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VOLUME:117 No.115, MAY 11, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

INSIGHT: ABACO NEEDS LEADERSHIP, NOT PROMISES

HO US E & 12 PAGES

‘NOBODY WILL GO HUNGRY’ PM’s promise as he warns ‘tough decisions’ ahead

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the 2020/2021 Budget his government will issue this month will reflect decisions Bahamians will find painful as COVID-19 and the response to the virus causes the unemployment rate to skyrocket and tax revenues to plummet.

Applications to the National Insurance Board show more than 25,000 people have been laid off or lost their income, he said.

“This number will likely increase,” Dr Minnis said, adding that “the unemployment rate in the near term will likely exceed an unprecedented and extraordinary 30 percent.”

SEE PAGE THREE

HOW WAS INFECTED ABLE TO FLY HOME?

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said a person who tested positive for COVID-19 was among the 183 residents who returned to the country on Friday, prompting a suspension of repatriation

exercises. His revelation during a national address yesterday came as the country went without an additional confirmed COVID-19 case for the fourth consecutive day.

It has been the policy of the government not to let people who test positive SEE PAGE THREE

THREE Bahamian nationals arriving in New Providence on Friday.

Photo: Kemuel Stubbs/BIS

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COVID-19 LATEST NEWS • Minnis tested ‘negative’ for virus • Web shops ordered ‘close up’ • Six others given okay for entry • Super Value we’ve 100 jobs to fill • Fourth day with no new cases • ‘Our flight back to Nassau’

GLOBAL PORTS GUARANTEES CAPITAL Don’t

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

NASSAU Cruise Ports’ ultimate parent has pledged to “guarantee” the success of its $130m bond issue by covering any capital shortfall that may exist when the offering closes at the end of this week.

Mehmet Kutman, Global Ports Holding’s chairman, said he will “chip in the difference” should investor demand be insufficient

CHAIRMAN: Mehmet Kutman to raise the full amount.

Promising that he would not allow Prince George

Wharf’s planned $250m redevelopment to be delayed by financing needs, Mr Kutman said he was still “fairly comfortable” that the bond will be oversubscribed after 50 percent was raised during the first week.

He spoke out after Anthony Ferguson, principal of CFAL, the bond’s lead placement agent, revealed that some investment houses had reacted coolly to the bond offering.

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PAGE 2, Monday, May 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Remembering four marines who gave their lives IN a sombre gathering at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Base yesterday morning, four marines killed in action were remembered during a wreath laying ceremony in commemoration of the bombing and sinking of HMBS Flamingo on May 10, 1980. In attendance were Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Marco Rolle, acting RBDF commander, Captain Raymond king and his senior command. In keeping with the COVID-19 Emergency Orders, one representative from each of the four families were represented.

Lieutenant Commander Whitfield Neely, the lone current serving member, represented the surviving crew members. Wreaths were placed at the HMBS Flamingo Memorial Park Monument and also near the water’s edge in remembrance of all those who were part of the tragedy that rocked the nation.

On Saturday May 10, 1980 at approximately 5pm, HMBS Flamingo apprehended two Cuban fishing vessels for illegally fishing in Bahamian waters off cay Santo Domingo in the southern Bahamas.

Without provocation or warning, two Cuban MIG fighters bombed HMBS Flamingo, killing four marines and wounding several others. The RBDF craft eventually sunk in ocean waters 35 miles south of Ragged Island, and 15 out of the 19 crew members

survived the ordeal by escaping to Ragged Island aboard one of the captured craft they had arrested.

Missing in action and presumed dead were Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup, and Marine Seamen Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams. Senior Commander Amos Rolle, Chief Petty Officer Oscar Miller, Petty Officer Leopold Kirby and Marine Seaman Wilfred Sands have since passed, and will

forever be remembered, the RBDF said.

In a statement released yesterday, Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell said May 10, 1980 “will live on in infamy in the annals of Bahamian history.”

He said the fallen RBDF officers are “national heroes who paid the ultimate price in service to country while protecting our resources, our territorial borders and our national sovereignty.”

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 11, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

HOW WAS INFECTED PERSON ABLE TO FLY HOME? from page one

for the virus return to the country. It is not clear when officials discovered the positive test of the person or how, but Dr Minnis said the matter will be investigated. The person has not yet been added to the nation’s official COVID-19 count, which was 92 up to press time.

“It was discovered after the aircraft landed that one COVID-19 positive passenger was on the flight to Grand Bahama,” Dr Minnis said. “We are investigating to see how the individual was allowed to board that flight. Three individuals travelled with this passenger. All four of these individuals have been tested again upon arrival and we are awaiting the test results. All passengers wore personal protection equipment which decreases the risk of

exposure. All passengers on the flight will remain in quarantine and will continue to be monitored.

Pending the investigation and review of this matter, I have advised the airline and was also advised by the health officials to temporarily suspend the repatriation flights which we will resume as soon as health officials advise.”

One hundred and twenty-four of the returnees are in home quarantine and 59 are at a government designated location.

Two planes arrived in the country on Friday. On one flight, 88 people were directly flown to New Providence. On the other, 51 were taken to Grand Bahama and 44 were subsequently flown to New Providence.

The penalty for breaking quarantine is a fine of up to $20,000 or up to five years in prison or both.

SOME 183 residents returned to the country on Friday. Dr Minnis reveaed that one had tested positive for COVID-19

Tough times ahead but ‘nobody will go hungry’ from page one However, he pledged during a national address yesterday that no Bahamian will “go hungry.”

The upcoming Budget, he said, will be shaped “to match the unprecedented nature of the times we are living in,” noting that by some estimates, the country’s economy may shrink by 14 to 20 percent this year, “an historic one-year decline.”

“What I will say at that time is that your government will ensure that social welfare allocations are expanded to meet the basic food and other core needs of those economically displaced because of CVODI-19,” he said. “The upcoming Budget will provide for the ongoing support of those still recovering from the ravages of Hurricane Dorian. We will ensure that no Bahamians go hungry as we weather the economic hurricane caused by COVID-19.”

“We will not sugarcoat the severity of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Some decisions we shall have to take will no doubt be uncomfortable and indeed will be painful but we cannot shirk away from making the hard decisions.”

The Budget, he said, will also have provisions for expanded capital works and will seek to spur domestic private construction. The focus will be on large and small civil works “so contractors can get as much work as possible to provide jobs and commercial activity in all the islands of our archipelago.”

He said: “These

PM Dr Hubert Minnis expanded works will bring income to thousands of families in need during this downturn.”

Initial numbers from the Department of Treasury, he said, indicate the tax revenue for April was about half of what was collected in April 2019.

“The entire global economy is in free fall and unchartered territory,” he said. “Even the most powerful and developed countries in the world have entered into a deep recession with very high unemployment and the loss of scores of businesses, especially in services industries like tourism, hospitality and entertainment. The chief economist of the IMF has stated on economic fallout from the COVID-19 virus, ‘the magnitude and speed in collapse of activity that has followed is unlike anything experienced in our lifetimes. This is a crisis like no other.’ The IMF predicts that the economic fallout will surpass that seen during the global financial crisis a decade ago.

“Many of the businesses that closed during the lockdown are not confident they will be able to reopen once the restrictions are lifted. We are facing the stark reality that the vast

majority of us have never experienced within our lifetimes…We are going to have to make very tough decisions as a country. I will continue to lay out our economic and financial reality in order for you to appreciate the gravity of the situation we are facing.

We must be prepared to do things differently, both in the near term and the long term in order for us to maintain some measures of economic stability in the near term.”

Dr Minnis said of the $120m allocated to respond to COVID-19, some of the money has funded healthcare costs; tens of millions have been paid out to selfemployed individuals who do not normally qualify for unemployment benefits; and loans and grants have been provided to entrepreneurs and businesses “to allow them to stay open and keep people employed.”

He said the economic recovery committee he established last month has formed a number of subcommittees, particularly ones for structural reform, Family Island development, healthcare and social capital, commerce, entrepreneurship and next generation youth engagement, agriculture, fisheries and manufacturing, environmental stewardship, labour and education. digitisation and the conceptual economy, tourism and creative orange economy and financial services.

Dr Minnis also called on the Official Opposition to put aside partisanship as his government prepares for its Budget delivery later this month.

Editorial View - Page 6

PM SAYS 12 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ALLOWED IN DURING LOCKDOWN

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said 12 people were allowed in the country during the lockdown period before recent repatriation exercises.

Among those allowed in are six permanent residents who brought test kits nearly two weeks ago and were allowed to quarantine in their home. Health Minister Dr Duane Sands resigned from Cabinet over that incident.

Of the 12 people allowed in the country during the lockdown, two were Bahamian citizens, one was a permanent resident and three were work permit holders “being skilled technicians contracted to conduct specialised emergency work for utility services,” Dr Minnis said yesterday.

“I’m also advised that all these individuals were screened by health officials

and were placed under selfquarantine. One of those Bahamians was permitted to exit the country and to reenter the Bahamas after medical care over the course of a 24-hour period. This individual was administered a COVID19 test upon reentry and was placed under selfquarantine. The second Bahamian obtained a COVID-19 test prior to entry and was also placed under self-quarantine.

One permanent resident was permitted entry who obtained a COVID-19 test prior to arrival and was placed under self-quarantine. A total of three work permit holders were permitted entry for emergency and essential purposes.

Two of these individuals were needed to service BPL generators here in New Providence. These individuals were placed under self-quarantine which was the policy at the time of their arrival. The other permit holder was

an engineer required on a private island. He obtained a COVID-19 test prior to arrival in the Bahamas and was also placed under self-quarantine.”

Dr Minnis has yet to speak comprehensively about the episode that led to Dr Sands’ resignation and has not taken questions from the press on the matter.

He has suggested that protocol was breached when the residents were allowed in the country without first being tested for COVID-19. However, a COVID-19 test before reentry to the country is not specified in the emergency order he has released, nor is it clear that the failure to have the residents tested before entry breached a Cabinet decision. Some observers have also questioned the role of various government officials who allowed the residents to return to the country but have not been held to account for such actions.

MINNIS TESTS NEGATIVE FOR COVID-19

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said he tested negative for COVID19 last week. He told The Tribune he took a test on Wednesday in preparation for a trip to Grand Bahama to survey health facilities there. However, he said health officials have advised him not to travel to Grand Bahama because it is too risky.

Describing the test as “discomforting but not painful,” Dr Minnis said: “I was planning to go to Grand

Bahama on Saturday to inspect health facilities and make sure they are on target, with respect to the Rand Memorial Hospital.

“I and my entire team, inclusive of the pilots and those who were going to Grand Bahama with me, would have had a COVID test done. All of our tests would have been negative.

On Friday we were informed by the health professionals they did not want me travelling to Grand Bahama, they thought it was too risky. They were concerned that while Grand Bahama does not have communal spread, there may be pockets (of cases) and I could

walk into a pocket without necessarily knowing, so I had to cancel the trip.”

This was the first time Dr Minnis has gotten tested. He said health officials will guide him on future tests. “If they think it’s necessary because of my exposure and visiting different places, then I will take it,” he said.

After more than two weeks without a new case of COVID-19, Grand Bahama confirmed an additional case last week. That island now has eight confirmed cases. New Providence has 72, Bimini has 11 and Cat Cay has one. Up to press time, the country had 92 cases.

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PAGE 4, Monday, May 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas is still not testing enough people to make the best decisions about re-opening the country from the COVID-19 lockdown, Senator and former Cabinet minister Dr Michael Darville said yesterday.

Some experts have set testing targets that places should aim for to make reliable decisions about reopening.

The government of the United Kingdom set a goal of 100,000 tests per day by the end of April, a figure it has failed to reach. In the United States, Texas set a goal of 30,000 tests per day and Illinois set a benchmark of 10,000. In Ontario, Canada, officials have targeted 16,000.

The basis of targets varies but the figures reflect population sizes and known facts about the penetration of COVID-19 in communities.

Some experts say testing at

We are still not testing enough, claims Darville least at targeted rates gives a reliable picture of the virus’ spread.

The Bahamas is currently testing about 34 people per day and up to May 9, had conducted 1,587 tests overall.

Dr Merceline DahlRegis, coordinator of the COVID-19 response, did not reveal whether her team has a daily testing goal when asked during a press conference about the matter last week but said the country’s current testing rate is adequate.

“The 1,539 tests to date certainly gives us comfort,” she said on Thursday.

“We’ve also interacted with

MESSAGE OF HOPE FROM DORIAN SURVIVOR

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

DORIAN survivor Kyle Johnson is bringing a message of hope to people during the COVID-19 crisis, which has left many unemployed here in Grand Bahama.

Johnson stands in the median at the intersection of Coral Road and Ponce de Leon Drive with a huge placard, which reads: “DON’T GIVE UP ON GOD!” The Tribune spotted the young man on Friday and asked why he decided to do this at the busy causeway.

“I feel like people need hope and a little encouragement not to give up on God,” he said. “God has not forgotten about you,

and it is just something I thought people need to hear at this time.”

“I want to give people hope and not to give up. We are all going through this together, and to just know God is in the midst of all this; it might not seem He is there, but He is there.”

Mr Johnson is currently unemployed. He returned to Grand Bahama from Abaco after hurricane Dorian.

“I am originally from Grand Bahama and came back after experiencing Dorian. I lived in Abaco for over nine years and was a Christian over there doing ministry, and I just want to continue that while I am here,” he said.

“I am not working over here; I got stuck over here.

So, I said this would be my job every day.”

the lab and they are able to conduct 100 tests on a daily basis if they run for 24-hours so I think we are in a good place in terms of our capacity to respond and should there be more cases we are in a good position at this time, but we continually monitor the situation.”

However, Dr Darville, the co-chair of the Progressive Liberal Party’s COVID-19 task force, disagrees.

“We have already outlined the necessity for more testing,” he said yesterday. “Based on the rate of the testing we feel it is not moving fast enough and we need to start moving at

a more rapid pace so we can reach a sampling of one percent of the population, hopefully reaching 10 percent of our population for us to understand how the virus is impacting us and where it is in our communities and the necessary protocols we have to put in place as we begin to open up the economy.”

In the last two weeks, the Bahamas has seen a drop in confirmed COVID19 cases, but absent more testing, Dr Darville said it is unclear how much confidence people should take from the decline even as the country gradually relaxes COVID-19 restrictions.

DR MICHAEL DARVILLE To date, the Bahamas has conducted about four tests per 1,000 people, more than a number of countries in the Caribbean region.

MURPHY DEFENDS CONDITIONS AT BDCS

DORIAN survivor Kyle Johnson brings message of hope during virus crisis. Photo: Denise Maycock As Johnson stood with the sign, motorists passing by honked their car horns in support of him and his message.

Mr Johnson said that he will never forget the experience of superstorm Dorian, which left parts of Abaco decimated, many areas severely flooded, and homes destroyed. There were also many deaths on that island.

He also barely survived with his life.

“I went through Hurricane Dorian the whole nine yards. It was like out of a movie – you had to fight for your life. You see death, and you are knocking on death’s door and saying to yourself, ‘God, is this how I am supposed to die?” I said, “God, let me make sure I am ready to be with you. And that was an experience of a lifetime.”

Many Grand Bahamians were still recovering from the devastation

of Hurricane Dorian, and then came the coronavirus pandemic.

In Grand Bahama, there are some eight confirmed COVID-19 cases. The shutdown has affected many businesses that were forced to layoff and terminate workers. Many people have sought assistance through the Social Services assistance programme for food vouchers and rental assistance, and the NIB benefit assistance programme.

HEALTHCARE WORKER ON WHEN SHE TESTED POSITIVE

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A WOMAN working in healthcare, who tested positive for COVID-19, is able to recall the exact moment

she was infected with the disease.

The healthcare worker, who wanted to remain anonymous, had taken time off work and was feeling fine when she was called in

However other islands have tested even more.

The Cayman Islands, which bought 200,000 PCR test kits from South Korea last month, has tested about 48 per 1,000 people and Barbados, which bought tests from the Cayman Islands, has tested about nine per 1,000 people.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said last week the Bahamas had arranged to get tests from the Cayman Islands, though he could not say how many. Last month Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said tests remain limited in the country.

to be tested for the virus.

“When I came into contact with the person, neither me nor the person was aware that they had COVID, I would say. The person didn’t have any symptoms,

neither did I,” she said.

“I probably didn’t begin having symptoms until like about a week, two weeks later and I didn’t think anything of it because I was like ‘oh you just overthinking it. You did all the necessary precautions to protect yourself. You taken your vitamins. You doing all this different stuff. So it’s near impossible for you to have COVID’.”

However, she added: “After the person found out that they were positive, they did contact tracing and when they did contact tracing I was on the list and that’s how I ended up being tested.”

She suffered from joint pain, low grade fever, headache, and loss of taste and smell. Although she saw the disease as the common flu, she said it was a mental toll for her as it affected her family after she got tested.

“It affected my household, especially with the contact tracing. Like my whole family had to be tested. My whole family was actually pulled off their job. The ministry literally called their jobs and they were pulled off their jobs because of me being testing positive.”

She was quarantined in the three-bedroom home where one of her family members moved to make space for her until her quarantine time ended.

Her entire household are healthcare providers and were able to deal with the

ordeal. Last week, she tested negative for the virus, but she revealed that her blood works will always show that she has the antibodies.

There was no stigma with the disease at her home, which she notes is a different reality to the public’s reaction.

“Personally, I feel like while it’s a global pandemic I feel that a lot of persons are treating this COVID more like an HIV/AIDS virus,” she said.

“I would say that the virus is a serious thing but the reality of it all is corona is here to stay. COVID is here to stay. It’s not going.

So with the whole lockdown and all that while I understand that’s here to like to stop the spread of COVID and reduce the death rate and all that different stuff, but the reality is the country could be closed for a year or two years, COVID is still gonna always gonna be here. So the only thing I can say to persons is to just take the necessary precautions as in taking your vitamins, ensure that you do proper hand washing.

“You can do all of these things and you still cannot stop yourself from contracting the virus. So I would say don’t think as the virus as a death sentence. Think of it more as I contracted it. I have it...how can I try to self-quarantine myself for the period as to where the virus is no longer contractible.”

AFTER a review, the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services has refuted allegations from inmates of “desperate” conditions with inadequate protection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent statement, BDCS Commissioner Charles Murphy said after a review of the claims made a week ago, the prison is stocked with sufficient supplies during the lockdown period, with no shortage or rationing of meals for inmates.

He added there was “no truth” to the claims, which were outlined in a letter sent to The Tribune recently. “Inmates are fed three meals per day and there is no cutback on inmates’ meals during any serving, and inmates are receiving their daily exercise,” Commissioner Murphy noted. “We have also confirmed that supplies continue to be issued every week or when requested.”

Included in these supplies given to each inmate in the male and female facilities are bleach, disinfectant, washing powder, hand towels, garbage bags, soap, toothpaste and toilet tissue, the statement noted.

Commissioner Murphy said the department also made it a priority to conduct regular checks and searches for illegal items and contrabands. Whenever these items are found, he said the culprits are dealt with by the law, as is standard.

Given early proactive measures to avoid any cases of COVID-19 within the facility, the commissioner said there were still no reported cases of infection.

The statement said the prison is still adhering to the following protocols: all activities with the public were suspended; all officers and staff were screened and are being screened; hand washing stations were installed in strategic areas in the facility; all inmates coming in for the first time are screened by medical personnel and placed in quarantine for 14 days after which they are examined again by the medical personnel before they are placed in general population; masks, hand sanitizers, face shields and gloves are issued to the staff on every shift; and inmates are issued hand sanitizers and masks.

The statement added that reusable masks are being made within the department and the majority of staff and the inmate population have received a pair of masks; deep cleaning was carried out in the facility and the number of inmates in work gangs have been reduced to practice social distancing.

“Officers are also advised to practice social distancing wherever possible, and the washing of their hands,” the statement said.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 11, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

NO PERMISSION FOR WEB SHOPS TO REOPEN PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said recent relaxations on COVID19 restrictions were never meant to allow gaming houses to resume operations.

Instead, he said the provisions under phase 1B of the government’s plan to reopen the economy related to retail businesses only, stressing that web shops are to remain closed during this period.

On May 3, Dr Minnis announced some relaxations to COVID-19 restrictions, saying businesses will be allowed to

provide goods and services through delivery and curbside pickup during weekdays while construction will be allowed Monday through Friday.

Home and hardware stores, nurseries and auto part stores — which were allowing customers in stores on specified days — were also allowed to expand their services by offering curbside pick-up and delivery throughout the week.

These relaxations prompted many in the web shop sector to reopen their businesses after a more than six-week closure.

Some web shops had a drive-through facility for patrons to deposit money on their accounts or pay for their numbers and a tent structure outside for curbside services.

Yesterday, Dr Minnis admonished business owners to read the government’s emergency orders and the stipulations for curbside and delivery services, which he said related strictly to retail businesses.

“Part C of the (emergency order) codifies and sets out the terms and conditions based on which certain additional

establishments or businesses have been permitted to reopen nationally for home delivery and curbside pick-up. It is important for business owners to carefully read these provisions, and to strictly comply with the physical distancing and sanitization requirements, and the requirement for the remote or electronic placement of all purchase orders, both for curbside and home delivery services.

“These provisions are designed to relate strictly to retail business establishments which can operate efficiently without the need

for direct person-to-person physical contact or face-toface interactions.

“They were never intended to apply to the operations of gaming houses, and this is now made abundantly clear by the provisions of Part B of the order. Those provisions specifically state that permission to engage in home delivery and curbside pick-up services do not apply to ‘a gaming house operator.’”

The Minnis administration caught flack last week after some religious leaders questioned why liquor

stores and gaming houses were able to resume operations while churches are still barred from having services.

Yesterday, Dr Minnis said discussions were still ongoing about when to reopen churches however he did not announce a date when this will occur. In the meantime, churches can still host individual prayer sessions with safe physical distancing measures; church offices are allowed to operate for half the day, Monday to Friday and churches also continue to operate food programmes, he said.

CHARITIES SUFFER AS DONATIONS DWINDLE

MAJOR CLARENCE INGRAM, Bahamas Divisional Commander and Gina Daniels, Salvation Army Office Assistant

AS unemployment takes a toll on some families, the feeding programmes run by two charities have seen an increased demand for help while they struggle with dwindling donations amid the coronavirusdriven economic downturn.

The Salvation Army and Great Commission Ministries both made the disclosure recently as they received much-needed funds to support their community initiatives from CIBC FirstCaribbean through its charitable arm the FirstCaribbean International ComTrust Foundation. The monetary contributions made by CIBC FirstCaribbean went toward purchasing pallets of groceries, as well as vouchers for essential medication and personal items.

The Salvation Army and Great Commission Ministries, who have both worked to provide for the less fortunate for numerous years, will distribute these goods to the hundreds that seek their help on a weekly basis. Melanese Coakley, community relations and development associate at Salvation Army

Bahamas, described the bank’s ongoing support as a beacon of “hope and help”. She noted that during these uncertain times, the bank’s assistance helps the most vulnerable in our society impacted

by COVID-19.

Minalee Hanchell, executive director of Great Commission Ministries, echoed Ms Coakley’s comments. “We are so grateful for the groceries to assist us with our distribution to many needy families,” she said.

Both non-profit organisations noted the donations were exceptionally timely as they assist the unemployed and fight against hunger. “With so many families struggling with food insecurity today, the roles of these organisations have never been more crucial. CIBC FirstCaribbean is always ready to assist local charities in times of need, and we’ve stepped up our community support during these unprecedented times,” said Nikia Christie, CIBC FirstCaribbean marketing manager for the Bahamas and TCI.

Stranded couple talk about journey home

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net ANDREW Rolle, 57, and his wife Sherrell WilliamsRolle, 47, are currently in self-quarantine at home after returning to the country during the first phase of the government’s repatriation of Bahamians and residents stuck abroad.

The pair were stranded in Miami, Florida, for two months after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis stopped all international and domestic travel as part of the country’s COVID-19 response.

“My wife had surgery in February and we went to Miami from then,” Mr Rolle told The Tribune.

“We flew back to Nassau, but two days after we came back my wife started to experience some difficulties, so I did an emergency flight back to Florida. The doctor who did her surgery

wrote a document for her to go straight to the emergency room so when we arrived, my wife went straight to the hospital.

That’s when the pandemic hit The Bahamas and they shut the country down so we were stuck there from then to now.”

Mr Rolle said after he and his wife took the mandatory COVID-19 tests, his wife received a message notifying them that they were on the repatriation flight list. Still, he said he believed the process in getting Bahamians home from Florida could have run more smoothly.

“After we took the COVID-19 test (at a medical facility) in Fort Lauderdale, nobody told us nothing,” he said. “Tuesday they were supposed to give us our results, but we never got them. The next day we called them to find out what’s going on (but)

they ain’t tell us nothing.

We tell them if we get on the flight let us know in advance because we don’t know where we going. You wouldn’t believe my wife got a Whatsapp (message) - not even a phone call or email - saying you guys are on the list to get on the flight and you all have to make your way from Miami to Fort Lauderdale to get on the flight because it’s first come, first served.”

Speaking about the flight itself, he added: “First thing they do is walk on the plane, take our passports like we is criminals and ain’t tell us nothing and (when we arrived) we weren’t allowed to walk in the airport. They make us walk down the (plane) steps. They had to get four guys to lift my wife downstairs because she had a major surgery and can’t walk like that.”

Mr Rolle also said when they arrived they were told

not to use their phones although they were eager to let their families know that they had arrived home safely.

“They took us to the hotel for quarantine,” he continued. “There I spoke to a doctor, they took my blood pressure and they asked us some questions.

They asked me how many persons (lived) in my house, and if we had running water and a stove. I tell them only me and my wife live here and we have all the essential supplies in our house, so the doctor who examined us signed off on this document. The Defence Force officers wasn’t going to let nobody out there unless the doctor have a signature saying they releasing you.”

Nearly 200 Bahamians returned home on Friday after being stuck abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The passengers were boarded onto Majestic

... WHILE ONE RETURNEE CREATES A BIT OF A STORM

BAHAMIANS reacted critically as a video of a woman staying at Breezes went viral over the weekend.

The woman was among the residents who returned to the country on Friday after being stuck in the United States during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In the video the woman says: “Well guys I just came in off the flight from the United States. This is our first day in Nassau at Breezes hotel. This is what they give us to eat. This is the food Mr Munroe that they give us to eat, we as Bahamians. Look, the room is so moldy, defence force officer outside, you could see him under the cabana. I had to open the room door

so air coulda come in here.

The bed is very hard. These are the little things they give ya, these are the supplies they give ya to say bathe, this is the supplies they give ya to say bathe, this is your package kit, your hygiene package kit, this is the two tissue, this is the hand sanitizer, they say this ya chloral, I don’t know mussy China or Spain, say disinfect wipes, then this the broom with no handle say sweep.

This the old cloth they give ya to mop with. And this the water, the water look like it been in storage for so long, it so dirty on the top, so God help us, I don’t know, if they could let the Americans come in, who bring them mussy 2000,

3000 swabs and gone home and quarantine, when the embassy or counsel general call us they say since we are negative that we coulda gone home and quarantine.

When we reach the airport we had to check our bags in the hot sun on the runway, then immigration take everybody passport which came on the morning flight. Chile I don’t know, they say it’s the people’s time, it really is the people’s time, I guess I suppose to be living in the back of Lyford Cay.” While some on social media defended the women, many criticised her.

One person said: “Can’t plz ungrateful ppl.”

Another said: “You should record your face so

I could see the person that is so ungrateful smh. Think before you talk.”

Another person said: “Man this woman can’t be serious. Miss you just showed the whole world how silly you are…wow!”

• Non-profit organisations recently estimated as many as 100,000 people are in a food crisis situation in The Bahamas as a result of the pandemic.

Thousands are also facing difficulties paying rent, mortgages and utility bills.

The passenger who was complaining had her flight paid for by the government along with her stay at Breezes Hotel while she and her baby are in quarantine.

Tour buses and taken to the Breezes Hotel. The buses could be seen reversing into the resort’s parking lot, although the left and right side of the driveway to enter the building’s front entrance were barricaded off. Armed officers in camouflage could also be seen monitoring the buses on the premises.

On Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health released a statement advising the public that the passengers on the repatriation flight would “proceed immediately to the Government-operated quarantine facility for evaluation”.

“They will remain at the facility until health officials are able to determine if it is safe for them to leave,” the statement said. “To this end, members of the public are advised to refrain from visiting the airport to collect family members. In the interest of public safety, visitors will not be permitted at the quarantine facility. If family members wish to send packages to their loved ones while they are in quarantine, the items should be delivered to the Ministry of Health in Nassau and Grand Bahama, and they will be delivered to recipients at the quarantine facility.”

PAGE 6, Monday, May 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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A mission to feed the nation IF WE needed a stark reminder of how seriously COVID-19 is affecting the country, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis summed it up in a single pledge – his vow that no Bahamian will go hungry.

Gone are the lofty goals of last year’s Budget – now the aim is to make sure that everyone has enough bread on their table.

The numbers are stark – the economy shrinking by a fifth, nearly a third of the nation unemployed, April revenue for the government half of what it was last year, and more than 25,000 people having applied to NIB for help after being laid off or losing their income.

That hits the government in two ways – less income to be able to help with, and more people in need of that help.

Less money in, more money out.

With the next Budget coming up later this month, Dr Minnis was very clear, saying “This is a crisis like no other…

We are going to have to make very tough decisions as a country.”

In the short-term, that pledge to ensure Bahamians do not go hungry is a real challenge. Even once we reopen our borders, tourism will take time to restart. If we manage to become completely disease-free in The Bahamas, other countries still have to win their own battles with the virus.

The temporary suspension of the repatriation programme after one passenger was discovered to be COVID-19 positive shows how difficult it will be to open borders to countries with ongoing infection.

But that repatriation also showed up one trait that the Bahamian people could do without – ingratitude. One of the passengers shared a video complaining about the conditions in the accommodations they were being housed in after arriving by plane – a hotel room, complete with bedding, food, and so on. The moaning about the sandwich there when they arrived, the “hard bed” and more attracted plenty of criticism online over the weekend.

As it happened, another video circulated of quarantine conditions in one of our neighbouring countries at the weekend, showing a converted

apartment complex with bare floors and bunk beds. Some could do with remembering that this is a quarantine to deal with a public health crisis, not a holiday camp. If you’re healthy and safe, be thankful. There are people not knowing where their next meal is coming from who will have little sympathy about your complaints over your welcome snacks.

While Dr Minnis’ pledge to ensure Bahamians have enough to eat was comforting, there were other aspects of the speech that left questions.

The announcement that six more people had been allowed in the country during the lockdown – in addition to the six who brought test kits – didn’t spell out all the details.

If the previous arrival led to the resignation of Health Minister Dr Duane Sands – and Dr Minnis didn’t go into any more detail on that either – then what made these other six arrivals different? We don’t know who authorised their arrival or what procedure was followed. A COVID-19 test before reentry was not specified in the emergency order, so clarity over these other arrivals would be appreciated.

The decision on who to let into the country will now rest with the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation – which suggests some cleaning up of the decision-making process. Of course, with Dr Minnis not present at the previous Ministry of Health briefing and not taking any questions for his national address, those questions remain so far unanswered.

As much as these questions still linger, and will do until Dr Minnis faces the media, the reality he painted of the future ahead of us is a stark one.

We will not return to the normality we knew before the pandemic for a long time – and by setting a goal of ensuring people will not go hungry, it is a reminder that we must think about outcomes for all Bahamians. There will be no one left unaffected by this, those still in jobs will be the ones helping to lift the economy once more, and paying to feed those in need.

We must prepare ourselves for a tough future – and we must do so right now.

Were we given enough warning about travel?

THE return of stranded Bahamians on Friday certainly generated a lot of reaction. This from Baha10: “These Bahamians were given ample warning of border closure and chose to remain wherever unlike the many who got themselves home at their own expense ... now the Country has to incur tax payer expense to repatriate, house and feed, thereby in effect rewarding such irresponsible behavior and in the process expose those that were responsible and have been enduring loss of liberty to the risk of exposure due to their irresponsibility by importing the virus ... and many appear ungrateful?!?

“In no way is the Govt. to blame for whatever hardship these people have endured, indeed the cost entailed should be divided among their number as Bills Owing and their Names published for all to see with monthly up-dates as to the status of their

repayments, so as to deter similar future irresponsibility in the future.”

Those words saw this from ThisIsOurs: “They were NOT given any warning. That’s revisionist history. I was expecting to pick up someone at the airport 2 days after it closed, on a flight that had already been rebooked twice. So this person was actually already a week longer in Florida than they’d planned to be.

“The week before when Trump closed travel to Europe I told them to verify that their flight was still on. Their options were to wait for that date or purchase another ticket at $200. I’d called the local airport to see if Bahamasir

would be running just in case. The govt announced the closure of the airport to non Bahamians and airlines started cancelling flights left right and centre.

My contact was rebooked 3 times then finally completely stranded after the govt closed the airport to both foreigners and residents. This closure was done with zero notice. In fact the actual notice said passengers enroute, meaning in the air at the time of the no notice, notice, would be allowed to disembark “This narrative that people knew this was happening and what they doing travelling is revisionist history. The world was in uproar when Trump abruptly stopped international travel. Flight schedules were unstable.

Then we copycatted. The major difference was Trump gave his people grace, he advised Americans to make it home as quickly as possible.”|

End of Sands no bad thing EDITOR, The Tribune A SURE sign that it’s time for a Prime Minister to shuffle his cabinet is when individual ministers delude themselves into believing that they have a lock on a particular ministry.

Some amongst us have conveniently forgotten that we practise cabinet government. The cabinet acts collectively and all are responsible for the actions of any one.

Recent events have led to incoherent gibberish on social media and on the airwaves reflecting a misguided notion that only a medical doctor should head the Ministry of Health.

The logic seems to be that in the face of a pandemic, only a medical doctor will have the skill set needed to confront the challenge of keeping us safe and overseeing health care delivery.

While it is true that a medical doctor will more quickly grasp the science of virology and bacterium, no medical qualification is needed to be Minister of Health. The job is to execute the policies of the government and set the priorities for the department.

No Minister should be so intrusive as to second-guess the professionals in the delivery of medical care, but a minister must have the judgment to assess the advice given him by professionals. Assisting the Minister is a Permanent Secretary who, as the name implies, brings a degree of stability to the oversight of the Ministry, regardless of which party is in power.

We have a Chief Medical Officer, consultants and line directors who know their job responsibilities, one of which is advising the Minister.

Dr Merceline Dahl Regis has acquitted herself splendidly as a former CMO, now consultant in the Office of the Prime Minister, and our stock of confidence should be invested in her and other steady hands at the wheel: Dr Pearl McMillan, CMO, and Dr Delon Brennen, her deputy.

The situation becomes particularly problematic

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net when a doctor turned minister refuses to discard his scrubs and tries to micro manage those on the front lines.

Doctors accept the need for a second opinion and even for peer review of their work. But that should not extend to those peers who exercise a purely political mandate. A search of the Constitution reveals that there is but one cabinet level job that requires professional qualifications.

The Attorney General, the legal advisor to the government, must be a member of the Bar and therefore able to defend the government before the courts.

There are no such criteria to be Prime Minister, let alone Minister, except for being a member of either the House or, to a limited degree, the Senate.

One of the most effective Ministers of Health in our history was the first to occupy the post in the new PLP government in 1967. Founding father, businessman and civil rights champion Sir Milo Boughton Butler understood his brief better than most.

He wanted to improve access to health care for all citizens and he asked for nothing more from his cabinet colleagues than support for policies which expanded clinics into local communities and the Family Islands, training for more doctors, nurses and pharmacists, the latest medicines on the shelves of the dispensaries and better health outcomes from prenatal care to geriatrics.

To do so he used his power not to second guess doctors but to push his cabinet colleagues to adopt policies to eradicate outdoor latrines, to provide access to clean water and to give children proper nutrition. In recognition of his service one astute columnist recommended we rename the hospital from PMH to MBB. Lawyer Loftus Roker,

our own alpha Minister, similarly saw his role as that of advocating for health care advancement.

Since that time successive Prime Ministers have sought to give the Ministry to an elected medical doctor and, sadly, almost all of them quickly developed a love/hate relationship with the rank and file.

While it is true that these are parlous times, there are constructive ways for doctors turned politicians to play doctor. In Ireland the acting Prime Minister, a trained doctor, reregistered to work as a doctor and is now working one shift a week on the front lines of their Covid-19 fight.

The Minister of Health of Canada has a master’s degree in public administration while the Health Secretary in the UK is an economist but nonetheless takes political responsibility for the fight which is led by specialists in infectious diseases.

Our Prime Minister was confronted with a Sophie’s choice. No PM wants to lose an important general in the heat of battle. But with Dr. Dwayne Sands content to hoist himself on his own petard, the PM probably had no choice but to let him go and keep the focus on the virus, not the virtuoso creating a distraction.

The PM, also a doctor, should make his tenure as acting Health Minister as short as possible. When Covid-19 is vanquished or adequately mitigated, he will have to turn his full attention to the economy.

He should look beyond the physicians turned politicians that the chattering classes are advocating. Instead he should turn health over to one of his most experienced ministers.

Three come to mind: Dion Foulkes, Carl Bethel and Desmond Bannister.

Bethel is mired in the law and Bannister is praying he gets a $500 million infrastructure fund.

As to who’s left: you whistle, I’ll point.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, May 10, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 11, 2020, PAGE 7

GIBSON CRITICISM SENT TO COMPLAINTS UNIT

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Police Service Commission has referred Shane Gibson’s criticism that an officer who played a key investigatory role in his criminal case last year has been promoted to the Police Complaints Unit.

Rev Dr Philip Stubbs, chairman of the commission, signed a letter informing Mr Gibson of this last week, saying the matter has been referred to the unit for immediate

SHANE GIBSON action.

Yesterday Mr Gibson said: “Depending on the outcome, I intend to take this all the way to the Privy Council. We cannot allow a few rogue officers

to compromise the integrity of the entire Force. We have too many great officers deserving of an earned promotion to allow a selfconfessed, twice judicially condemned officer to be promoted.”

Eyebrows were raised when Deborah Thompson was promoted to superintendent last month. She was among several dozen senior officers promoted to a higher role.

She faced criticism after it was revealed that she initiated a meeting between two main prosecution witnesses

to synchronise their statements before Mr Gibson’s bribery trial. She admitted during the trial that she acted improperly but said what she did was a common practice.

In his letter to the PSC, Mr Gibson wrote: “The decision to promote her was made even though she received condemnation by Justice Indra Charles in a ruling dated 8th March 2019 (in my constitutional application to quash the indictment against me) where Justice Charles said: ‘Unkind as it may be, ASP

Thompson struck me as an officer with very little investigative skills despite her impressive rank in the RBPF. I say this because prosecution witnesses should not be brought together to discuss their evidence, exchange their account and decide as to what to say and what they should omit to say in their statements and evidence.’”

Mr Gibson’s letter added: “What makes the decision to promote Debra Thompson more egregious is that she admitted that it is common practice for

two witnesses to be brought together to synchronise their stories and accounts of matters in dispute. This leads one to believe that my case is not the first time she has been involved in this unethical. . .practice.

“I write to advise if Debra Thompson’s promotion is not rescinded within 14 days of the date of this letter, I will institute proceedings before the Supreme Court for judicial review of the decision to promote Debra Thompson and seek an order of certiorari to quash this recommendation.”

MOTHER’S DAY SPOILT BY BPL OUTAGE

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

Abaco brush fires now under control

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net BRUSH fires that threatened to spread to several communities throughout Abaco over the weekend have now been contained, according to RBPF Director of Fire Services Kenrick Morris.

Fire rescue workers on the island said there have been a series of fires over the past several months.

On Saturday, the Marsh Harbour Volunteer Fire Department put out a request for volunteers to help contain the island’s most recent brush fire in Great Cistern, which was threatening to spread to Dundas Town.

When asked to give an update on the situation, Supt Morris told The Tribune the fire was now “under control.”

“As you know, there were two separate fires in South Abaco and North Abaco. From my understanding, the one in North Abaco is extinguished (and) just smothering and in South Abaco, it’s just some small areas left burning, but the rain is down so that is assisting them in their efforts.”

Supt Morris said officials have not yet determined whether the fires were caused by human interference or natural combustion.

Still, he insisted the island had the tools it needed to respond to the situation appropriately.

“Resources were not the problem in Abaco,” he said.

“They had a total of about five fire appliances on the scenes as well as tractors and drayloaders assisting with their efforts. They had ample manpower and they had a number of volunteer firefighters and residents assisting, so manpower or fire appliances was not a problem.”

George Cornish, Abaco’s chief councillor, also said that firefighters, along with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local heavy equipment operators, had been battling the fire for about four days.

“Everybody was out trying to control it because homes and churches in the community were being threatened,” he said. “The fire started on S E Bootle Highway sometime last week, then it moved into the area of Bahama Coral Island and Great Cistern and then into the Murphy Town area.

“After late Saturday evening we got it under control, but it flared up again on Saturday night and didn’t go out until around 2.30 on Sunday morning.

It seems to be under control now though, because we got some light rain this

morning and that seemed to help a bit.”

When asked whether he was in a position to elaborate on the extent of the damage the fires caused, Mr Cornish said he was unaware of anyone losing their homes. Still, he said he did know of some families who were forced to evacuate because of the smoke.

Juliette Deal, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) representative that specialises in debris and waste management, also worked to get the flames under control.

She told this newspaper that Saturday’s fire was the “biggest one” yet.

“I guess the embers and the wind led it all the way to Great Cistern and Murphy Town and at that point, it became very clear that we were in a situation that needed all hands on deck,” she said, recounting the incident.

“We worked together as a team to put the fires out, because they weren’t just in one place. That was our biggest issue. The fire was literally surrounding Murphy Town and Great Cistern. They had to take the drayloaders and create breaks around the different areas to assure the fire wouldn’t jump...so it really was a tremendous group effort by all of the teams that were on the ground.”

SHOPBREAKING FIVE ARRESTED CHARGE REMAND AFTER SHOOTING

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was charged with shopbreaking and stealing in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Steve Charles appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Debbye Ferguson in Court One, where he pleaded not guilty to both charges.

It is alleged that between March 24 and March 27, the accused broke into the Freedom Lounge at the International Bazaar and stole $3,095 worth of grocery items.

Charles was remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services until his trial on September 2.

FIVE men were arrested in connection with a shooting incident in Freeport this week, a senior police official reported on Friday. Superintendent Terecita Pinder said police received information shortly after 6pm on Thursday of gunshots being fired in the Sunridge Road area.

Officers proceeded to the area where two men reported that they were fired upon by persons known to them who were driving a Chevy Cavalier vehicle.

Ms Pinder said that a short time later, officers arrested five male suspects who are assisting with investigations.

AN issue at a Bahamas Power and Light substation forced the company to leave customers in eastern New Providence without power for hours on Mother’s Day. A statement published on the company’s Facebook page yesterday morning advised the public the company was dealing with an issue at a substation in eastern New Providence which caused outages in a portion of Jubilee Gardens, Palm Breeze off Carmichael Road, Prince Charles, Stephens Close, Gleniston Gardens, Sandilands Village and Beloff Road East.

A few hours later, BPL released another statement advising the public the issue had since been rectified and all of the affected areas had been restored.

Still, this did not stop

disgruntled customers from taking to social media to voice their complaints.

“Seriously BPL. It’s a lockdown weekend. It’s Sunday and it’s Mother’s Day,” one Facebook user complained.

“On Mother’s Day, BPL cut the current off. Boy, that is one lousy company,” another one added.

The Tribune reached out to the company for comment; however, all attempts were unsuccessful up to press time.

Last year the company advised consumers it would have to endure ‘one final year’ of outages in order for the firm to re-equip its power plants.

What ensued was the worst summer of power cuts many people can remember. Unsurprisingly, many are waiting to see if BPL lives up to it promises for an interruption-free summer this year.

MONDAY MAY 11, 2020

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net LIFE is forced to go on for residents of Abaco, sturuggling in the wake of Dorian’s devastation.

But now a new cloud is appearing on their horizon - another hurricane season and no visible plan for their safety from a government some on the island feels has abandoned them.

A long-term resident who was on the island when Dorian struck, said life for Abaconians now is totally different now.

He feares another hurricane like Dorian, which sat over the island for two days pelting it with rain and winds with gusts of up to 220 miles per hour, could destroy what remains of the island and leave it uninhabitable.

“I am very disappointed in this government,” the source said. “There are people over here who are going through a lot. They have dead relatives in a container who they can’t bury. It’s a lot. There is no respect shown to us. I’m sure there are human rights organizations who would be livid if they really knew what was happening here in Abaco. It is an ugly place to live at times.

“The only people who are really showing some sort of interest in restoration of this island and its cays are the second home owners and international organizations. I would have loved to see government workers handing out food and helping people. That’s leadership! When people can get in the trenches, boots on the ground and make a difference.”

The resident, passionate about the island he lives on, said he has not once seen Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction, Iram Lewis, planning anything on the island in regards to its restoration, even now as Hurricane Season looms..

The Bahamas Disaster Reconstruction Authority is responsible for the management of reconstruction and restoration in areas designated disaster zones.

Abaco is one of those areas.

“We have no newspapers here, we have no power here and we have no word from this government as to when we will have these necessities,” the source continued. “We have written to the Bahamas Disaster Reconstruction Authority over and over with not one reply. With no form of

We don’t need more meetings, false hope and promises - we need leadership, action and solutions

communication what are we to think? Have we been forgotten?”

The source said it breaks his heart when he looks in the faces of fellow Abaconians and sees nothing but sadness, hopelessness and despair. He said he is not alone in his disappointment in regards to the Government and he thanks God for the Americans and the Jamaicans who came to the aid of residents.

“I’ve seen so much selflessness from around the world,” said the source.

“Thank God for the Americans and Jamaicans and all those organizations from around the world who really helped us. Instead of our government assisting us with building supplies to rebuild our homes, they established some dome programme. Although it is shelter, it is in no way rebuilding Abaco. It’s in no way helping someone restore their home.”

According to this Abaconian, what happened to Marsh Harbour is unthinkable. Besides the debris and dead bodies, rebuilding, he said, is a very high mountain to climb. He wants answers as to why an island devastated last September

by Dorian is entering Hurricane Season 2020 in the same state.

“I fear the next hurricane,” he said. “I don’t even want to see a 25 mile per hour storm touch down here, much less anything with Dorian’s strength. The thought keeps me up at night and I see why soldiers have those post traumatic events that haunt them.

Hurricane Dorian was apocalyptic and we won’t ever forget that. What happened in Marsh Harbour was unbelievable. During the storm I just sat and thought of which way the storm would take my life. It was that bad.”

There are “rumblings” in Abaco of the return of the Abaco Independence Movement. Formed just after Bahamian Independence in 1973, the Movement was designed as a political party whose stated aim was autonomy for the Abaco Islands within a federal Bahamas.

When asked about the Movement, the Abaco source said, “If it is true, I welcome its return. We would be ready for Hurricane Season for sure. At least we will know people are looking out for us and we will have proper leadership. Abaconians are looking for leadership from our government. There is none! This is how revolution starts! People band together for their cause.

“I don’t see any preparedness in Nassau and I don’t see any preparedness here. Don’t tell us to get flashlights and candles.

We don’t need that. What we need is Bahamasair to start flying people out of these islands should something be coming our way. We need an army of people from Freeport that are unemployed to be paid to come on Bahamasair to Abaco three times a week to work in Abaco to help their fellow countrymen. We need solutions that will make a difference

ABOVE and top: the extensive damage and destruction in Abaco in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is clear to see in a 24-hour, day-to-day to be positive, but I also timeline. want the government to “We don’t need more answer to something. What meetings and we don’t need is the master plan to restore false hope and promises. Abaco? For example, put What we need is leadership, up a large sign in Marsh action and solutions.”

Harbour and say, ‘power According to the source, will be up in six months’.

Abaconians are not wel- That is what we need right coming to Kay Forbes now, heartfelt leadership.

Smith, the Managing Direc- We need people to roll their tor of the Bahamas Disaster sleeves up and say ‘we are Reconstruction Authority. here to help’. I don’t want He said she does not speak to see another non-profit their language and does not here from another part of know the lay of the land. the world. I want to see He also admitted that there Bahamian government was some work being done people in the trenches. on homes, but momentum “Just picture you having has slowed down because your back to the wall and of the coronavirus. With the a gun to your face. That’s lockdown every weekend what it feels like. When and no outside help, they I see government people cannot move forward, he driving $30,000 vehisaid. cles here and there are Continuing the source 30-year-old Bahamian applied more pressure to Abaconian men sleepthe government, “I want ing in a tent or a broken

down house they are squatting in because their own homes are gone, there is something very wrong with that. When I see a government red licence plate and vehicle is left running, so they air condition can be cool while they go do their personal errands, somewhere and I know there are people with no homes, I find that contradiction hard to swallow.”

Communication at any level is what the Abaconians crave from the Bahamas government. The Tribune source said communication pre, during and post Dorian has been absolutely “at zero”.

“What’s going on now is unbelievable,” he concluded, highlighting the fact members of the Haitian community have seized opportunities.

“You have a whole subculture going on. Why does a Bahamian woman have to get a business licence and a Haitian woman does not have to? Why is it okay for a group of people to set up a Barber Shop and get money and send it all back to another country? This sub-culture is out of control.

“You have an illegal subculture, a non-governing government, you have no electricity, you now have a pandemic on top of all of that and you are 38 days away from the next Hurricane Season. It’s hard to be positive when you do not have a solution to one of those problems I just listed.”

This, the Abaconian source said, is a recipe for disaster.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, MAY 11, 2020 PAGE 9

Now’s not the time to sit quietly while others again decide our fate DEVELOPING countries, including Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states, would make a grave mistake if, in the wake of the economic crisis they now face, they decide to diminish their foreign affairs budgets.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have created huge challenges for advanced economies, but those challenges are even more daunting for small states.

In scrambling to cope with considerably decreased revenues and extraordinarily increased expenditure, governments will cut their budgets. Since diplomacy is not regarded as the guardian of their interests in the global community as it should be, the first reductions will be to their Embassies and their involvement in regional and international institutions.

By doing this, governments will be depriving themselves of participation in international decision-making, precisely when they should be fully involved in determining the kind of new world that is emerging in this epoch of COVID-19.

After World War II, when most developing countries had no voice in international relations, the victorious powers created the current major International Financial Institutions (IFIs) which they have dominated ever since, dictating the world’s economic order largely for their own benefit. The policies of the financial institutions have imposed rules and conditions on developing states that have kept them financially indentured, if not enslaved.

Caribbean countries, which have suffered in the economic order which has prevailed since 1945, have an opportunity to participate in the fashioning of a new dispensation. As the former Prime Minister of Jamaica, P.J. Patterson, put it recently: “The reconfiguration of global power and the restructuring of the global economy cannot be left to the market or the dictations of a few, determined to continue to shape the future by unilateral decisions.”

Mr Patterson’s summons to action is wise and irresistible. He advises: “The interests of the less developed, less powerful and most vulnerable will not be taken into account unless we take the decision to make our collective voices heard and our interests reflected in the new world order.” However, the Caribbean cannot do so if it does not have a seat at the table.

That is why, while budget cuts clearly must be made, no government should allow indiscriminate reduction in their participation in global affairs; rather they should create a leaner, best skilled and professional foreign service focussed on giving their countries the strongest voice possible in advancing their interest.

CARICOM countries also need to settle their policy approaches in a

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coherent manner and set their foreign policy teams to work together, eschewing transient alliances that do not serve their fundamental interests, whatever short-term benefits they may get.

There will be a tussle for global influence between the traditional big powers – Western states, formerly led by the United States, but now fractured – and challengers from Asia of which China will be the most powerful. China is already the world’s largest trading power and the United States is increasingly isolating itself from the multilateral system in an apparent belief that it can continue to use its economic and military power to achieve its government’s objectives.

For developing countries, including the Caribbean, where they stand in the global order should not be a choice between holding on to the apron strings of either China or the US. There is no shortage among developing countries of intellectual capacity in a wide range of fields that propel human development. Their problem has been the inability to harness that collective power and deploy it jointly.

Their collective strength as markets also remains a powerful chip with which to bargain. One certainty in any new global dispensation is that, if they fail to act together, they will remain in the backwater of human development. And, that is particularly true for CARICOM countries.

On a related matter, most CARICOM countries are now confronted with a wall of debt. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, that wall will grow higher and more impenetrable. UNCTAD has forecast that, in 2020 and 2021 alone, debt will amount to about $2 trillion for high-income developing countries and to almost $1 trillion for middle- and lowincome countries.

“This moment”, say a group of distinguished Economists from the developed and developing world, “poses the ultimate test of the international financial architecture”. The group, including Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz, Edmund Phelps and Carmen Reinhart, wrote on May 6, in relation to Argentina, but the basis argument holds true for all developing countries.

They declared “debt relief is the only path to combat the pandemic and set the economy on a sustainable path.”

The response of the IFIs is not to write-off any portion of current debt for least developed and low-income

FORMER Prime Minister of Jamaica, P.J Patterson

countries, but to increase their debt still further by offering more loans, albeit on easier terms.

With only a few exceptions, high income countries, such as Antigua and Barbuda and St KittsNevis, were excluded from these loans even though they are mired in the same plight as their neighbours.

The IMF is encouraging high-income states to borrow under its Rapid Credit Facility with fewer conditionalities and faster approval processes, but these are still debts which would add to the burden which already weighs them down.

The level of debt is barely sustainable now; it will be utterly unsustainable if more of it is incurred.

Paying it back will leave countries, including many in the Caribbean, mortgaged to the IFI’s and the conditions they impose in accordance with policies set by the rich countries that have the greatest voting power on the governing Boards.

Since one of the principal conditions is debt must be repaid first, many

Caribbean countries will be left with little fiscal space to invest in economic and human development.

This problem underscores why Caribbean countries should not mistakenly reduce their participation in global affairs. They should be vigorous activists in the realisation of the new order that was already gathering steam before the effects of COVID-19.

There is need for change, including change in a system that encourages global inequality, and allows the marginalisation of small states whose repeated debt crises have been largely created by external events exported to their shores.

Responses and previous commentaries: www. sirronaldsanders.com 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.

PAGE 10 MONDAY, MAY 11, 2020

This game’s been running for a long while - and it’s not over yet

BY MALCOLM STRACHAN THERE is no doubt politics makes for strange bedfellows, particularly in the case of former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands and the now acting Health Minister and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis. It is not too long ago both men were on opposing sides of a battle for the leadership of the Free National Movement. Although, at the time, Sands was positioning himself to be Loretta Butler-Turner’s deputy, his aspirations to become prime minister were widely known.

Confidence in Sands’ ability to be a steadyhanded leader only grew in the wake of the COVID-19 global health crisis.

Thus, the controversy surrounding the entry of permanent residents from the US caused quite an uproar. But what has transpired may have, in effect, led to the political torpedoing of Sands’ chances to become prime minister in the future – though that may be dependent on his successor’s performance.

And while we might gain some comfort from another medical expert taking over the portfolio, the circumstances have made many people uncomfortable as it

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

THERE is no doubt politics makes for strange bedfellows, particularly in the case of former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands, above, and the now acting Health Minister and Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, below.

would seem there is much more to this situation than meets the eye.

With Sands, you got an authoritative personality steering the ship - one who had little issue availing himself to the press to answer questions. Always seeming calm, collected and controlled, it is no surprise he made the judgment call that allowed permanent residents to enter the country in exchange for the 2,500 swabs to boost our testing capacity. And, as we have since learned, this was not the first instance of permanent residents being allowed back into the country. Yet, Sands is the one to fall on his sword.

Certainly, the Bahamian people did not like the optics surrounding foreigners being allowed to enter here while hundreds of citizens were still stuck abroad – students and, in some cases, the elderly.

However, it is quite obvious this got out of hand far too quickly. And what’s worse is that Sands’ departure may have been more attributable to political bad blood than an egregious breach of protocol that the prime minister has yet to fully specify.

No doubt, we continue to experience troubling times and the prime minister taking over this portfolio has done little to

subdue concerns. To date, more than 200 healthcare workers have been quarantined as a result of the virus and with jurisdictions easing their way back to opening, threats of a second wave are legitimate. The promised ramp-up in testing has yet to take place. Anyone considering if now was the best time to have someone new at the helm is justified to have concerns.

In the middle of a war, you wouldn’t just replace the general once combat has begun – not unless there is a good enough reason to and if you have a viable replacement.

Surely, many will say Sands should not have resigned. While that may be true, the conversation likely would have continued to be a distraction.

Not that it is any less now, but much of this could have been avoided during the prime minister’s national address that preceded Sands’ resignation.

This is where leadership comes into play. Instead of apologising to the Bahamian people as a government for the mishap that took place, the prime minister deferred to Dr Sands to make a statement the following day. This only increased speculation. The prime minister should have expressed his sincere apology for the confusion and reassured citizens they would be imminently flying our people home.

Perhaps this would have all blown over and we wouldn’t be where we are now – stuck with a spectre of unstable leadership in the middle of a global health crisis. And even though Prime Minister Minnis sat in the Cabinet of the last Ingraham administration as Minister of Health, he seemingly does not engender the same level of confidence the country had in Dr Sands.

Furthermore, neither his statement announcing his interim leadership of the nation’s health portfolio, nor his absence at the ministry of health update following Sands’ resignation do much to embolden the spirit of the Bahamian people. Let me be clear, the Prime Minister seems more comfortable having oversight from a 10,000ft view which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, per se.

However, the question of whether that is what the Bahamian people need in overseeing the ministry of health is another question to ponder.

The reality is this will likely change the communication regime of these status updates we’ve become accustomed to under Sands’ management.

We should not be surprised to see less interaction between policy makers and the media, despite it being what is needed. To this end, Sands’ departure essentially may make life harder in the short-term for the Prime Minister and the people.

There is no question Prime Minister Minnis has backed himself into a corner by calling the bluff of Dr Sands. As for the former minister, he still has a great deal of support within his constituency and from the electorate for the work he has done during the last three years. As for the Prime Minister, while he has certainly upgraded his communication with the media amid this health crisis, the desire for accessibility may become taxing very quickly.

Thus, it would be surprising if he chooses to remain in the health post, even though it would seem options to fill the position are few.

The reality is there isn’t anyone in the senate or the House of Assembly that the Bahamian people trust more than Sands to lead us through this – and that includes the Prime Minister.

Certainly, PLP and FNM supporters would agree.

And for the Prime Minister’s part, good leadership ought to know when to be forgiving to its star players and give grace for mistakes to occur. While it was poor optics for foreigners to be allowed entry when Bahamians were stuck abroad, not returning citizens home falls at the feet of the competent authority which the Prime Minister oversees.

For the bleeding hearts sympathising for Sands, rest assured his work has already positioned him to fulfil bigger dreams.

And as the Prime Minister may have to again dig deep and pull out his best performance yet, in time, we’ll soon learn who is the better chess player of the two.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 11, 2020, PAGE 11

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL PIONEER LITTLE RICHARD DIES AT 87 NASHVILLE, Tennesse Associated Press LITTLE Richard, one of the chief architects of rock ‘n’ roll whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died on Saturday after battling bone cancer. He was 87.

Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the colour line on the music charts, joining Chuck Berry and Fats Domino in bringing what was once called “race music” into the mainstream.

Richard’s hyperkinetic piano playing, coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo, made him an implausible sensation — a gay, black man celebrated across America during the

buttoned-down Eisenhower era.

He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie. In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior and looks mascara-lined eyes, pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits.

“Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. “Little Richard was great on every record.”

Mick Jagger called Little Richard “the biggest inspiration of my early teens”.

MAIN picture: Little Richard performs in 2001; inset: In 1966

Trump’s task force experts in isolation WASHINGTON Associated Press THREE members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, another stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. Also quarantining are Dr Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.

Fauci’s institute said that he has tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to be tested regularly.

It added that he is considered at “relatively low risk” based on the degree of his exposure, and that he would be “taking appropriate precautions” to mitigate the risk to personal contacts while still carrying out his duties. While he will stay at home and telework, Fauci will go to the White House if called and

QUARANTINED: Dr Anthony Fauci take every precaution, the institute said.

Redfield will be “teleworking for the next two weeks” after it was determined he had a “low risk exposure” to a person at the White House, the CDC said in a statement Saturday evening. The statement said he felt fine and has no symptoms.

Just a few hours earlier, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that Hahn had come in contact with someone who tested positive and was in self-quarantine for the next two weeks. He tested negative for the virus.

All three men are scheduled to testify before a Senate committee

on Tuesday. Sen. Lamar Alexander, the chairman of the panel, said the White House will allow Redfield and Hahn to testify by videoconference, a one-time exception to the administration’s policies on hearing testimony. The statement was issued before Fauci’s quarantine was announced.

Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, making her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week.

President Donald Trump, who publicly identified the affected Pence aide as spokeswoman Katie

Miller, said he was “not worried” about the virus spreading in the White House. Nonetheless, officials said they were stepping up safety protocols for the complex.

Miller had been in recent contact with Pence but not with the president and had tested negative a day earlier. She is married to Stephen Miller, a top Trump adviser.

The White House had no immediate comment on whether Stephen Miller had been tested or if he was still working in the White House.

Redfield sought to use the exposure as a teachable moment. The CDC statement said if he must go to the White House to fulfill any responsibilities as part of the coronavirus task force, he will follow CDC practices for critical infrastructure workers. Those guidelines call for Redfield and anyone working on the task force to have their temperature taken and screened for symptoms each day, wear a face covering, and distance themselves from others.

Trump has resisted wearing a mask, and in a meeting with the nation’s top military leaders Saturday evening, he did not wear a mask during the brief portion that reporters were allowed to view.

The generals around Trump also did not wear a mask, but participants did sit a few feet away from each other.

PRESIDENT’S ADVISERS CITE NEED TO STOP ‘PERMANENT’ ECONOMIC TOLL WASHINGTON Associated Press SOME of President Donald Trump’s top economic advisers emphasised yesterday the importance of states getting more businesses and offices open.

Decisions about how fast to reopen come with a general election less than six months away, and Trump and other incumbents facing the prospects of seeking another term in the midst of a public health and economic crisis.

“If we do this carefully, working with the governors, I don’t think there’s a considerable risk,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Matter of fact, I think there’s a considerable risk of not reopening. You’re talking about what would be permanent economic damage to the American public.”

Another 3.2 million U.S. workers applied for jobless benefits last week, bringing the total over the last seven weeks to 33.5 million as states restrict activities to slow the spread of the virus. Mnuchin said the jobless numbers “are probably going to get worse before they get better,”

UK’S JOHNSON LAYS OUT ROAD MAP FOR EASING VIRUS LOCKDOWN LONDON Associated Press

BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday announced a modest easing of the country’s coronavirus lockdown and laid out the outlines of a “road map” of how further restrictions can be lifted in the coming months.

In a televised address, Johnson said that while people with jobs that cannot be done from home are being encouraged to return to work, “this is not the time, simply, to end the lockdown this week.”

He said it would be “madness” to loosen restrictions so much that a second spike in cases emerges.

“We must continue to control the virus and save lives,” the prime minister said from an office at 10 Downing Street. “And yet we must also recognize that this campaign against the virus has come at colossal cost to our way of life.”

The government-ordered lockdown, which began March 23, has reduced the transmission of the novel coronavirus, but the daily death toll remains uncomfortably high. The UK recorded nearly 32,000 deaths as of yesterday, the most in Europe and the secondhighest pandemic toll worldwide.

Johnson, who returned to work only two weeks ago following his

hospitalization for COVID-19, said the government would proceed cautiously in the weeks and months ahead but said he was able to announce a few changes to the terms of the lockdown. .

He said people who can work from home should continue to do so but the ones who can’t, such as those in construction or manufacturing jobs, “should be actively encouraged to go to work” starting this week. However, they should not commute by public transportation and should adhere to social distancing guidelines at work, Johnson said.

Starting on Wednesday, the government will allow people to take

JOHNSON speaking yesterday

“unlimited amounts” of exercise outdoors instead of being limited to once a day, Johnson said.

Members of the public also will be able to sunbathe, drive to other destinations, and play sports, but only with members of the same household. He stressed that everyone must carry on maintaining the recommended social distance away from home and said fines for violations would be increased.

He also laid out a “conditional plan” for relaxing other lockdown restrictions in the coming months,such as reopening stores and shops and the possible return to school for some younger children on June 1.

SPORTS

SECTION E

MONDAY, MAY 11TH, 2020

NFL, PAGE 14

BUDDY’S KINGS AND AYTON’S SUNS TO BEGIN VOLUNTARY INDIVIDUAL WORKOUTS

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

he NBA plans to take its first step towards a return to normalcy as teams prepare to reopen practice facilities for voluntary individual workouts, based on the restriction protocols of their respective states.

Buddy Hield’s Sacramento Kings and Deandre Ayton’s Phoenix Suns are two of the franchises that plan to begin such workouts for their players in the immediate future.

The Kings plan to reopen their Golden 1 Center practice facility today for the aforementioned voluntary individual workouts amid the league’s strict guidelines for COVID-19 prevention.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his state’s

BUDDY HIELD

DEANDRE AYTON

progression to the second stage of a four-stage plan to ease restrictions and reopen the economy.

The Suns plan to open their practice facility at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum for

individual voluntary workouts on May 16.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced last week that his state’s stay-at-home order would, with some modifications, be in

place until May 15. The NBA issued a memo to all franchises, the league provided a “detailed and extensive” 14-page checklist to ensure a sterile environment for playoff and staff which also includes limiting the amount of people in the facilities.

According to the Sacramento Bee: “The Kings said one player will be allowed to practice on each of the four baskets inside the practice facility. No more than four players will be permitted in the 51,000-square-foot training facility at one time and no group activity will occur, including practices or scrimmages...all players, coaches and staff members will receive temperature screenings before entering the building.

Staff will be required to wear face coverings at all times inside the facility and players will be required to do the same except

when engaged in physical activity.

Each individual training session will be limited to two hours with at least 30 minutes between each session for rigorous sanitation procedures, as outlined by the NBA.” The decision to reopen facilities varies both by state and franchise.

The Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers opened their facilities while other franchises like the Kings and Atlanta Hawks will open this week. Teams like the Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets will not reopen before May 15 while the Golden State Warriors’ earliest possible timeline to reopen is June 1.

The NBA has suspended its season since March 11, when Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert was the league’s first player to test positive for COVID 19.

NBA teams start to reopen, as testing plan begins emerging

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — The NBA took tiny steps toward a return to normalcy Friday, as a small number of practice facilities reopened for workouts and at least one team received permission from the league to test players and staff for the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took part in a teleconference with members of the National Basketball Players Association on Friday night.

Silver, according to a person familiar with the call’s details, told players that the league is still aiming to hold full best-of-seven playoff series should the season resume and that playing without fans is an obvious possibility.

Silver also spoke about the well-known notion of having the season resume in a centralised location, though cautioned that no decisions may be made for another several weeks, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the call were not publicly released.

Cleveland and Portland were open for players who wanted to get voluntary workouts in, with Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman among the first to be back on an NBA practice court since the league ordered those facilities closed seven weeks ago.

“Great to be back,” Osman wrote on Instagram, as he took a selfie standing in what appeared to be an otherwise-empty practice gym.

Another good sign: the Orlando Magic revealed that they have

“Let’s Go Heat” is displayed on t-shirts in the stands as the Miami Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies practice before an NBA basketball in Miami, Florida, on October 23, 2019. There’s a clear desire for basketball to resume but, perhaps mindful of how rushing back too quickly hurt other leagues around the world, the NBA seems to be taking very cautious baby steps back to the court.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) been authorised by health offi- approval of local officials soon as testing already exists for at-risk cials in Orange County, Florida to well. Lakers players were tested healthcare workers in that comtest players and staff. In a letter several weeks ago and two players munity and other conditions are obtained by AP, Orange County were positive; Los Angeles Mayor met. told the Magic it has more than Eric Garcetti said last week that The NBA, like other major US enough testing resources for all residents of Los Angeles leagues, also is trying to avoid health-care workers and asymp- County are now eligible for free any sense that it is jumping the tomatic individuals. “With the testing. testing line by getting players Orange County Department of The NBA has yet to implement tested in cities where necessary Health authorisation, the NBA a full-scale testing programme resources are scarce. Orange has advised us that we are able to for all teams, a step that must County health officer Dr Raul have our players tested,” Magic be taken if there is going to be Pino told the Magic that they can spokesman Joel Glass said. a return to play this season. “rest assured” that would not be The Los Angeles Lakers But the league has also advised the case in Orlando. and Los Angeles Clippers are teams that they may be permitToronto said it would welcome expected to be able to follow suit ted to test, with NBA approval, if players back for workouts starting and test players and staff with the local health officials say “robust” next week.

The Raptors will be using rules even more strict than NBA mandates right now; only one player will be allowed in the facility at a time, and the court will be the only place open to players. Everything else, including locker rooms and weight rooms, will remain closed. Other NBA teams, when they open, may have as many as four players in the facility at once.

“We thought this was reasonable,” Raptors general manager Bobby Webster said. “We thought it allowed our guys to start moving and getting out of their apartment a little bit ... maybe more for mental health, for them to start shooting and doing things like that. I don’t think it was necessarily compared to the NBA rule. I think it was more something that we developed internally.”

Denver and Sacramento are among the teams planning to reopen for workouts today and many more are expected to effort toward reopening facilities for the voluntary workouts in the coming days; roughly half the league could have players working out next week barring any major setbacks or policy changes.

All the Friday news, however, wasn’t good: The Utah Jazz ownership group announced it was furloughing 40 per cent of its staff, the second such move by Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment since the NBA suspended its season on March 11.

“With no clear indication of when our businesses can fully reopen, we have made the difficult yet necessary decision to furlough a portion of our employees,” Jim Olsen, the organisation’s president, said in a statement.

Shakwon: ‘I’m looking forward to what we will do next year’

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net AFTER advancing to the California Community College Athletic Association’s regional state playoffs just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the rest of the postseason, Shakwon Lewis said he was content with his freshman year with the Butte College Roadrunners men’s basketball team.

Once the pandemic ceases and everything goes back to normal, Lewis is looking forward to returning to Chico, California, where he is expected to be joined by the incoming freshman class that includes Grand Bahamians Rolante Knowles and Oswald Meadows out of the Sunland Baptist Stingers’ programme, headed by coach Jay Phillippe.

Lewis, back home before the Bahamas government closed the borders for international travel to prevent the spread of the virus, said he had a great time playing under Russ Critchfield, who completed his 22nd season as the Roadrunners’ head coach and his 50th overall.

“He has a wealth of knowledge and he was able to help me out tremendously with my game,” Lewis said. “I was also able to open the door for two more Bahamians, who we were able to

recruit from Sunland Baptist. So Based on what he’s seen from I’m looking forward to what we Knowles and Meadows during the will do next year.” prestigious Hugh Campbell BasThis past season, Lewis helped ketball Classic as they helped the the No. 12 ranked Roadrunners Stingers to capture the coveted to a 16-11 win-loss record before title in February, Lewis said he’s they fell 87-64 to the No.5 ranked confident that they will both come Sequoias in the junior college in and fit very well into the scope regional playoffs on of things at Butte February 28, elimiCollege. nating them from the “As Bahamians, Final/State champiwe come hungry. The onships that was not United States’ playcompleted in March, ers can get offers due to the shutdown to go and play anyof all sporting events. where,” Lewis said.

Lewis, a gradu“But with our backate of the famed CI ground from the Gibson Rattlers proBahamas, we come gramme headed by ready to play and we Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson represent because and a former member we know that while of the Bahamas doors have been senior men’s national opened for us, we basketball team, said have to do the same he was proud to have for others who are displayed his skills at following us.”

Butte College.

Knowles was SHAKWON LEWIS “College basthe Stingers’ leadketball is more ing scorer this past systematic. It’s more about season and emerged as one of the studying the game. It’s a mental top shooters and all-around offenprocess,” Lewis said. “The game sive talents in the country. is faster, but it is slower at the Meadows, on the other hand, same time. was a junior national team stand“You have to get into the out and member of the Bahamas’ weight room, lift more weights historic FIBA Centrobasket because it’s a lot of contact on the Under-17 Championship that court. It’s more like a chess game won bronze in the Dominican that you have to play.”

Republic and qualified for the

Tournament of the Americas. He led the team in assists at 4.3 per game.

Lewis, a 5-foot, 9-inch point guard, averaged about 12 points and five assists in his freshman year for the Roadrunners. He was one of the top conference performers in steals and was named to the All-Conference Defensive team.

“We had a good team,” said Lewis about making it to the state tournament before the coronavirus put a dent on its completion.

“We just have to get ready for next year with the new players coming in once we get past the virus.”

Home now for an extended summer break, Lewis helped his father, Davos Lewis - an official in the New Providence Basketball Association - as they gave out care packages to the players, coaches and managers of the league on Thursday at the City of Praise Church on Cowpen Road opposite Island Luck.

Lewis said it was an honour to help out, but he’s looking forward to the day that they can resume life as they did before the virus spread around the world.

“It’s good to be able to come home and spend some time with your family after being away from them for a while,” he said. “I’m just enjoying this time because you normally don’t get everybody

in the house at the same time for this long.

“So it was a good experience to be here in the lockdown and the curfew enjoying each other’s company.”

And while the country is under a 24-hour curfew and weekend lockdowns, Lewis said he hopes that he can get back in the gym and shoot some hoops.

“I’ve noticed that there’s a lot of players back home, so once the gyms are opened, hopefully we can mix and mingle with those players who didn’t get to go off and play some organised basketball,” he said.

“For now, every morning I wake up, I exercise and go on the outdoor basketball court and work on my fundamentals. I’m in college now, so I have to continue to stay sharp so I will be ready to continue to play at the level that my coach expects when I return.”

At age 23, Lewis got off to a late start in his collegiate career, but he encouraged the local players to never give up on their dreams.

“It took me a little while to get off to school because of my US visa being denied, but I want to encourage them to keep their dreams alive,” he said. “You never know what God has in store for you. Just keep focused and never ever give up on your dreams. You never know when your chance will come to make it.”

PAGE 14, Monday, May 11, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

TOM BRADY’S MOVE TO TAMPA BAY POSED LATE CHALLENGES FOR NETWORKS

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer

THE KANSAS City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers play during the second half of an NFL preseason game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on August 24, 2019. The Chiefs will open defence of their Super Bowl championship by hosting Houston on September 10 in the NFL’s annual kickoff game — pending developments in the coronavirus pandemic, of course.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Column: More normality from NFL. Will it happen on time?

By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer THE Super Bowl champions kicking off the season at home.

Spanking new stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas unveiled in prime time.

A Thanksgiving tripleheader.

Nothing but normality for the NFL in anything but normal times.

Free agency pretty much went routinely. The draft, done virtually, was a massive hit with huge TV and streaming audiences. And on Thursday night, America got the league’s schedule, from the Chiefs hosting the Texans on Thursday night, September 10, to start it all off, to the usual Turkey Day games in Detroit and Dallas — and the fierce Baltimore-Pittsburgh rivalry at night — to the yearly slate of divisional games in Week 17.

Business as usual, and you really can’t blame the NFL for that.

Thankfully, the league recognises it is making plans that could be erased at any time.

“The release of the NFL schedule is something our fans eagerly anticipate every year, as they look forward with hope and optimism to the season ahead,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said.

“In preparing to play the season as scheduled, we will continue to make our decisions based on the

latest medical and public health advice, in compliance with government regulations, and with appropriate safety protocols to protect the health of our fans, players, club and league personnel, and our communities.

“We will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary, as we have during this offseason in safely and efficiently conducting key activities such as free agency, the virtual offseason programme, and the 2020 NFL draft.”

Naturally, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, there must be heavy concerns mixed with the hope and optimism.

As baseball is experiencing now, nobody can be sure when its season will begin.

The NHL has no idea if the Stanley Cup will be paraded around a rink.

Three of golf’s four majors have been delayed and the Open Championship canceled.

Even the Tokyo Olympics were postponed a year.

So yes, while a fun endeavour to see who is playing whom and when, the release of the NFL schedule could wind up a futile exercise.

“I just think for us it doesn’t make sense to play any games unless it is completely, 100 per cent safe for us to go out there,”

Broncos safety Kareem Jackson said. “If there is any threat to us being able to contract COVID of any way and spread it to our families or anybody else that we’re around, it just doesn’t make sense.

I think I heard them saying something about us playing with no fans and all that. That will be like practice. In my opinion that would (stink).”

There are so many unanswerable questions at this time regarding a 2020 season. Would the NFL indeed stage games without fans?

Would it consider a shortened season? How far back in the calendar, including 2021, might the schedule, the playoffs and the Super Bowl (currently on February 7 in Tampa) be pushed?

How much pressure will the league’s broadcast partners put on Goodell and the owners to provide the product that in many ways is their financial lifeblood? And if the games can’t be played in certain states or cities ...

“It’s difficult to imagine stadiums filled until we have immunity, until we have a vaccine,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said.

“It’s difficult for me to imagine what the league, broadly leagues, do when one or two of their key personnel or players are tested positive. Do they quarantine the rest of the team? If an offensive

lineman is practicing with a defensive lineman, and they tested positive, what happens to the rest of the line?

“What happens for the game coming up the next weekend? It’s inconceivable to me that that’s not a likely scenario ...”

Hopefully it is not, but Newsom makes a salient point, even as the Rams are slated to open SoFi Stadium in a Sunday night game with Dallas September 13. The Raiders make their Las Vegas debut eight nights later against the Saints.

Fans want to hear none of this.

They want to dive deeply into their team’s schedule. They know that seven clubs have five prime-time games, with the Ravens and Patriots each having three in a row.

They see that the Dolphins, Titans and 49ers have three straight home contests in 2020, while the Saints, Patriots and Redskins each have three consecutive road games.

Somehow, the Cardinals get both: visits to the Panthers, Jets and Cowboys followed by hosting Seattle, Miami and Buffalo — with a bye mixed in.

Sure, it’s a kick to conduct such examinations of the schedule. It makes sense for fans.

Expecting it to all come off as planned might not make much sense.

TOM Brady’s move to Tampa Bay didn’t just create ripples with fans.

It caused networks to drastically rework their lastminute requests with the NFL scheduling office to make sure the Buccaneers got as many high-profile dates as possible.

When the NFL’s regular-season schedule was announced on Thursday night, all of the league television partners were satisfied with how Tampa Bay’s games were distributed. The Bucs are slated to make five prime-time appearances (one Thursday, two Sunday night, two Monday night) with all of them slated between Weeks 5-12. That’s a pretty big audible for a team that was expected to have maybe two at best before signing Brady.

Pending developments in the coronavirus pandemic, Tampa Bay’s opener at New Orleans will be Fox’s featured “America’s Game of the Week,” as will the October 18 game against Green Bay. CBS will showcase the Bucs in the 4:25pm EST window on November 29, when they host defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City.

Fox — which has the NFC and Thursday night packages — has Tampa Bay nine times, while CBS, ESPN and NBC each have them twice. The Week 16 game at Detroit will be on either Fox or NFL Network, which will be determined later in the season.

Fox has five of Tampa Bay’s first six games, including its first prime-time game on Thursday, October 8 at Chicago. “I can’t think of a single player move ever that adjusted requests and turned the process upside down as much as this,” said Fox Sports senior vice president Michael Mulvihill about Brady signing with Tampa Bay. “I think the league treated everyone well with Tampa Bay because they knew how great everyone’s interest was. It was a significant curveball.”

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, May 11, 2020, PAGE 15

UFC 249 USHERS IN FAN-FREE, MASK-FILLED ERA OF SPORTS

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena. Coaches, commentators and camera clicks resonated like never before. Blood, sweat, swollen eyelids and face masks signalled the return of UFC, the first major sporting event to resume since the coronavirus shuttered much of the country for nearly two months.

UFC 249 ushered in a new look for sports, too.

One without fans and amid several safety precautions.

It was definitely different — two fighters adjusted their approaches because of what they heard announcers say — and a welcome reprieve for a sports-craved country that went nearly eight weeks with few live events. “We did this for you, to bring sports back,” fighter Tony Ferguson told fans following his loss in the main event.

Five hours after President Trump congratulated UFC for restarting the sports world, Justin Gaethje stunned heavily favoured Ferguson (26-4) in the finale. Gaethje earned a TKO in the fifth and final round of the headliner that was deemed an interim lightweight title bout. It essentially gives Gaethje (22-2) the right to fight titleholder Khabib Nurmagomedov next. Nurmagomedov was unable to fight this weekend because of travel restrictions.

Gaethje flipped over the top of the cage and back in following the biggest victory of his career. He then screamed repeatedly.

“I want the real one,” he said as he threw down the interim belt. “There’s no other fight I want right now.”

The stacked card saw 33-year-old Henry Cejudo, with blood gushing from his forehead and running down his chest, defend his bantamweight title against

Brighton player tests positive, EPL clubs split on restart

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson says sports can resume — if only members of your own household are playing. How the Premier League can restart should become clearer in the coming days.

Any restart during the coronavirus pandemic is not just reliant on the government, which is planning Tuesday to outline the path to group training by sports teams being allowed again.

The 20 Premier League clubs head into their latest conference call on Monday split over a plan to use neutral stadiums to complete the season that was halted in March.

As clubs try to create safe conditions for training and games, the risks of players gathering again have been underscored by a Brighton player testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday. Brighton chief executive Paul Barber said the case was “a concern,” with players still only training individually at the south-coast club.

If games can resume as the league hopes by midJune, there will not be any fans allowed inside stadiums, with forms of social distancing maintained even as some of the national lockdown restrictions are eased.

While making no mention of the return of professional sports in his Downing Street speech yesterday, Johnson told Britons they can “play sports but only with members of your own household.” That includes golf courses and tennis courts in England being allowed to reopen from Wednesday.

The government, however, said last week it wants to see the return of the Premier League to “lift the spirits of the nation” when it is safe.

But at least six clubs, according to Watford, are insistent on being allowed to play at home despite police saying that is not feasible.

Brighton was the first Premier League team to oppose “Project Restart.”

The club’s announcement on Sunday that an unnamed player had contracted COVID-19 even before the reintroduction of group training reinforces how the disease is spreading despite the national lockdown that has been in place in March.

There is no need for other members of the squad or coaches to self-isolate because players have only worked in isolation when at the training base, the club said.

Brighton said three players have now had the coronavirus, having announced the first diagnosis in March.

“One of the things we’ve asked the Premier League for is a complete plan of all of the stages of returning to play,” Barber told broadcaster Sky Sports on Sunday.

“First we need to get players back training in small groups, then they need to get involved in some contact training and then training for a match before the match itself.

“So there are lots of stages, it’s very complex and there are people at the Premier League working very hard to produce detailed paperwork to move through those stages as safely as possible.”

Brighton is only two points clear of the relegation zone with nine games remaining so does not want to give away home advantage for five of those fixtures, which include leader Liverpool and defending champion Manchester City due to visit the Amex Stadium.

“People will accuse us of self-interest, I totally understand that, but at this stage of the season there is selfinterest at every level of the table,” Barber said.

“Everyone has different objectives for the season and we are all looking to play out the season, if it is safe to do so. We really do want to play and we want to make sure the competition stays as fair as it can be despite these exceptional circumstances that we are facing.”

Steve Parish, the chairman of midtable Crystal Palace, has been a rare public voice from within the Premier League supporting plans that envisage a June restart. “There are no easy answers, we have to work through it as a collective and I think we will and come out with a consensus in the end,” Parish told the BBC. “(The meeting) is another part of the journey in trying to get football back. We would be derelict in our duty if we did not find a way for the game to come back.

“It may prove beyond us, we have huge challenges in order to get it back to complete the season but we are planning on doing so.”

The planned resumption of football in Germany next weekend has already hit problems.

Dynamo Dresden will not be able to play Hannover after two players tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, forcing the entire squad, coaching and supervisory staff to enter 14 days of quarantine at home.

In Spain, La Liga said it was not changing plans to resume the competition — potentially from June — despite announcing Sunday that five players from clubs in the first and second divisions tested positive for COVID-19.

Dominick Cruz and then announce his retirement in the middle of the octagon.

“I really do want to walk away, but money talks,” said Cejudo, an Olympic gold medallist in 2008. “It gets stagnant. I want to leave on top.”

The event also included heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou pummelling another opponent,

former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy winning for the sixth time in eight fights and former welterweight champion and fan favourite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone losing his fourth straight.

Trump grabbed the spotlight early. His taped message was played during ESPN’s broadcast of the undercard. “I want to congratulate (UFC President)

Dana White and the UFC,” Trump said. “They’re going to have a big match. We love it. We think it’s important. Get the sports leagues back. Let’s play. Do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do.

We need sports. We want our sports back.”

UFC 249 was originally scheduled for April 18 in New York, but was

postponed in hopes of helping slow the spread of COVID-19.

The mixed martial arts behemoth will hold three shows in eight days in Jacksonville, where state officials deemed professional sports with a national audience exempt from a stay-at-home order as long as the location is closed to the public.