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VOLUME:117 No.110, MAY 4TH, 2020

8 HOME

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

SPORT: SHAUNAE ON STAYING FIT IN PANDEMIC

PAGES

HO&USE

Flight fiasco overshadows lockdown relaxation HUBERT MINNIS

Protocols for entry were breached

DUANE SANDS

I’ll carry on doing the best job I can • SIX RESIDENTS • DIONISIO OKAYED ALLOWED OFF PLANE FLIGHT MINDFUL OF INTO QUARANTINE SUPPLY SHORTAGE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net DUANE Sands does not plan to resign from Cabinet over his actions related to six permanent residents who arrived

in the country last week with COVID-19 supplies and were allowed to selfisolate in their homes.

“I intend to continue my work for the Bahamian people in my capacity as minister of health and I SEE PAGE THREE

HUNT FOR SIX MISSING OFF FIRE SHIP

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE in Long Island are still searching for six people who swam ashore on Friday after their vessel erupted into flames off Stella Maris a day prior.

An official told The Tribune yesterday the group is located somewhere in the Simms settlement of Long Island. “The search continues for (those) six persons,”

the official, who did not want to be identified, said.

The group along with three others were reportedly en route to Haiti from New Providence when — according to those on board — a passenger allegedly suffering from a non-COVID-19 related illness died. The dead passenger was reportedly left on board the vessel.

In a press statement released on Friday, Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials said its operations

centre was alerted to the medical emergency on board the Haitian freighter around 1.30am on Wednesday.

After learning this information, the RBDF said officials advised the captain of the vessel to seek permission from the relevant authorities to re-enter the territorial waters in Cat Island consistent with current emergency orders.

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PAGE 2, Monday, May 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Country to move to next phase of re-opening

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced yesterday that the country will move today to the next phase of re-opening from the COVID-19 lockdown.

He also announced that Family Islands will be gradually reopened according to zones, starting today with the southern Bahamas.

Ragged Island, Rum Cay, Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay will all be able to resume normal commercial activity today, however, Dr Minnis stressed that curfew and lockdown measures in these areas, like all Family Islands, remain in effect.

“Border restrictions as it relates to travel of passengers in the Family Islands remain, except for emergency and other circumstances approved by the Civil Aviation Authority,” Dr Minnis said.

“However, residents of New Providence who are currently in the islands just mentioned, will be allowed to return to New Providence.”

During 1b, the new phase of reopening, businesses,

PRIME Minister Minnis including liquor stores, will be allowed to provide goods and services through delivery and kerbside pickup during weekdays while construction will be allowed Monday through Friday.

Home and hardware stores, nurseries and auto part stores — which can allow customers in stores on specified days — will now be allowed to expand their services by offering kerbside pick-up and delivery throughout the week.

Additionally, exercise

restrictions will be relaxed; yesterday Dr Minnis said professional athletes will be allowed to resume training under Phase 1b.

The prime minister said the criteria for moving from phase to phase includes an assessment of the “number of new cases over specified time intervals together with model predictions, the capacity of the health system to respond to increased number of cases, the number and dispersion of contacts of confirmed cases throughout the archipelago, identification of vulnerabilities in congregate facilities, such as prison and long stay facilities, and adherence to existing restrictions.”

There were no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 yesterday, with the total remaining at 83. The latest case was announced on Saturday: a 49-year-old New Providence woman who is in isolation at home. There have been 25 recovered cases, 47 active cases and 11 deaths. Eight people are currently hospitalised and 1,391 tests have been completed.

Dr Minnis also said Bahamian residents stuck abroad will be returned to the country beginning this weekend.

“As I announced in the House of Assembly this past Monday, the government has made arrangements for the return of hundreds of Bahamians who have been in the United States for some time,” he said. “It is expected that they will begin arriving to New Providence by this weekend.”

In an about-face from comments he made last week, Dr Minnis said these residents will now have the option of self-quarantining at home or being quarantined at the facility the government has identified for a two-week period. Dr Minnis had initially said all returning residents would have to be quarantined at the guarded facility.

Dr Minnis said the National Food Committee “is making preparations to ensure fair and adequate food distribution for all Bahamians and residents.”

He said there are 88 NGOs and private sector entities involved in the effort who have provided information for a national survey.

He said 41,000 public, private and home-schooled students are now registered with the Ministry of Education’s virtual learning platform.

“While the number of registered students is commendable, the ministry is concerned about the approximately 15,000 students who are not engaged

in learning at this time, due to a lack of internet, devices or both,” he said.

The Ministry of Education has secured some 5,000 devices for distribution throughout the Bahamas and Dr Minnis said the students who receive them first will be those on the ministry’s lunch feeding programme, followed by others deemed necessary.

If advised by health officials to do so, the government may reintroduce certain restrictions, Dr Minnis said.

“If we are making more progress we may be able to ease certain restrictions quicker,” he added.

Editorial View - Page 6

KERBSIDE PROTOCOLS BUSINESSES resuming operations via delivery should meet the following criteria and protocols. a. Utilize gloves and other protocols in handling and delivery of goods. b. Upon arrival, call/ email/text customers to announce delivery of goods. c. Ensure no person to person contact utilizing practices such as: i. Leave the delivery outside the door with the driver waiting an effective distance away. ii. Wait an effective distance away from the door to make a visual confirmation that the parcel has been received. iii. The delivery personnel could take an image of the customer collecting package, as an additional precaution and to confirm receipt.

Businesses resuming operations via kerbside pick-up should meet the following criteria. d. Customer places order remotely, either via store online platform, social media page, app or via telephone e. Invoice is sent and paid for remotely via credit card, digital platform, or payment made in cash during pick up via placing payment method in a secure bin which is sanitized after every use (store may want to incentive customers to pay via non-cash methods) f. Customer schedules pick-up (that day) or for next day pick-up g. Orders will be filled in store by essential number of staff, while practicing Covid safety and physical distancing protocols h. Staff will wear PPE while filling orders i. Customer will call store when they are outside and clerk will deliver to customer’s trunk, if possible, while continuing to practise physical distancing at all times. Drivers are encouraged to remain in vehicles.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

TOURISM Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, above, who has responsibility for aviation, approved the arrival of the N-578GC aircraft, top, that brought the supplies and its passengers to the country. The plane’s log book shows it left Florida last Wednesday at 12.04 and arrived at LPIA at 1.14pm later in the afternoon.

‘I intend to continue my work for the Bahamiam people’ - Duane Sands from page one will do it to the best of my ability,” he told The Tribune yesterday.

His statement came after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, during a national address yesterday, confirmed that six permanent residents, not two, disembarked an aircraft last week Wednesday with test supplies.

He said the protocol for allowing Bahamians and legal residents to enter the country was breached during the episode and that Dr Sands will issue a statement on the matter today.

Former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe connected Dr Sands to the donors who supplied 2,500 swabs that cost $11,250 and current Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, who has responsibility for aviation, approved the arrival of the N-578GC aircraft that brought the supplies and its passengers to the country.

Dr Sands informed Mr D’Aguilar of the aircraft and the Freetown MP ensured that the Civil Aviation Authority satisfied the request to let the aircraft enter.

Mr D’Aguilar, when contacted yesterday, said civil aviation approved the flight with his support “given the dire need for swabs necessary to conduct COVID-19 testing.”

The Tribune understands that in the process of preparing for the flight’s arrival, Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands he needed approval from the Department of Immigration for the passengers.

Dr Sands then reached out to Immigration Director Clarence Russell, telling

HEALTH Minister Dr Duane Sands him the country needed the Mr D’Aguilar left it to the supplies badly and that the minister of health to make passengers will be quaran- the call on this matter. Ultitined on arrival. Captain mately, the residents were Russell approved Dr Sands’ not tested until last week Thursday, a day after they request.

The controversial episode arrived.

Dr Minnis said yesterday is not the first time people have been allowed to dis- they have tested negative embark in the country since for COVID-19. He sugDr Minnis implemented a gested that the COVID-19 lockdown several weeks protocol requiring that ago, though officials have passengers obtain a negaresisted telling this newspa- tive RT-PCR COVID-19 per exactly how many have test from an accredited lab been granted entry since before being allowed entry to the country was breached the lockdown began.

This newspaper under- during the episode.

Pressed on why last week stands that Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands officials had he said two passengers disbeen insisting that people embarked the flight and coming to the country not six, Dr Sands said he during the lockdown pro- did not familiarise himself vide a negative COVID-19 with passenger details. He test to gain entry. However, insisted he did not know the

identity of the donors until some time after they had arrived.

“I did not know who the people were,” he said. “The issue of who they were and how many were on the plane, I had no idea. After the question was put to me (during the press conference), that was when I went back to the surveillance team to find out how many people were on board and who they were. When you are in the middle of doing this and that, the significance of some things do not arise. It’s after someone asks you a question that you then try to determine what the answer is. I was focused on getting supplies, not on who these people are.”

Dr Sands said the episode reflects how flights during a national crisis, be it Hurricane Dorian or COVID-19, are handled.

“You get a call, a WhatsApp message, an email, and it’s bam bam bam, no sitting down, no stopping and asking whether if I ask somebody to approve flight they will get vexed.

A week before this we had a donation of 500 test kits from Cat Cay that we had to go send a plane to collect. I asked D’Aguilar to approve it and he did, the plane landed, they dropped off the stuff and they left.

We had two such deliveries like that. Having had that happen at least two times from the United States previously, why would I think this was anything different?

If you put the people who were on this flight in front of me, I wouldn’t know any of them.

“I am quite frankly shocked at how far to the left this conversation has gone. When you’re trying to solve problems for the public, sometimes it

requires you to dig deep, to beg and we’ve done a lot of begging based on relationships that you have established over the years with individuals and institutions and universities and countries. It’s called networking. Failing that, you cannot mount a response.”

For his part, Mr Wilchcombe said he does not believe Dr Sands knew the donors before he connected them.

He said his contacts were people in the medical and science fields, which allowed them to secure the supplies.

“The minister said we are having difficulties getting

the test kits and the call has been to find them, wherever you find them, fly them and get them in. I know (the donors), they said they wanted to help, they called me up and we went from there. I passed it on to the government,” he said.

“Are we testing our people efficiently? No, we are not. I think we’ll be able to have a clear and definite picture as to where we are once we test more people because we could have low numbers that could mean you simply weren’t testing enough. The donations will help with this.”

Editorial View - Page 6

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PAGE 4, Monday, May 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

TEAM SENT TO CARRY OUT EXTRA TESTING IN BIMINI

EXTRA testing for COVID-19 is being carried out in Bimini.

The Ministry of Health despatched a team to the island, which was described as a hotspot by Health Minister Dr Duane Sands.

So far, there have been eight confirmed cases in Bimini, while West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe has proposed a plan to lock down the island for two weeks.

Previously, Mrs ParkerEdgecombe had called on Bimini residents to do all they could to prevent the spread of the virus, saying: “I cannot over emphasise the importance of individuals engaging in social distancing at this crucial time. I hereby

appeal for all of you to remain indoors as best as possible during the periods identified and if and when going outdoors, ensure complete protection with necessary gear, including, but not limited to face masks.”

On Thursday, it was reported that more than 76 swabs had already been collected on the island as investigations continue following cases there. The island was also the home of the first patient to die from the coronavirus in The Bahamas, Kimberly Johnson-Rolle.

The healthcare team that was dispatched is also conducting extensive contact tracing and health promotion and education on the ground to prevent the spread of the virus.

Moultrie defends move to install manual pumps

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net HOUSE Speaker Halson Moultrie yesterday defended his decision to install several manual water

pumps in the Nassau Village community last week amid criticism from the opposition who cited the move as “reckless” and a danger to the health of residents in the area.

Saying the actions were

done to solely help the less advantaged in his constituency, Mr Moultrie told The Tribune yesterday he planned to have seven pumps installed in the community so residents there could have access to water

in an effort to fight against the COVID-19 threat.

So far, four pumps have been installed. The remaining pumps, Mr Moultrie said, will be installed this week. “I’m satisfied that I did what I think is in the best interests of the residents of the Nassau Village constituency because of the COVID-19 protocols which calls for the frequent washing of hands and the sanitization,” he said.

“I thought that it was very, very important that a temporary provision be made so that residents in the area can have access to water. It’s estimated in New Providence that 40 percent of the homes in New Providence are not connected to the government system and actually have wells in their yards.

“The only difference being that some of those wells are connected to an electrical pump to supply the home. But, it’s the same lens of water and groundwater that they are accessing.”

Aware that some residents may want to use the water for cooking and other purposes, Mr Moultrie added: “It was very important to post notices informing the residents that the water from the pump must be boiled for drinking (and) for food preparation... and for brushing the teeth.

“They have been informed of that and the opposition was aware of that (as well).”

His comments came after Progressive Liberal Party leader Phillip “Brave” Davis called the move “reckless”, noting that the government shouldn’t have permitted Mr Moultrie to install the pumps as it puts the safety of Nassau Village residents at risk.

SPEAKER Halson Moultrie “The installation of unregulated, unsanitary, and unsafe manual well pumps in common areas

by Halson Moultrie, the speaker and the member of Parliament (for) Nassau Village in that constituency is reckless as these wells put the health and safety of the residents at risk,” Mr Davis said in a statement on Saturday after visiting the constituency. “…There is a formal study commissioned by the Water and Sewerage Corporation in collaboration with an international lending agency confirming that untreated well water is generally unsafe for human consumption and in many cases found to be contaminated with fecal matter and e coli bacteria.

“The government therefore should know better than to allow Mr Moultrie to do this.”

While acknowledging these concerns as “natural”, Mr Moultrie said even the government’s water supply systems are not “without challenges” as it relates to water contamination.

He said: “I have concerns about contamination. I have concerns about bacteria. That’s a natural concern even when it comes to the government water (systems). The government’s water is not without challenges in that regard.” “…There are many

occasions when the government’s water was so rusty or so coronated it wasn’t possible to drink it (in) any event.”

He said many residents have their water turned off because of inability to pay their bills.

“So, all I’m doing is putting an alternate system in place in this crisis situation to give people who need water. You cannot have a protocol for persons to wash their hands frequently and they do not have any water.”

The Nassau Village MP said he believed Mr Davis’ comments were made out of spite stemming from a recent incident that transpired in the House of Assembly. Last week, Mr Moultrie ordered Mr Davis out of Parliament for being “disrespectful” to the chair.

He said: “I’m of the view that they were responding to what happened in Parliament on Monday when the leader of opposition was ordered to withdraw because he was in breach of the rule.

“And so, they came into Nassau Village and they in my estimation exaggerated the circumstance…No one in their right mind would put a system in place that would endanger the lives of people so I don’t know why the opposition would even suggest that.”

Despite the PLP’s negative remarks, Mr Moultrie said the response he’s received from members in the community has been positive so far, with some residents even calling for more manual pumps to be installed. “…The residents are very pleased that they now have an opportunity to at least manually get some relief,” he said.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Renovation at the Rand going ahead at ‘record pace’

HOMELESS MAN CHARGED WITH VIOLATING CURFEW

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

not hesitate, knowing that GB deserves better from what is happening at RMH now, and I was happy to say yes. And I hope I have done a good thing by leasing it to them for the time being – I know everybody will be happy in GB when they see what is going on,” she said.

Iram Lewis noted that in addition to the 16-bed

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who visit here. We thank them for their sacrifice for the greater good of GB and the Bahamas,” he said.

Mrs Headley, founder of Cancer Association of Grand Bahama, when asked by GB Port Authority chairman Sarah St George about using the building as a standby facility, immediately said “yes”.

“When they called, I did

importance of the work to this community and trying to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality,” said Mr Turnquest.

“We want to thank everyone who is involved in this project, including Norma Headley who so graciously has given up her space at the Cancer Association, which we know is dear to her heart and the persons

COVID-19 unit, a dialysis unit is also set up in the Cancer Association Building.

Minister Turnquest acknowledged the tremendous contribution made by the GB Port Authority to the project, as well as their providing test kits, PPEs, and other equipment.

“They are stepping up to the plate in this particular crisis, and I want to thank them and the industrial companies for also coming together to help make sure we have what we need in GB,” he said.

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A 50-YEAR-OLD homeless man, who claimed he was on the streets because he was being chased by six invisible people, was charged on Friday for violating the curfew.

Mark Grant appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with violating the curfew after police found him on Ashley Street on Thursday around 11:55 pm.

Prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie told the court that Grant had told officers he was on the streets because he was heading to his home at Potter’s Cay Dock. He said Grant admitted the offence to officers.

However, when given the chance to speak, Grant, who pleaded guilty, told the court he was on the streets because he was being “pursued” by five men and one woman, who were all invisible and could not be seen by police.

Magistrate Forbes, who noted that Grant had

previously been convicted of vagrancy, ordered him to spend “the next two months” at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

In a separate case, Fred Paul, 63, was also charged for curfew violation after police found him on Cox Way around 1.05 am on April 30.

According to prosecutor McKenzie, officers on mobile patrol observed a man driving a green Honda.

He said officers stopped the vehicle and questioned the driver, later identified as Mr Paul, who told them he had called the Royal Bahamas Police hotline number 311 but was denied permission to leave his home.

Paul, who pleaded guilty to the charge, said he was already on the road to “drop funds off” to his parents before police denied him.

Magistrate Forbes, who told Paul that he should have waited until the curfew had ended, ordered him to pay $500 or face spending three months in prison.

ABOVE: General contractor Terrance Cartwright gives an update on the renovation project underway at Rand Memorial Hospital; left: Iram Lewis, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management, and Reconstruction looks at work in the hospital’s operation theatre unit.

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which work is proceeding on both projects.

“We’ve had an opportunity to view both the Rand Memorial Hospital as well as the Cancer Association renovations, primarily to accommodate potential COVID-19 patients.

“Tremendous work is being done; the work here (Cancer Association) is over $300,000, and over at the hospital is much more than that, well into the millions. But we want to make sure we get that property up and going before the hurricane season starts to ensure that in the event there is a disaster we are ready to face it,” he said.

“The work that has been done in record time has a lot to do with the efficiency of Mr Cartwright and his team, as well as the contractors who have come on board without mobilisation, but understanding the

d 30

RENOVATION work at the Rand Memorial Hospital is proceeding at a “record pace”, with the cost estimated “well into the millions”, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Turnquest said on Friday.

Additionally, $300,000 is being spent at the Cancer Association of Grand Bahama building, which has been transformed into a 16-bed facility to treat patients infected with the coronavirus.

A seven-bed modular designed facility is also being built onto the main hospital, bringing the total number to 23 beds to treat COVID-19 patients on Grand Bahama.

To date, there have been seven confirmed COVID19 cases on the island – with two of those patients dying.

On Friday, Minister of Disaster Reconstruction Iram Lewis –- accompanied

by DPM Peter Turnquest, and Minister of State for Grand Bahama Senator Kwasi Thompson –- toured the hospital and Cancer Association to see how work was progressing at the facilities.

Work at the Rand resumed last Wednesday.

Previous hurricane repairs were postponed following the COVID-19 outbreak in the Bahamas.

According to the contractor, the target for full completion of the hospital project is about three to four months.

The builders are employing design-build procedures with the guidelines put forth by the CBC, WHO/ PAHO, and NHS Services that provides for faster construction in a hospital environment.

A new AC system is also being installed that will provide better air quality than the existing fiberglass and metal system at the hospital.

“We are looking to open the Rand in three to four months. We hired contractors and we asked them to now do three shifts minimum,” he explained. “We are also meeting every day with builders and architects to make sure if any issues that come up regarding code, we can fix it right away,” he said.

At the Cancer Association, the contractor said there will be six private individual rooms, and two wards, each consisting of five beds.

After touring the facilities, Mr Turnquest was pleased about the pace at

e

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THE TRIBUNE

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Border breach row an unwelcome issue THE whole story of the US couple who breached border restrictions has become a real mess.

Last week, Health Minister Dr Duane Sands told the country that two people were allowed into the country after arriving along with a donation of double swab diagnostic test kits.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister revealed the plane contained six permanent residents, not two – and confirmed that the protocol for allowing Bahamians and legal residents to enter the country had been breached.

Dr Sands will give a statement today – and hopefully put this unnecessary issue to bed.

We have learned that former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe put Dr Sands in touch with the donors originally, and that current Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar played a part in ensuring the aircraft was allowed to enter the country after being informed by Dr Sands.

Dr Sands also received the go-ahead from Immigration and Customs for a request for the passengers to be quarantined on arrival – which sounds very different from the “last minute and unexpected” request for the donors to disembark that Dr Sands talked about last week.

It seems to us that what happened last week was simply that not enough questions were asked. There is a worldwide shortage of tests, swabs and all forms of personal protection equipment, which

every nation is desperate to bring in.

Perhaps an offer to help bridge the shortfall here meant some of the questions which should have been asked weren’t.

That lack of preparation was mirrored by the lack of solid information presented by Dr Sands at last week’s briefing, when he told the country two people were on board. A reporter at that briefing said they’d heard it was more than two – and Dr Sands now says that’s when he went back to find out how many were on board and who they were. That’s information he should have had when he spoke to the nation, not discovered afterwards.

There have been real positives to report lately in the battle against COVID-19, from the reduction in new cases, the donations by various parties and today the move to the next phase in kickstarting the economy – so all of this is a distraction that the government, and the country, could do without. Instead of spending time finding the next donation, Dr Sands is instead having to explain what happened – all because of skipping over checking the details.

When we talk of the need for government to do its due diligence in various matters, this is exactly why, to ensure everything is known ahead of time and done in the right way rather than leading to an awkward scramble afterwards.

We hope this can be resolved – and that the lesson is learned for the future.

Start of the recovery THE reopening starts here.

Today sees the country start to move to the next phase as we begin to move out from the lockdown.

Some of the moves seem very sensible. Allowing Family Islands where there has been no trace of the virus to get back to business seems a straightforward decision.

Other measures will require people to show discipline rather than rush to crowd newly opened stores and risk pushing up infection numbers.

That said, deliveries and curbside pick-ups from those businesses that can cater to that demand is a sensible way of getting the economy moving again.

People spending money means people kept in jobs. Let’s just make sure we stick by the distancing measures and mask wearing – even as people rush to liquor stores today.

We have a long way to go but after a week with a limited increase in numbers, allowing more deliveries or pick-ups where people don’t even go into the store is a steady start. It’s also an encouragement to other businesses to find ways to operate in such a manner.

But the caution was there – we can step backwards on reopening too, so obey the safety rules and make sure we keep going forwards.

Banks shouldn’t impose such onerous rules EDITOR, The Tribune

AS WE enter the second month of curfew and lockdown due to COVID-19, I am led to put pen to paper once again to highlight the banking institutions in this country that continue to hold us, their customers, hostage by imposing onerous rules, fees and processes that discourage and frustrate us, private and corporate customers alike, as opposed to making ‘the ease of doing business’ a reality!

I implore the government to impose some stringent orders to protect us, the people of this country, from their unfair practices that act against our best interests.

The maxim “the customer is king” has been MIA for decades. Where

is the customer service and ease of doing business attitude to be found within these establishments?

Here we are in the middle of a pandemic with lockdown and social distancing enforcements in place at a time when we are being encouraged to exercise a digital way of life on the one hand, but not receiving the customer service to do so on the next!

If you have ever been at the receiving end of trying to establish an online account (I have friends who are still waiting for implementation for over a year!), or to transfer money safely online between local banks right here in Nassau, or as a business person trying to establish credit card facilities for export purposes, or simply trying to get a

human banking representative (with a Bahamian accent even!) to answer the phone and respond to a query in a timely manner, you know exactly what I am talking about!

This is totally unacceptable in the 21st century!

Mr Prime Minister, since the government is beginning to make preparations towards reopening the economy post-COVID-19, please place the review of banking institutions high on the list, and be prepared to impose restrictions on these mostly-out-of-countrybased banks to do the right thing, and put the customer first!

Stay safe everyone!

PAM BURNSIDE Nassau April 30, 2020

We must find ways for people to get water during curfew EDITOR, The Tribune THE Tribune of April, 28 2020 carried a story under the headline, “Man Fined $500 for Helping Out His Great Grandfather”. The reporter stated that a young man was fined $500 or 3 months in jail for breaking curfew. The young man told the Magistrate that he lived with his great-grandfather, who frequently used the bathroom in the evening.

His Great-Grandfather had defecated on the floor. The young man told the court that “he took a chance”. He was going to the pump to get water to clean the floor so that his Great-Grandfather would not slip and fall in his faeces. Undoubtedly, the Magistrate’s hands were tied. Legislators have determined the sentences for curfew violators. If his reason for violating the curfew is true, we must ask ourselves, have we really become so heartless?

I again implore our decision makers to tap into our Urban Renewal centres to find ways to allow people with no running water in their homes to go to the pump to obtain water during curfews and lockdowns. The experts at the Urban Renewal centres, who know the homeless in

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the area, can ensure that they stay in the area in which they “reside”. As, creatively, we find ways for lawyers and doctors to open their offices, and others to do business, we can find ways for poor people to go to the corner pump to get water. Why would we make people who don’t have running water in their homes “take a chance” of water or 3 months in prison?

Are we comfortable fining or imprisoning people for being homeless?

We know that physical distancing and hand washing decrease the spread of COVID19. Again, how could it make sense to urge handwashing on the one hand and prevent access to water on the other?

How could it be fair to put anyone, especially a disadvantaged person, in a Catch 22 situation – damned if you do and damned if you don’t?

We are a people who achieve the “impossible”. I celebrate Bahamian boldness. I’m reminded of the statement in a recent Harvard T.C. Chan School of Public Health Zoom

meeting – “…what was considered impossible 2 weeks ago is now inevitable…”. I continue to pray that, as a part of recovery, our policy makers boldly determine that by 31st December 2020, all homes in New Providence must have running water and that our legislators boldly will pass the necessary laws and regulations to support that decision. For the Family Islands, with less dense populations, the timeline could be extended to sometime in the first half of 2021.

Perhaps the Recovery Committee could consider the number of jobs that would immediately be created by this bold step and add to its deliberations the quantifiable socio-economic benefit to society of running water in every home.

Thank you to all people on the front line of the antiCOVID19 war. At great personal sacrifice, you are working hard to keep us safe. Thank you and your families. God bless you and keep you and your families safe and healthy.

ALLYSON MAYNARD-GIBSON Nassau April 28

Can Bahamians drink and behave responsibly?

EDITOR, The Tribune YOUR editorial yesterday April 29 was interesting beyond Minister Dames’ lack of transparency.

Prime Minister Dr Minnis, in bringing in the curfew and lockdown on us like the Sioux & Cheyenne Indians ambush of General Custer, left no time for anyone to make any plans, much less stock up on items

that “The Most Honourable” thinks that we don’t need to have. Yet, he has not so much as whispered a reason why not. We can buy gas now from 9-5 but we still can’t buy a hot or cold beer, nor a bottle of rum, gin or vodka.

Except, of course, if we want to commit a crime and buy it on the black market, or out the back door of someone’s house. Word on

the street is that he doesn’t think that Bahamians can drink alcohol and behave responsibly, but he is too scared to risk the next election by saying so, and “shut mout catch no fly”. Does he have a heart, where is his heart ? Doesn’t he have a soul?

MONKEEDOO Nassau, April 30, 2920.

THE TRIBUNE from page one “However, approximately three hours later the master of the vessel advised that the female on board who required medical attention had passed,” RPBF added.

The next day, RBDF officials said they received word that the vessel had caught on fire.

“On Thursday evening, the defence force operations centre received a call from police operations room reference an 80ft steel hull vessel which was on fire off Stella Maris, Long Island, or ten miles off the eastern shoreline of Salt Pond,” the statement continued.

“Local police officials assisted by residents utilising Jet Skis responded but were unable to render assistance due to the intensity of the flames on the vessel.

Also, rescue efforts were initiated by the defence force (aircraft) and United States Coast Guard which

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 7

Police hunt for six missing off fire ship were hindered by inclement weather.”

The RBDF said a search conducted by police and Long Island residents on Friday morning resulted in the discovery of two Haitian nationals, who “appeared to be a bit dehydrated and slightly shaken up.”

“The Haitian nationals indicated that eight persons made it to shore and are assisting police with further investigations,” officials continued.

In a statement released on Facebook, Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said the two men – aged 50 and

30 — swam ashore at Millers, Long Island on Friday morning.

The men, he added, told police the boat caught fire due to an explosion in the engine room around 3pm on Thursday. “(On Thursday), smoke was observed about ten miles off of the coast of Long Island,” Mr Gibson said. “The men stated that they swam eight to ten miles, throughout the night.

They indicated that they became separated from the other six passengers around 2am this morning due to shifting tides. “…The men were aboard

the 80ft cargo vessel, the MV Fish Farmer, which was en route to Haiti after departing from Potter’s Cay Dock at 5.30pm on Monday 27 April, 2020.

“There were nine persons on board - six men and three women. Two Bahamians were purportedly among that number.”

Mr Gibson said health professionals noted that the men had shown no signs of the coronavirus. “Medical professionals on Long Island have carried out a ‘field check’ and noted that the men are presently not exhibiting any signs of

MP Adrian Gibson COVID-19. All necessary protocols are being followed,” he said.

Mr Gibson said Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen would be organising further testing and additional health examinations of the men, who are currently in police custody in Simms, Long Island.

Asked for an update yesterday on the COVID-19 status of the two men, Dr Brennen said officials were still awaiting test results.

In the meantime, investigations are still ongoing into the cause of the fire.

The US Coast Guard Cutter is assisting the RBDF and RBPF on the matter.

CCTV gives no clue about Luann death A8MAIN

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

CCTV footage of a hitand-run accident that killed a woman last year has not aided police in their investigation, Chief Superintendent Mareno Hinds said.

Meanwhile, an eyewitness who claimed to have chased the driver and witnessed the person turn into police headquarters has never made a statement to police, he said, adding that the CCTV footage has not supported this claim.

Luann Joachim was hit by a car on West Bay Street last November as she exited a taxi to go home. The driver never stopped. In critical condition, she survived for two days and died in hospital on November 15.

One eyewitness account and CCTV footage appear to be the key to bringing the case to a close, but to date, neither have aided the wrap up of the investigation.

Joaquim’s family claimed to be told that there was no manpower or funding to view CCTV footage to assist in the investigation. Chief Superintendent Hinds, now responsible for the Traffic Division, told The Tribune otherwise.

“Assistant Commissioner Solomon Cash is upset about being quoted as saying that,” said CSP Hinds, who was acting as the Traffic Division head during the time of this incident. “Cash said what he, in fact, told the family was that he had exhausted a lot of manpower on the case and on reviewing the CCTV footage and footage

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2020

“ The driver

left her to die in the road like a dog

So what happened to Luann Joaquim?

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net WHAT seemed to be a routine ride home resulted in total tragedy and unanswered questions for the family of Luann Joaquim.

At about 10pm on November 13 last year Luann completed her shift at Bruno’s on Arawak Cay where she worked as a bartender. She headed home by taxi on West Bay Street and as she got out of the vehicle to walk the last yards to her home – just feet away from a police station – she was hit by a tan coloured Nissan Elgrand, sending her spinning many feet above ground and landing on her head by Sands Beach Bar and Grill, yards away from where she was hit.

The driver of the Nissan – licence plate, either AB1617 or AD1617 – made a split second decision and fled the scene. She chose not to get our of her car and see if the person she had hit needed help.

As chance would have it another motorist saw what happened and gave chase in his own vehicle only for minutes later to be stopped by police for speeding and reckless driving.

The route of the chase was from West Bay Street to Bay Street, to Parliament Street and eventually on to East Street where the police stopped the chasing car while the hit-and-run car sped away, eventually, it is alleged, driving the severely damaged car into the Police Barracks.

“From what I could see when I was chasing the car, it was a woman,” said the eyewitness who gave chase.

“I could see a ponytail. I thought it was really bad to just send that woman flying in the air like that and drive off from the scene. That woman flew in the air and landed all the way by where we were. The driver left her to die in the road like a dog.

So I went in my truck and drove after the car.”

The witness, afraid to reveal his ID, said he is almost 100 percent certain the car turned into the police barracks.

“When the police stopped me, I was trying to tell them to go after the car. I was not the one they needed to stop, it was the other car. I gave them the licence plate and told them that the windshield and the fender of the car was mashed up.”

What occurred next was a nightmare for Luann’s family and her fiancé.

Luann’s injuries from the hit and run included severe injuries to her brain (she had a large gash in the back of her head), a broken neck and spine and a punctured heart. With all of those injuries she struggled to stay alive for two days. Her eyes flickered constantly, but finally on November 15, she quietly succumbed to her injuries in her hospital bed.

Her death certificate simply reads: “Diffuse vascular injury to the brain, blunt force trauma in the head, pedestrian struck by motor vehicle.”

Born on February 17, 1982, Luann would have celebrated her 38th birthday this year had she not been mowed down on that fateful night.

“It’s been a long time and we need answers,” said Luann’s fiancé, Jonathan Marshall.

“I live in Tampa and I just feel so helpless. We have gotten very little cooperation from the police. We kept calling and calling and we have gotten nothing to go on.

“We asked about all the CCTV cameras on West Bay Street in the area of the accident and on Bay Street where the car drove and the answer we got was ridiculous. What are all those cameras for if the police can’t retrieve footage from them to solve crimes?”

Marshall came to Nassau

HOW The Tribune told the story last week from cameras on buildings in the area.

“The footage from both the CCTV cameras and the building cameras proved to be futile as no vehicle matched the description of the car that this witness claimed to have seen. The footage was very grainy as well with lots of glare.”

On November 14, according to CSP Hinds, the “Tango 14” team of Sgt 1460 Thompson and Cpl 148 Hepburn checked the footage of buildings in the area. He said on November 19, footage of CCTV cameras in the area was checked, but did not corroborate a reported eyewitness’’ account. There was no chase seen or any

upon receiving news of the accident from Luann’s family.

He eventually returned to Florida when everything seemed to hit a dead end. Luann’s brother, Calanda Cartwright, continued the search for answers to his sister’s death.

“When this incident happened, the family and my

me. That was the dead end we came to.”

Fiancé Marshall, after months of getting no satisfaction from police on Luann’s death turned to The Tribune. “I should have come to the press earlier,” Marshall said. “We are going this way now because we don’t want to give up. We want answers on Luann’s death. No one should have the right to just kill someone and drive off. How can you just say you have no resources to view footage?”

The evident agony and frustration that this fiancé and family are currently experiencing all rests upon answers from the police in bringing the hit-andrun driver to justice. The Tribune spoke with the Commissioner of Police who promised to do his best to assist. “I am not aware of this at all, but I will definitely look into it,” the Commissioner said. “I will have a look at it and see how best I can assist. I am not familiar with the case so I will call for the file and review it and ensure that the officers conduct the necessary investigation. After I have spoken to them, the officers will be in contact with the family.”

Marshall and Luann’s family erected a small memorial of a wreath and a heart on the site where she landed after being hit on the night of November 13, 2019.

Today the memorial has vanished.

Editorial View - Page 6

cars in close proximity to each other at high speed, CSP Hinds said.

“On November 20 we looked at footage from the Public Defender’s Office and Flowers building on West Bay Street,” added Inspector Coran Jennings, who was an original investigating officer. “We looked at footage from other buildings as well. A lot of those cameras are not affixed to the street, but instead areas of the immediate property. And, the footage was very poor quality. We also viewed the footage from cameras of all the buildings opposite the Hilton hotel.

Nothing panned out.”

Asked about the eyewitness’ account of giving LUANN Joaquim was on her way home when she was hit by a tan-coloured Nissan Elgrand, sending her spinning into the air. In an ensuing car chase, there were many CCTV cameras, inset, on the route.

sister’s fiancé counted at least 10 CCTV cameras and building cameras where the Elgrand would have travelled,” said Cartwright remembering his sister’s tragic death.

“I pointed out this to the police, the officer – Cash was his name – and I had to call him back to see if he

had looked at the footage as we got no call. When I called him back he told me that the police force did not have the manpower or funds to have someone sit and go through the footage to see who killed my sister.

This response caught me off guard completely. I could not believe that was said to

DAVIS ‘APPALLED’ BY THOMPSON PROMOTION

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said he was “appalled” by the promotion of Assistant Superintendent Deborah Thompson – the lead investigator in the case against former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson.

Her name was among the nearly 70 Royal Bahamas Police Force officers being promoted to Chief Superintendent and Superintendent.

Thompson, who is set to be promoted to the rank of Superintendent, admitted during the trial that she was wrong to have had a joint interview with key witnesses, businessman

DEBORAH THOMPSON Jonathan Ash and Deborah Bastian to “synchronise” their claims against Mr Gibson.

On Friday, Mr Davis expressed his dissatisfaction of her promotion – saying her action was considered to be “subverting the course of justice”.

“If you get two persons, two witnesses, to synchronise the evidence – that’s

subverting the course of justice and then to be rewarded after that – you tell me how you feel about that. I’m appalled.

“And at the end of the day, what will people, objective right-thinking persons think about that?

“At the end of the day we’re talking about law and order, we’re talking about setting examples. I mean the country knows what she did.

She herself accepted what she did was wrong. The two judges that had the occasion to look at what she did all condemned what she did – the public knows that.”

The party’s chairman stated the promotions are being reviewed by Bjorn Ferguson and Wayne Monroe, QC, is also involved.

chase to the vehicle in question — a tan or champagne-coloured Nissan Elgrand license plate #AB1617 or #AD1617 — CSP Hinds said the witness never gave a statement to the police. The eyewitness claimed to have chased the vehicle on to East Street and saw it turn into Police Headquarters. He believes it was a woman driver.

CSP Hinds said there is no evidence to support this claim.

“We got the same thing from other people at the scene and they all said, ‘that’s what I heard’,” CSP Hinds continued. “They were referring to the witness and what they heard from him, but we are at an impasse because this witness never came forward to the police. This eyewitness chase, I don’t know what to say about that. It can almost be called an urban legend

as this guy never gave a statement.”

CSP Hinds said the taxi driver who dropped the victim off also said he did not see the vehicle in question.

“Everyone who we spoke to seemed to be concerned about the victim at the time,” CSP Hinds added.

“Those on the scene said that everything happened fast and they did not get a look at the car that hit her.

We spoke with the taxi driver, he said he didn’t see the car either.”

Joaquim was mowed down near the police station opposite Junkanoo Beach on West Bay Street.

CSP Hinds said the station is a “substation” that served only as a “first responder” to the incident as it is not outfitted for investigations. On that fateful night at 9.57 pm, that station would have

called in the Traffic Division to investigate.

Joaquim’s family is even more anxious for answers now that her story has been highlighted. Police said her case is still considered an “active investigation” and any information brought forward can be helpful.

“All of Luann’s belongings are in my house,” said Calanda Cartwright, her older brother. “I am constantly reminded of this incident. No one wants justice for Luann more than me. She came up with me.

Our mother died. This is my little sister. We really need to know who killed her. I had to bury my little sister.

Everyone loved Luann.

She was a loving person and very family oriented. I really miss my sister.”

The family is offering a reward to anyone with information that brings Joaquim’s killer to justice.

PAGE 8, Monday, May 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Two arrested for poaching at Bonefish Pond

ENDANGERED Rock Iguanas illegally caged and killed by poachers in Andros during lockdown.

TWO people were arrested on Saturday for poaching in Bonefish Pond National Park, according to the Bahamas National Trust. The BNT also said it has noted increased reports of illegal poaching and development in national parks during the COVID19 lockdown.

A statement from BNT said officials acted swiftly upon reports of poaching in Bonefish Pond National Park on the southern shores of New Providence on Saturday.

“As a result of the

enforcement operation, two persons were apprehended by the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF),” the agency said. “The BNT expressed its gratitude for the support it received from community-minded individuals and organisational partners who responded to the call of duty during a weekend lockdown when it would have been easy to turn a blind eye.”

Over the past week, other reports of poaching have been brought to the BNT’s attention.

Industrial landfill trucks

were observed in the area of Harold and Wilson Pond National Park on Tuesday, April 28. The development of property in the area is encroaching upon protected lands and the BNT is appealing for construction to halt until further investigation.

Eric Carey, executive director, Bahamas National Trust: “Reports of poaching and other concerns have increased exponentially.

We’ve seen all sorts. Endangered rock iguanas being captured, caged and killed in Andros. Park wardens

noting signs of poaching in Inagua of precious flamingo hatchlings.

Crawfishing also takes place even in the closed season, with disregard for regulations. All acts are a blatant disregard for the law.”

The BNT hopes to be able to continue to rely on notifications from the public about suspicious activity on parklands.

National parks throughout The Bahamas have been closed since March 20 in accordance with government mandates. As such, any person, other than

exempted park wardens, in these protected areas has entered unlawfully, the BNT said. “National parks are spawning grounds and nurseries for young animals like conch, sharks, bonefish, and turtles who rely on marine protected areas to grow to maturity and reproduce without man made stressors to their environments such as construction and development or threats of being fished,” explained Falon Cartwright, New Providence parks manager.

The BNT protects 32 national land and sea parks

over more than two million acres, across 10 islands.

To report illegal activity anonymously, you can email supporttheparks@bnt.bs or through private messaging on the BNT’s social media pages.

The BNT stressed that the public should not take matters into their own hands, but instead contact authorities. To learn more about the vital work of the BNT and make an urgent donation towards the continuation of its mission to protect national parks, visit its website: www.bnt.bs.

MAN REMANDED ON MURDER CHARGE A MAN was charged with murder in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Kevin Glinton, aka “Blue,” appeared before Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson. He was not required to enter a plea to the charge and bail was denied. He was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until July 27 when a preliminary inquiry will be held into the matter.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

JAILED FOR STEALING WATER PUMP

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A MAN accused of stealing a water pump from a local bar and restaurant was sentenced to four months in prison on Friday.

Tarin Brown, 43, appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes, charged with stealing.

Police said on April 28, Brown stole a water pump valued at $989 from Four Quarters Bar and Restaurant, located on Sapodilla Boulevard.

Brown, who pleaded guilty, told the court he had stolen the pump and sold it because he needed money to buy food to eat.

“I knew I was wrong, but I was hungry and that’s why I took the water pump,” he said.

Brown told the court he works in “roofing” construction, but hasn’t been able to find any jobs due to the COVID-19 restrictions In response, Magistrate Forbes asked Brown if

he couldn’t clean cars as a means of income, and Brown replied “yes.”

Telling Brown there are consequences to his actions, Forbes gave him a custodial sentence of four months at the Bahamas Correctional Department, adding that he has the right to appeal the sentence to the Court of Appeal within seven days.

Peter Lee, 41, also appearing before Magistrate Forbes on Friday, was charged with housebreaking.

It is alleged that on March 21, Lee broke in and entered the house of Dillon Baker on Eleuthera Island Shores with intent” to commit a crime. Lee pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Magistrate Forbes adjourned the matter, saying it will be heard by the court in Governor’s Harbour. Bail was denied and Lee was remanded to prison.

Meanwhile, Lester Johnson, 42, was charged with trespassing and vagrancy. It is alleged that

on April 27, Johnson trespassed on Jeffery Maura’s premises situated on the Eastern Road. Johnson, who pleaded guilty, told the court he only went on the property to fill his jug with water.

In response, Magistrate Forbes told Johnson he shouldn’t have entered Maura’s yard without his permission as some people tend to react negatively when unknown persons enter on their property without notice.

Apologising for his actions, Johnson said he would never go on the premises again.

As a result, he was ordered to pay $50 or face one month in jail.

Johnson was also fined an additional $150 for vagrancy after being found by police at a New Moon residence around 2.30pm on April 30.

Police said after Johnson was unable to give a satisfactory account as to why he was in the area, officers took him into custody.

BAIL DENIED TO MAN ON SEX CHARGES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A 25-YEAR-OLD man was remanded to prison on Friday accused of having sex with two teenaged girls.

Walter Gray appeared before Magistrate Andrew

Forbes, charged with two counts of unlawful sexual intercourse after being accused of having sex with a 13-year-old on November 9, 2019, and a 14-year-old on April 21, 2020.

Gray was not required to enter a plea to the charges and the case was

adjourned to July 20 for service of a voluntary bill of indictment. Bail was consequently denied, and he was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. However, Magistrate Forbes told Gray that he can apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

Time for imagination as we draw blueprint for our future

by NIKITA SHIEL-ROLLE THE economic future of The Bahamas has become a popular conversation.

This is the second time within a year that overnight we have incurred upwards of a billion dollars in losses. There is a sense of fear and uncertainty among Bahamians and this is something we must acknowledge. As a nation, we don’t yet know how we will navigate ourselves through this storm.

Over the past few months, our dependence on social services provided by the government and civil society has increased.

We cannot ignore the fact Bahamians don’t have the financial resources to buy food, as a result, many are returning to working the land and sea to provide for and support their loved ones.

We saw this when Eric Carey and his team at the Bahamas National Trust spoke from Bone Fish Pond National Park reminding us protected areas are not fishing grounds. Protected Areas provide critical habitat for economically important species such as the conch and spiny lobster and mangrove ecosystems like Bonefish Pond help to reduce storm surge and provide a buffer for coastal communities during hurricanes.

Sustainability is finding the balance between protecting our ecosystems and their biodiversity and receiving the ecosystem benefits that support our livelihoods.

It’s exciting that the Prime Minister charged the new Economic Recovery Committee with the task of being bold and creative, urging them to think and act in new ways to aid our quick recovery as we build a dynamic and diverse economy. This is a great first step and I would like to contribute with a few suggestions for the committee: 1) Identify Bahamians with expertise in small island sustainability, sustainable natural resource use and management, community conservation,

arts and culture and climate action to add to the committee.

While tourism will always be a part of our economic portfolio, it needs to be intertwined within the orange (arts & culture), blue (the ocean), and green (land) economies. Inspiring entrepreneurship in these economies is exactly what we need and we have Bahamian specialists in all of these areas. Add outstanding Bahamians from different sectors to the team and brainstorm together.

You need diversity of thought right now because you have to do something that has never been done.

Find the fresh young minds eager to contribute to our National Development there are many and they are smart. This is a time for fun and inspired innovation.

Get excited, be creative and together imagine what a thriving Bahamian economy looks like.

Go big. Be Ambitious.

And remember the science shows the economic benefits of sustainable development.

2) Resist the temptation to run back to what is comfortable.

When brainstorming economic solutions Member of Parliament for Long Island, Adrian Gibson proposed returning to longline fishing to bolster our fisheries production.

While we must reflect on the lifestyle practices of the past to inspire our way forward, we must also be guided by sound science. We have to make the best decisions based on all the available information.

Longline fishing uses thousands of baited hooks on lines that can be up to 62 miles long. It is environmentally destructive and reduces the economic value of our oceans.

Our economic development plan must hold true to the Government’s mission of creating a resilient island nation.

3) Prioritise education, research and development.

The University of The Bahamas is perfectly poised to drive the innovation required for this economic transformation. Make a commitment to increase funding for university programmes and research.

4) Be intentional with how you foster development in the Family Islands.

Kenwood Kerr, a co-chair for the Economic Recovery Committee, shared his personal thoughts that highlighted construction as an immediate way to get

jobs for “persons who are unskilled and semi-skilled while reducing that social burden on the system”.

While construction will be an inevitable part of our economic development, don’t let the urgency to provide jobs cloud your judgment.

Ensure all development plans align with our new Bahamian sustainability paradigm. Hold firm, know the inherent value of our resources - and don’t sell us out. Allow our natural resources to carry and sustain us during this time without tourism and respect our ocean and island biodiversity because this is the foundation in which we are building our new economy.

5) Remember everyone is skilled in something and that new skills can be learned at any age. Don’t shy away from opportunities to develop new industries requiring diverse skill sets.

Life-long learning must become a “Bahamian Ting”. We must create safe and encouraging spaces for Bahamians of all ages to improve our literacy which includes civic, science and ocean literacy. As the Blue Economy is a priority investing in education and ocean science must be at the forefront of the economic recovery plan. The intersectionality of the blue economy with life on land, the arts and culture must not be overlooked.

6) A sustainable and resilient island nation must be your mantra. Be ambitious. Imagine the unimaginable with specialists from a range of sectors.

Know that we are now in an entrepreneurial space.

It’s going to be challenging and there is a high probability the first plan is going to have some holes in it. This is why you must implement strong monitoring, evaluation, reporting and re-imagining mechanisms which engage all Bahamian communities.

Collect quality data that documents the progress of these new economic initiatives.

Transparency during this recovery process is paramount. Sharing the detailed steps of the economic recovery plan with us will help establish trust and support for the plan.

Lastly, create opportunities for Bahamians from all backgrounds to meaningfully engage in the recovery process.

There is no going back to normal. Things will be

different and it will be better.

Bahamians are incredible, passionate, creative and talented people - this is our time to shine.

When we reflect on this time we will realise this current economic pause is our “Noah” moment. We must

WHILE tourism will always be a part of our economic portfolio, it needs to be intertwined within the orange (arts & culture), blue (the ocean), and green (land) economies.

get to work by building our “Ark” and know with the same certainty the sun will rise and that there will be a rainbow at the end of this current economic storm.

Nikita Shiel-Rolle’s is a Bahamian conservation

biologist and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of YME & the Cat Island Conservation Institute.

She is a UNESCO partner and a focal point for the UNESCO established Caribbean Climate Change Youth Network.

PAGE 10, Monday, May 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Uncovering the mystery of mating sharks and motherhood

by Hannah Verkamp PhD Student in Marine Biology, Arizona State University IF YOU have a toddler, or if you encountered one in the last year, you’ve almost certainly experienced the “Baby Shark” song. Somehow, every kid seems to know this song, but scientists actually know very little about where and when sharks give birth. The origins of these famous baby sharks are still largely a mystery.

Many of the large iconic shark species – like great whites, hammerheads, blue sharks and tiger sharks – cross hundreds or thousands of miles of ocean every year. Because they’re so wide-ranging, much of sharks’ lives, including their reproductive habits, remains a secret. Scientists have struggled to figure out precisely where and how often sharks mate, the length of their gestation, and many aspects of the birthing process.

I am a Ph.D. student studying shark ecology and reproduction and am on a team of researchers hoping to answer two important questions: Where and when do sharks give birth?

In need of innovation Until very recently, the technology to answer these questions did not exist.

But marine biologist James Sulikowski, a professor at Arizona State University and my research mentor, changed that. He developed

a new satellite tag called the Birth-Tag with the help of the technology company Lotek Wireless. He has no stake in the company.

Using this new satellite tag, our team is working to uncover where and when tiger sharks give birth and is demonstrating a proof of concept for how scientists can do the same for other large shark species.

The Birth-Tag is a small, egg-shaped device that we insert into the uterus of a pregnant shark where it will remain dormant and hidden among the foetal sharks throughout pregnancy. This kind of tag has never before been used on sharks, but similar implanted tags have been used to figure out the birthing locations of terrestrial mammals, such as deer, for decades with great success. When a tagged mother shark gives birth, the tag will be expelled alongside the babies and float to the sea surface. Once it senses dry air, the tag transmits its location to a passing satellite, which then sends that location and time of transmission back to our lab.

As soon as we download this information, we know where and when that shark gave birth.

After years of fine-tuning this new technology, we launched the first phase of the study in December of 2019 and began deploying the tags. Once the study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees at both Arizona State University and the University of Miami, as well as the

Bahamian government, we set out to find some tiger sharks. To do this, our team of researchers from the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Conservation Lab and the Shark Research and Conservation Program at the University of Miami led by marine biologist Neil Hammerschlag, travelled to the crystal-clear waters of Tiger Beach off Grand Bahama Island to tag tiger sharks.

Up close with an apex predator Tiger Beach is a hot spot for female tiger sharks of many different life stages, including large pregnant individuals. These pregnant females may be aggregating in the warm, calm waters of Tiger Beach to take refuge and speed up their gestation.

The high number of pregnant sharks in this small area makes finding one much easier, but actually catching and bringing a 10-foot-plus shark to the boat is no easy task. We fish for the sharks using drumlines, and it can take several hours to safely catch, pull in by hand, and secure one of these powerful creatures next to the boat.

Once we catch a female tiger shark, we first take several length and girth measurements to get an idea of her general health and to see if she is sexually mature. Then we check for bite marks, which are evidence of a recent mating event.

After we collect this baseline information, we

rotate her upside down to coax her into a trance-like state called tonic immobility. Tonic immobility is a natural reflex in many sharks that induces a state of physical inactivity. This keeps the powerful shark calm and still for the most exciting part of the workup, the part where my experience comes into play: the pregnancy check.

Expecting Just like the ultrasounds used on humans, we use a mobile ultrasound machine to figure out if a shark is expecting. I put on a pair of goggles that allow me to see everything the ultrasound sees, lean over the side of the boat, and place the probe onto the upside down shark’s abdomen.

The image is usually fuzzy at first as water splashes over the shark and up onto the boat. The team holds the shark still as I slowly manoeuver the probe along her belly. Then, if she’s pregnant, something magical happens.

Wriggling baby tiger sharks, up to 40 of them packed tightly together inside their mother’s womb, appear in front of my eyes.

The image also appears on a screen held by another team member on the boat, and everyone cheers as they gather around to take a peek into the secret world of unborn sharks. We spy on them as they pump fluid through their stilldeveloping gills, and we watch in awe as they wiggle around, blissfully unaware

that anything extraordinary is happening outside in the world. Once we have enough data on the approximate size of the offspring – which gives us an idea of how far along the pregnancy is – it’s time to tag the mama shark.

As I hold the probe as still as possible to keep a visual of the shark’s internal anatomy, Dr. Sulikowski takes the Birth-Tag and uses a custom-designed applicator to carefully insert it into the uterus through the urogenital opening. No surgery required, the tagging procedure is complete in a matter of minutes. Once the tag is inside the uterus, we rotate the shark upright to wake her and release her back to the open ocean. I am filled with hope as I watch her swim gracefully away to continue her pregnancy, with a stow-away Birth-Tag hidden among her unborn offspring.

Solving the mystery Last December, we deployed the first BirthTags on three pregnant tiger sharks. For tiger sharks, pregnancy is thought to last 12-16 months, but researchers have little in the way of hard data. Since these tagged sharks ranged from recently mated to mid-gestation, an added bonus of this study is that it might help refine estimates of the length of pregnancy for this species.

Although we work in The Bahamas, a shark sanctuary where it is illegal to kill sharks, tiger sharks migrate extensively. As such, each

tagged shark will likely spend time outside of The Bahamas in unprotected waters where she will have to navigate carefully to avoid interaction with fishing gear. Tiger sharks are considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and their populations are currently in decline. The data we gain from this first round of tags will give us and policymakers information that could inform future protections for this species.

We are currently waiting to receive a notification from our online ARGOS satellite system that will alert us that one of our sharks has given birth.

When that happens, we will be the first in the world to know, in close to real time, where and when tiger sharks give birth.

Many species of shark are threatened with extinction, and understanding their reproductive cycles is key to the effective conservation of these ecologically important and beautiful creatures. Using the BirthTag, we are at the cusp of unlocking this information about tiger sharks and will hopefully show that this can be done for many more species.

We are planning future expeditions to deploy many more Birth-Tags, but for now, we’ll just have to keep singing the “Baby Shark” song as we patiently wait for our first glimpse into the private lives of these incredible creatures.

theconvesration.com

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 11

Trump’s eagerness to open up could be the last thing we need

By MALCOLM STRACHAN

AS the saying goes: When America sneezes, The Bahamas catches a cold.

Imagine what becomes of us if that proverbial sneeze is caused by a disease that has already infected more than one million Americans. Despite being armed with this knowledge and that echoed over and over again from his advisers, US President Donald Trump has placed an extreme amount of urgency on reopening the US economy, presumably, at any cost.

Surely, for nations dependent on America’s economic health, this should be music to our ears - except for in this case when it could not be a more terrible idea. Still stuck in the throes of this global pandemic - which has already claimed the lives of nearly a quarter million people globally and almost 70,000 in the US - President Trump could not have been more anxious to pull the trigger on reopening.

With 24 states currently in the process of reopening and another ten still in the planning stages, many are wondering if the US realizes the dangers associated with moving forward so aggressively. And to be fair, there are many in and around the White House who are of the mind that this decision is coming much too soon. But unfortunately, those admonitions continue to fall on deaf ears. With legions of his supporters backing his decision, despite rising cases in those states, it is apparent the threat of economic collapse is scarier than the prospect of death for millions of Americans.

Notwithstanding that a shuttered economy also brings along its own negative implications, the total cost we may all end up bearing in the long run is perhaps being overlooked.

Commenting on this, head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus understands the urgency, but still is urging caution on

the part of countries who may be jumping the gun.

At a virtual press conference in Geneva, he said: “I know that some countries are already planning the transition out of stay-athome restrictions. WHO wants to see restrictions lifted as much as anyone...

At the same time, lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence. The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly.”

And US proponent of maintaining restrictions, top infectious disease medical expert Dr Anthony Fauci has been very critical of the President’s push to ease Covid-19 mitigation policies.

“We would want to see a clear indication that you were very, very clearly and strongly going in the right direction, because the one thing you don’t want to do is you don’t want to get out there prematurely and then wind up back in the same situation,” said Dr Fauci.

This is exactly what should cause great concern for Bahamians.

It is quite clear that despite what our government does to blunt the curve locally, getting beyond the health aspect of this virus is only one of the many moving parts. In fact, it may be the one we have the most control over in the short-term – which isn’t at all that comforting to realise.

Considering a headline in this daily last week stating that a quarter of our population – 100,000 people – are food insecure, we cannot minimise the difficulty that lies before us. As pay cheque to pay cheque living is a norm for many lower and middle-class citizens, what happens when there is no pay cheque?

And this is not just painting a picture of what is currently happening. Rather this is a foreshadowing of what may be the reality for an undefined amount of time which many of us are unable to conceive.

And considering how conservative that number of hungry Bahamians

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has placed an extreme amount of urgency on reopening the US economy.

provided by The Bahamas Feeding Network may be, the hardship being experienced by fellow citizens is a harsh reality we must find solutions for. Especially as we consider the US supplies over 95 percent of the food we eat, we are in a truly precarious position if self-preservation comes in to play as it did with restrictions that were imposed on the export of medical supplies from the US. Additionally, the recent controversy over meat processing plants being forced to stay open by President Trump amid worker safety concerns should lead to many concerns if there is a spike in cases as a result of states getting back to business. What happens if those plants close and there are supply shortages leading to price hikes or an all-out trade restriction on food items?

Such instances are things we must consider if we are truly prepared for.

While Bahamians are meeting the challenge of food sustainability by planting fruits and vegetables in their yards, if we are being honest this is merely a stop gap measure. We need a full evaluation of our approach to food security, which Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Michael Pintard spoke to in Parliament this past week. As heartening as it was hear, definitive timelines and the strategic implementation of this plan is needed to get us away from being so dependent on the US. With many other Caribbean nations realizing the same, perhaps more regional trade is a part of the solution.

Additionally, we must consider how we can leverage our natural resources to create revenue generating industries which can lessen our dependence on getting heads in beds. Certainly, friends, we will be the wiser if we consider this crisis as a wake-up call. Any idea that once we’re on the other side of this – whenever that will occur – that we should just go back to business as usual will be beyond disappointing.

TEDROS Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation, understands the urgency but still is urging caution on the part of countries who may be jumping the gun.

PAGE 12, Monday, May 4, 2020

T

O BEÂ among the first beneficiaries of a restarted global tourism industry, the present enforced downtime should be used by all actors to position Caribbean countries to compete immediately.

Hoteliers, restaurant owners, shops catering for tourists, should now be considering the protocols they need to institute to make themselves ready for the opening of borders. For instance, will face masks and gloves be part of the uniforms of everyone who interacts with visitors from the time they land and until they depart? In the absence of a vaccine for COVID-19, and for some time after one is developed, visitors and locals will want to be confident that contact will not lead to infection.

Airports and airlines in the region should now be considering how they will cope with even longer check-in times, physical distancing and the necessary health checks which will have to be conducted before passengers are allowed on airplanes. At least basic protocols should be formulated and training for airport and airline personnel should be undertaken now. The countries that are ahead of this curve will give the greatest incentives to airlines to favour transporting passengers into and out of their airports.

Eventually, no doubt, international agencies will establish rules and procedures for air travel as they

THE TRIBUNE

The work starts now for when our borders reopen did in 2001 after 9/11 and during the SARS outbreak in 2003. But, Caribbean countries need not await international rules before building confidence in their own airports by putting sensible preparatory measures in place, rehearsing their execution and training staff.

Many questions arise from what will be an entirely new situation and Caribbean governments should be considering them now. Among them are: will governments be willing to accept visitors cleared of COVID-19 by sending countries or will they want

to conduct checks themselves? Should it be the latter, clearing passengers for entry after landing, particularly if two or more large aircraft arrive in a cluster there would be a very long and tiresome process unless airports are reconfigured to deal with hundreds of passengers at the same time. Staff for clearing passengers will also have to be significantly increased and trained.

If Caribbean countries will have to ensure that passengers have been tested and cleared for COVID-19 on departure and arrival,

work on addressing the enormous challenges should be addressed now.

One consideration should be to re-deploy existing public servants from less urgent jobs to these necessary tasks.

Hotels should also be working to make themselves ready for visitors by preparing an environment that would give them comfort that they will not be threatened by COVID-19.

This would include mandatory use of masks and gloves by all staff at all times. Physical distancing will also have to be implemented in hotel restaurants and bars; crowded spaces will only return when an effective COVID-19 vaccine has been found and distributed in enough quantities world-wide to restore health security.

The treatment of cruise ship passengers will also pose new and huge demands. Since a significant part of their experience is to wander through capital cities, shopping from vendors, big and small, going to beaches and using local transport, how are they to be checked and cleared for COVID-19? In the season, cruise ship passengers number thousands. If Caribbean health authorities want to ensure that these passengers pose no threat to the local population, measures must be put in place to cope with the issue.

Further, the cruise passengers and the cruise companies will want to be assured that the countries at which they are calling have significantly reduced COVID-19 infections and that they have in operation continuous safeguards against the spread of the disease.

Undoubtedly, they will also want to be confident that the health facilities in the country are adequate for treating tourists who may contract the disease.

Therefore, this downtime should not be treated as a period of paralysis. It should be an interval to galvanize action by all in the industry, in each country, to institute measures that will give cruise ship companies, tour operators and airlines comfort that they are ready to protect the health of their visitors. They also need to communicate such actions to the global tourism community. When tourism authorities and

HOTELIERS, restaurant owners and shops catering for tourists should now be considering the protocols they need to institute to make themselves ready for the opening of borders.

hotels claim they are open for business, that claim should be supported by evidence of their readiness to provide an environment of health safety.

Cruise ship companies want to get their ships cruising. They have lost more than US$750 million in the first quarter of this year.

Shares in Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian have dropped by 60 to 70%.

They, too, have to restore passenger confidence that their ships will be safe. But, however safe they may make their ships, they will want to be assured that the ports at which they call are also safe.

Airlines have also taken a huge beating. Virgin Airlines is seeking a bailout, or it might never fly again; Airlines for America report that American, Jet Blue and others are already on track to lose US$87 billion in revenue this year; British Airways has had to lay-off 12,000 staff, and is faced with closing down its operations at London Gatwick Airport from which Caribbean flights are served.

Global air travel could lose more than US$252 billion this year.

Airlines, too, need to get their planes in the air.

They will fly to the countries best prepared to deal with COVID-19. So, the players in the Caribbean tourism industry at local and regional levels should be taking action now.

They will be doing so in an atmosphere of concern

about flying and cruising. Any pent-up demand for tourism will be tempered by fear and by cost.

Configuring airplanes for safe physical distancing will reduce the number of passengers and consequently increase the cost of travel.

Both North America and Europe are now facing huge job losses and millions of people are forced to spend their savings. Only the well-off will easily be able to afford leisure travel in the immediate future.

COVID-19 is forecast to cause a fall in tourism receipts globally of 20-30% (or US$450 billion) this year. By comparison, during the global recession of 2008 international tourist arrivals declined by only 4%, while the 2003 SARS outbreak resulted in a decline of a mere 0.4%.

The problem is real and alarming. Building confidence in tourism capacity must start now, if the Caribbean will be ready to take advantage of borders opening.

The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto.

The views expressed are entirely his own). Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 13

FACED WITH 20,000 DEAD, CARE HOMES SEEK SHIELD FROM LAWSUITS NEW YORK Associated Press FACED with 20,000 coronavirus deaths and counting, the nation’s nursing homes are pushing back against a potential flood of lawsuits with a sweeping lobbying effort to get states to grant them emergency protection from claims of inadequate care.

At least 15 states have enacted laws or governors’ orders that explicitly or apparently provide nursing homes and long-term care facilities some protection from

REPORT: CHINA HID SEVERITY OF VIRUS TO KEEP SUPPLIES WASHINGTON Associated Press US officials believe China covered up the extent of the coronavirus outbreak — and how contagious the disease is — to stock up on medical supplies needed to respond to it, intelligence documents show. Chinese leaders “intentionally concealed the severity” of the pandemic from the world in early January, according to a four-page Department of Homeland Security report dated May 1 and obtained

by The Associated Press.

The revelation comes as the Trump administration has intensified its criticism of China, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo saying yesterday that China was responsible for the spread of disease and must be held accountable.

The sharper rhetoric against China coincides with administration critics saying the government’s response to the virus was inadequate and slow.

President Donald Trump’s political opponents have accused the president and his administration of lashing out at China, a geopolitical foe but critical US trade partner, in an attempt to deflect criticism at home.

The analysis states that, while downplaying the severity of the coronavirus, China increased imports and decreased exports of medical supplies. It attempted to cover up doing so by “denying there were export restrictions and obfuscating and delaying provision of its trade data,” the analysis states.

The report also says China held off informing the World Health Organization that the coronavirus “was a contagion” for much of January so it could order medical supplies from abroad — and that its imports of face masks and surgical gowns and gloves increased sharply.

lawsuits arising from the crisis.

And in the case of New York, which leads the nation in deaths in such facilities, a lobbying group wrote the first draft of a measure that apparently makes it the only state with specific protection from both civil lawsuits and criminal prosecution.

Now the industry is forging ahead with a campaign to get other states on board with a simple argument: This was an unprecedented crisis and nursing homes should not be liable for events beyond their control, such as shortages of protective

equipment and testing, shifting directives from authorities, and sicknesses that have decimated staffs.

“As our care providers make these difficult decisions, they need to know they will not be prosecuted or persecuted,” read a letter sent this month from several major hospital and nursing home groups to their next big goal, California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to make a decision. Other states in their sights include Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Watchdogs, patient advocates

As lockdowns ease, new peaks reported ROME Associated Press WHILE millions of people took advantage of easing coronavirus lockdowns to enjoy spring weather, some of the world’s most populous countries yesterday reported worrisome new peaks in infections, including India, which saw its biggest singleday jump yet.

Second in population only to China, India reported more than 2,600 new infections. In Russia, new cases exceeded 10,000 for the first time. The confirmed death toll in Britain climbed near that of Italy, the epicentre of Europe’s outbreak, even though the UK population is younger than Italy’s and Britain had more time to prepare before the pandemic hit.

The United States continues to see tens of thousands of new infections each day, with more than 1,400 new deaths reported yesterday.

Health experts warn that a second wave of infections could hit unless testing is expanded dramatically once the lockdowns are relaxed. But pressure to reopen keeps building after the weeks-long shutdown of businesses worldwide plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s and wiped out millions of jobs.

China, which reported only two new cases, saw a surge in visitors to newly reopened tourist spots after domestic travel restrictions were loosened ahead of a five-day holiday that runs until tomorrow. Nearly 1.7 million people visited Beijing parks on the first two days of the holiday, and Shanghai’s main tourist spots welcomed more than 1 million visitors, according

MOUNTED police patrol on horses as people exercise in Barcelona, Spain, yesterday. to Chinese media. Many spots limited daily visitors to 30% of capacity.

On the eve of Italy’s first steps toward easing restrictions, the Health Ministry reported 174 COVID deaths in the 24-hour period ending yesterday evening — the lowest day-to-day number since the national lockdown began on March 10. Parks and public gardens were set to reopen today.

In Spain, many ventured outside for the first time since the country’s lockdown began March 14, but social distancing rules remained in place. Masks are mandatory starting today on public transit.

In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is under pressure to reveal how the country will lift its lockdown. The restrictions are due to last until Thursday, but with hundreds of deaths still being reported daily — twice as many recently as Italy or Spain — it’s unclear how the country can safely loosen the restrictions.

Another potentially troubling sign emerged in Afghanistan’s capital city

INMATES RIOT AT BRAZIL PRISON OVER NO VISITS AMID PANDEMIC

INMATES at the Puraquequara prison protest in Manaus, Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO Associated Press RIOTING inmates at a prison in the northern state of Amazonas held seven guards hostage for several hours on Saturday, protesting against the suspension of all visits in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said.

After more than five tense hours, the state’s public security secretariat said the situation inside the Puraquequara prison in the city of Manaus had been brought under control without any casualties and the guards freed.

Visits at the facility were suspended in mid-March, family members said, and rumors that the virus has began to spread inside have

A PATIENT outside a NY health centre

and lawyers argue that immunity orders are misguided. At a time when the crisis is laying bare such chronic industry problems as staffing shortages and poor infection control, they say legal liability is the last safety net to keep facilities accountable.

They also contend nursing homes are taking advantage of the crisis to protect their bottom lines.

Almost 70% of the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes are run by for-profit companies, and hundreds have been bought and sold in recent years by private-equity firms.

been circulating on social media for weeks. Without visits, most families are entirely cut off from loved ones, with no way of getting in touch with them.

“They are getting sick and we can’t visit, or bring medicine. We have no news from them,” Regina Silva Barroso, whose 19-year-old son is inside the prison, told The Associated Press.

The last time she heard from her son was more than a month ago, in a two-minute phone call. There has been no word since, from either him or from prison officials, she said.

“All the families are desperate,” she said.

Riots occur regularly inside Brazil’s understaffed and overcrowded prisons, at times leading to

gruesome mass slaughters.

Guards struggle to maintain control of inmates, many of whom depend on prison gangs for food, money and survival.

Many fear the health crisis and the suspension of visits will trigger even more riots.

“Visits were suspended to limit the coronavirus,” said Rocinaldo Silva, president of a prison workers union in Amazonas state. “But the prisoner doesn’t care so much about the health situation. For him the most important is having visits.

This is creating a certain anxiety among them.”

“If security is not attentive, there is a risk that the same situation will happen in other facilities,” Silva said.

of Kabul, where a third of the 500 people selected in random test came up positive for the virus.

In the US, New Jersey reopened state parks, though several had to turn people away after reaching a 50% limit in their parking lots. Margie Roebuck and her husband were among the first on the sand at Island Beach State Park.

“Forty-six days in the house was enough,” she said.

Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” White House coronavirus coordinator Deborah Birx expressed concern about protests by armed and mostly maskless crowds demanding an end to stay-at-home orders and a full reboot of the economy. President Donald Trump has encouraged

people to “liberate” their states.

“It’s devastatingly worrisome to me personally, because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather ... they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives,” she said. “So we need to protect each other at the same time we’re voicing our discontent.”

If restrictions are lifted too soon, the virus could come back in “small waves in various places around the country,” said Dr Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“Nothing has changed in the underlying dynamics of this virus,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that his state would join with six others to create a regional supply chain for masks, gowns, ventilators, testing supplies and other equipment for fighting the disease.

SPORTS SECTION E

PAGE 18

MONDAY, MAY 4, 2020

Miller-Uibo: ‘I am coping okay with this pandemic’

PM: PRO ATHLETES CAN NOW RESUME THEIR TRAINING

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Before the lockdown of sporting activities, Miller-Uibo was hoping to get back on track after running an impressive 48.37 seconds for an

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

FROM a sporting perspective, one of the biggest announcements made by Prime Minister Hubert Minnis yesterday was that professional athletes can now resume their training in the Bahamas in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week Friday, high jumper Jamal Wilson made a plea to Minnis to allow the athletes to continue their training at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in preparation for the remainder of the track and field season once World Athletics gives the official start date.

On Sunday during his national address to inform the public that the Bahamas government is moving into phase 1B today with his measured plan for reopening the economy of the country, Minnis said professional athletes will be allowed to resume their training.

While no further details were revealed on what course of action the athletes should take, Wilson said he’s just grateful that his plea on behalf of the other elite athletes in the country was heard and addressed.

“I didn’t hear the actual announcement because I was taking a nap, but I got a lot of calls from athletes and concerned persons who said that he gave the okay for us to resume our training because we do what we do to make the Bahamas proud,” Wilson said.

“I want to really thank the Prime Minister for allowing us the opportunity to do what we love to do. I think the athletes can now use this opportunity to get themselves ready for the upcoming season whenever it is announced.”

Wilson, who has qualified to compete in the 2020 Olympic Games that will now be held in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, thanked The Tribune for publishing his comments in the article.

Although he’s aware that the country is still under a 24-hour curfew and practicing social distancing, Wilson said he will show up at the stadium fully attired with his mask, gloves and

SEE PAGE 17

SEE PAGE 17

W

ith the world of sports on hold due to the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, Bahamian Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and her husband, Maicel Uibo, are busy taking advantage of their makeshift training site at home in Clermont, Florida.

“I am coping okay with this pandemic,” said Miller-Uibo in an interview with The Tribune over the weekend. “I am trying to abide by the rules and orders given to us to ensure our safety.”

Just like the Bahamas, which is under a 24-hour curfew and weekend lockdowns, Florida is also faced with curfews that restrict the free movement of persons, who have to practice social distancing of at least six feet apart from each other.

On March 11, the National Basketball Association began a domino effect of the stoppage of sports when they halted their regular season after Utah Jazz’s centre Rudy Gobert was the first athlete tested positive for the coronavirus.

The International Olympic Committee eventually called off the 2020 Olympic Games, originally scheduled for Tokyo, Japan, from July 24 to August 9. But due to the spread of the coronavirus, the International Olympic Committee postponed and rescheduled the games for July 23 to August 8, 2021.

World Athletics, the government body for athletics with a membership of more than 200 countries, has indicated that they intend to hold an abbreviated season later this year. However, World Athletics, formally the International Amateur Athletic Federation, has not revealed any starting date.

World Athletics, formally called the International Amateur Athletic Federation, also rescheduled the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, from March 13-15, 2020 to March 21.

Miller-Uibo was not expected to compete in the championships, but her 27-year-old husband was scheduled to represent Estonia in the men’s heptathlon as he attempted to improve on his bronze medal won at the 2018 championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

The 26-year-old Miller-Uibo, who last competed at the World Indoor Championships in 2014 in Sopot, Poland, where she captured a bronze medal in the women’s 400m, was content with just getting ready for the outdoor season.

“To stay fit, I am exercising daily and working out in my home gym, riding bikes in the neighbourhood, and going for a run at a nearby park,” she stated.

BAHAMIAN Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and her husband, Maicel Uibo.

From day to day, Miller-Uibo revealed that the couple, who met while attending the University of Georgia and got married in 2017 at the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island, developed a consistent

training pattern that has worked very well for them.

“The daily routine for me is simple,” she reflected. “I train, eat, and spend time with my husband and dogs.”

Donte to begin freshman year at Hampton University

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net WHILE sitting out a year after graduating from high school, Donte Armbrister made the leap from the junior to the senior ranks last year as a tennis player.

Now he is preparing to head off to Hampton, Virginia, to begin his freshman year as a collegian at Hampton University.

The 18-year-old Armbrister received his acceptance letter on April 13 to attend Hampton University, one of the top four black division one schools in the United States, and to play in the Big South Conference. He’s hoping to head off in August to pursue a degree in business management once the coronavirus is cleared up and the Bahamas government opens the border to allow travel.

“I’ve spoken to the head coach and he’s excited to have me come

there and I’m excited about going there,” said Armbrister, a southpaw who has received a full athletic scholarship.

Armbrister, the son of Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association President Darnett Weir and Trevor Armbrister, had a sensational junior tennis career that saw him represent the country on over 15 national teams for his country.

During his journey, Armbrister was able to capture a 12-and-under title in Jamaica, finish as a 14-and-under JITIC finalist in El Salvador, a World Junior National Team semifinalist in Dominican Republic and the lone male tennis athlete for The Bahamas at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games held here in New Providence.

Armbrister has also won three doubles titles on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior World Tour circuit and made four singles semi-final appearances.

BAHAMIAN tennis player Donte Armbrister.

He ascended to the senior level by winning the Bahamas men’s national title in 2018. A year later,

he was recognised as “Student of the Week” in March, 2019 by the Broadcasting Corporation of

The Bahamas, made the Davis Cup team in June in Costa Rica and was nominated “Junior Male Athlete of the Year” in November by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture.

After taking the year off following his graduation from Temple Christian High School in June, 2019 as the head boy and the recipient of the coveted Principal’s Award, Armbrister said he’s eager to move on to the next phase of his life.

“I’m very excited,” said Armbrister about making the transition to college. “I feel like I have grown as a person and as a young man. I’m going to be on my own. I won’t have my mom and other persons around to guide me along. I now have to get ready to do everything on my own.”

Using his motto that has guided his life so far - Philippians 4:13,

SEE PAGE 17

PAGE 16, Monday, May 4, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 17

Dames and Lightbourne sign letters of intent

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net JOSHUA Dames and Bradley Lightbourne became the latest Bahamian basketball talents to announce their intention to join programmes at the junior college level.

The seniors out of British Columbia Christian Prep Panthers signed their letters of intent to join the Midland College Chaparrals in Midland, Texas.

The Chaparrals finished the 2019-20 season, 11-19 overall and in eighth-place in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference with a 4-12 mark. They lost 10 of its last 11 games and missed out on the NJCAA Region V Tournament for the ninth straight year.

The duo were two of three Panthers players to sign their letters of intent at the school’s official ceremony on Saturday in British Columbia, Canada.

This past season, Dames, a 6’2” combo guard, averaged 18 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.8 steals and two assists per game while shooting 63 per cent from the field and 34 per cent from three-point range.

Dames scored more than 30 points in at least eight games and had six games with at least six three pointers.

“I just felt like [Midland] was the best fit for me in terms of growth, for me as a player to continue my basketball journey,”

Dames said. “I feel like the Panthers and coach Doug Dowell have done a tremendous job in terms of my development in these past few months. Its just been a tremendous journey and a blessing for me and my family.

“It has helped me to take my basketball game to just a totally different level.

Knowing how to use my emotion, being a composed basketball player, and being able to compete at the highest level has been tremendous for me.”

Dames, the former Tabernacle Baptist Falcon and junior national team standout, said the next step on his basketball and athletic journey can be attributed to his foundation on and off the court.

He also received an offer from University of South Carolina State Bulldogs - an NCAA Division I programme in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Lightbourne, in his lone season with the Panthers, averaged 12 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game while shooting 55 per cent from the field.

The Harbour Island native attended Gateway Christian Academy in Bimini prior to his transition to Canada.

“Coming from a small island I didn’t know I would make it this far to be honest,” he said. “I’d like to thank Panther Hoops for training me and

JOSHUA Dames (left), and Bradley Lightbourne. bringing me this far and I’d also like to thank Mr [Gilbert] Rolle from the community for helping me to become a better person off the court.”

Panthers athletic director and boys basketball head coach, Doug Dowell, said the programme valued their time with both players and looks ahead to continued success in their careers.

“It’s been a real pleasure having these guys. It’s been great watching them grow up as players everyday, what a tremendous blessing. I feel like I’m part Bahamian now after having so many of you guys come from the islands and be a part of this BC Christian family.

“For you coaches at Midland, don’t let them sit together, because you will never get practice done,” Dowell said.

The Bahamian connection with the Panthers continued this past season as the programme establishes itself as a pipeline for local talent. Alongside Dames and Lightbourne the Panthers roster also included D’Ante Dean and Kendrick Russell. Other Bahamian alumni include Sammy Hunter, Detarrio Thompson and Leroy Adderley.

“I wanted to have Joshua with us two years ago. He would have been a missing piece for our squad,” Dowell said, “Bradley came here and had to make a big adjustment. He’s done a tremendous job and has been one of the most enjoyable kids to coach. I look forward to watching Bradley and I think he is going to make big strides in college play. Hopefully his academics will continue

to improve and he will become a division I player at some point.”

BC Christian Prep is a club programme that is designed to have the top players from BC, Canada and around the world come to one destination and train daily with each other so that they can glean from the competitive atmosphere and become better players.

BC Christian Prep also provides top-level Canadian and American game schedules that will enhance the exposure of our players to top CIS, NAIA, NJCCA, and NCAA programmes. “The Bahamians are a great fit for our programme as we are a Christian school and programme so most of the kids from Nassau and Freeport already have that foundation coming in. So the biggest challenge has been the distance and my ability to get there to watch them live,” Dowell said.

“I believe the biggest thing that helps these boys is the competitive environment they are in. The acceptance of nothing less than excellence forces them to improve their game in order to play. We are really hard on the guys about their understanding of how the game is played and how to take advantage of defensive mistakes and weaknesses. They become more efficient and learn to play the game more effectively not just depending on their athleticism.”

MILLERUIBO: ‘I AM COPING OKAY WITH THIS PANDEMIC’ FROM PAGE 15 area and Bahamian national record for the silver medal in the final of the women’s 400m at the World Athletics’ 2019 World Championships that was held in Doha, Qatar.

The gold went to Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser, who posted a world-leading time of 48.14 for the third fastest in the history of the event.

Miller-Uibo’s time was listed as the 10th fastest, but only five other women have ran faster than her, including Germany’s Marita Koch, who has posted five of the top times, including her impressive world record of 47.60.

While she waits for the restrictions to be lifted and normal life to resume, Miller-Uibo said she’s looking forward to one specific thing.

“When this is over, the first thing I will like to do is spend quality time with family and friends,” said Miller-Uibo, who is looking forward to returning home to the Bahamas for some much-needed relaxation and revitalisation.

In order to get through this pandemic, Miller-Uibo encouraged everyone to simply follow the rules. “My advice to Bahamians is to pay attention to the orders given by the government,” she said. “Continue to fast and pray and ask God to keep the Bahamian people safe through this pandemic.

Stay safe and God bless you all.”

PM MINNIS: PRO ATHLETES CAN NOW RESUME THEIR TRAINING FROM PAGE 15 hand sanitiser in training gear to work out. If he’s allowed to enter the stadium, he said he will follow the protocol measures and he hopes that all of the other elite athletes will do the same.

Wilson, who spoke out for the athletes and not as their representative as that distinction belongs to 400 metre hurdler Jeffery Gibson, said there are at least 10 or more athletes who are home preparing for the remainder of the season.

World Athletics, the governing body for track and field in the world, postponed the World Indoor Championships in March to March 2021 in Nanjing, China. World Athletics also agreed with the International Olympic Committee’s decision to postpone the Olympics in July to July, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.

However, World Athletics announced that they have protected the weekend of August 8-9, 2020, as the projected window for national championships this year, following the disruption of the international competition calendar by the coronavirus.

But Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ President Drumeco Archer

indicated it may not be possible for the Bahamas to comply with that request as it’s uncertain what position the country will be in with the re-opening of its economy and whether athletes will be in a position to travel to compete.

He noted that while it’s unlikely that it will happen, it’s going to be a wait-and-see approach moving forward.

The last official event staged at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium was the National High School Track and Field Championships that was being held from Thursday to Saturday, March 11-13.

The event, featuring hundreds of athletes from around the country, was in day one when the Ministry of Sports informed the officials, coaches and athletes that the event had to be postponed until further notice.

Not only has track and field suffered from the spread of the coronavirus, but all international sporting bodies have either postponed or cancelled their activities, starting with the National Basketball Association on March 11.

The NBA’s decision impacted every other sporting organisation which also shut down their season to help combat the spread of the virus.

Donte to begin freshman year at Hampton University FROM PAGE 15 which states that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Armbrister said he’s confident that he can move on to shape his future.

During the year off, Armbrister took the time to “give back” to local tennis by volunteering his expertise and talent to the young people of the nation via the BLTA’s “Play Tennis Programme” for beginners on Saturdays. He also participated in the Ranfurly Homes for Children and the Nazareth Children’s Centre junior outreach programmes.

Armbrister said all those community activities have helped to mold him as a better individual, especially considering the fact that he had to peruse through a number of colleges and universities before he made his final decision.

“College search is tedious, especially if you want to be a collegiate athlete

and trying to find the best fit possible for yourself,” Armbrister said. “This was very important to me. Finding a college that has most of what I’m looking for.

“I’m excited to explore this new chapter in my life and looking forward to playing some real good college tennis. I also know that getting good grades is important so I’d have to be focused on my studies as well. I thank God for blessing me with this great opportunity.”

With the country under a 24-hour curfew and weekend lockdowns, Armbrister said he’s making the most of the opportunities he gets to train and stay in shape.

“It’s tough at times not being able to practice on the tennis court, but I’ve been working on my weaknesses, trying to build up my arms and my abs so I can be better prepared to play at the college level when I go,” said Armbrister, who is being coached by Ceron Rolle.

“I’m using some workouts from YouTube to help out with my training since I can’t do anything physical with my coach.

I’m at a pretty good place right because I know a lot of people don’t have the opportunity that I am getting to play at the elite level.

Armbrister encourages Bahamians to be patient with all of the procedures that the country has to endure because the coronavirus is serious and it has not just dealt a blow to the Bahamas, but has drastically affected the world with more than 240,000 deaths recorded.

Like everyone, Armbrister can’t wait for things to get back to normal.

“The first thing I would do when it’s over is to get back on the court to play a competitive match,” he said. “I’ve been away from the game too long.”

The BLTA’s public relations committee extends congratulations to Armbrister on his tennis scholarship.

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THE TRIBUNE

Divisions over EPL’s neutral venues plan, legal action fears

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer ENGLISH Premier League clubs opposed to resuming the season in empty, neutral stadiums were urged by the Crystal Palace chairman yesterday to accept the plans or the “game might never fully recover.”

Steve Parish warned there could be years of legal challenges if the Premier League is curtailed, with French clubs already exploring damages claims over their season prematurely ending last week.

A leading sports lawyer also raised the prospect of players refusing to take to the field if they feel unsafe playing as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Parish’s support for the league’s “Project Restart” proposal came as Brighton and West Ham publicly resisted playing their remaining home games in neutral venues as they fight relegation.

The league is working with authorities to find a way for players to resume group training and play games by June at the earliest while ensuring that does not spread COVID-19 infections.

“We need to try to play if we can make it safe,” Parish tweeted.

“I believe we can and should continue however imperfect the other elements: neutral venues empty stadia, etc. If we can’t make it work then I fear for next season. The game might never fully recover.”

Government rulings led to the French and Dutch league seasons ending last week.

While Paris Saint-Germain was crowned French champion with 10 rounds of games remaining, Ajax which was first on goal difference - will not be awarded the Dutch title.

Palace has little to play for, sitting midtable, but Parish said he wants the season completed for “reasons of sporting integrity” and to protect the league’s finances.

Liverpool is 25 points clear with nine games remaining.

“I want to crown Liverpool champions and give every other club a fair crack at the best league position they can achieve,” Parish

ENGLISH Premier League trophy is displayed on the pitch prior to the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, on May 6, 2018. Steve Parish, the chairman of Crystal Palace, says the Premier League could face years of legal challenges if this season is not completed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(AP Photo/Rui Vieira) said. “I certainly don’t want to have difficult conversations about curtailing, voiding and points per game.

“The ramifications of each are complex and could involve legal challenges that run on for months, if not years. But, yes, it is partly about the money. And we should all care about the money.”

The Premier League fears losses of more than 1 billion pounds (around $1.3 billion) from an incomplete campaign as broadcasting commitments are not met.

The league has not commented on opposition to playing games in neutral stadiums, only saying after Friday’s call with clubs that they all wanted to complete the season if it was safe.

“Ending the season early would undoubtedly leave the Premier

League more exposed to costly and reputationally damaging legal action from certain disgruntled clubs, unhappy with the difficult decisions that would ultimately follow in determining league positions,” lawyer Simon Leaf, head of sport at Mishcon de Reya, told The Associated Press.

“After all, a significant portion of the revenues that the clubs receive from broadcasters and sponsors is related to where the club finishes in the table.”

Players would have to face regular COVID-19 tests to show they were clear of the disease.

“We could still see players themselves take their own legal stand by refusing to take the field for fear of their own safety and clubs unhappy with the venue allocations threaten action,” Leaf said.

It is almost two months since the competition was suspended and the league’s rule book has no guidelines for resolving standings if a team cannot play all 38 games.

“The league will need to continue to manage the situation delicately in order to keep all sides on board and avoid league places and revenues being determined in the courtroom rather than on the pitch,” Leaf said.

The national lockdown remains in place through at least Thursday in Britain where more than 28,000 people have died in around two months in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for the new coronavirus.

The Premier League faced heavy criticism yesterday from one of the main pundits for the broadcaster that provides the league’s single biggest revenue stream.

Gary Neville, the former England and Manchester United defender turned Sky Sports commentator, said the Premier League was having a “nightmare” and was “hiding, scared to death of communicating” its plans fully in public.

“No one wants to be responsible for this one! Just in case the unthinkable happens,” Neville tweeted. “I’d respect them more if they said ‘We accept the increase in Health Risk but it’s one we are willing to take.’ They won’t as they are frightened to death!”

Some Premier League players returned to club training facilities last week to resume individual work.

Players in Spain and Italy will be allowed to do the same from Monday.

While the leagues in England, Italy and Spain will not start until at least June, the German top flight is hoping to resume this month.

But the Bundesliga’s plans were unsettled by three positive tests for coronavirus last week at Cologne, reportedly including two players.

Cologne said yesterday that players will only resume training after two consecutive negative COVID19 tests, ruling out the need for the entire squad and coaching staff to go into quarantine.

CHARLATAN, NADAL GIVE BOB BAFFERT SWEEP IN ARKANSAS DERBY HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (AP) — Charlatan romped to victory by six lengths in the first division of the Arkansas Derby and Nadal won the second division by three lengths, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a sweep Saturday when the Kentucky Derby was postponed.

The 146th Derby usually would have dominated the first Saturday in May, but it was pushed back to September 5 by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, 20 3-year-olds ran in two divisions of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, each worth $500,000. Each race was worth 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, including 100 to the winners. It was the first time since 1960 that the race was split.

No fans were allowed because of the pandemic on a day that would have been the biggest of the season at Oaklawn.

Charlatan improved to 3-0 after not racing at age 2. His first two wins by a combined 16 lengths came at Santa Anita, where the colt is based. He broke from the No. 1 post in the 1 1/8-mile race under Martin Garcia, who was replacing Drayden Van Dyke for the race. Charlatan was timed in 1:48.49 and paid $2.80 to win.

Basin finished second and Gouverneur Morris was another neck back in third.

Winning Impression finished fourth.

Nadal, named for tennis star Rafael Nadal, won his division in 1:48.34. He paid $3.80 to win. He is 4-0 in his young career and moved to the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 150 points.

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Monday, May 4, 2020, PAGE 19

Olympians look to help young athletes during shutdown

By JAY COHEN AP Sports Writer CHICAGO (AP) — When Jesse Smith looks out at his Zoom audience, he knows exactly what the crowd is going through.

The captain of the US men’s water polo team is adjusting his training, too.

He also misses playing alongside his friends.

One way Smith is dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is through virtual speaking engagements with water polo clubs and teams all over the country, passing along what he has learned during a couple decades in the water.

The 37-year-old Smith is one of several Olympic athletes who have been using digital avenues to help their sport during the shutdown.

While Zoom sessions are a frequent choice, some athletes are offering training tips on Instagram and Olympic federations are pitching in with newsletters and other web-based help.

“We’re all as athletes affected the same way,” Smith said. “Even though I’m a four-time Olympian, a silver medal (winner), training for my fifth Olympics, the captain of my team, the same thing is going on in my head as a 16-year-old that got their (season) cancelled, and I think that I have more tools available, so I’m trying to share that.”

Beach volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings has been doing online talks with young volleyball players, including one with the team at her alma mater of Archbishop Mitty High School in California.

US wrestlers Mallory Velte, Pat Smith and Yianni Diakomihalis detailed their at-home workouts in a post on the federation website.

Casey Patterson and April

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Ross were among a group of beach volleyball players who shared workout tips during Facebook live sessions on the AVP page.

The federations also are reaching out. USA Water Polo has been sending out a weekly newsletter called “At Home with USA Water Polo” featuring interviews with coaches and athletes.

US Rowing has been holding webinars for its members. USA Volleyball has a page on its website with COVID-19-related resources.

“A lot of people look to (us) in the athlete world, in our communities, for us to kind of be a voice.

Like, how are we going to respond? What actions are we taking?” said US softball pitcher Monica Abbott, who has been doing speaking engagements with young softball players and holding pitching-inspired workout sessions.

The effort by Olympic athletes and federations comes amid concern about the future of college sports.

Some Olympic sports could be on the chopping block for athletic departments looking to save money after losing revenue due to the COVID-19 shutdown.

“I wouldn’t say that that’s something I’m focusing on, but it’s definitely something that’s in my mind and helps me plan for these,” US water polo centre Matt Farmer said, “because I’m taking an optimistic view of what’s going to happen in college water polo, because it means so much to so many people.”

Farmer, a 24-year-old Chicago native who played on three NCAA championship teams at UCLA, is focusing his outreach efforts on the Midwest.

California is the home of American water polo, but

Farmer is hoping he can help some young players follow in his footsteps.

“I kind of blazed a trail from Chicago to international water polo,” Farmer said, “and I want to share my experiences with people and maybe give advice to people who are thinking about playing in college or continuing the sport and just want to grow as players and as people.”

The online conversations usually touch on a variety of topics. There are the usual practical tips for playing the sport at a high level, but there also are elements of sports psychology — especially with young players away from their teams and searching for motivation.

Walsh Jennings, a threetime gold medallist, said the calls have become a highlight of her day.

“We’re all feeling the same frustrations and longings,” she said.

“It’s pretty special to be able to speak to the fact that we’re not alone in this and that it is up to each of us to make the best of what we have to work with — to focus on that which we can control.”

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