholm, Kyle Simmons, Todd Isaacs, Reshard Munroe, Byron Murray and Champ Stuart. That team finished just one game shy of WBC qualification when they suffered a 9-1 loss in the final.

Bahamian players are eligible to compete for Great Britain once their parents were born in the Bahamas while it was still a British colony, prior to Independence.

Jazz Gets The Call Everything was trending toward Jazz Chisholm getting the call up to “The Show” with the Miami Marlins at some point this season.

The 22-year-old shortstop was set to make his 2020 debut in AAA baseball with the Wichita Wind Surge of the Pacific Coast League and the AAA affiliate of the Marlins.

The No.3 ranked prospect in the organisation made nine spring training appearances and hit .308 with three RBI, one home run, scored four runs, with a 1.115 OPS and two stolen bases.

Chisholm has continued to make strides for the organisation this season as he progresses toward the major leagues.

He was among the top prospects from each Major League Baseball organisation represented at the Rookie Career Development Programme in Miami, Florida.

Each organisation sends their top prospects expected to reach the big leagues in the near future to sit through sessions aimed at easing their transition.

Sessions included ones on media training, clubhouse relationships, drugs in baseball, inclusion and financial planning and others.

He was also present at the Marlins’ annual Fanfest which gave fans their first opportunity to interact with the 2020 roster.

SPAIN ALL SET TO FINISH THE SOCCER SEASON WITHOUT FANS IN STADIUMS

CALL: Charles Gaitor 502-2394 or EMAIL: cgaitor@tribunemedia.net

H ome Buyers’ Guide The Tribune

The Bahamas Source For Homes, Condos, Apartments, Lots & Rentals

MADRID (AP) — Soccer matches and other sports events in Spain will take place in empty venues at least until the end of the summer, the mayor of Madrid said Saturday.

José Luis MartínezAlmeida told the Onda Cero radio station that the coronavirus pandemic likely “won’t be under control” by then for events with

big crowds to resume normally. The Spanish league is not expecting to resume at least until the end of May. It is working on several scenarios, including playing without fans through the fall. “Soccer matches without fans in the summer is a possibility, as long as health and safety conditions are observed,” MartínezAlmeida said.

PAGE 14, Monday, April 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

WNBA Draft: Ionescu goes No.1 to New York Liberty

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, as expected.

When she’ll play for the New York Liberty is unclear.

With sports on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was a draft Friday night like no other with players in their own homes instead of a central location, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced selections from her home in New Jersey, holding up the jersey of the player being chosen.

“Of course it was different than what I had expected, and just excited to be able to be here with my family and the people closest to me and be able to spend this time,” Ionescu said from her home in California. “Making the most out of what’s going on in today’s society. Just really happy to be able to spend this moment with them and excited to have gone through this process.”

Ionescu set the NCAA record for triple-doubles and was the first college player to have over 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in her career. Ionescu was one of three first round picks for New York, which also had Nos. 9 and 12.

“I’ve been working for this for my entire basketball career and super excited to see that come to fruition,” Ionescu said. “I’m very humbled and excited for the opportunity.”

Ducks teammate Satou Sabally, one of three juniors to forego their last year of college eligibility and enter the draft, went second to Dallas. It’s the third time in the history of the draft that the top two picks were teammates in college.

“To go 1-2 with Satou is a really cool feeling and shows all the hard work we went through this year paid off,” Ionescu said.

“Really proud of her and what we were able to do as teammates and excited to see her future in the pros.”

OREGON’s Sabrina Ionescu (20) plays against Utah in an NCAA college basketball game in the quarter-final round of the Pac-12 women’s tournament in Las Vegas on March 6, 2020.

(AP Photo/John Locher) Lauren Cox went third to Indiana and Chennedy Carter was the fourth pick by Atlanta. Dallas took Bella Alarie with the fifth pick. The Princeton star was only the second Ivy League player to be drafted that high. Harvard star Allison Feaster was also selected fifth in the 1998 draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.

South Carolina players Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Tyasha Harris went sixth and seventh to Minnesota and Dallas. The Gamecocks finished No. 1 in the AP poll this season.

Chicago chose Ruthy Hebard with the eighth pick — marking the fifth consecutive season and ninth overall that three college teammates were taken in the opening round.

“Really shows what kind of environment we had at Oregon,” Sabally said.

New York took UConn’s Megan Walker with the ninth pick. Phoenix picked Jocelyn Willoughby of Virginia 10th.

Seattle took former South Florida star Kitija Laksa with the 11th pick and New York closed out the first round drafting Jazmine Jones from Louisville.

New York, which was the first team ever to have five of the first 15 picks in the draft, selected Jones’ Louisville teammate Kylee Shook at 13 and Duke’s Leaonna Odom at 15.

The Liberty also made two trades after the draft, acquiring Willoughby for Shatori WalkerKimbrough. New York also traded Erica Ogwumike, who they drafted in the third round, to Minnesota for Stephanie Talbot.

The WNBA tried to create a draft like experience for the players, sending them a care package with hats of all 12 teams, a WNBA sweatshirt, confetti and a few other items.

Cox’s sister doused her with confetti after her name was announced. “It was really fun and we made the most of it,” Cox said.

Coaches and general managers were spread throughout the country and world, so they set up virtual war rooms instead of gathering in their own team facilities.

While the draft was held Friday, its still unclear when the league will actually start its season. Engelbert reinforced on a conference call earlier in the day that there was no timetable to when the

season will begin. She said there were a variety of scenarios in play, but the most important factor was the health of everyone.

Training camp was supposed to begin next weekend with the regular season opener originally scheduled for May 15.

The league held its usual conference call with the teams before the ESPN broadcast started to eliminate any chance of a pick not being in on time. The virtual draft went off without any problems.

Engelbert announced the WNBA, along with presenting draft partner State Farm and the players’ union, will donate $20,000 for each of the 12 first-round picks to Direct Relief to help get protective gear and medication to health-care workers as quickly as possible.

The league also honoured Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna Bryant and Payton Chester before the start of the draft.

Engelbert announced their names as jerseys were shown on the screen with each of the three players on them. The teenagers were among the nine people who died in the helicopter accident on January 26, including Kobe Bryant. “I think it was a very beautiful thing that the WNBA did to be able to draft those three girls,” Ionescu said. “They deserved it.

I know they’re looking down and smiling and really excited.”

The league also announced that it would have a Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award.

It will recognise an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception and advancement of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels.

“Kobe was an incredible champion of women’s basketball and Gianna shared his passion and dedication to our game,” Engelbert said. “The Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award will honour their legacy and reflect Kobe’s commitment to mentoring the next generation of players, promoting the game and giving back to the community.”

CHICAGO SKY CENTRE STEFANIE DOLSON SAYS SHE HAS COVID-19 CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Sky centre Stefanie Dolson announced that she tested positive for the coronavirus, making her the first known Chicago professional athlete to contract COVID-19.

Dolson said in a video that aired Friday night during ESPN’s broadcast of the WNBA draft that she and her “whole family” tested positive about a month ago, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“This virus has hit pretty close to home,” said Dolson, who, along with Los Angeles Sparks guard Sydney Wiese, is one of two WNBA players known to have contracted the virus. “My mom, she ended up being admitted into the hospital for about four days. She had severe symptoms, pneumonia.

But because of the team of healthcare workers that was there, she’s home safe now and healthy.”

Dolson, who is living in New York, did not share any details about her own condition and could not be reached for comment by the Tribune. However, the team’s principal owner, Michael Alter, told the paper that Dolson’s symptoms “never got really bad.”

Alter said that team officials consulted with doctors with the University of Chicago Medicine, which is the team’s official healthcare provider and a major sponsor. Sky coach James Wade said the WNBA has conferred with Dolson on her treatment options.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, April 20, 2020, PAGE 15

SPORTS LEAGUES SEEK RETURN TO PLAY BUT WITH NO GUARANTEES

By EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer WITH no games being played, recent sports headlines have centred around hopes and dreams — namely, the uncharted path leagues and teams must navigate to return to competition in the wake of the pandemic.

Virtually all leagues talk publicly about their desire to return before summer.

But behind closed doors, they are hatching different potential plans: all 30 baseball teams playing in Arizona; home run contests to decide tie games; the Stanley Cup being hoisted in an empty arena that neither team calls home; end-of-season soccer standings decided by vote; college football games in spring.

Over the past week, The Associated Press spoke to more than two dozen policymakers, coaches and players across the globe to get their candid assessments of plans to return from the stoppages caused by the new coronavirus.

The conclusion: While it’s critical to put optimistic restart scenarios in place, there is no certainty any of these plans will work without buy-in from politicians and an OK from players and medical experts.

Underpinning it all would have to be a drastic rampup in testing, a vaccine or treatment breakthrough, or some other solution.

In short, the return of any sports, no matter how innovative the plan, will be risky and uncertain for the rest of this year and into 2021.

“It’s not about 22 players walking onto a pitch and throwing a ball out,” said FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, whose concerns about restarting soccer mirror those of all sports worldwide.

The organisers of the Olympics were among the last to postpone their event, then among the first to set a

new date – exactly 52 weeks after the original July 24 cauldron lighting had been scheduled. The decision to reschedule for a date 15 months down the road came just before an unexpected spike in virus cases hit Japan. The worry that followed underscored the many open questions about the arc of the outbreak.

“I think everyone’s probably working on multiple options. It’s ‘If this, then what?’” said Tim Hinchey, the CEO of USA Swimming, the sport’s governing body in the United States.

Virtually all the big-time team sports are coming up with scenarios to play games with no fans in the stands.

The Washington Post reported that while the NFL is publicly committed to its usual kickoff date in September, it is looking into contingencies that include shortening the season or playing in front of half-full or empty stadiums.

College athletic directors have come up with a halfdozen or more scenarios for football season, including, according to Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione, a scenario in which part of the season would be played in spring.

One theme gaining wide acceptance: If it’s not safe enough for students to return to school or attend games, then athletes shouldn’t be asked to return either. Without the millions of dollars from football, all college sports are in peril.

NASCAR, which has been holding virtual races, has given teams a tentative schedule under which the season would resume May 24 without fans.

The NHL has drawn up plans that include resuming the season this summer, going directly to the playoffs and/or playing games in empty arenas in neutral-site cities.

The PGA Tour announced a mid-June restart and meshed its schedule with the already

reworked majors calendar.

In a nod to the precariousness of it all, Andy Pazder, the tour’s chief officer of tournaments and competition, said if events cannot be held in compliance with health regulations, then “we will not do anything.”

That’s also where the NBA appears to be for now. The league that got in front of the coronavirus pandemic first, calling off games on March 11, is in a holding pattern. Most of the league’s conversations centre on how to resume the season, not whether to cancel it.

In Australia, ambitious plans to resume play in the National Rugby League by the end of May got shot down by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

England’s Premier League also says it wants to finish its season but would do so only “with the full support of the government” and when “medical guidance allows.” Meanwhile, in Scotland, a wild round of voting has already taken place to decide whether to lock in standings for leagues there and get ready for next season.

Major League Baseball in the US is talking about bringing all 30 teams to Maricopa County, Arizona, for a regular season at spring training sites.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease expert who has been calling for restraint in resuming any normal activities, offered a glimmer of hope when he suggested sports could conceivably return. He suggested no fans in arenas and constant testing for the players, who would likely need to be quarantined in hotels for weeks or months.

Not all the players are on board.

“I’m going to go four or five months without seeing my kid when it’s born? I can tell you right now that’s not going to happen,” Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals wrote in a diary for AP.

PAGE 16, Monday, April 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE