04292020 NEWS AND SPORT

WEDNESDAY 20 Pc McNuggets $7 + VAT

i’m lovin’ it!

HIGH 84ºF LOW 75ºF

The Tribune Established 1903

24/7 BREAKING NEWS ON TRIBUNE242.COM

Biggest And Best!

VOLUME:117 No.107, APRIL 29, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

ALICIA WALLACE: SAME OLD NAMES JUST WON’T WORK

68 more promotions for senior officers Cop at centre of Shane Gibson trial controversy moves to higher rank

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net NEARLY 70 Royal Bahamas Police Force officers were promoted to Chief Superintendent and Superintendent yesterday, in an exercise that is backdated to take effect from January 1.

According to a leaked memo of officers’ promotions, 23 officers were promoted to Chief Superintendent from Superintendent, while 45 officers rose to Superintendent from Assistant Superintendent.

Among them was the RBPF’s lead investigator in the trial of former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson.

Deborah Thompson, attached to the Financial Crimes Unit, was promoted to the rank of Superintendent from Assistant Superintendent.

During the high-profile trial, she admitted that she was wrong to have jointly interviewed local businessman Jonathan Ash and Deborah Bastian to “synchronise” their claims against the former parliamentarian.

At the time, the police officer said in hindsight, she acted improperly in arranging to meet with both Mr Ash and Ms Bastian to “clear up the ambiguities” in their respective

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands yesterday expressed empathy for health professionals at Rand Memorial Hospital and their concerns regarding the suitability of the field tent hospital which is temporarily housing patients.

He indicated that hospital renovations will recommence today to complete hurricane repairs.

“All contractors will be back in the Rand... to get

MORE than 50 percent of the tests conducted on vulnerable healthcare workers last week have yielded negative results for COVID-19, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said yesterday.

“We now have more than 50 percent and I think there’s one positive out (of) the lot,” he told reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday when asked for an update on the test results.

However, the health minister later told this newspaper the positive case is an old result. To date, there are 15 healthcare workers who have tested positive for the virus, with one confirmed death.

CRISIS MAY HOLD BACK LOCAL PORT INVESTORS

SEE PAGE SEVEN

the work finished,” Dr Sands said. “In the meantime, we will have to deal with Samaritan’s Purse. The (tent hospital) facility is not the same as the hospital.

And we have to acknowledge that people have been through a lot and we have to be very empathetic and look at the concerns and try to address them,” Dr Sands said.

On Sunday, severe weather conditions in Grand Bahama left the 40-bed field hospital battered and patients and staff unsettled.

SEE PAGE FOUR

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE FOUR

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

RAND’S DORIAN DAMAGE REPAIRS START AGAIN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH STAFF TEST RESULTS INDICATE ALL CLEAR SO FAR

CUSTOMS RAID ON ASH BAR CUSTOMS officers yesterday raided the Made Men Sports Bar, operated by Jonathan Ash. Full report - Page 3 Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar fears the COVID-19 pandemic may have derailed ambitions to give 20,000-plus Bahamians an ownership stake in the new $250m Nassau Cruise Port. He said he was concerned the small retail investors targeted by the cruise port’s ownership structure are now “in economic survival mode” and may lack the necessary income when the time comes to invest.

And he also agreed with Mehmet Kutman, chairman of Global Ports Holding, that passenger volumes may not return to 2019 levels for two to three years.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

PLIGHT OF COVID’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS TECHNOLOGY

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

IN one week, a local outreach group has come to the aid of six women, all victims of domestic violence.

Families Of All Murder Victims, run by activist Khandi Gibson, was launched several years ago mainly provide support to relatives of murder victims. Since the COVID19 restrictions have come

ACTIVIST Khandi Gibson into effect, Ms Gibson has watched FOAM evolve into an avenue for help

for domestic violence victims as well. Among the victims is one woman who was punched in the face ten times by her partner and another who was forced to have sex in exchange for somewhere to stay.

“What is on the rise right now is domestic violence,” Ms Gibson told The Tribune yesterday. “I have had to assist six different women either because of disputes between them and

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE THREE

COMPANIES HOME IN ON VIDEO CHATS

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

TURNQUEST CLARIFIES REMARKS ON SPENDING

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net FINANCE Minister Peter Turnquest yesterday clarified recent remarks he made on a local talk show, saying it was not his intent to tell people how to spend their money but to only give Bahamians sound “financial advice” amid the COVID19 pandemic.

He also said his comments were taken out of context and conveyed an unintended message.

During a recent appearance on Hard Copy with

host Steve McKinney, Mr Turnquest suggested some Bahamians lacked sufficient funds to pay their rent or mortgage due to spending all their money on food. “(They) spend all their money on food and then found that they couldn’t pay their rent or they couldn’t pay their mortgage because it’s all tied up in the cupboard,” Mr Turnquest said, in a 30-second clip that made the rounds on social media this week.

The comment sparked public outrage, with many calling the minister’s words “insensitive” to the needs

of the unfortunate, “disappointing” and “completely disrespectful”.

Saying the remarks were taken completely out of context, Mr Turnquest told reporters yesterday it was “unfortunate” his statements were edited to falsely misrepresent his views and convey a message that was not “intended”.

He said: “It’s unfortunate that some person sought to cut up a statement or sentence to make it appear as being something that is not intended. “The host and I were having a conversation about long lines and

persons gathering at the food stores and hoarding supplies and the basic comment that I was making was that persons do not have a need to hoard or stand in long lines because the prime minister has indicated that there are adequate supplies for everybody.”

He continued: “And so, just basic personal financial advice, do not spend all your money at once but to budget and to stay within your normal spending pattern because we don’t know how long this is going to take and we know that we need money to be able to

take care of all of the necessary commitments that we have. So, again it is very unfortunate, and some very sick mind would seek to do something like that but it’s unfortunately where we are today with persons who just want to try and make political points.

“But, again it was no disrespect and there certainly is no intent to attempt to tell people how to spend their money or how to criticise anybody, but just good sound personal financial advice.”

Asked by reporters whether he felt he needed

FLYING THE FLAG

to issue an apology to those who may have been offended, the deputy prime minister said he didn’t believe one was necessary.

“I don’t think any apology is necessary because again, this is not about accusing anybody of doing anything bad or wrong. It’s personal advice, personal financial advice that we should all heed, whether in this time or in normal times.

“And that is simply to fix a budget, live within that budget so that you have security and can take care of all the commitments that you have.”

PEOPLE NEED WORK HISTORY FOR BENEFITS

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright@tribunemedia.net

WEARING colours of the flag: Clockwise from top left: Anniemae Armbrister; Nevine Rolle; Crystal Wilkie; Mr Henfield and Tariq Cartwright

MANY Bahamians wore colours of the flag yesterday as a show of solidarity in the nation’s fight against COVID-19, a day after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis urged people to do so. Bahamians who were out doing essential shopping or running errands wore black, aquamarine and gold as a show of support to the nation.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/ Tribune Staff

AMID complaints that some major employers have not been paying National Insurance Board payments despite deducting contributions from staff pay, an NIB official said workers can still get benefits once they prove work history.

Pandora Butler, senior manager at NIB, said she could not confirm a specific company’s compliance status but spoke generally on what workers can do in this situation.

“If you are referencing a company’s payment I cannot speak to that or any discussion about that,” Ms Butler noted.

“Whether a person applies, for sickness or maternity or unemployment or retirement or invalidity (benefits) or any benefit the National Insurance Board provides where the contributions are not paid there is a requirement to confirm that the contributions were payable.”

Ms Butler said before any consideration is made there has to be confirmation that the person did in fact work and the contributions were payable. “Further, we have to get confirmation of what the wages of that person was. Not only do we need to find out if the contributions were made, we need to know what wage level the person is at so we can know what to pay them. What ordinarily happens is when a claim comes in most of the claim forms have on the back of them a box for you to list all of the places where you have worked. Of course we anticipate that, either some people (employers) may not have paid or others might be in arrears, so there is a request of one’s employment history.

“We also check in-house as well. We have said there is a backlog of posting contributions so we will check to see if that is the case. If the contributions are not in-house or caught up in the backlog and were in fact not paid then a B46 form is generated. This form goes to the employers and gets from them, the person’s employment history with them and the level of contributions payable by them. We will then use the records we have got to credit the person’s account with those contributions, pay them based on that and then we will pursue the employer for payment.”

As long as there is employment history that has sufficient contributions attached, employees will be paid the unemployment benefit by NIB every two weeks upon approval, The Tribune was told.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net MINISTER of Transport Renward Wells said yesterday that while the government is still discussing when commercial cruise ships will be allowed entry into the country, “it’s not going to happen” until the country’s economy has been re-opened.

Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, he told reporters: “As you know the competent authority under the emergency orders is the entity that is making those decisions, there has been a request from a number of cruise lines as to whether or not they can resume services.

“The government of the country is looking as to when that can happen, but it’s not going to happen before we actually open up the economy.”

Last month, the

Return of cruise ships still undecided - Wells government closed the country’s seaports to regional and international seafaring and private boats to stop the spread of COVID-19 virus. Only cargo ships are allowed entry into the country.

On Monday, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line said that sailings to the Bahamas will resume on June 13 for its Grand Celebration vessel, and on July 10 with the Grand Classica.“We appreciate the support of our valued guests, partners, regulatory agencies, staff

and crew during this challenging time,” said Oneil Khosa, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s chief executive. “We are utilising this time to ensure that we are ready for our guests once we resume cruising.

“Travellers will be seeking a quick and safe getaway once leisure travel fully restores, and we look forward to welcoming them onboard for a unique, shortcruise getaway to paradise.”

When asked whether the dates had been approved by officials, the minister

replied: “They may like to resume in June but obviously, as the prime minister constantly says, we’re going to be guided by the medical professionals as to whether or not when we’re going to open the economy.”Speaking in the House of Assembly on Monday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said his National COVID-19 Coordination Committee has began planning for the gradual reopening of the country, a process consisting of six phases that

officials surmise will culminate in the resumption of international travel and full operation of hotels.

Acknowledging that the Bahamas will have to live with the COVID-19 threat for the foreseeable future, Dr Minnis added: “For the immediate term at least, we will need protocols and a strategy that will allow us to re-open our society and our economy in a way that protects the health and well-being of Bahamians and residents. We must establish and adhere to a

way of doing things that will allow us to open back up in a responsible manner.

“Such re-opening will be gradual and deliberate. At each step, proper health and physical distancing protocols will be mandatory and will be enforced. “…This is not the time to be timid. This is the time to be bold. This is the time to be courageous,” he charged.

“We are in a new era, so we must think in new ways and think outside of the narrow confines of what is necessary or possible.”

Customs raid on Ash bar

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE RAID on the Made Men Sports Bar yesterday.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

CUSTOMS officers raided the Made Men Sports Bar yesterday and seized bottles of allegedly undeclared liquor from the establishment.

This came more than a week after Jonathan Ash, the lead witness in last year’s high-profile bribery trial of Shane Gibson, was fined for breaking Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ restriction against the sale of alcoholic beverages when he was caught selling liquor at Made Men. Tyrone Sands, superintendent of customs, told The Tribune officers had suspicions about the Faith Avenue bar before videos of alcohol being sold there against Dr Minnis’ emergency orders circulated this month. When officers visited the bar yesterday, they discovered the establishment has allegedly been operating without a valid licence, a matter that customs officers will now refer to another agency, he said.

“We had suspicions there may have been (undeclared) goods in that establishment, goods where duty has not been paid for,” Superintendent Sands said. “Our enforcement team, like we suspected, found a variety of alcoholic beverages for which they couldn’t prove that duty was paid. Since they couldn’t prove it the goods were seized.

“Further investigations also revealed that they were operating that business without a valid business licence,” he alleged. “We are in the initial stage of the investigation and the goods are in (Department of) Customs’ care and once we’ve completed the investigation the controller will determine how we are going to proceed.”

Superintendent Sands could not say how much alcohol was seized or how much the liquor is worth.

However, he said: “We’re on the ball. People take this process as a word to the wise. Customs is here, we’re vigilant, we’re doing what we’re mandated to do and if you act

outside the law it’s just a matter of time before you are caught.”

Last week, Mr Ash was fined $7,000 for selling alcohol at Made Men Sports Bar in breach of the emergency orders in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Eyebrows were raised when he showed up to the Magistrate’s Court without handcuffs or shackles. He dashed into the courtroom to avoid being photographed by the media.

The 35-year-old pleaded guilty to the charges of violating the national curfew and operating a non-essential business.

Magistrate Rolle-Davis labelled his actions a “blatant disregard for the law.”

Mr Ash made headlines as the Crown’s main witness against former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson in his bribery case. Mr Ash alleged he paid Gibson hundred of thousands of dollars in bribes so he could receive outstanding government cheques for hurricane clean-up work.

A jury acquitted Mr Gibson of those charges last year.

PLIGHT OF COVID’S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS from page one

their husbands or them and their boyfriends.

“This is physical violence with the boyfriend fighting the girlfriend or husbands threatening to kill the wives. A husband beat his wife and put her out. Someone’s arm was fractured and she had to move out.

“There was a situation where a woman was forced to have sex for a place to stay.”

FOAM, with its limited resources and the help of a handful of people, has been able to remove these women from violent and dangerous situations, she said.

Ms Gibson said a lot of her requests for help come through Facebook. However, she says she needs more community support to assist victims.

“What I realise is people are quick to tag me in posts on Facebook, but when it’s

time to put out for assistance they are mute. These people need help.”

The victims need places to stay, food to eat, clothes and emotional support, she said.

“I have had to ask a friend of mine with a big home to take someone and her children in. I have two with me at my place and I asked a gentleman that I know for someone to stay in his empty office space.

“So right now we need everything, from bread, cream, sugar, corned beef, eggs, canned goods, cleaning supplies, clothing. We need everything. If somebody can open up their home or their apartment for persons to stay it would go a long way.

“We are also asking for landlords to be lenient. If you have a tenant that was on time with rent and now has no job please work with them and tenants need to openly communicate with landlords.”

She suggested churches that have been shut amid the pandemic or MPs who aren’t using constituency offices could also allow displaced women or families to temporarily seek shelter in their buildings.

Local and international experts have sounded the alarm that COVID-19 lockdowns will lead to an increase in domestic violence. Earlier this month, a local psychologist said victims need to make an ‘escape plan’ just in case.

Psychologist Barrington Brennen of Marriage and Family Counselling Services said: “Domestic violence, upon checking my research, has increased and (is) intensified during a lockdown.

In the way of prevention, some women, knowing what the lockdown would have done to them, found ways of not going home to their husbands or boyfriends. Many women are in denial or they have no place to go or they

are ashamed so they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and find themselves being very sensitive and walking on eggshells.”

Mr Brennen said women in these situations should avoid escalating arguments where possible and give the abuser the space to vent and relax. He said if it is evident the abuser is threatening harm, the victim should try to call a neighbour or trusted friend without the abuser knowing.

He also suggested going into a room that can be locked from the inside, find ways of getting out of the house and calling the police.

Those needing help can reach the Bahamas Crisis Centre on their hotline at 328-0922 or via text or WhatsApp at 565-9633.

FOAM can be reached at foambahamas@gmail.com, 603-4141 or on Facebook.

Editorial View - Page 6

PAGE 4, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

RAND’S DORIAN DAMAGE REPAIRS START AGAIN

from page one

Dr Sands reported the tents are still operational and that no one was injured.

“But we had those videos circulating and stories of people petrified,” he added.

He noted all patients and staff have now been moved out of the tents to the IAT Building and the Rand.

“Having the Samaritan’s Purse tent is not ideal, but we have to remember how we got there – the Rand

was virtually damaged,” he explained. The government had started the process of repairing the Rand building, which is more than 50 years old, after Hurricane Dorian. However, work was postponed following the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Sands said.

“Staff that was working on repairing (the hospital) had to leave the country because of COVID-19, and we were building out the COVID-19 facility. A few weeks ago, GB was deep

into COVID-19 seeing an outbreak, luckily they have settled down,” he said.

In the meantime, Dr Sands said the SP tent is still operational, and patients and staff are only relocated temporarily to the IAT Building and the Rand for now.

Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams, during an interview with ZNS Northern Service, said officials are “gravely” concerned about the situation that occurred on Sunday. She noted that the tents are

not designed for extremely high winds. “They can withstand up to 70mph winds, we were told,” Ms Williams said. “So, what we must do is watch the weather very closely about wind strengths and hurricanes threatening us and make sure we move our staff to various facilities that we have identified.”

A representative from the Bahamas Nurses Union said that their concerns regarding the tent hospital have been forwarded to the relevant authorities.

Dr Sands said he is aware there are concerns. “Many people cannot tolerate things anymore because of the trauma they’ve been through, and we have to be sensitive to that,” he said.

Turning to COVID-19 cases on Grand Bahama, Dr Sands said that there have been no new cases for some two weeks in Grand Bahama. “I am grateful, but hope it is sustained. GB has had a good run of 16 days now. Two weeks ago, I would not have the same

response, but let us hope it is sustained so we have no more challenges,” he said.

“We have had persons who died in GB. We should have hopeful guarded optimism as we liberalise and start to open the economy carefully,” Dr Sands said.

He also commended the health team in Grand Bahama. “I want to thank the surveillance team, GBHS, and the staff that have managed the situation; they have performed admirably,” he said.

Health staff test results indicate all clear so far

THE MINISTRY of Health carried out testing of exposed healthcare workers on Saturday from page one More than 200 healthcare workers were placed in quarantine last week after a patient tested positive for the virus on one of PMH’s surgical wards.

On Saturday, the Ministry of Health tested exposed healthcare workers of both Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre and PMH for the virus following the incident.

Speaking at the House of Assembly on Monday, Dr Sands noted that while tests were still being conducted on exposed workers, preliminary findings had shown that 25 percent of the tests yielded negative results.

According to the health minister yesterday, more than 50 percent of the tests came out negative for the highly infectious disease.

Medical workers who

have been given the allclear for COVID-19 will be able to return to work once deemed physically and psychologically fit, Dr Sands said. He noted: “Most of these persons would have been at the end of their 14-day exposure so certainly we expect that the majority of those persons to be appropriately counselled to determine how they’re doing physically, psychologically and then return to the workforce.”

Up to Monday, nearly 800 people were in quarantine.

To ensure these people remain in isolation, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed on Monday the government plans to use technology, such as a tracking app.

Mindful of people’s right to privacy, Dr Sands told reporters yesterday the government is also exploring other alternatives like

ankle bracelet monitoring for those in quarantine.

He said: “So, the app that we have chosen actually has the ability to create a boundary, a virtual boundary and if you go beyond that boundary, it sets off that alarm and if you travel to an area like a food store or a pharmacy, a bar a restaurant or whatever, that can be pre-loaded into the software so we know where people are.

“Now, clearly this is an intrusion to personal liberty, and we are very cognizant of this. We have issues of the innocent suffering for the guilty because the overwhelming majority of people abide by the rules.

“And so, we understand also that some people may decide ‘well, I’ll just leave my phone at home and go out into the community.’ So, there are other

alternatives, we’re looking at bracelets which are not removable and so that for those people who have demonstrated that look for some reason that phone is stationary for hours on end and they’re not napping, there are other alternatives that we have to look at.”

However, those intent on breaking the isolation rules could be fined $20,000 or face up to five years in prison, or both.

A day after he said officials had “flattened the curve” with respect to COVID-19 infections, Dr Sands urged Bahamians to keep following the social distancing guidelines, as “it is too early to say” that the virus no longer poses a threat to the country. He said yesterday that the flattening process was ongoing.

“We’re not there yet. I think flattening is different from flattened and so, we

would like and this is the reason why we’ve extended the emergency orders. It is too early to say that this is now behind us.

“Are there some encouraging signs? Yes. Can we have guarded optimism?

Yes. Can we hope to see a better day? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that we should throw caution to the wind and go out and undo everything that has been done the last six weeks.”

‘SEVERAL FACTORS WILL DICTATE GOVT EXAMINING QUARANTINE PACE THE ECONOMY WILL REOPEN’ OPTIONS FOR THOSE RETURNING

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net THE pace at which the Bahamas should reopen its economy will depend on several factors including how effectively officials control COVID-19 cases in isolation and transmission among at-risk populations, an international health emergency official said.

“To gather the impact on the economy we have to remember that all epidemics and disasters cause an economic impact and we have to reestablish that economy as soon as possible,” Dr Ciro Ugarte, director of health emergencies at the Pan American Health Organisation, said during a Zoom press conference yesterday.

His comment came after he was asked by The Tribune about restarting the Bahamian economy.

He continued: “But at the same time we have

to recognise that there are several indicators that we need to follow or conditions. One of them is the capacity of the health services to absorb the demand (if) there is another transmission of COVID-19.

“And the other thing is to identify those cases, the capacity to identify, isolate, quarantine the contacts etcetera and the other aspect is that we need to follow which are the populations that are more at risk and of course we have to have all the means to control those outbreaks.

“So it is a question that must be applied to the reality of the country and in some countries also applied to certain areas inside the country that will need a certain approach.”

Earlier in the briefing, PAHO’s director, Dr Carissa Etienne said it is now more vital than ever for countries to reinforce protective measures.

She said: “Based on everything we know, it’s vital

that countries reinforce protective measures now and use all tools available to them. This includes proven public health interventions like social distancing, testing, isolating cases and contact tracing.”

In the past week, there have been over 250,000 new cases of the deadly virus in the Americas.

The majority of new cases were reported in the US, followed by Brazil, Canada, Ecuador and Mexico. She said all countries and territories in the region have confirmed cases and PAHO is seeing a growing number of countries with ongoing community transmission: three in North America, seven in South America, one in Central America, and one in the Caribbean.

She also underscored the importance of nations continuing vaccinations for other illnesses like the flu and measles to avoid overwhelming already strained medical resources around the world.

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net THE government is looking at several housing options in which to quarantine Bahamians who return home after being stuck abroad amid the COVID19 crisis, according to Health Minister Dr Duane Sands.

His comments came after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis told the House of Assembly on Monday that officials are finalising details to ensure Bahamians are brought home and kept in a designated quarantine facility guarded by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

According to Dr Minnis, there are currently 200 Bahamians abroad seeking to return home.

“I know that this has placed a burden on some Bahamians overseas,” he said. “I understand the frustration and worry of their families here at home. In keeping with the

protocols of other countries, the government is finalising plans to secure a mandatory quarantine facility to accommodate the return of a number of Bahamians in the United States to New Providence.”

Asked by reporters for further details on where those residents will be held upon return, Dr Sands replied: “We’re identifying several options, hotels and other facilities to quarantine individuals.”

Noting officials are still working out the logistics on how to bring individuals home, the health minister said he could not give a definite date on when those Bahamians will be returned to the country.

He said: “...We have to look holistically at all Bahamians and the appropriate timing of when they should come home.

“All of the countries in the region, as a matter of fact, all countries in the world are looking at how they can get their nationals

back home to safety. It is not an immediate situation and not any particular circumstance is identical to others.

“So that process is ongoing and as we flesh it out, we are aware that people have already contacted our consulate and embassies and plans are starting to be made. “…There are some significant logistics that still need to be ironed out, but our goal is to look out for the interest of Bahamians in the Bahamas.”

Last month, the government closed the country’s borders to all incoming commercial travellers, including Bahamians, who were stuck overseas.

Calling the situation “unfortunate” for those Bahamians who are unable to return home amid this health crisis, Dr Minnis had previously said it was “essential” for officials to close the country’s borders to prevent the further spread of the highly infectious disease.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Row at PMH after patients are asked to take off shoes

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net A ROW erupted in Princess Margaret Hospital’s Dialysis Unit recently, when, in what he says was a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Dr Frederick Smith asked that all patients remove their shoes or not receive treatment.

Giavano Bowe, feels his father Marvin Johnson, a dialysis patient, was “ill-treated” by Dr Smith, director of nephrology at PMH, while at the hospital’s Dialysis Unit on April 24.

“My dad went for his routine dialysis treatment on April 24 to the Princess Margaret Hospital as per usual,” Mr Bowe recalled.

“During treatment, Dr Smith told my dad that he needed to remove his shoes while on the dialysis machine due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak. My dad, being a forty-year diabetic patient with diabetic feet and severe nerve damage to his feet refused to take off his shoes and explained his reasoning to Dr Smith.

“Because my dad did not comply, angrily, Dr Smith then made a statement to the staff on the ward in a very audible voice, ‘from now on, if this patient or any others refuse to remove their shoes on this ward, do not allow them access to the dialysis machine.’ Well, needless to say my dad felt threatened and uncomfortable about the statement.

He called me immediately and we discussed how we were going to handle this situation.

“I advised my dad to make a complaint to the police department for the record’s sake in the event that something were to happen to him as a result

of a rule/law that was not yet in writing. In addition, my dad and I put together a letter of complaint which would then be given to the administrator of PMH and the head of PHA on Monday, April 27, 2020.”

According to Mr Bowe, the incident continued on the following Monday when his father went for dialysis treatment and was met again by Dr Smith asking him to remove his shoes.

“My dad asked for a shoe cover as he was not prepared to have his feet exposed to the ground due to his current condition,” said Mr Bowe.

“Also, my dad had a copy of the letter for Dr Smith and handed him the same within moments of him making that statement.

About an hour after handing Dr Smith the letter and being admitted to the dialysis ward, my dad calls me in a state of panic only to relay to me the worst – Dr Smith had instructed the dialysis ward staff to take my dad off the dialysis machine and deny him dialysis treatment effective immediately.

“A dialysis patient being denied access to the healthcare system is an indirect breach of the Hippocratic Oath and a signing of his/ her death warrant, in my perspective. Furthermore, I am quite positive that Dr Frederick Smith nor anyone employed under the Public Hospital Authority working for a public healthcare facility has the right to deny a Bahamian tax paying citizen any form of health care treatment.”

The Tribune contacted Dr Smith and asked him about the incident. Dr Smith said for the past two weeks or so, he has made it his routine to go into the Dialysis Unit and remind everyone, including staff and patients, of what the rules are - to

DR Frederick Smith explained how he asked patients to take off their shoes before treatment wear masks at all times, no eating or drinking, not to come to the unit more than an hour before treatment and to remove shoes when on the dialysis machines as the bottom of shoes can hold the COVID-19 virus and put patients and staff at risk.

“On the evening of April 24, I did not call any names. I stood in the front of the unit and I said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen can you all take off your shoes, please.’” Dr Smith said. “Some patients took them off others didn’t.

Again I said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen can you all take off your shoes please.

The reason I am asking

this is to prevent COVID from being spread.’ Some people took off their shoes and one patient says, ‘I am not taking off my f*****g shoes.’ And, I asked him again to take off his shoes.

He said he was not taking off his shoes because I was making up rules. I told him those are the rules, we have to enforce them to keep us safe. I also told him if he doesn’t take off the shoes, we are in our right to deny him treatment and to disconnect him from the circuit because he was not abiding by the rules.”

Dr Smith said the patient then said, “I ain’t comin’ off this machine” and the

doctor asked the nurse to take the patient off the machine. The nurse, he said, subsequently went to the patient and begged him to take his shoes off and told him she would give him booties to put on.

The patient still refused, Dr Smith said.

“I called in the risk manager who told the gentleman we were well within our rights to discontinue the service to him because we have to make the environment safe for everyone and that everyone needs to abide by the rules,” said Dr Smith. “I then told the nurse going forward no one would be put on a dialysis machine unless they are following all of the rules.

I then said, ‘ladies and gentlemen, dialysis is life saving and I want you to have your treatments, however, if you do not abide by the rules we cannot put you on the machine.’ His dialysis was continued for the evening.”

Dr Smith said the patient returned on the evening of April 27 and was again asked to remove his shoes.

He said the patient refused and was told by a nurse that he could not be put on the machine with his shoes on.

“He then said, ‘That’s okay then I am not going to do the treatment. This ain’t gonna end like this, all of y’all trying to kill me.’ The reality is there are some people who are more difficult than others and this just happens to be one of the repeat offenders,” Dr Smith said.

He added that he never threatened Mr Johnson, but was enforcing the rules of the Dialysis Unit and trying to keep patients and staff from contracting COVID-19.

However, Mr Bowe said he wants this “type of behaviour” addressed immediately.

POLICE CHARGE 13 AFTER BEACH PARTY

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE have charged 13 people on Exuma with breaking the government’s 24-hour curfew to host a beach party.

Police press liaison officer Shanta Knowles said the people will be formally arraigned as soon as authorities get a magistrate on the island.

Chief Supt Knowles said to date, 504 people in the country have been charged with breaking the curfew, which was implemented to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Last month, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis closed public beaches after large crowds of people assembled on some of them.

A source in Exuma said during the recent beach party, some residents participated in Jet Ski races. A video seen by this newspaper, purportedly of the gathering, showed more than a dozen people on the beach.

This comes after a man, Antonio “Rat” Rolle, died in a boating accident on Exuma on Saturday.

Chief Superintendent of Police Kevin Mortimer confirmed to this newspaper that his death was not linked to the beach party.

Mr Rolle’s older brother, Hansel Rolle, told The Tribune he witnessed the tragic incident unfold.

“He was taking the boat to the ramp to pull the trailer and take it out of the water and apparently he got thrown out of the boat and the boat turned around, came back and the propeller cut him in his head,” he said.

“We was in the area and we saw what happened and then we went to assist him, but unfortunately when the guy dived him up he was unresponsive.”

$700 FINE FOR SHOUTING OUTSIDE US EMBASSY

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN who police said was arrested after he was found shouting outside the US Embassy was fined $700 yesterday for violating the national curfew.

He was among several people who appeared before Magistrate Kara Turnquest-Deveaux for curfew and lockdown infractions.

Judson Jervis, 42, was charged after officers found him on Queen Street around 9.50am on April 27. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $700 or one month at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Prosecutor Bridgette Strapp told the court on the day in question, officers observed a man approaching the guard booth at the United States Embassy shouting “I need to speak with someone at the US Embassy”. When questioned, Jervis refused to answer the officers, but continued to shout that he needed to see someone at the embassy. He was subsequently arrested and charged.

During the hearing, Jervis told Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux that he’d heard certain businesses were allowed to open on April 28 while listening to a radio station. He added he swore Monday was the 28th and expected the US Embassy to be open for business when he went there that day. Insisting he had made

an “honest mistake,” he admitted he was wrong and said he was embarrassed to havecommitted the offence.

In response, Magistrate Turnquest-Deveaux told Jervis the country was still under a lockdown which meant that he should stay home and only come outside if he had a medical emergency or needed to perform an essential service like shopping at the food store or pharmacy.

Meanwhile, five teenagers were also charged after

they were found on Poinciana Drive around 11.10am on April 27.

Taj Wemyss, 19; Dwayne White, 19; Antonice Clarke, 19, Destiny Minns, 18 and a 17-year-old female pleaded guilty to violating the national curfew and were each fined $500 or one month in prison, except for the juvenile who was given a $500 fine or one month at the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls.

Prosecutor Strapp said on the day in question,

officers observed a two door Honda Accord driving on Poinciana Drive.

They beckoned the vehicle to stop and questioned the driver who identified himself as Taj Wemyss. He told officers that he was on the road because he was giving his friends a ride home. Sgt Strapp said the officer then checked the vehicle and found four more occupants who told them they were coming from the Colony Club Hotel. As a result, all of the defendants were

arrested and taken to the Central Detective Unit (CDU) where they admitted the offence and were charged.

During the hearing, Magistrate Tunrquest-Deveauz told the defendants they needed to take the time out to watch the news so that they could understand the importance of following the COVID-19 emergency orders. She also told the juvenile’s mother that she was surprised she wasn’t charged as well since her

JAMAICAN CAUGHT ILLEGALLY SELLING ALCOHOL

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A JAMAICAN woman who claimed she was illegally selling alcohol out of her home to help make ends meet was fined $1,100 yesterday.

Maxine Dixon-Whyms, 47, and two other Jamaican women appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with breaching the Liquor Licence Act and operating a nonessential business on April 24.

However, the charges were withdrawn against the two other women brought to court and their cases were dismissed.

Dixon-Whyms, who pleaded guilty, was fined $100 or three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for count one and $1,000 or six months in prison for count two.

Prosecutor Lakesia Moss told the court on April 24 around 4.45pm, officers acting on information went to Maxwell Lane where they found the home fitting the description of the tip they received. There, the police parked and walked to the rear of the residence to commence surveillance.

Upon inspection, they noticed two men standing and reaching into a door while a woman inside the residence served them. Inspector Moss said officers observed the men exchanging cash for a Kalik beer and a pack of cigarettes.

The officers then approached the woman who was serving the men and she gave her name as Maxine Dixon-Whyms. While searching the residence, officers also found an assortment of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes including two cases of Kalik; two cases of Bud Light; one case of Budweiser; 37 packs of Dark Grabba Leaf; 11 Guinness stouts; 12 half pints of Barton vodka; two packs of Backwoods cigars; 12 pints of Aristocrat gin; and two-and-a-half pints of Bacardi.

Inspector Moss said Whyms was questioned about whether she had a licence to sell alcohol, but could not show proof of the same. Whyms was also asked whether she was aware that there was a ban on the sale of alcohol as part of the country’s COVID-19 response, but did not reply. As a result, she was arrested and taken

to a nearby station. During an interview under caution, Whyms admitted to selling alcohol last week. She also said that she had applied for a liquor licence, but was denied. As a result, she was cautioned and charged for the offences.

When given an opportunity to speak, Whyms told Magistrate Forbes that she was selling the alcoholic beverages that were found in her possession. Still, she said she had only done so because the COVID-19 pandemic had stopped her from being able to sell breakfast.

Whyms also said that she had three children, including two of college age who were studying in the United States and another child who was enrolled in middle school. She explained that their father had died so she was selling products from her home to make ends meet and “help with the mortgage”.

In response, Magistrate Forbes told Whyms she couldn’t engage in criminal activity for circumstances she deemed “justifiable.” He also said the items found in her possession would be confiscated and disposed of.

17-year-old was her responsibility and was supposed to be at home.

In another matter, Tenier Dean, 26, and Deon Capron, 40, were charged after officers found them on Alexandria Boulevard around 9.55pm on April 22. They pleaded guilty to the charge and were each fined $500 or one month in prison.

When given an opportunity to speak, Dean told Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux that his car had broken down and he was trying his best to get off the road. He explained that Capron had driven by and offered to give him a ride.

Sony Pierre also known as Omar Farrington, 36, and Rashad Moss, 29, were also charged after officers found them on Pinewood Drive around 9.15pm on April 24.

Both men pleaded guilty and were each fined $500 or one month in prison.

Pierre was also charged for deceiving a public officer after he gave Police Constable 4207 Williamson a false name at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty to that charge as well and was fined $150 or one month at the BDCS. Michael Pearce, 40, was charged after officers found him on Windsor Place Road around 10.15am on April 26. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $500 or one month in prison.

According to Sgt Strapp, at the time of his arrest, Pearce had told the officers he had left his house to go and check on his girlfriend.

PAGE 6, Wednesday, April 29, 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

Where is the police transparency?

WHAT is going on in the Royal Bahamas Police Force?

It is a genuine question because some of the decisions made with regard to its leadership and promotions are far from clearly explained.

Let us look at the latest round of promotions, reported on page one today.

Nearly 70 officers have been promoted to the ranks of chief superintendent or superintendent. Well done to all concerned, we make no presumption that they are not hard-working officers devoted to the cause.

However, it does seem contrary to a manpower audit conducted by the force just two years ago. That noted the force was top heavy – and the past year has seen a number of officers in senior ranks unceremoniously punted off on leave only to find themselves reassigned or ushered into retirement upon their return.

Since then, we saw a raft of promotions to assistant commissioner that took the total to eight, rather than the six recommended by the audit, an overstaffing of the position dismissed by National Security Minister Marvin Dames as not being hypocritical, and merely trying to support the new commissioner.

Now the latest promotions see 23 raised to chief superintendent from superintendent, while 45 are promoted from assistant superintendent. Never mind, apparently, the note in the audit that said that both the chief superintendent and superintendent roles have exactly the same job description. All at a time when the government is talking about cutting budgets and saving money as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak.

One would think that, given Mr

Dames has already been called upon to defend the previous promotions, that he would be eager to make clear the reasons for these latest promotions. Alas, our calls to him have been unsuccessful in gaining transparency.

Indeed, given that Mr Dames also had to defend against claims of favouritism after Jonathan Ash’s dash without handcuffs into court last week, you would also think he’d be keen to make clear there was nothing notable about the promotion of Deborah Thompson, given her admittance that she interviewed Mr Ash and another witness in the Shane Gibson trial jointly to “synchronize” their statements. Such a promotion hot on the speedy heels of Mr Ash was only likely to prompt questions.

We do not know how these latest promotions affect the overall manpower figures, because we do not have retirement figures since the audit - although it was noted then that there were 23 chief superintendents, the same number in total as have just been promoted.

That’s despite the audit calling for “a new culture of accountability and transparency”.

So when we ask what’s going on, it’s in the spirit of seeking the same transparency that audit called for. We look forward to a clear and precise breakdown of what these changes mean and how the top-heavy nature of the force has been reduced. We don’t want vague answers about supporting the new commissioner – after all, the audit would have been seeking to create a force that would better serve the commissioner too, but in a streamlined fashion. A full breakdown and explanation is the transparency the Bahamian public deserves.

Over to you, Mr Dames.

Well done, FOAM THE coronavirus outbreak has forced us all to rethink the things that we do – but we take a moment here to applaud the Families Of All Murder Victims group (FOAM) for recognising how their talents could be used in this time.

As restrictions came into place, the group – normally providing support to relatives of murder victims – has evolved, and is now reaching out to victims of domestic violence as well.

In a time of increased stress – and no place to go – for many victims of

AFTER the Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the details of his rental assistance programme readers posted their responses on tribune242.com.

Hoda had this to say: “I mean I don’t know what ideas anyone else had, but, seems like the rental assistance plan is a step. I watched that beyond the headlines show, first of all seems like people want cash and so anything less than that is not effective assistance in their opinion.

Second, people don’t really seem to understand the nature of a mortgage agreement. A mortgage is usury, it’s a contract to repay the principal at interest. The govt can’t order a lender to not accept what she or he and another consenting adult willing contracted for.”

That prompted this comment from Moncurcool: “Excuse me, but the government did exactly what you said they cannot do. A renter has a contract with a landlord, and the

violence in the home, they offer a helping hand, a shoulder to lean on and perhaps a way out for those in need.

We urge people to read their advice, including calls for landlords to be lenient or ways in which people can offer support, from providing food for those who need it or even an empty office space as a refuge.

There are practical, helpful solutions that are being put forward and we commend them for their work. Some sections of government could learn from the clarity they bring to the problem.

government just made a law to break that contract.

So likewise, they can do the same with the contract a person signs with a bank.

They can order the bank to change the agreement with the lender, if they just did it to landlords.”

Birdiestrachan said: “Contracts signed by tenants and landlords are no longer valid. The PM cancelled the contracts. The landlords must suffer pain while Doc and his FNM members feel no pain.

They continue to have all they want.”

Only for Hoda to reply: “Deferred is not cancelled . . . but a cute slogan that would make.”

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, told Tribune Business that the COVID-19

lockdown had exacerbated the “cash haemorrhaging” at long-standing stateowned loss makers that are grounded without any revenue income.

Sickened had this to say on the subject: “The health impact seems to be manageable now - and that’s great news. Unfortunately, the economic impact hasn’t even started really - and it’s already bad for far too many. Many, many, many businesses and families are taking and will continue to take one hell of a financial beating, with many of them not able to recover without declaring bankruptcy. This is no one’s fault as even with generous savings in your personal accounts too many of us simply won’t be able to make ends meet.

And, on top of that, the last 50 years of corruption has crippled the government’s ability to assist anyone.

They won’t even be able to keep their owns lights on!”

Don’t miss your chance to join the debate on tribune242.com.

Who knows where the future will take us ...

EDITOR, The Tribune

I WAS saddened to read in The Tribune the article about a newly emergent marine epidemic that in the past five months has spread rapidly over 20 percent of the coral reefs in Grand Bahama’s national parks. Apparently, there is no cure.

“Corals found throughout The Bahamas are the building blocks of reef ecosystems. We have known for decades that coral reefs face many threats such as natural predators, climatic changes and human interference, but this recent discovery of a deadly coral disease in our national parks is the gravest threat to corals in Grand Bahama and throughout the archipelago,” explained Lakeshia Anderson, parks director, Bahamas National Trust,” The Tribune reported.

The Bahama islands sit on coral reefs. Does this suggest that over time the base on which our islands are grounded is disintegrating beneath us? In the past when the Bahamas has lost one livelihood it has moved with ups and downs into another way of surviving, even over time moving from strength to strength. However, if we are now threatened with sinking into the depths of the ocean can one finally say “Amen” to our country!

When I was a child the sponge industry succeeded the bootleg boom as the Bahamas’ main stock in trade. I remember the market wharf and a site just east of the Public Library on the northern

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net

side of Shirley Street being piled high with sponges and Bahamian men and women sitting on stools or on the ground cross-legged busily sorting them.

There was also a large sponge storage area on a site opposite the western esplanade.

Everywhere one turned there were sponges. I always heard them talk of the choice sponges – I believe one was called velvet— that the colony sent as a gift to Queen Victoria, who lived until 1901 — the 66 Steps located in the Fort Fincastle area, hewn out of limestone, mark the years of her reign. The sponge industry was established in the Bahamas in the 1880’s and many of today’s leading Bahamian-Greek families can trace their lineage to the Greeks who came to the Bahamas to dive the sponges that put the little Bahamas on the map, and even into a queen’s bedchamber!

The US Civil Aeronautics Board Reports that the Bahamas had periods of prosperity from the growing of pineapples in the 1889’s and citrus fruit at the turn of the century.

Hawaii and Cuba drove the Bahamas out of the pineapple business, and the citrus industry died when Florida started to grow citrus fruits. An active sponge industry lasted from 1890 until a water-borne disease killed the sponge beds just before World War II.

The Bahamas has been a tourist resort for over 200 years, but no serious efforts were made to promote tourist travel to the colony on a year-round basis until approximately 1950. Prior to that date, only winter tourists were sought. In 1949, after World World War II, the winter tourist trade stabilized at approximately 32,000 visitors annually. Faced with a rapidly growing population, no minerals, poor soil, and the death of the sponge beds, the Bahamas government decided it was necessary to put the tourist trade on a year-round basis in an attempt to provide the population with an adequate standard of living.

And now we have the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed our highly successful cruise and tourist industry. As we hunker down to beat it a new Bahamas will emerge. It will certainly be interesting to see what path we take this time. When it ends we shall have to be far more self sufficient, and learn to provide enough home grown produce to reduce our foreign exchange.

Whatever path our country takes, the next few years will certainly present belt tightening challenges.

It would be interesting to know what our fellow Bahamians think the future holds and what path our country might take this time.

HOPING FOR BETTER TIMES Nassau April 27, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, PAGE 7

Another 68 promotions for senior officers from page one

DEBORAH Thompson during the Shane Gibson trial

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

statements against the former labour minister.

Another notable promotion is that of press liaison officer Shanta Knowles from Superintendent to Chief Superintendent.

The promotions were outlined in a three-page internal memorandum bearing the signature and stamp of Police Commissioner Paul Rolle dated April 28. It noted that the decision was approved by Governor General C A Smith under the advice of the Police Service Commission.

Several attempts to reach Commissioner Rolle or National Security Minister Marvin Dames on the promotions were not successful. They did not return calls to this newspaper up to press time.

This new round of promotions comes a little over a week after three Chief Superintendents of the RBPF were promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner. The move was met with scrutiny.

Over the years, the ranks of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent saw massive

SHANTA Knowles from Superintendent to Chief Superintendent increases, according to a 2018 manpower audit. That audit stated: “More disturbing is the fact that some posts, particularly the Chief Superintendent and Superintendent, have the exact same job descriptions which begs the question if positions are being arbitrarily created to allow for unjustifiable promotions.” From 2011 to 2017, both ranks saw an increase of 2,200 percent and 212 percent respectively and the report suggests they contributed to the force becoming top heavy.

It is unclear how these new promotions affect the RBDF’s current manpower complement as there is no indication of retirement

numbers since the audit was conducted about two years ago. “The entire vacant promotional process is flawed and in need of strategic guidance and vision to employ a new culture of accountability and transparency,” the 2018 manpower audit noted.

“For the rank of Chief Superintendent, the Force Orders (have) job descriptions for only 11 officers, as such, the other 12 persons which make up the 23 persons in this rank are performing the same duties they were prior to being promoted,” the audit noted.

Editorial View - Page 6

TWO CHARGED IN SEPARATE DRUGS INCIDENTS

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were charged with drug possession in separate incidents in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Carlin Smith, 26, appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes after he was found with Indian Hemp and methylenedioxyamphetamine on April 24.

He pleaded guilty to the charges and was conditionally discharged for 12 months. He was also ordered to attend drug counselling classes.

According to prosecutor Lakesia Moss, around 9.20pm last Friday, officers observed a grey Honda Accord driving along East Street in breach of the curfew order. Officers beckoned the vehicle to stop and informed the driver, who identified himself as Carlin Smith, of the offence. When questioned, Smith told the officers he was getting water for his household. Officers also informed Smith they would search him in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms, but did not find anything on him. Still, while searching his vehicle, officers found a clear plastic bag with suspected marijuana and a clear pill capsule with suspected meth inside.

When questioned during an interview at the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), Smith told officers he had purchased the marijuana for $20 and was given the pill by a friend.

During the hearing, Smith told Magistrate Forbes he had been smoking since 2011. He also revealed he had been a part

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

of a drug counselling programme, but had “slipped up” and returned to his old habits. Smith said he didn’t do meth because when he tried it the first time it made him feel “spacey”. He also claimed he had put the pill in his pocket and forgotten about it.

In response, Magistrate Forbes warned Smith of the dangers of meth which he explained could cause irreversible brain damage. He also told Smith he would give him a second chance to attend drug counselling, but warned him if he failed to

attend the classes he would be convicted and sentenced to six months in prison.

David Petithomme, 36, also appeared before Magistrate Forbes after he was found in possession of Indian hemp on March 20.

He pleaded guilty to the charge and was fined $1,000 or six months in prison.

Prosecutor Moss told the court around 10.30am on the day in question, officers on mobile patrol in the Carmichael Road area observed two men standing at a bus stop. Upon seeing the police car, the two men

began acting in a suspicious manner. When approached, the men were informed they would be searched in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. While searching Petithomme, officers discovered a clear plastic bag containing suspected marijuana. The officers did not find anything on the next male and he was allowed to leave.

While reading the facts, Inspector Moss revealed Petithomme was previously charged with being in possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to supply in

2017 and was fined $500 or three months in prison for the offence.

As a result, Magistrate Forbes asked Petithomme why he didn’t learn from the first time he committed the offence and told him his mistake would cost him double since the penalty increases each time an offence is committed.

In a separate matter, a 33-year-old-man was charged with stealing two cars.

Tenaj Thompson appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged

with stealing and receiving a 2001 silver Honda Fit belonging to Donald Cooper on April 22.

Thompson was also accused of stealing and receiving a 2001 silver Honda Fit which belonged to Jeffrey Feaster on February 24. Both vehicles were said to be valued at $3,000.

Thompson denied the charges and the matter was adjourned to September 28 at 10am. Bail was denied and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services (BCDS) in the interim.

PAGE 8, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

T

HE optimistic among us believe we may be moving toward more participatory governance. It is possible there will be more opportunities for citizens to more directly engage in decision-making processes.

We cannot know for sure whether this shift is taking place due to this administration’s desperation and dearth of transformative ideas or the agitation of the public, frustrated by the confusion and constant changes to the COVID-19 response and ready to share ideas and make use of their expertise.

We now know of two committees which have been formed, both with important themes, but leading people to question their composition. Why would a national committee on food (security) be chaired by a person who does not have expertise in agriculture, fisheries, food assistance or any related area? When the familiar name was announced, even though they were upset, people had to admit they were not surprised. Many expressed dismay on social media and radio talk shows on Monday. Everyone could think of at least one person better suited to the position and many noted the same names come up repeatedly.

Decision-making power continues to be placed in the hands of a few. Even an administration led by a political party that raged about the opposition’s “friends, family, and lovers” model keeps its pool small.

We are speculating, but we need to be able to recall this when we have the conversation about campaign finance reform again. We need to ensure governments concern themselves with doing what is necessary for the good of the country without having to balance it with a political party’s debts and promises to financial backers, effectively making them puppet masters. Maybe those kinds of commitments keep us in stagnation.

The Economic Recovery Committee sparked just as

THE TRIBUNE

Towards a new horizon?

Not with the same old names writing the script The

Alicia Wallace column much debate as the National Food Committee. The list of members was circulated on the weekend. Criticism of the composition pointed to three major issues.

1. It has many familiar names, bringing together a group of people who have already had many

opportunities to participate at that level.

2. There is high concentration in one industry. It lacks diversity.

3. It is not future-oriented, showing no consideration of the pressing needs that should inform the selection and drive the work.

We desperately need to move away from the usual suspects. The same people are given the opportunity to contribute over and over again while others are left on the outside. This is not to say those people do not have anything at all to offer, but that we limit our potential when we do not invite more people – different people – to participate, innovate and lead.

Tourism, banking and finance are prominent themes in the list of members and their affiliations, indicative of the areas of focus. The statement on appointment of the Economic Recovery Committee said it is to focus on, among other things, economic diversification.

Where are the manufacturers? Where are the micro and small businesses? Why is there no one with expertise in agriculture and fisheries? Is there really no one on the committee to bring a Family Island perspective? What about young people in business?

Why does a committee of 15 people have only six women?

The Prime Minister said the committee “should be bold and creative in its recommendations,” but there is no one from the creative industry. How are we to “build a more dynamic and diverse economy” when the committee looks as it does? When will the usual suspects recognise their privilege and use it responsibly to make space for other people?

Who will speak for us?

Can anyone?

As is often the case with criticism, there is opposition. There are people who see nothing wrong with the committee or think people complain just because they can. They see no use in pointing out the composition of the committee is far from ideal. I have seen several people reason that it

THE PRIME Minister said the committee “should be bold and creative in its recommendations,” but there is no one from the creative industry.

is impossible for everyone to be on the committee and it does not matter that this particular group was selected because they are to represent us and we are expected to communicate our interests and suggestions to them. This is an interesting concept.

It is almost as though they expect the committee to work the way many of us wish Parliament worked – representatives sustaining engagement with constituents and advocating for them, representing their interests, when they meet with their colleagues. We already know that is not what happens. If the people voted in by us cannot be bothered to engage us, what can we really expected of appointed committee members?

Do we really know what representation means? I am not convinced that we, as a people, understand the responsibility of the representative and the represented. We have not been successful in sustaining these relationships.

Representation is modelled satisfactorily by the non-profit world where organisations focus on causes and communities.

They exist to fill the gaps.

They have to be in touch with community members to be able to advocate, supply and create change.

They maintain contact, find out what people need, work to meet immediate needs and agitate for systemic change to benefit the community. When do committee members ever do that? Is it possible for them to do that when they are not a part of these communities, do not recognise the specific needs of the communities and do not even acknowledge they exist? Can they see beyond their own areas of focus? Will they create space for others? The odds do not appear to be in our favour.

Share your ideas, and make them public The committees are definitely not inclusive and have not excited us nor made us optimistic about what is to come, but we have been given the opportunity to share ideas through the Office of the Prime Minister website.

There is a simple form we can complete to submit ideas, but there is not option (which is available on many platforms) to send a copy of the message to ourselves for our own records. The recommendations are not made public, and by submitting through the form – as opposed to a trackable option like email – there is no evidence of the submission or origin.

By all means, make your recommendations.

Participate. Help make the response to the COVID-19 crisis better. I suggest, however, that you copy the text of your submission before you send it and publicly share it in whatever way suits you. Post it on social media, make it a blog post on your website, or send it as a letter to the editor.

We do not know what will happen to our ideas when they are submitted. Will they be read? Will they be used without credit? Will they be ignored? It is important to have a record of what is submitted. We should know how people are thinking and what they are sharing.

We should know how the government ascribes value.

We should know where the ideas come from when they are implemented without mention of the source. We should know what people tried to do, not knowing they would be ignored. We will not know any of this if we all quietly send suggestions, and we will not have records of what we sent unless we create those records for ourselves.

We deserve to know our own brilliance, to give and receive credit, and to have our ideas read, validated, and amplified in the public.

A DYSTOPIAN BOOK WORTH THE EFFORT I SPENT last weekend reading Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower after putting it off for years. I bought it over a year ago and keep telling myself that I would read it soon.

I had little reason to delay it except that science fiction and fantasy require a certain attentiveness and often create worlds I need to pause to figure out.

When I finally started reading the book several days ago, I knew I was reading it at the right time.

It is oddly relevant now, but without coming eerily close to our reality the way many, say The Handmaid’s Tale and the movie Contagion do. The 1993 dystopian science fiction novel is set in 2025. Lauren Oya Olamina is a hyperempath – feeling

other people’s pain and pleasure – growing up in a gated community in California after the devolution of society. Her father is a Baptist minister, but before she is even baptized, she ceases to believe. She develops her own religion called Earthseed which is based on the concept that

WRITER: Octavia Butler

god is change. When she is forced to leave the community following an attack, she begins her journey toward another world, making followers out of refugees she meets on that path.

This book has one of my favourite qualities – it tackles complex issues with clear, precise prose that makes it easy to read though it may not be as pleasant to digest. I have already promised a friend to read another book this weekend so we can talk about it, but after that, I will return to Octavia Butler. Hers is a kind of fiction that raises important questions that make readers search for answers within themselves. What better time for self-reflection than now?

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, PAGE 9

COMPANIES HOME IN ON VIDEO CHATS

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Amid the coronavirus pandemic, this has become an era of Zoom birthdays, virtual happy hours, FaceTime story times and Google yoga classes. Our friends, coworkers, teachers — and doctors, if we’re lucky — now largely exist as faces in rectangles on our phones and computer screens.

With people’s social lives moved indefinitely online, a bevy of big and small tech companies want to unseat fast-rising Zoom from its perch atop the heap, given security concerns and other issues with the video-calling service. There were already several smaller contenders for the throne, and now there’s a big one as well: Facebook.

Zoom, which boasts 300 million users, had the luck to be in the right place at the right time just as millions of employees around the world suddenly found themselves ordered to work from home. But the service has always been focused on business users, and it shows.

Inviting people to video chats is cumbersome — for instance, Zoom generates an invitation more than 20 lines long that offers a bewildering number of ways to connect (H.323/SIP protocol, anyone?). Its text-chat system is rudimentary and it gives people exactly two emojis for reacting to others in video — a wave and a thumbs-up.

Smaller services like Houseparty, which launched in 2016, think this gives them an opening. The app, owned by Fortnite maker Epic Games, lets up to eight people videochat together in virtual rooms, send video messages called “Facemail” and play games. Houseparty said in late April that it had 50 million new sign-ups in the past month — a figure that’s around 70 times above normal in some areas.

Facebook’s WhatsApp, Apple’s FaceTime and

TECHTALK COLORADO PLANS FOR MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON ROADS

By MOE CLARK and TAMARA CHUANG The Colorado Sun

MEMBERS of the Vermont House of Representatives convene in a Zoom video conference for its first full parliamentary online session in Montpelier, Vt. With people’s social lives moved indefinitely online, a bevy of tech companies want to unseat fast-rising Zoom from its perch, given security concerns and other issues with the video-calling service. There’s Houseparty, Jitsy, along with offerings from Google and Microsoft. Now, Facebook is stepping into the fray, hoping that its massive user base will give it the needed edge to drown out the competition in this already crowded field. (Wilson Ring/Zoom via AP) similar Google apps offer group video chat as well, although FaceTime is limited to iPhones and other Apple devices. So do a variety of more business-focused companies: Cisco with WebEx, Microsoft with Skype and Teams, and the smaller company 8x8 with its opensource service Jitsi.

Now Facebook aims to make a bigger splash in the field, although it will have to contend with privacy concerns and the question of whether it will ultimately show ads alongside video chat.

Called Messenger Rooms, the Facebook service announced Friday uses virtual rooms similar to those that exist for text chat within Messenger. These let you open the door so your friends can swing by unannounced, or schedule a dinner party for 8 p.m. on a Friday. People without without Facebook accounts can

be included, and the company says they won’t have to create accounts The tool will live on Facebook’s main app and on Messenger; it will eventually spread to WhatsApp, Instagram Direct and the company’s Portal video calling device as well.

“It’s really nice because during this period when we are all home, a lot of people you probably won’t call directly,” said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking to The Associated Press via a Messenger video call from his home in Palo Alto, California. “There is not really another piece of software out today that would create that kind of spontaneous serendipity.”

Zuckerberg said Facebook had been working on the service before the pandemic forced people around the world to confine themselves in their homes. And he thinks the trend toward

video communication will stay after it’s over, even if it is at an “unnatural peak” right now. The company is also expanding the number of people who can join WhatsApp video calls from four to eight and adding a “virtual” option to its dating service.

“Certainly having everyone at home has shifted how we think about this,” Zuckerberg said.

While Facebook has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence in usage amid the pandemic, it is not yet clear if that will stick if and when people return to normal. “Even though Zoom has had a hilarious assortment of security issues, Facebook strikes us as even less trustworthy,” said Carole Elaine Furr, an accountant in Richmond, Vermont, who is a frequent Zoom user.

Zoom’s meteoric rise has come with some growing pains. Hackers have invaded meeting rooms to

make threats, interject racist, anti-gay or anti-Semitic messages, or show pornographic images, although the company has taken steps to prevent that.

It also faced privacy concerns, such as an “attention tracking” feature that Zoom eventually removed earlier this month. Zoom was also sued in California for sharing user data with Facebook — another practice it now says it has stopped.

The COVID-19 pandemic has “rewritten the rules for interpersonal communication,” said Ian Greenblatt, managing director and head of the J.D. Power technology, media and telecom intelligence business.

For some companies, he said, this could mean a rare chance to build awareness and consumer loyalty. For others, the sudden influx of users — and new ways of using their tools — means new challenges.

DENVER (AP) — The state’s plan to get to one million electric vehicles on its roads by 2030 hasn’t stalled. In fact, it’s hit the gas.

The Colorado Energy Office introduced its updated 2020 Electric Vehicle Plan last Thursday, which for the first time outlines the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The plan also reiterates the goal of increasing the number of electric vehicles used by state agencies, and the 2018 goal of having 940,000 light-duty EVs in Colorado by 2030. Other components include conducting an analysis of charging stations across the state.

“This plan is the first time Colorado has set a goal to transition all vehicles to clean, zero-pollution energy,” said Travis Madsen, Transportation Program Director for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a nonprofit based in Boulder. “That’s a big deal.”

But the goals were drafted during the pre-COVID-19 era, and therefore likely come with a lot of caveats. With oil prices plummeting and Colorado’s state budget seemingly shrinking by the minute due to the coronavirus-caused business closures, the state will likely face significant hurdles in meeting the goals set in the 2020 Electric Vehicle Plan.

“As with every issue that the state is addressing right now, I think we need to acknowledge the enormous uncertainty in the state fiscal situation,” said Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office.

“Given the uncertainty surrounding the impacts of the pandemic and the budget impacts, it’s possible that there will be impacts to those dates going forward, but we will be doing our best to meet the timelines that have been identified in support of our broader goals,” Toor said.

MICROSOFT’S TECHNOLOGY CHIEF PIVOTS TO PANDEMIC RESPONSE

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer

MICROSOFT’S chief technology officer, Kevin Scott, oversees thousands of engineers and scientists working in artificial intelligence, computer science and other research.

But right now he’s laser-focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest projects include setting up a chatbot for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and repurposing Microsoft’s supercomputers to help in drug discovery.

He’s also out with a new book.

“Reprogramming the American Dream” connects Scott’s rural upbringing in Gladys, Virginia, to his optimistic view that AI could help bridge the digital and economic divide.

Scott spoke with The Associated Press about the pandemic’s effects on his day-to-day responsibilities. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: Fewer than 20% of Americans live in rural areas but you, and Microsoft generally, have put a big emphasis on tech solutions for rural America. Why?

Q: What’s one of the A: You need to be able projects you’re workto have equitable access ing on in response to the to technology in order for pandemic? communities to be able A: Biotechnology comto employ technology to panies are very quickly build better businesses, trying to find therapies create more jobs and for the virus. One of the improve the lives and liveways that we are getting lihoods of the people in more quickly to these those communities. You engineered therapies is can’t even begin to have using machine learning. that conversation unless We’re trying to underthe people who live in KEVIN Scott stand the human immune those communities are system. So if you have connected to the internet.

There’s this really, really stark divide like a read out of all of the T cells between the haves and the have nots. in your body and understand the If you don’t have an internet connec- distribution of those T cells in your tion at home right now and you’re bloodstream, you should be able trying to do school virtually, you’re to understand what diseases your just disconnected from your educa- body is actively fighting or that has tion altogether. At Microsoft, many fought in the recent past. The trick of us in leadership positions have is to build mapping between that T come from these rural places. We cell profile and the actual illnesses. still have friends and family there. That’s the thing that’s sort of evaded My mom has really great internet biologists forever. We are now able because she lives just sort of fortui- to use the techniques of machine tously about 100 yards away from the learning to build that mapping and a local telecommunications exchange. blood test that may be able to help us But my aunt, who lives three miles understand how the immune system away from my mom, has very poor is responding. internet connectivity, which makes it Q: Are there projects you’ve said really hard for her to do things like no to? order stuff online.

A: There is this push – not from

us, but from a bunch of folks – about doing mobile phone-based contact tracing as a mechanism for helping to manage the pandemic over the next handful of months. We’re doing some really interesting work right now in research to try to understand the privacy and personal liberty implications. Whether or not this turns out to be something that is a good idea, we would want to be one of the voices pushing to make sure that if it happens at all, that it’s done in a way that preserves privacy and confidentiality.

Q: What do you tell family and friends about what your work is like right now?

A: I’ve always thought of myself as a pessimist. At the very best, a short-term pessimist and long-term optimist. It’s sort of the engineering mindset. If you weren’t a short-term pessimist, you wouldn’t be able to see all of the sub-optimal things around you that need to be fixed. It’s also hard to be an engineer if you’re not a long-term optimist, because then you wouldn’t have the necessary faith that all of the brokenness that you see around you would be fixable at all. One of the positive side effects of this is that I’m actually in touch with my friends more than I was

before, doing virtual happy hours over video conference. I often find myself bringing news about how it is I see some hope over the horizon, like some of the promising things happening on the therapeutics front.

And about how, when we come out of this, maybe things will be different and in a better way.

Q: How would things be better?

A: We are all on this accelerated timeline figuring out how to work from home. Not just getting over technical hurdles. It’s learning the culture and the rhythms of interacting with your colleagues by videoconference and doing your work remotely. That is getting so much better so quickly that I don’t think I’m going to be commuting nearly as frequently. It means I will get to spend more time doing productive work and more time with my family. Another thing that is almost certainly going to happen as a byproduct of this is we are going to have a massive acceleration in investments and innovation in the biological sciences. In the past when we’ve had crises of this magnitude, think World War II, the things we’ve done to react to it have created this very long tailwind that pushes progress forward.

PAGE 10, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Pence under fire for not wearing a mask

MINNEAPOLIS Associated Press

Vice President Mike Pence yesterday chose not to wear a face mask during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, an apparent violation of the world-renowned medical center’s policy requiring them.

Video feeds show that Pence did not wear a mask when he met with a Mayo employee who has recovered from COVID-19 and is now donating plasma, even though everyone else in the room appeared to be wearing one. He was also maskless when he visited a lab where Mayo conducts coronavirus tests.

And Pence was the only participant not to wear a

mask during a roundtable discussion on Mayo’s coronavirus testing and research programs. All the other participants did, including Food and Drug Administration chief Stephen Hahn, top Mayo officials, Gov. Tim Walz and US Rep. Jim Hagedorn.

Mayo tweeted that it had informed the vice president of its mask policy prior to his arrival. The tweet was later removed. Mayo officials did not directly respond to a request for comment on why it was removed, or at whose request.

“Mayo shared the masking policy with the VP’s office,” the health care system said in its response.

Pence explained his decision by stressing that he has

A MASKLESS Vice President Mike Pence during a tour of the Mayo Clinic yesterday been frequently tested for the virus.

“As vice president of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” Pence

said, adding that he is following CDC guidelines, which indicate that the mask is good for preventing the spread of the virus by those who have it.

“And since I don’t have the coronavirus, I thought it’d be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel, and look them in the eye and say ‘thank you.’”

• President Trump will take executive action to order meat processing plants to stay open amid

concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply. The order will use the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to keep plants open and prevent a shortage of chicken, pork and other meat on supermarket shelves, despite concerns about workers’ health.

The virus has forced two of the nation’s largest plants, one in Iowa and one in South Dakota, to close and others to slow production.

EURO DOCTORS WARN ON KIDS’ SYNDROME LONDON Associated Press DOCTORS in Britain, Italy, and Spain have been warned to look out for a rare inflammatory condition in children that is possibly linked to the new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, Britain’s Paediatric Intensive Care Society issued an alert to doctors noting that, in the past three weeks, there has been an increase in the number of children with “a multi-system inflammatory state requiring intensive care” across the country.

The group said there was “growing concern” that either a COVID-19 related syndrome was emerging in children or that a different, unidentified disease might be responsible.

“We already know that a very small number of children can become severely ill with COVID-19 but this is very rare,” said Dr Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

He said the syndrome was likely caused by an overreaction of the body’s immune system and noted similar symptoms had been seen in some adults infected with the coronavirus.

The cases were also reported to have features of toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki disease, a rare blood vessel disorder. Only some of the children tested positive for COVID-19, so scientists are unsure if these rare symptoms are caused by the new coronavirus or by something else. Health officials estimate there have been about 10-20 such cases in Britain and NHS England said it is urgently investigating the reports.

Viner said that although doctors were considering other potential causes for the syndrome, including other viruses or new medications, “the working hypothesis is that it’s COVID-related.”

Doctors in Spain said there had been a number of children suffering from “an unusual abdominal pain”.

RUSSIAN DANGER ESCALATES MOSCOW Associated Press A PATIENT who had routine surgery at a hospital in St Petersburg suddenly developed a fever after an operation. Doctors insisted on testing him for coronavirus and results showed that he had it.

And so did the Russian doctors, nurses and other patients who had unwittingly come in contact with him. “It just snowballed from there,” said Dr. Dmitry Ptashnikov, head of the spinal surgery ward at the Vreden Institute for Traumatology and Orthopedics and one of the many medical workers who became infected. More than half of its staff and patients — dozens in all — eventually tested positive for COVID-19.

Reports of infected medical workers are emerging almost daily as Russia copes with the virus. Last week alone, more than 200 doctors in Moscow and St. Petersburg were reported to have it, with some turning to social media to make their plight known.

It’s unclear how many Russian doctors and nurses overall have been infected.

The Health Ministry did not respond to requests for comment but news reports from a dozen regions in the past two weeks suggest at least 450 medical workers have had COVID-19, with 11 doctors and five nurses dying. The number is likely to be much higher because hospital officials often hide such infections.

UK OBSERVES BRIEF SILENCE LONDON Associated Press

The UK held a minute’s silence yesterday for all front-line workers who have died from the coronavirus, as the government extended its testing program and concerns mounted about the rising death toll in care homes.

As clocks struck 11 am, senior political leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, joined hospital and nursing home staff in observing the silence. London’s transport networks came to a halt as workers honored colleagues who have died from COVID-19, and the bells of Westminster Abbey went silent.

POPE URGES LOCKDOWN OBEDIENCE AMID DEBATE ROME Associated Press POPE Francis waded into the church-state debate about virus-imposed lockdowns of religious services, calling yesterday for “prudence and obedience” to government protocols to prevent infections from surging again.

Francis’ appeal came just two days after Italian bishops bitterly complained that the Italian government offered no provisions for Masses to resume in its plan to reopen Italian business, social and sporting life starting May 4.

While it wasn’t clear if Francis intended to send a different message than the bishops, his appeal for obedience and prudence was in line with his previous calls to protect the most vulnerable, and for economic interests to take a back seat to shows of solidarity.

At the same time, Francis has certainly chafed at the lockdown, saying early on that he felt like he was in a “cage” and lamenting more recently that the church isn’t really “Church” without a community of faithful present and the administration of sacraments.

“As we are beginning to

POPE Francis delivers a blessing from the window of his studio overlooking an empty St. Peter’s Square. have protocols to get out of quarantine, let us pray that the Lord gives his people, all of us, the grace of prudence and obedience to the protocols so that the pandemic doesn’t return,” Francis said Tuesday.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte’s government announced Sunday that funerals could resume starting May 4, but there was no information on when the faithful could attend Mass.

In response, the Italian bishops’ conference expressed outrage that its proposals of safety protocols had apparently been ignored.

The bishops said they “cannot accept that

freedom of worship is compromised.” They argued the government should have distinguished between its duty to provide health guidance and the church’s right to “organize the life of the Christian community, respecting the measures but in full autonomy.”

Conte’s office hastily responded that it was working on protocols to allow the resumption of liturgical services as soon as possible but “in conditions of maximum security.”

The Vatican has recorded 10 positive cases, the last one confirmed yesterday in a Holy See official who tested positive but is now asymptomatic.

SPORTS SECTION E

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020

Sandman ‘still training’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

A

mron ‘Sandman’ Sands was hoping that this would have been the year that he made his breakthrough as a professional heavyweight fighter until the COVID-19 pandemic knocked him off stride.

Sidelined at his training base in Orlando, Florida, Sands could only watch as the whole sporting world has been turned upside down with all activities ceased as the pandemic spread like wildfire around the world.

Yet, Sands said he’s not deterred from his goal.

“There are no fights. Nothing scheduled. All we could do is wait and see what happens,” said Sands from the comfort of his home where he resides with his parents and siblings in Orlando. “I am still training.”

The 26-year-old 6-foot, 6-inch former basketball player, said they are under a lockdown from 11pm to 6am or they would be issued a fine.

But he said he is still allowed to go to the shop and has to wear the mask and practice the social distancing just as it is being done in the Bahamas.

“I would prefer being here, but I just wish that everybody home in the Bahamas is safe,” Williams said. “If I was stuck home, I couldn’t do anything because all of my operation is done in the United States. So if I was home, it would have been a serious problem for me with my contract and stuff.

“So for business reasons, it’s best that I be here. But if I had to chose personally, I would have liked to be home.”

If the pandemic had not struck, Sands would have been preparing to fight for a possible minor title that could have helped to propel him into the top 20 ranking. Now, even if the virus ceases, Sands will have to engage in a tune-up fight to ensure that he’s ready for a title shot.

Sands, who was riding a perfect 10-0 win-loss record since he turned pro on August 5, 2017 with a technical knockout over Julio Mendoza at the Lakeland Events Center in Lakeland, Florida, last fought on November 23, 2019 when he stopped Daniel Najera at the Bryan Glazer Family JCC Auditorium in Tampa, Florida.

He had one fight at home on the initial Back Yard Rumble that was promoted by heavyweight contender Sherman ‘the Tank’ Williams when he won over Jeffery ‘Big Daddy’ Butler on May 26, 2018 at the A Social Affair and Convention Center in Grand Bahama.

PRO heavyweight boxer Amron ‘Sandman’ Sands was hoping that this would have been the year that he made his breakthrough until the COVID-19 pandemic knocked him off stride.

The conronavirus, according to Sands, has thrown a “monkey wrench” in his plans, but he will have to take his frustration out on whoever his next opponent is whenever he gets back into the ring. “I know for sure that this year I was supposed to be in the top 20 in the world,” he said. “But hopefully we will get over this soon and we can resume what we were doing. “We just need everybody to stay safe and clean so that we can get over this. We need to get sports back to where it was even though we know that it won’t be the same with some of the things that they did before.”

Even right now during the pandemic, Sands said his training routine has changed. While he’s allowed to do his running in the mornings, he goes to a gym in the afternoon to do his technical workout, but it’s confined to just him, so he can’t have any physical

contact with any sparring partners.

“I’m good. I am in shape. If they say Amron we have a fight for you tomorrow, I’ll take that because I’m ready,” he pointed out. “It’s hard to get ready, but when you stay ready, it’s so much easier. I’m good. I am in shape and ready to go whenever the calls come.”

Even though he has heard about the concern about contact fighting and the possibility of limiting fights, Sands said there is more an issue of how much people they would allow in a venue to watch a boxing match.

“My promoter has television rights, so even if the crowd is not that big at a show, they will still have an opportunity to allow people to buy the show to view it,” said Sands, who is under contract with Kevin Dever Sports Management. “But I give it until August before boxing starts up again. I don’t think we will get to fill up an

arena anytime soon with fans. But people will get to buy the screen to watch it. We probably won’t have the fans filling the arena until next year.”

With his family safe and secure in their home, Sands sent out a stern warning to the Bahamian people. “Stay inside so we can get this thing over with as quickly as possible,” he charged. “Stay inside and stop making all those unnecessary trips. That’s the only way that we are going to clear it. “Just listen. It’s the same thing they are telling us over here. You don’t see people going to their girlfriend or boyfriend because the virus is serious. So stay inside and let’s get this thing over with.”

As soon as the virus ceases, Sands said he intends to make a trip home to check on the rest of his family and his friends. But for now, he’s abiding by the lockdown curfew rules in Florida.

Stingers players in move to the next level

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Sunland Stingers senior boys’ basketball programme had a season of milestones and has now produced a trio of players that will continue their careers at the next level.

Stingers players continue progress to collegiate basketball programmes with Rolante Knowles, Oswald Meadows and Martie Davis as the latest additions to this expanding list.

The three graduating seniors announced their commitments this week Knowles and Meadows to Butte College and Davis at Florida State College of Jacksonville.

Knowles and Meadows will be teammates for the Roadrunners programme in Oroville, California. The duo will join fellow Bahamian and sophomore point guard Shakwon Lewis on the Roadrunners roster for the upcoming season.

Knowles was the Stingers’ leading scorer this past

season and emerged as one of the top shooters and allaround offensive talents in the country.

Meadows was a junior national team standout and member of the Bahamas’ historic FIBA Centrobasket Under-17 Championship that won bronze in the Dominican Republic and qualified for the Tournament of the Americas.

He led the team in assists at 4.3 per game.

Davis will join the programme at Florida State College of Jacksonville Blue Wave. The Stingers completed one of their most successful seasons in programme history, highlighted by a dominant appearance at the 38th Hugh Campbell Basketball Classic when they claimed their first tournament title in school history.

The Stingers took an 81-68 win over the CC Sweeting Cobras in the 2020 tournament finale.

Sunland previously finished as runners-up in the tournament

KNOWLES

MEADOWS

DAVIS

on two occasions and finally achieved the elusive Hugh Campbell title led by 22 points from Knowles who was named MVP. Davis added eight points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while floor general Meadows nearly posted a triple double with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

These teams previously met in the 2016 Hugh Campbell final but a balanced scoring effort this time around led the

Stingers to the 2020 title.

The Stingers ran through the tournament virtually untested and won by an average margin of 18.4 points per game.

Sunland opened the tournament with a 66-43 win over the Government High Magic. They followed with another blowout win in game two (62-28) over the Akhephran Scarabs. Game three was another lopsided win over the Magic, 84-70.

In the Pool Championship, they advanced to the finals

with a 41-27 win over the St George’s Jaguars.

After a successful summer travelling to play in tournaments in the US, the Stingers began their season of milestones with the 2020 Pizza Hut Tipoff Classic. They were the league’s top team all season long but suffered a surprising upset loss in the Grand Bahama Secondary Schools Athletic Association championship series to the Tabernacle Falcons in three games.

PAGE 13

‘BEING ACTIVE ALSO HELPS ME TO COPE WITH STRESS’ FED Cup 2020 was set for June in Panama City, Panama. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ITF has postponed this event and a new date is yet to be determined.

Despite the circumstances, The Bahamas Fed Cup team consisting of Kerrie Cartwright, Sydney Clarke, Larikah Russell and Simone Pratt are still motivated and are staying fit.

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) has encouraged its athletes to stay ready during this global crisis by keeping their bodies conditioned so they will come out stronger and ready to meet the challenges ahead.

Hear what the four Fed Cup athletes have to share about staying ready: Kerrie Cartwright “You don’t have to get ready if you stay ready, so stay active,” Cartwright said.

Sydney Clarke “No matter the circumstances we must be thankful to God for everything he has done. Despite being quarantined, many of us are able to continue to work hard and improve our skills,” Clarke said.

“By conducting regular workouts and using creative ideas while at home, players can set goals to achieve.

At this time I encourage the tennis community as well as citizens to stay healthy, safe and positive.”

Larikah Russell “In the midst of this perplexity, it is so easy to take a backseat and go in vacation mode due to everyday life coming to a standstill; therefore, as athletes, it is supremely important to stay highly motivated with our physical fitness and mental toughness,” Russell said. “I am taking advantage of this time to strengthen my faith in God and spend more quality time with my family and friends here in Grand Bahama. As we navigate these uncharted waters, I recommend that we focus on what we can do and make the best out of whatever situation we are in.”

Simone Pratt “Staying active and being able to maintain being in shape safely while we all wait out the coronavirus pandemic is my top priority.

Staying healthy during this time physically has helped me to stay healthy emotionally as well,” Pratt said.

“Watching exercise videos on you tube, eating the right foods and utilising my backyard has been working out great. Being active also helps me to cope with stress and I also believe that it will help in fighting off illness.”

Persons can view the electrifying videos of Cartwright, Clarke, Russell and Pratt on Facebook “BLTA Tennis” and Instagram @ Bahamasblta, according to Esther Newton of the BLTA’s public relations committee.

PAGE 12, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Column: No fans means same sport, different arena

By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer RORY McIlroy contemplated what golf would be like without fans. This was five days before there was no golf at all.

“I’d be OK with it,” he said at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, unaware the new coronavirus was about to shut down golf for at least three months. “It would be just like having an early tee time on the PGA Tour.”

And then he added with a laugh, “I guess for a few guys, it wouldn’t be that much different.”

McIlroy had one of those early times when he was a 20-year-old rookie on the PGA Tour.

He teed off in the second round of the Honda Classic at 6:59am.

So this will be going back in time for McIlroy, along with the rest of the sport.

The PGA Tour set a target of June 8-14 at Colonial in Texas to resume its schedule, with no fans for at least a month.

Even if the Charles Schwab Challenge doesn’t prove to be the return, golf will be without spectators whenever it starts.

Will it matter?

Low score still wins, no matter who’s there to see it.

But it will be a new arena.

“I could play without fans, but I don’t think I’d play as well,” McIlroy said yesterday on his GolfPass podcast with Carson Daly and Stephen Curry.

“Especially on a Sunday, back nine, you feed off that energy. You hear roars on other parts of the golf course and you sort of know what’s going on. All those

TIGER Woods walks off the first green after making birdie during the third round of the AT&T National golf tournament at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. on Saturday, June 30, 2012.

As of April 2020, Woods has won the last two PGA Tour events when spectators were not allowed during one round of the tournament.

(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

RORY MCILROY, of Northern Ireland, tees off on the 15th hole during the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. on Sunday, March 17, 2019.

McIlroy doesn’t believe he’ll play as well without fans at a tournament, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) dynamics are in play when a stadium design and allows you have people there.” for good viewing, especially The dynamics go beyond over the closing holes. noise, of course.

But imagine other Nathan Grube, the tour- courses without stands, nament director of the without hospitality suites, Travellers Championship in with nothing but green Connecticut, is preparing it grass, white sand in the to be the third tournament, bunkers, the occasional the last weekend in June, water hazard. if golf resumes on schedThink about Mackenzie ule. There is hope. There is Hughes trying to play a cut excitement. into the 18th green at the There are no grandstands Honda Classic, only to pull being erected. it into the middle of the That wouldn’t be a big bleachers. He was given a problem at the TPC River free drop. Years ago, the Highlands, which features safe play on the 18th at

Doral was to put it into the grandstands beyond the green to take water out of the equation, knowing there would be a free drop.

“They’re not going to catch errant shots on some holes,” said Mark Russell, a senior rules official on the PGA Tour.

They are temporary immovable obstructions, and they are a big part of modern golf.

That’s why the USGA, and then the R&A, created a number of drop zones (white circles) in front of the grandstands around the 18th hole, starting with Winged Foot in 2006, to avoid taking too much time figuring out where to drop for shots into or behind the stands. In a few cases, it allowed for a player to advance his ball closer to the hole without hitting it.

Speaking of Winged Foot, consider that no fans on the course means the rough will remain just that.

Phil Mickelson, as an example, has been known to hit tee shots so far off line that the ball comes to rest in an area where gallery traffic

has trampled thick grass and led to a reasonable lie.

(Maybe if there were no fans at Winged Foot, he would have had to play toward the 18th fairway instead of hitting 3-iron, which led to double bogey and a runner-up finish in the 2006 US Open.)

Fans were Arnold Palmer’s best friends — literally, in so many cases, but also keeping some of his wild shots from straying too far off line.

Tiger Woods once came to the 18th hole at Bay Hill tied for the lead when he pulled his tee shot. It was headed out of bounds but instead struck one of the thousands of spectators in the neck. From grass that had been flattened by the gallery, he hit 5-iron to 15 feet and made birdie to beat Mickelson by one shot.

No gallery? It’s happened before, most recently in Japan because of flooding. Before that, Congressional had no fans for the third round of the AT&T National because of trees downed by a wind storm.

Woods, the biggest draw in golf, won both tournaments.

Sound is underrated in golf, especially at scenic Augusta National. Woods spoke to studying every leaderboard so when he heard a roar, he would have a better idea of who did what.

Max Homa recalled his first PGA Tour victory, a year ago this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, and how electric it was walking up the 18th fairway.

The next tournament he plays will be different.

“It will be weird,” Homa said yesterday. “I imagine the first person to win, it probably will be the strangest of their lives. It sounds very selfish of us to not want to play in front of fans because it won’t be electric. But people are craving sports, craving entertainment. I’d carry my bag in front of nobody if needed.”

Without fans, without noise and excitement, it won’t be the same.

But it will be golf. And for the time being, that will do.

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, April 29, 2020, PAGE 13

NBA PUSHES BACK PLAN TO REOPEN Lakers return $4.6m from FACILITIES TO MAY 8 AT EARLIEST stimulus loan programme

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has pushed back the possible reopening date of some team practice facilities for at least a week until May 8 at the earliest, saying Monday the extra time was needed in part to make sure player training options would be safe and controlled in an effort to try to mitigate the threats caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

And when those facilities reopen, the rules will be strict.

The May 8 date is far from firm, the NBA said, warning teams that it “may push this timing back if developments warrant.”

The league planned on giving teams the option of reopening facilities as early as Friday, though ultimately decided more time was needed across the league for many reasons.

But whenever those practice courts open — local government clearance would be needed first in all cases — there will not be an immediate return to normal.

A person with knowledge of the league’s plans said players would have to wear face masks inside facilities except when working out, that any staff members present would have to wear face masks and gloves, and that a minimum distance of 12 feet would be required as a buffer between players and staff members working with them.

The exception in that 12-foot case would be when medical or athletic training personnel are in contact with players. The person spoke to the The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the details were not publicly released.

There are numerous other details of the league’s facility-reopening protocols, the person said, including: — Players who return to their home-team markets from out of town will have to quarantine before being allowed back in the facility.

— All equipment used by players in their voluntary workouts, including basketballs, will have to be disinfected before being used again.

Players will not be allowed to share towels, and teams will not be permitted to make steam rooms, saunas, cold tubs, oxygen chambers

By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer

FANS leave the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on March 11 after the NBA game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings was postponed at the last minute over an “abundance of caution” after a player for the Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli) or cryotherapy chambers at the facilities available.

— Teams will have to designate a staff member as a “Facility Hygiene Officer” to oversee all new policies.

Players will have to enter the facility alone, without family members, friends or personal security.

— All cell phones, keys and other often-touched items must be cleaned and disinfected upon entry to the facility.

“Our foremost priority remains everyone’s health and well-being and we will continue to follow the NBA’s guidelines, while also continuing to listen to public health experts and observe local governmental directives,” Orlando Magic spokesman Joel Glass said.

When teams can reopen, other rules will include a limit of four players at a facility at any one time, no practices or scrimmages will be allowed, and no head coaches or assistant coaches can be part of the voluntary workouts.

NBA players are also still prohibited from working out at public health clubs, fitness centers, or gyms.

The NBA suspended the season March 11 after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz was the first player to test positive for COVID-19. It ordered

teams to shutter their facilities eight days later, saying at the time it was doing so “in light of the rapidlydeveloping coronavirus situation, and consistent with evolving advice from health experts regarding how to promote individual and public health while minimizing the spread of the virus.”

Facilities have not been opened since, and this step — when it happens — does not mean a return to NBA play is imminent.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said repeatedly that he does not believe the league will be in position to make any decision on whether the season can resume until sometime in May, at the earliest. “There’s too much unknown to set a timeline, even too much unknown to say, ‘Here are the precise variables,’” Silver said on April 17.

The push toward reopening facilities started after certain states and municipalities began loosening restrictions on personal movement.

Georgia and Oklahoma are among states that have already allowed some businesses to reopen and Florida’s two most populous counties, MiamiDade and Broward, announced plans to loosen some of their stay-at-home policies starting later this week.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have repaid a loan of roughly $4.6 million from coronavirus business relief funds after learning the programme had been depleted.

The Lakers applied for the loan under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Programme, a part of the federal government’s $2.2 trillion stimulus package.

The Lakers’ request was granted in the first round of distribution, but after the fund ran out of money in less than two weeks, the team returned its loan, as did several wealthier business including Shake Shack and AutoNation.

The Lakers issued a statement Monday confirming what happened.

“The Lakers qualified for and received a loan under the Payroll Protection Programme,” the statement read. “However, once we found out the funds from the programme had been depleted, we repaid the loan so that financial support would be directed to those most in need. The Lakers remain completely committed to supporting both our employees and our community.”

ESPN first reported the Lakers’ decision.

The Treasury Department issued further guidance for the loan programme last week, asking companies not to apply for the funds if they don’t need the cash to survive.

The Lakers qualified for the programme because

JEANIE BUSS (AP) they have only about 300 employees. But the team is thought to be the NBA’s second-most valuable franchise, with Forbes estimating a value of roughly $4 billion.

The 16-time NBA champions play in the nation’s second-largest media market, and their current roster led by superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis was on top of the Western Conference when the NBA suspended play last month.

The Lakers haven’t furloughed or fired any employees during the coronavirus pandemic, and the franchise doesn’t plan to make any cutbacks.

The team’s top executives agreed to defer 20 per cent of their salaries until later this year or early next year.

PAGE 14, Wednesday, April 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Japan Medical Association: Tokyo Olympics difficult without vaccine

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — The medical community in Japan is moving toward a consensus that holding next year’s Tokyo Olympics may hinge on finding a coronavirus vaccine.

Japan Medical Association president Yoshitake Yokokura said in a video media conference yesterday that the Olympics were possible only if the infections were under control, not only in Japan, but globally.

“In my view, it would be difficult to hold the Olympics unless effective vaccines are developed,” Yokokura said.

He did not say whether he opposes the Olympics without vaccines.

Japan has reported 13,576 COVID-19 cases, and 712 others from a cruise ship quarantined near Tokyo earlier this year.

On Tuesday, the health ministry reported 389 total deaths from the virus.

Japan and the International Olympic Committee agreed to postpone the Tokyo Games until July 23, 2021, because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan is under a monthlong state of emergency amid a rapid increase of infections across the country.

A Japanese professor of infectious disease said last week he was also sceptical the Olympics could open in 15 months. “I am very pessimistic about holding the Olympics Games next summer unless you hold the Olympic Games in a totally different structure such as no audience, or a very limited participation,” said Kentaro Iwata, professor of infectious disease at Kobe University.

A MAN with a face mask against the spread of the new coronavirus walks in front of Miraitowa and Someity, mascots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics at a park in Tokyo yesterday. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expanded a state of emergency to all of Japan from just Tokyo and other urban areas as the virus continues to spread.

(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) Yoshiro Mori, a former prime minister and now president of the organising committee, told the newspaper Nikkan Sports there would be no more delays if the games can’t be held in 2021.

“No, in that situation, it will be cancelled,” he said.

“In the past, when there were such problems, like wartime, it has been cancelled. This time, we are fighting an invisible enemy.”

Mori added: “This is a gamble for mankind. If the world triumphs over the virus and we can hold the Olympics, then our games will be so many times more valuable than any past Olympics.”

Devi Sridhar, a professor of Global Health at the University of Edinburgh, also said holding the Olympics may depend on finding

a vaccine. This could also apply to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in China, where the coronavirus was first detected.

She said a vaccine was “optimistically 12 to 18 months away.”

“Science is just half the battle,” Sridhar said in an email to The Associated Press.

“The other half is manufacturing enough doses and getting these into people across the world. How would prioritisation be done?”

She asked who would get the vaccine first, health workers, those working with the vulnerable or the elderly, or the elderly themselves. Sridhar said it was unclear how young, strong, Olympic athletes would “fit” into the “priority process.”

“I’m sure there is going to be some innovative thinking about how to combine safety of athletes, their coaches and teams, with the awareness that sports play a crucial role for the world — for economic reasons, but also socially,” she said.

Masa Takaya, a spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics, said he was aware of the comments from the head of the Japan Medical Association.

“We understand there are a variety of insights, opinions around the possibility of hosting the games next year,” Takaya said.

“Some medical experts are also expressing that it is too early to made a judgment.”

There will a push from many quarters to hold the Olympics next year — vaccine or no vaccine, fans or no fans.

“This is placing tremendous pressure on all involved to devise an acceptable, rather than optimal solution,” David Carter, who teaches sports business at the University of Southern California, said in an email to the AP. “Add to this the unwavering importance the IOC places on its brand, and the uncertainty in terms of public health and you find yourself with international sports’ version of a Rubik’s cube.”

The International Olympic Committee depends on selling broadcast right for 73 per cent of its income.

Another 18 per cent is from sponsors.

The IOC has only two major events to sell, and broadcasters don’t pay much of their fee until the Olympics are aired.

Japan has officially spent $12.6 billion to organise the Olympics, and a national audit office says the real figure is at last twice that large. Media estimates in Japan say the cost of the delay will be $2 billion to $6 billion.

Add to this 11,000 Olympic athletes, and 4,400 Paralympians. The vast majority get only one shot at the games.

And then there are the sponsors.

Japanese organisers have signed up more than 60, and they have paid about $3.3 billion to be linked to the Olympics. The IOC also had 14 long-term sponsors like Coca-Cola and semiconductor maker Intel, which are reported to pay about $100 million to be linked to the Olympics.

Tokyo has also sold millions of tickets. It’s unclear what will happen if the Olympics are held without fans. The tickets carry a force majeure clause, which may permit organisers to avoid refunds.

Tokyo organisers expected income of $800 million from ticket sales.

“The pandemic is changing sport worldwide,” said Doug Arnot, who has held senior staff or consulting positions with eight Olympic organising committees.

The Los Angeles-based consultant worked with the Tokyo bid committee, but is no longer involved with Tokyo.

“It will probably have significant impacts on the way we organise events and the way we deliver them. This is not just about Tokyo,” Arnot said. “This is about the world of mega-events.

This virus has changed the way we look at these events. Sport wants to be a responsible member of the world community.”