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VOLUME:117 No.118, MAY 14TH, 2020

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WHEN CAN WE COME HOME?

Families stranded by travel ban feel abandoned in US

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net HURRICANE Dorian survivors stuck in the US amid the COVID-19 pandemic say they feel abandoned by the government after receiving no response from embassy or government officials on when they will be allowed to return home.

This comes after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on Sunday suspended the

repatriation exercises after revealing a Grand Bahama passenger who flew in had tested positive for the virus.

After being stuck in Florida for several weeks, one storm victim, who only wanted to be identified as Ms Lanes, told The Tribune yesterday she is anxious to return to her home in Abaco.

She said she is among some 50 Abaco residents who have been reaching

AS yet another video of a lockdown party raises eyebrows, National Security Minister Marvin Dames lamented yesterday that law enforcement cannot police everywhere all the time.

The latest video shows more than 30 people gathered in what appears to be a backyard, drinking, eating and gyrating to music on

SEE PAGE FIVE

BPL UNION ASSURED JOBS SAFE

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

THE union representing Bahamas Power and Light workers said it has been assured there will be no layoffs at the power provider amid economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I would have spoken to the Minister (of Works Desmond Bannister) myself up to two days ago,” Bahamas Electrical Workers Union’s president Kyle Wilson said.

“And, I would have placed some hard questions to him and he assured me there is no issue.

“He told me not to be frustrated or alarmed about anything because the government is doing what it has to do to secure

...AS OTHERS LOOK FOR GOD’S HELP

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

SEE PAGE FOUR

Tuesday afternoon. No one was wearing masks or social distancing.

A person in the video explains the crowd is gathered for a birthday party and shouts expletives as loud music plays in the background.

It is not clear if police are investigating the matter.

The Tribune did not receive a response to this up to press time.

L SOUR CE

SEE PAGE THREE

DAMES DEFENDS POLICE ON LOCKDOWN PARTIES

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

$1

A FAMILY IN NEED

JULIET DANN, a mother of four who lost her job during the COVID-19 crisis, is desperate to look after her children but needs help.

Turn to Page 4 to read about her daily struggles

A TRADE union leader last night said The Bahamas’ requires “divine intervention” to counter a COVID-19 economic fall-out that could reach “Biblical proportions”.

Bernard Evans, the National Congress of Trade Unions of The Bahamas president, described the pandemic’s far-reaching impact as being akin to “two to three Category Five hurricanes going on at the same time and lasting for two to three months”.

Mr Evans said he was “scared and a little bit frightened” as to what will happen to the jobless rate.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

PROJECT BOSS PAID $21K A MONTH FRONT PORCH

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A HARBOUR Island developer says his former $21,000-per month project manager’s “negligence” in failing to obtain key permits has cost him more than $2m and delayed the project by ten months.

Michael Wiener, principal of 4M Harbour Island Ltd, is blaming Bernard Ross, who has a history of run-ins

MICHAEL WIENER with law enforcement, for all the woes and ills that have beset his controversial

Briland Residences & Marina development over the past year.

The developer’s legal filings with the central California federal court, which have been obtained by Tribune Business, accuse Mr Ross and his wife of failing to obtain all the required construction and dredging permits necessary for the multi-million dollar investment.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

BY SIMON SEE PAGE EIGHT

PAGE 2, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Music Makers helping those hit by virus

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net IN an effort to assist those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a local Junkanoo group will be distributing meal packages each week to vulnerable members in its community.

Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, leader of Music Makers Keith Mason said the initiative was launched this week to help members in the group who were temporarily laid off amid the pandemic.

After seeing a great need within the group, Mr Mason said officials knew they had to lend a helping hand in whatever way possible.

He said: “It’s all about being your brother’s keeper.

So, what we have done is come together as executives of the group and pool our resources and buy essential food items, things like chicken and corned beef, tomatoes and that kind of stuff.

“And we have put together what I have dubbed ‘a love package’. It’s just essential items that we firstly distribute amongst ourselves, the more elderly in the group and in our community and these would’ve been persons who are really deserving of it and don’t work at this stage. “…A lot of them were in the hotel industry and that type of environment so right now anything we

can do to assist them and keep them encouraged and going, we will do because these are difficult times.”

He added that the group is not only assisting its members, but also those in the Bain and Grant’s Town community who might be in need.

“It’s not only members, but the community as well, Bain and Grants Town,” he told The Tribune.

“We are at least trying to deliver ten to 15 because each package, the items that we’re putting in we’re hoping that these stuff can last for a while and we’re not just dropping off a little bag of tomatoes.

“Each box has essential, valuable stuff and… we have a number of things that are useful that they can have for a few meals.”

He said group members have committed to providing help “for the long-haul”, adding that volunteers will continue distributing grocery packages in the coming weeks to anyone in need of assistance.

“This is an ongoing thing.

We are going to continue it week by week,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s not the amount you give but the consistency in which you try to do it and that’s what our focus is - how long can we consistently try to provide this type of charitable deed for our members and other persons who even don’t participate in the group.”

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS from page one a better future energy wise for the Bahamian people and that there would be opportunities for young people to grow in BPL. I was satisfied by the information given to me.

“From the union standpoint I have spoken to the CEO. I asked him to let me know the truth, so we can sit and work things out.

I basically got the same response that I got from the minister. He said there will be no job loss in the foreseeable future whatsoever. He told me they are not targeting layoffs at this time.”

As it relates to Tuesday’s island-wide blackout, Mr Wilson said he is not alarmed by it and assured the public it was not sabotage-related.

On Tuesday at approximately 1pm, power went out across New Providence. Around 3pm, power to most of the island was

Your jobs are safe, BPL union is assured restored however gradual restoration efforts took place overnight with Skyline Drive, Blue Hill Road north and Yellow Elder Gardens being the last restored at 1.16 am Wednesday.

The BEWU president said “these things can happen”.

“The equipment is manmade so things can happen, but I can assure you that the staff is always on top of the issues and work expeditiously to bring the system back up,” Mr Wilson said.

“As far as I know, it’s no issue with maintenance or

anything like that. I can assure you there will be an investigation as to what caused the issue. That’s automatic.

“That must take place.

If they feel like it’s damaged or sabotaged then they will get the authorities involved. I can assure you this is not a situation of sabotage. There would have already been talks of the union misbehaving, but there is no union unrest or disharmony taking place from BPL. At this time all is at peace between the union and BPL’s management.”

Mr Wilson, who works at the Blue Hills Power Station, said he has no pressing concerns where the blackout is concerned. He said sometimes there are faults in the system or animals can cross into transformer lines or there can be accidents with cars running into poles.

“I am not alarmed about it at all,” Mr Wilson explained. “On the consumer side, it’s frustrating, but the system is designed to protect itself from damage so that specific situation would be isolated and then power restored.

So it’s more or less an issue of the system protecting itself.

“Now specifically yesterday (Tuesday) I really can’t say what the issue was. There are always factors that can take place.

There is no 100 percent guarantee. These are not god-made systems, but man made systems so there are always things that can happen and sometimes do happen. To be honest.”

On Tuesday night, BPL issued a statement saying the blackout was caused by a short in the system at

a substation where a team was working. “. . . Earlier this afternoon, the team was making preparations to tie in a new substation on Gladstone and Firetrail Road. In order to complete the works, the team had to isolate the circuit at the Skyline substation that feeds the old Gladstone Road substation before tying in the new substation.

“While attempting to complete this activity, a short in the system at the Skyline substation initiated an island-wide blackout,” BPL said.

A HELPING HAND

BISHOP Lawrence Rolle held a feeding programme for inner city residents outside his church, International Deliverance Praying Ministry, yesterday. Scores of residents turned out for a hot meal. Photos taken from Bishop Rolle’s Facebook page.

CONFIRMED CASES NOW 94 INCREASES in COVID-19 cases have continued to slow down, with just one additional case reported yesterday.

The case, a 41-year-old man from New Providence, is isolating at home. This means there are now 94 confirmed cases, 42 of which are active; 11 deaths, six hospitalised cases and 1,670 tests completed. The Ministry of Health reported on Tuesday that a Bahamasair passenger who initially tested positive for COVID19 has now tested negative.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said yesterday this means the man is no longer shedding the virus.

“He’s recovered,” he said.

The passenger arrived in Grand Bahama on Friday, May 8, and was part of the government’s exercise to return Bahamians and residents home who were still abroad due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was discovered after the aircraft landed in Grand Bahama that this passenger

was on the flight. Three individuals traveled with this passenger.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said the passenger tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of his arrival home and should not have been on the flight. At the time, he said the passenger and three others with him had been retested and officials were awaiting the results.

On Tuesday night, officials said the passenger has now tested negative for the disease.

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

able to make a “quick dash” to drop the bag off.

In response, Magistrate Forbes told Seymour in the future he should ensure there was an “emergency stash” of medication wherever his son lived and stayed regularly. He also told Seymour his “simple lack of judgement” would cost him $500 or three months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

Meanwhile, Waskin Jean, 20, was charged after officers found him on John F Kennedy Drive around 10.30pm on May 6. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or three months in prison. The prosecution said officers observed a male walking near the sixlegged roundabout. When questioned, the man who identified himself as Waskin Jean, told the officers he was walking home from a small chicken shack.

Jean told the magistrate he was walking from the chicken shack because he had just left home after getting into an altercation with his uncle. Jean said he decided to leave the house before the “situation

escalated” and was only walking the streets because he was looking for somewhere he could spend the night. In response, Magistrate Forbes told the defendant he should have contacted the COVID19 hotline since he had an urgent reason to be outdoors.

Rudolph Russell, 18, was charged after officers found him on Sixth Street around 9.53pm on May 6.

He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or three months at BDCS. The prosecution said at the time of his arrest, he told the officers he was going to call on a friend.

Delano Munroe, 23, was charged after he was found on Washington Street around 10am on May 9 during the weekend lockdown. He pleaded guilty and was fined $550 or three months at the BDCS. The prosecution said officers on patrol on Washington Street saw a man walking; when the male noticed the officers, he ran away. The police then gave chase and arrested the suspect who identified himself as Delano Munroe. He was

FINED $500 FOR BRINGING HIS SON’S MEDICATION

A MAN who claimed he violated the national curfew to drop his son’s medication at the boy’s grandmother’s house was fined $500 yesterday.

He was among several people who appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes for curfew and lockdown infractions, including a man who attempted to evade arrest after he was caught outside during the weekend lockdown.

Marcus Seymour, 30, was charged after officers found him on Carmichael Road around 9.20pm on May 6.

He pleaded guilty, but said he only violated the curfew because he was trying to bring his son’s medication to him. During the hearing, Seymour told the magistrate he had dropped his son at his mother’s home earlier that day, but his son had accidentally left his bag with his medication in his car. He claimed his mother’s house was only five minutes away, so he thought he would be

taken to the East Street South Police Station, where he claimed he was “heading to carry some goods to his children” in an interview with police.

During the hearing Munroe told the magistrate he was only outdoors because he was trying to pick up his pay cheque from his employer. In response, Magistrate Forbes told Munroe he should not have been outside if he wasn’t an essential worker.

Terrel Rolle, 24, was charged after officers found him in Pinewood Gardens around 9.53pm on May 9.

He also pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or three months at BDCS. Prosecutor Claudette McKenzie told the court on the night in question, Rolle told officers that he went outside to get some tomato paste from his neighbour.

John Colebrooke, 57, was charged after officers found him near Windsor Place around 10.08pm on May 9. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or three months in prison. Prosecutor McKenzie told the court at the time of Colebrooke’s

arrest, he told officers he wanted to “hail his girlfriend before he headed in.” During the hearing, Colebrooke told the magistrate that he didn’t stay by his girlfriend during the lockdown because she started to aggravate him so he decided to go back to his house across the street.

Officers found Marcus Mortimer, 33, on Market Street around 8.30am on May 9. Prosecutor Mckenzie said at the time of his arrest, he told the officers he was going to the store.

During the hearing, Mortimer pleaded guilty to violating the lockdown.

His mother also appeared

in court and told the magistrate her son had a “mental problem and was in and out of the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre.” She explained Mortimer lived by himself so his family would call him to let him know when the lockdown was being enforced. Mortimer also said he had a fever that morning and was trying to go to the shop to “buy a soda and a half-pint”.

In response, Magistrate Forbes said the defendant appeared to understand the nature of the offence he committed and fined him $300 or one month at BDCS.

PAGE 4, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

FAMILIES STRANDED BY TRAVEL BAN FEEL ABANDONED IN US from page one out to various officials to receive assistance on the matter, but to no avail. The situation, she said, has left them frustrated and in desperate need of answers on when repatriation flights will resume to the country. “I have reached out to the Consulate and haven’t gotten a response. No one answers the phone so as of this moment no assistance has been afforded to me,” she said. “It’s approximately 50 plus (of us) that are here. (We keep in contact) on mostly Facebook and WhatsApp. “James Albury (Central and South Abaco MP) requested us to email him for him to assist us, but no one has received a response.

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net LIFE for Juliet Dann has never been harder than it is now.

The 48-year-old is caring for her four children, including one who is suffering from a debilitating eye disease in the United States, while sometimes living in a house without necessities as basic as toilet paper.

She doesn’t have a TV nor a radio and told The Tribune yesterday she cannot keep up with the news. Her bed lacks sheets and her place is secured by a glass door that can easily be broken.

Like many, Ms Dann lost her job during the COVID-19 crisis. “I went into a depressing state,” she said. “I felt like a feeling of suicide was coming on me, I felt it very strong, like overpowering me.

I called a person and he advised me and told I him what’s happening to me and he rebuked it in the mighty name of Jesus and then I called a couple of pastors from overseas and they prayed for me and it calmed. I’m in a better state now but I’m devastated.”

As a maid and cook, Ms

He posted a letter on Facebook requesting us to email him and call the closest Consulate and we’ve done that - but nothing, haven’t received any response.”

Ms Lanes said she has been travelling “back and forth” between Abaco and Florida since the deadly storm ripped her home apart in early September. However, she said a quick trip to see her kids in March resulted in her being stuck in the US. She said: “My kids and I are here but some extended family/ friends are all over the Palm Beach County area. We are on a stay-at-home order here in Florida (and) only go out for necessities.

“I came right after the storm and I’ve been back and forth

trying to clean up the damage from our destroyed home. My kids stayed with family in the US since September, I came back in March for a visit and got stuck here when they shut the borders.”

As for the other remaining victims, Ms Lanes said some residents found themselves stuck in the country after seeking medical attention. Others, she suggested, were storm victims who left the island in the immediate aftermath of Dorian and have yet to return.

“I think it’s a mix, some like myself, have been back and forth when they can to stay and clean up and or do repairs because most people don’t have anywhere to stay except with friends or family while they do repairs as they can,” she said. “I know there are some

that came for medical purposes and got stuck as well.”

The government closed the country’s borders in late March in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

However, after facing controversy for allowing six permanent American residents into the country during the lockdown who brought COVID-19 test supplies but were not tested before entry, the government repatriated nearly 200 Bahamians stuck abroad amid the pandemic.

On Sunday, Dr 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.

The passenger has since tested negative for COVID-19.

However, it is not clear when repatriation flights will resume, with Bahamas Consul General Linda Treco-Mackey telling The Tribune yesterday officials are still awaiting an update from Dr Minnis on the matter.

For the Dorian survivors, this issue is also compounded with not knowing where they will be allowed to quarantine upon return. “We don’t want to go to Nassau or Grand Bahama to quarantine, we want to go directly to Abaco,” Ms Lanes said. “It seems Nassau and Grand Bahama have been helped but Abaconians have been left in the cold once again.”

Editorial View - Page 6

‘I’m afraid and worried. I just feel like I’m in a hole even talking about this’ Dann worked day and night to take care of her family before COVID-19 got in the way. “I was working really hard, double shifts,” she said.

Most of the money she made went into an Asue.

She was expected to use its $3,000 payout to take care of her most pressing needs.

But the Asue’s other participants have dropped out because they too are now unemployed and Ms Dann has been left with no payout and lost savings.

She has found most people less than accommodating to her needs.

“Nobody owes me nothing, society doesn’t owe me anything, but I’m just pleading for assistance for

the children’s sake,” she said. “I’m putting myself out there and I’m not comfortable doing so because I’m afraid and worried. I just feel like I’m in a hole even talking to you about this, like God am I doing the right thing?”

She said she is reaching out for help because of her children.

“I have to take drastic measures to get help because I’m looking at their future. They’re my kids, they’re born here, they have a Bahamian parent and it is for their sake I do everything.”

Despite an order that evictions be halted until the end of June, Ms Dann said her landlord has threatened

to take action against her.

She said she is afraid.

She said a woman gave her $130 last week Friday that she gave her landlord.

She said she then borrowed $150 from a man on Monday and also gave that to the landlord.

“The person who lent me the money said I must pay him back, but I don’t have it to give. The landlord say I must work on the rest to give him but I have no money. I’m supposed to give him $370.”

The children in Ms Dann’s household are ages 16, 10 and 14. Her 28-yearold daughter in the United States has keratitis.

“She can’t see from her left eye,” Ms Dann said, “she can only glimpse out of her right eye. I have to take care of her, pay her rent, find her food and cover her doctor bills and whatever.

She was working before she was diagnosed but since then she can no longer do anything much for herself.

She tries to but she cannot

APPEAL: Juliet Dann see well so I took it upon myself to help her. Before the shutdown I was able to send her some money.

When I called her she said some lady offered her some assistance but that woman is not working either. My daughter told me she wants some grocery so I keep calling around to see if I could get her help. If I get sorted out I know I can help her.”

Surveying her room, Ms

Dann sees a life she desperately wants to leave behind.

“I’m living in a very poor situation, life is very hard,” she said. “We need some food stuff, we need toiletries, we need toothpaste, we need bath soaps, we need gas, we need pads, I need a little stove. My daughter picked up a fan from outside and we are using it and it’s like the fan is blowing hot air so it’s not really working and summer is coming. It’s a challenge raising these children. If I could get some help that would be great. They are very intelligent, they are beautiful, they mean a lot for me and I really really want to do what’s best for them, I don’t want to be in this room for them, you hardly have space in this room but I can’t do no better, we just have to settle for this.”

If you would like to help Ms Dann, please email rrolle@tribunemedia.net.

Editorial View - Page 6

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 5

MINISTER SUPPORTS THOMPSON ELEVATION

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames has defended the promotion of Deborah Thompson, the lead investigator of bribery complaints against former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson.

Despite the criticism towards her rise in rank to Superintendent from Assistant Superintendent in the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), Mr Dames told the media yesterday he still has confidence in her.

“The Commissioner makes a

recommendation as to who he would wish to recommend. That’s his force,” he explained. “I would’ve gone on record to speak about the officer in question who would’ve worked under me while I served and I have the utmost, I repeat, the utmost confidence in her integrity and her ability.”

Last month, Supt Thompson was among 68 officers who received promotions.

Her promotion received backlash as she admitted on the stand during Mr Gibson’s trial last year she was wrong for synchronising two witnesses’ claims against the defendant.

Mr Gibson was particularly unhappy about the promotion and wrote to the Police Service Commission expressing dismay over the situation.

In his letter, he noted: “What makes the decision to promote Deborah 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

DEBORAH THOMPSON Deborah Thompson’s promotion is not rescinded within fourteen 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.”

The commission has referred the former minister’s criticism to the Police Complaints Unit.

Mr Gibson has said he is willing to take the matter as far as the Privy Council.

Asked about the matter yesterday, Mr Dames said he did not want to get involved in what he called “side antics”.

“I mean people go to court all the time and matters are won or lost, alright.

So who decides what may

have resulted in someone winning a case or someone losing a case, right and so you know, I’m not going to as minister, you know, get in these side antics and political tricks, you know.

“If the Commissioner made a recommendation, he stands by that recommendation, and there is nothing to justify removing an officer or not promoting an officer then that’s a moot point as far as I’m concerned.”

Afterwards, he added: “I’m not going to speak to that anymore because now we’re going to ride this. I ain’t into that no more.”

DAMES DEFENDS POLICE from page one

THE CONTRACT signing for electrification of the Defence Force base yesterday, with National Security Minister Marvin Dames, second left

RBDF promotions expected shortly

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net PROMOTIONS for Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officers are likely to be announced soon, National Security Minister Marvin Dames suggested.

Mr Dames did not want to preempt the announcement, saying it is up to the RBDF commodore to reveal the promotions.

Yet while speaking at a contract signing at the RBDF base yesterday, he hinted at the news while showing appreciation to officers for their work during the pandemic. “..We are indebted to all of you for the work that you continue to do and I’m certain very shortly the

acting commodore would be showing that appreciation in a very tangible way.

So hold on - not long now,” he said.

He later told the media: “The rank and file I know...

These men and women work hard and you know reach a point where you wish you could promote everybody but that’s not possible but so we start with you know their recommendations and their advice - who’s the most deserving and we’ll continue to encourage those who are not in the line up at this time to ensure that they too at some time are rewarded.”

This comes after nearly 70 Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) officers were promoted to chief

‘CRIME DOWN, DESPITE 3 MURDERS IN WEEK’

By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net DESPITE three murders happening so far this week, National Security Minister Marvin Dames said crime is down in the country.

He said there is still a concern of someone being murdered or getting injured, adding he has been hearing from the police commissioner on a regular basis and expressed confidence that the top brass in the police force are on top of those incidents.

He also said recent lockdown and curfew measures may have reduced incidents, but criminals were still looking at ways to break the law.

“As you know, crime is down. We started the year with crime being down.”

He added: “I’ve been following internationally and you know countries are still plagued with crime. Now, it may be at a reduced level because we have curfew.

We have lockdowns. But you know people still live

in communities. When you are not having domestic issues, you’re still having issues with persons living in communities whether it’s a conflict. These things don’t go away with curfews and lockdowns. They may be reduced because it reduces the opportunity for persons to commit crime, but you know a criminal all of a sudden doesn’t move away from crime because there’s a lockdown and there are curfews. They look at opportunities to see when they can strike.”

A man was shot dead on Tuesday night and another left in hospital while a man and a woman were killed in Freeport, pushing the murder count for the year to 26 according to this newspaper’s records. At the same time last year, there had been 29 murders, according to The Tribune’s data.

Last year, crime declined by seven percent overall, yet there was a four percent increase in murders and a 12 percent rise in armed robberies.

superintendent and superintendent last month. A 2018 manpower audit revealed massive increases of the ranks of chief superintendent and superintendent over the years.

The ranks saw a rise of 2,200 percent and 212 percent respectively between 2011 to 2017 and the report suggested they contributed to the force becoming top-heavy.

Nonetheless, Mr Dames argued the institution has been adhering to the audit and the number of ranks continue to decline.

“We continue to work through with the new commissioner to ensure that the audit is adhered to as much as possible and we’ll continue to support him and ensure that he gets the tools

that he needs to get the job done,” he said.

He indicated the provision for the promotions would have been made during the last budget. Mr Dames also said Commodore Tellis Bethel is still on leave for a few weeks.

Meanwhile, the RBDF signed a contract for the electrification of works required to activate the 17 pedestals installed on the quay walls which was a part of Sandy Bottom Project. The contract would facilitate the electrification of the jetties thus allowing the patrol craft to connect to sure power and alleviate the need for the vessels to use generators when in harbour.

The contract was awarded to Flameless

Electrical Contracting Limited.

Quentin Knowles, company president, expressed his pride to work on the project. He said: “I’m truly excited to be a part of that project and believe that it will substantially help the Royal Bahamas Defence Force reinforce their vision of becoming a model of excellence in guarding our heritage.

“From the team of Flameless Electrical, I am proud, to say a fully Bahamian team, We shall provide a world class electrical installation that will service the electrical needs of the Bahamas Defence Force for years indeed decades to come.”

Editorial View - Page 6

Mr Dames, however, said people must be more responsible.

“If you live within a home and you decide to go out and have a party and people come and they show up and they’re in your home, it’s very difficult for police to manage and control that,” he said.

“A lot of this depends on us and how responsible we are as Bahamians.

The police and defence force can’t manage everything. Look at the patterns throughout the world. It’s sad that people are ignoring these warnings and advice to them because at the end of the day this is not the people against the police, this is the government saying to its people ‘listen, we are in the midst of a crisis, a pandemic, here’s what you need to do to keep yourself safe and to keep your family safe.’

“This is not a fight or engagement with police.

This is what responsible governance does so we all have to be responsible. I could very well have a party in my house, take some photos and push it on social media and people can say ‘what’s the police doing?’

Police may be totally unaware. If you go throughout this island during the lockdown, and I go and check on officers to see how they’re doing, there is nothing on the streets. The police and the defence force has been doing a tremendous job but it’s going to take more than them.”

Earlier this week, a group of young people were arraigned after they were arrested on Friday night on their way to a hotel for a birthday party.

Police found the six people on the side of the road after their car got a flat tyre. They were fined $400 each or two months in prison.

NOTICE

We wish to advise that MR. CHARLES I. MOREE and MS. KAYA L. TURNQUEST are no longer employed with Wemco Security & Collections and therefore are NOT authorized to conduct any business on behalf of the company.

- Management

PAGE 6, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

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EILEEN DUPUCH CARRON,

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

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We must reach out to those in need WHEN Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis pledged that no Bahamian would have to go hungry, it was a pledge to reach out to the hardest hit in society.

Reading the story of Juliet Dann shows the hardships many are facing.

She is one of those Bahamians in need of food – and also trying to find a way to pay her bills and live in a house without even any toilet paper.

A hard worker in better times, working double shifts at times, her jobs as a maid and a cook have been casualties of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Despite the halting of evictions, her landlord is apparently threatening to take action against her, and she’s making do on money borrowed from others.

The mother-of-four is doing all she can to make ends meet – and on the breadline every day can be exhausting just trying to get enough to get by.

Despite the terrible situation she finds herself in, she wants the best for her children.

This is the kind of Bahamian who needs the help the Prime Minister promised – and who needs it now.

Also feeling abandoned in the wake of the suspension of repatriation flights

are Hurricane Dorian survivors stuck in the US. The government has halted those flights while it works out how passengers who shouldn’t have been on the flight managed to get on them – with one passenger first reported as COVID-19 positive only to test negative twice after travelling on one of the planes. A mess all round, but it’s left a number of Bahamians, especially some from Abaco, out in the cold.

They say they’ve reached out to the government and their MP, but with little response. To them, we would urge a little more patience. For their own safety and that of the nation, the government needs to plug the holes in the net that allowed passengers to slip through who should not have done. That must be an absolute priority. It would be far worse to fly them back alongside someone carrying the virus – exposing them to danger after all they might have done so far to stay safe.

The government should improve its communication, however. Indeed, ensuring those who are in need feel they have been reached out to is the first step in fulfilling that pledge made by the Prime Minister.

Who decided on promotions?

AFTER the recent wave of promotions in the police force, now comes the turn of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

National Security Minister Marvin Dames said he did not want to pre-empt the announcement, saying it is up to the RBDF commodore to reveal the promotions. But which commodore?

Commodore Tellis Bethel has still not returned to work and is apparently on leave for a few weeks more. How much input did he have on the promotions while on this extended leave? Or has it all been decided by Acting Commodore Raymond King? Certainly, Mr Dames suggested it would be the acting commodore making the announcement, with no straight answer on what was happening with Commodore Bethel’s future. Congratulations to all those

on their deserved promotions – but it would be nice to know who was deciding to honour their hard work.

As for the police promotions, it is interesting to note that Mr Dames says the force is adhering to an audit conducted in 2018 – despite Police Commissioner Paul Rolle saying he had done his own audit. So which audit was used to determine the promotions there?

If you’re thinking all of this could do with a little more clarity, you’re not alone.

Of course, all of these promotions – and the extra expenditure that goes with them – comes at a time when government revenue has taken a plunge, so we hope that financially it is affordable for the long term. With people struggling for food or stranded abroad, there may not be more pay increases for some time.

What took so long?

READERS have been posting their responses to this week’s stories on tribune242.com.

After Works Minister Desmond Bannister said it’s “impossible” for electricity to be fully restored on Abaco before the start of the 2020 hurricane season, Lovingbahamas had this to say: “Let’s just keep kicking the can down the road. Eight 1/2 months after Dorian and BPL is just now coming to the conclusion they might need more help??!? And then the old song and dance about ‘well, the homes aren’t built so they really don’t need power’. What about the boast everything would be powered up by March-back in January?

Is it any surprise that no one believes anything that is said out of any government official’s mouth? If I worked for BPL I would be so ashamed I would quit.

Of course, where else could I get a job and do mediocre work and still get paid?”

But Moncurcool said:

“BPL persons would tell you that they never gave a March date for all to be powered up as they knew that was not possible. Most people are not aware that the entire electrical grid in central was destroyed, you don’t rebuild that back overnight and that costs money. Amazing how something that took years to put in place we expect back in two days and money already not there.

I don’t work for BPL, but I’m an engineer and saw what went down over there.”

Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, said the government will use “whatever means are necessary” to ensure the cruise industry does not bypass Nassau and other “major population centres” post-COVID-19.

That prompted this from Killemwitdakno: “Let them do it for the rest of the year to avoid COVID in Nassau.

Take that time to redevelop the dock. Just charge for the losses.”

Bahamas Taxi Cab Union president Wesley Ferguson called for the creation of “sanitisation booths” to ensure vehicles are sanitised after every fare once the economy is re-opened after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Moncurcool had this to say: “Now we are seeing why this economic committee may not work. When you have these union leaders with their views about carving out their space for themselves and not looking at the overall country picture, we are going to be in trouble. I’m just wondering who are they wanting to pay for these sanitisation booths? Shouldn’t they have been keeping their taxis clean all along?”

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

Gambling is not essential EDITOR, The Tribune SOME have elected to use the Covid-19 pandemic as convenient cover to continue their moralizing crusade to have the government tell citizens what social vices are bad.

The issue must never be whether the government approves or disapproves of the consumption of alcohol, cigarettes, games of chance or even extreme “winin’ up” at carnival.

We do have morality laws that ban prostitution, etc., but there are no laws against drinking (without driving), having a go at the lottery or busting a vulgar move on the social media site Tik Tok from the privacy of your home, during lockdown.

The government, in the interest of public health, imposed a curfew with exceptions that allow us to go out and get essential items like food and medicines. Gambling is not essential to sustaining life nor property.

Other retail businesses, like liquor stores, were initially shut down, not because the government disapproved of what they were selling, but rather because the government wanted to stop people gathering in large groups which could potentially spread the virus.

As stores start to re-open, they must have protocols for proper social distancing by customers. If the ban on business contained in the emergency powers given

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net to the Prime Minister to fight the pandemic includes any business that can be sustained without direct face-to-face interaction with the public, then the Act ought to be amended to accommodate that business. Whether we like what they are trading or not. If the activity was allowed before Covid-19, it should be allowed during Covid19, if the public health risk is mitigated.

It would seem that if any business can be done 100% electronically by computer or cellphone from the safety of home, it should be wagering on games of chance.

While there is little doubt that some people will divert their extremely limited funds earmarked to buy food and medicine into pressing their luck at the numbers house, we must not forget that they probably also did so before the pandemic.

The writer Ian Mabon made an observation that lacked his usual coherence.

He moralized instead of presenting a solid argument for why web shops should not be allowed to operate if they can enforce social distancing. That, at the end of the day, is the reason for the emergency powers.

It is the same “irrational exuberance” which has led us into public policies like

banning Bahamians from gambling at the supposed “good” casinos where tourists come, some presumably absconding with rent and food money due back home. Gambling addiction is universal and must be treated with scientific intervention, not moral ones.

Web shop owners have the wherewithal to take their business online. News reports depicted an array of computer screens hastily and conveniently set up outside in the sun by webshops, just after business trading hours were relaxed recently.

The Prime Minister’s announcement that his gradual opening up of the economy does not extend to web shops needs to be justified by science, not utopian ethics.

Gambling contributes to a host of unsavory behaviour in some people. But so does constant exposure to television violence. A packet of cigarettes warns that its use can lead to serious health problems, but the government doesn’t police their use by consenting adults. Why should it now throw a web of protection over those citizens reckless enough to squander their last dollar on a game of chance.

And let’s not pretend that selfsame last dollar isn’t frittered away on a clandestine game of dice during the curfew.

THE GRADUATE Nassau, May 13, 2020

We must drive crime away EDITOR, The Tribune IN the midst of the Covid-19 crisis which has hit the Bahamas like a tsunami, the attention of the nation is focused on fighting this dangerous invader.

One of the tools used to fight Covid-19 is the application of national curfews and lockdowns, which have resulted in a slowdown in criminal activities. However, the nation has still not come to

grips with crime and violence which remains a very serious threat. Once the curfews are lifted, crimes will return to pre-crisis level. Indeed in spite of the shutdowns, crimes have continued a steady, if subdued beat. Over the past few days several murders, shootings and other crimes were reported.

Don’t be fooled crime will not go away, it must be driven away.

This will require a new

strategy based upon the participation of major stakeholders in public and private sectors.

The government should take advantage of this lull to prepare a major effort to bring crime under control. Failure will bring much more pain and suffering.

REV Dr CB MOSS President, Bahamas Against Crime, Nassau, May 13, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 7

COURT ORDERS RETRIAL OVER MANSLAUGTER CHARGE

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Court of Appeal has overturned the verdict of a man who was found guilty of manslaughter in a 2009 killing. Xavier Taylor killed James Gardiner on November 2, 2009 after the two had an altercation. Taylor argued that he stabbed Gardiner in self-defence.

The jury during the trial first returned a guilty verdict on the charge of murder but were told that if they could not return a unanimous verdict on that charge they should consider manslaughter.

The jury, on December 4, 2017, found Taylor not guilty of murder but unanimously guilty of manslaughter. Taylor was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

During the trial, statements of witnesses Vanessa Cooper

and Bradley Williamson were admitted under section 66 of the Evidence Act. However, after their statements were admitted but before the trial ended, the witnesses were located but not called to give evidence.

Taylor appealed that verdict, arguing the judge was wrong to admit the statements of Cooper and Williamson.

The Court of Appeal has agreed and has now ordered a retrial on the offence of manslaughter.

“Section 66 of the Evidence Act permits statements of witnesses to be admitted into evidence once a judge is satisfied that, inter alia, notwithstanding that all reasonable steps have been taken to locate a witness, the witness cannot be located,” the judges wrote in their written ruling. “In the present case, the trial judge preliminarily determined that she was not satisfied that the Crown

had taken sufficient steps to locate Vanessa Cooper.

“Thereafter, she allowed the Crown to give further evidence of their efforts and consequently admitted the statement. In the court’s view, once Vanessa Cooper had been located the prosecution had an obligation to call her as a witness or at minimum tender her for cross examination. In the circumstances of this case, however, the judge ought not to have admitted the evidence of Vanessa Cooper after determining that all reasonable steps to locate her had not been exhausted.

“Relative to the witness Bradley Williamson, section 66 of the Evidence Act cannot apply to a witness who was found and served but does not appear. Therefore, the judge erred by allowing Williamson’s statement to be admitted pursuant to section 66 of the Evidence Act.

“The admission of both statements under section 66 of the Evidence Act leads to the conclusion that the verdict by the jury is unsafe and unsatisfactory having regard to the circumstances of the case. Further, the judge was wrong to direct the jury that they could proceed to consider manslaughter in circumstances where they could not arrive at a verdict on the substantive charge of murder. It was clear, however, that the jury found the appellant not guilty on the charge of murder and therefore the appellant could only be retried on the charge of manslaughter.”

During the trial, the crown argued that the deceased went to his girlfriend’s house and met Taylor there. The deceased’s girlfriend has a child with Taylor.

According to the evidence, the girlfriend told the deceased what was to be discussed could wait until the following day.

“The deceased demanded his DVD player which the appellant handed to him and told him to leave,” the judges wrote. “The deceased, however, although he left the house did not leave the premises. An altercation took place between the deceased and the appellant during which the deceased was stabbed to the chest and died from the injury sustained. The crown maintained that the appellant was the aggressor and that he went after the deceased with the knife which was used to stab the deceased.

“The appellant gave a statement to the police in which he acknowledged stabbing the deceased.

He maintained, however, that he was acting in self-defence. At trial the appellant gave evidence and maintained his position that the information he provided in his record of interview with the police was the truth.”

I’LL DO BETTER, SAYS MAN SENT TO DRUG COUNSELLING CLASSES

By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

RAND Memorial Hospital Administrator, Sharon Williams

Rand set for bad weather

By ANDREW COAKLEY

WITH severe weather expected to affect the central and northwest Bahamas this weekend, officials of Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama are taking extra precautions ahead of the system to secure patients in Samaritan’s Purse tents.

Sharon Williams, RMH administrator, said: “Since April 26, our last encounter with severe weather conditions, where our tent hospital at Samaritan was severely impacted by the weather conditions, we have been working very closely with the local met office in monitoring local weather conditions.

“We have been advised that from Wednesday through late Saturday that there will be the possibility of heavy rain and wind.

That, no doubt, brings

concern again for our tents at Samaritan’s Purse and in addition, our modular isolation facilities near our Emergency Room which we have set up for COVID19 response.”

The Bahamas Department of Meteorology issued a statement on Tuesday of a frontal boundary over the southeast Bahamas that will back up over the Central Bahamas on Wednesday and stall through Thursday.

During that time conditions are expected to become favourable for the development of an area of low pressure along the frontal boundary by Friday afternoon in the vicinity of Cat Island.

As a result, “pockets of squally showers, heavy thunderstorms, strong, gusty winds and the potential for water spouts and tornadic activity can be expected over portions of

the northwest and central Bahamas from Wednesday through Saturday,” according to the Meteorology Department.

Ms Williams said that they have proactively advised their managers to meet with officials to devise plans for the movement of patients and clients in those areas that could be adversely impacted by bad weather. She said that those plans have already been put in place.

“We are looking at our new facilities at the Cancer Association to be able to house some persons if necessary,” said Ms Williams.

The Bahamas Meteorology Department said that the low pressure will move northeast and away from the country late Saturday night, and partly sunny and drier conditions are expected to return on Sunday.

DRIVERS TOLD TO SLOW DOWN

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net POLICE in Grand Bahama are warning motorists not to speed after a woman was killed in a traffic accident this week.

The accident occurred around 5.30pm Tuesday on Queen’s Highway in the vicinity of Holmes Rock Avenue, involving three vehicles – a silver Pontiac, a red Honda Accord, and an Acura vehicle.

Assistant Superintendent

Alphonso Pinder, of the Police Traffic Division, said speed was a contributing factor in the incident, and is appealing to motorists to adhere to the speed limit.

ASP Pinder reported that initial investigations revealed that two vehicles were traveling east on Queen’s Highway, and a third was traveling west, and attempted to turn right when a collision occurred.

The female driver died after colliding into a bus stop, and she was ejected from the vehicle. A male

GB VICTIMS NAMED

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama Police have officially released the names of the double homicide victims as 48-year-old Kim Maria Smith, and 24-year-old Denny Terano Rolle.

Both Smith, the wife of deceased gangster Tony Smith of New Providence, and Rolle were gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday afternoon in Freeport.

According to reports,

police received reports of gunshots fired in the Limewood Lane area shortly after 3pm. On arrival, police discovered Smith dead in a blue vehicle, and Rolle was lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head.

He was taken to hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Their deaths are the sixth and seventh homicides this year for Grand Bahama, according to The Tribune records.

Police are following significant leads and have several persons in custody.

driver was injured and taken to hospital; the second male driver was not injured.

“We can say that speed was definitely a contributing factor,” said ASP Pinder. “We want to send a message to the motoring public that speed is a killer and to please obey the speed limit signs because they are there for a reason.

Even though we are under a COVID-19 curfew period, persons must not use it as an opportunity to speed.”

MAN ROBBED ON MARKET STREET POLICE are looking for a man who robbed another man on Tuesday.

According to a police report, sometime around 9am a male, while walking north along Market Street in the vicinity of Coconut Grove Ave, was approached by a male who produced a black handgun and robbed him of cash and other personal items. The suspect fled the scene on foot.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.

A 25-YEAR-OLD man was ordered to attend drug counselling classes after pleading guilty to drug possession in Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Kirkwood Hall Jr appeared before Magistrate Andrew Forbes charged with two counts of possession of dangerous drugs and another count of possession of dangerous drugs with the intent to supply.

He pleaded guilty to all of the charges and was conditionally discharged for 12 months on the agreement he would attend drug counselling classes at the Department of Social Services.

Prosecutor Claudette Mckenzie told the court around 9am on May 12, officers on foot patrol on Bay Street observed a yellow Toyota Passo driving east. Inspector McKenzie said when the officers

beckoned for the vehicle to stop, they noticed a strong scent of marijuana emanating from the car.

They then informed the driver, who identified himself as Kirkwood Hall Jr, that they would be searching him and his vehicle in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. Inspector McKenzie said during the search, the officers discovered a homemade cigarette in the waistband of Hall Jr’s underwear. She also said the officers found a backpack with a clear glass jar containing suspected marijuana and two cookie boxes containing liquid THC in the vehicle.

As a result, the defendant was arrested and taken to the Central Police Station where he admitted to being the owner of the drugs in an interview with police. Hall Jr also told the officers that he had bought the drugs and the THC oil from a man in Lyford Cay for $100 for personal use.

Hall Jr told the magistrate he’d been smoking marijuana for about three years and had bought the drugs to smoke over the long weekend. Insisting he would try his best to be a model citizen, he apologised for committing the offence and asked the court for leniency.

In response, Magistrate Forbes said he took the defendant’s immediate guilty plea into consideration, as well as the fact that he had no previous convictions. As a result, Hall Jr was ordered to attend a year of drug counselling. Still, Magistrate Forbes warned him if he didn’t attend the classes or failed the random drug tests the programme would administer, he would be sentenced to six months in prison on each count, which were ordered to run concurrently. The drugs were also confiscated and destroyed.

PAGE 8, Thursday, May 14, 2020

L

AST weekend, the video of a young lady who had just returned home and was in government-sponsored quarantine at Breezes Hotel quickly went viral as she whined and complained about everything including the snack she was given prior to the dinner she received later.

It was yet another display of the obnoxious sense of entitlement of many Bahamians, who believe the government’s primary role is to cater to their every need and desire.

The video and the explosive outrage it evoked cast a spotlight on the echo chamber of whining, complaining, negativity and profound ingratitude engulfing many Bahamians in the midst of the COVID19 outbreak.

This echo chamber is not new. But there is a new level of perverseness as the world struggles through a deadly virus and an economic collapse nearing the levels of the Great Depression.

The spirit of ingratitude by some has become toxic even as record levels of Bahamians will soon have to be fed by the Government and others.

There are reports the video may have been encouraged by some who manically try to manipulate the outbreak for political gain. The contemptible political behaviour by some of the most noxious, chronically dark, brooding and unpleasant characters in the country is not going unnoticed by a majority of Bahamians.

Some of the backlash to the video was crude and vicious. But the overwhelming and rapid tidal wave of opinion, which included Bahamians of all political stripes, evinced a spirit of patriotism and a powerful rejoinder to the petty ingratitude of the young lady.

Even some wonderful and dear people of goodwill were initially ensnared by yet another social media concoction and the

THE TRIBUNE

It’s hard to hear truth in an echo chamber of whining negativity FRONT PORCH

BY SIMON negativity of the videocum-trap that was designed to spark outrage against a supposedly uncaring and callous government.

Many others in government quarantine pushed back, offering a broader portrait including how well they felt treated and how well they were being fed.

Unprecedented Similar to other countries which have performed generally well during the outbreak, there have been inevitable missteps and errors during what is an unprecedented health, economic and social crisis of gargantuan proportions for which there was no playbook.

For the most part, government and health officials have responded quickly,

admirably and smartly, while under daily pressure on many fronts, including the political games of some who have decided they will utilize even hurricanes and pandemics to score points and advance their agendas.

Contrast our situation with the colossal failures in other countries, including the meltdown and disastrous response of Donald Trump in the United States; the proliferation of body bags with COVID-19 victims in Ecuador; the slow response of the Russian and Indonesian governments leading to untold infections and deaths; and the sluggish responses by quite a number of other countries.

Many of the things some have complained about during the outbreak are mostly small bore, especially in contrast with the disastrous and life-threatening mistakes in other jurisdictions.

Some of the complaints at home are justified, while some are mostly about cosmetic matters voiced by the smug outraged nitpickers endlessly fulminating about what is incorrect, though they have little to no appreciation of the hard and complex work of government.

One senior journalist has again advised his colleagues to set aside their gotcha journalism. His plea will fall on the deaf ears of those equally tone-deaf journalists and editors in the echo chamber of their unyielding loathing of certain leaders, whom they wish to see fail,

BREEZES Hotel where one woman spent some time in government-sponsored quarantine justifying their contempt and the barrels of ink at their disposal in their war of attrition to destroy their target.

By contrast, there are judicious and fair reporters like this journal’s Rashad Rolle, a counterexample to the shallow reporting by some reporters who believe it is a feather in their proverbial cap to try to catch a politician in a trap. Many of them are not well-served by their seniors in the profession.

Though some in the political realm believe they are being clever and manipulating events, many see through these self-serving stratagems which will likely fail, with the manipulators the political casualties of their own manipulation.

Such gamesmanship by some who are admired and who have given so much to this country is profoundly disappointing.

Boredom can be a vexatious companion.

Encouragement There is a young Bahamian of 27, mature for his age, at the dawn of his political career, who consistently demonstrates a spirit of encouragement even when offering constructive criticism and advice. He can teach his seniors.

Complaining is a human phenomenon that is also a major national pastime in the Bahamas. Some of this reflexive kvetching comes from the negative space, poor psychological states or inadequacies in which some people live, their unhappiness and pathologies projected outwards.

It is curious and laughable to observe some of the smug and pampered elitists at the highest levels of

elected office, who repeatedly screw-up, causing problems for colleagues and whose stupid and arrogant outbursts and statements in the press have constantly to be cleaned-up by the very people they enjoy criticizing, often as a deflection from their own seemingly incurable communication and policy gaffes.

A beloved parent, who sought to correct firmly but always with a spirit of encouragement, often warned this writer to be chary of those who typically only offer criticism when something does not work or go well but who rarely reach out to offer encouragement or acknowledgement when something goes well.

There are those who rarely, if ever, offer positive feedback, but who relish an opportunity to whine and complain, often in patronizing, condescending and haughty tones that are unproductive and unhelpful.

Growth requires the pruning and constructive advice and criticism by others. Especially during times like the COVID-19 pandemic, we should avoid rose-coloured glasses and blinders. But neither should a spirit of negativity and darkened mindsets reign.

Realities The late Roman Catholic Archbishop Lawrence Burke, S.J., evinced a spirit of hope and joy. Even during his battles with cancer and other challenges in his priestly and episcopal ministry, he demonstrated a spirit of encouragement.

He disliked and eschewed whining, complaining and negativity because he knew they retarded a good

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and productive spirit. He often reminded others that among the greatest sins against the Spirit are hopelessness and despair, whose devilish companions are negativity and cynicism.

When we look at the reality in The Bahamas, including during this pandemic, we are doing better than many countries in the world. Yet, we often let the bitching, moaning, whining and complaining outstrip the spirit of gratitude and goodness in our hearts and in our country.

Take for example the excellent work of the Ministry of Education and its many administrators, teachers and staff, who are feeding hungry children and who in a matter of weeks reoriented their instruction to an online platform educating thousands. The Ministry is also scheduled to get devices to those students without tablets or computers.

What is galling but unsurprising is that it is often the more privileged and the economic and political elites in our country who complain the most and often about the smallest of things.

Maria Branyas was born in Mexico on March, 4, 1907, but lives in a residential elder care home in Olot, Girona, in Spain.

The supercentenarian, who is 113, is one of the oldest people in the world to survive COVID-19, which she battled for several weeks.

She has lived through two world wars and survived the 1917 Flu Pandemic, often coined the Spanish Flu, which she contracted and survived as a child.

One of her daughters told a Spanish publication: “Now that she is well, she is wonderful, she wants to speak, to explain, to make her reflections, it is her again.” She reportedly has an extraordinary sense of gratitude to those who cared for her during her illness.

A life like hers and what she has witnessed and endured for more than a century is a moral, spiritual and emotional reminder and rejoinder to all of us, especially those who have so much, yet who are often susceptible to the negativity, cynicism and dark spirit of knee-jerk complaining, from which life and light will never arise.

THE TRIBUNE

I

T WAS probably inevitable, but it still feels disappointing.

As the COVID-19 public health crisis death toll passed 80,000 this week with no end or vaccine in sight, the fact that Washington politicians have now turned this tragedy into a partisan feud shouldn’t come as a surprise. But somehow, it does. And it’s very discouraging.

The novel coronavirus is looking like the worst health disaster in the US since the “Spanish flu” epidemic in 1918. Hopefully, the rising death toll of the current pandemic won’t equal the catastrophic totals from over a century ago.

For the current death toll to match the 1918 epidemic totals as a percentage of overall American population, over 1.1 million people would perish from COVID-19. That seems inconceivable. But is it really unimaginable?

So too, not so many years ago, would have been partisan political bickering over a national health emergency. But here we are.

Last week, Barack Obama shared with “alumni” members of his eight-year administration a few choice thoughts on his successor and coronavirus, among other things. Here is some of what he said on a conference call.

“This election that’s coming up on every level is so important because — what we’re going to be battling is not just a

Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 9

Deep down in the gutter as the body count keeps rising

STATESIDE with Charlie Harper particular individual or a political party. What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends of being selfish, being tribal, being divided and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life. And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well.

It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anaemic and spotty. It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’—when that mindset is operationalised in our government.”

Obama is far too savvy and experienced to imagine his comments to a private audience would long remain out of the public eye. Sure enough, they were leaked.

Perhaps the most pointed response came from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

“I think President Obama should’ve kept his mouth shut,” McConnell said in an interview with Lara Trump, who is the President’s daughter-in-law and an adviser to his re-election campaign.

“I think it’s a little bit classless, frankly, to critique an administration that follows you,” he said. “You had your shot. You were there for eight years.”

Now that McConnell has joined President Donald Trump and other Republicans in firing back at Obama, the gloves are off and we are in for a spectacle of disgraceful partisan sniping while literally thousands of Americans are dying of COVID-19 almost every day.

Politics has become riveting theatre and diverting

TRUMP CANNOT SEEM TO CARE ENOUGH TO GET HIS FACTS RIGHT ONE of the reasons some otherwise loyal Republicans are starting to sag in their support of Trump is his almost daily divergence from the public advice offered by the administration’s leading health experts. As he has done since this awful crisis took over the news cycle two months ago, Trump cannot seem to care enough to get his facts right.

Or maybe he sees his election chances crumbling under the weight of his administration’s slow, weak and almost grudging response to the pandemic.

Trump appears to be incapable of seeing the crisis in human terms. He regularly charges that his political foes would prefer the COVID crisis continues until Election Day in November, because that would mean the economy would still be in a slump and he would be vulnerable at the ballot box.

One of the flash points of disagreement with his health experts this week has been on the question of testing to see if individuals are carrying the virus.

On Monday, Trump confidently asserted that “any American who wants to be tested can be tested” for COVID-19.

The very next day, appearing virtually before a Senate committee, expert epidemiologist Dr Anthony Fauci offered a direct contradiction: “Only Americans who need to be tested can be tested,” he told the senators.

But what does an actual coronavirus test look and feel like? Here is a firsthand account from this week in Northern Virginia.

Not all tests are alike, and the logistics and the reporting of results differ by location and the availability of testing equipment.

This is how one locality is administering the tests this week: First, a doctor must write a prescription for the test. Since hospitals are not serving as test centres, the county has set up a drive-through facility in the parking lot of a county office building that is virtually unoccupied during stay-at-home orders from the governor.

If the physician feels

PRESIDENT Trump speaking in the White House yesterday after a virtual consultation with the patient that there is sufficient justification for a test, a faxed order is sent to the county test facility.

The patient can then call a specific phone number to get an appointment time.

In this case, the doctor’s office advised the patient the faxed order would be processed at the test centre within 15 minutes. The processing time was actually 3 hours 45 minutes.

The doctor’s office said an appointment would be offered the same day.

In fact, the first available appointment was three days later.

Once they arrive at the test centre, patients are advised to drive slowly up to the first checkpoint.

Signs tell drivers to keep all car windows closed. A nurse speaking through a megaphone advises the patient to show identification such as a driver’s licence through the closed car window. The nurse wears a heavy gown, face shield, gloves and a mask covering nose and mouth.

Several manned police cars are stationed around the parking lot.

Once past the first checkpoint, cars are directed to a second barrier. Here, another similarly-attired nurse asks for insurance information and personal identification again. Documents are plastered against the car’s still-closed window and photographed with an iPad. Once satisfied, the nurse waves the car under a tent.

A different nurse approaches, and signals that the car window should be lowered. Also wearing personal protective equipment, the nurse instructs the patient to open wide and say “aah”. But this isn’t the familiar use of a tongue depressor by an office

nurse to check for throat inflammation.

Using a long-stick swab, the nurse reaches in the open car window and proceeds to scrape the cotton end over several parts of the patient’s mouth and throat. The penetration is deep enough in the throat to produce a strong gag reflex in many patients, the nurse reports.

The patient is instructed to close the car window again. The results will be provided in three working days. The doctor’s office had said results would be available within 24 hours.

The whole testing process takes less than ten minutes.

There are no exceptions to the rigid adherence to identification and insurance requirements. Failure to produce appropriate and expected documents would have meant the entire process would have been halted and the patient’s vehicle would have been escorted away from the test site by attending police officers.

In retrospect, it’s not too difficult to figure out why the pandemic falls most heavily on the poor. What if someone feels sick and symptomatic, but has neither a regular physician nor acceptable health insurance nor an automobile nor the opportunity to leave his or her place of employment at the random time the appointment is offered?

Missing just one of these requirements would severely limit or even eliminate a patient’s access to this test. To be sure, most jurisdictions offer remedies.

But again, you have to have a computer, internet access and the time to figure this out and try to accommodate what you find with possibilities to get tested.

As in so many aspects of our lives, it’s better to have some financial resources.

SENATORS listen as Dr Anthony Fauci speaks remotely during a virtual Senate committee hearing entertainment in the US over the past 25 years, keeping pace with the 24-hour news cycle and the exponential expansion

of human connectivity via the internet. But rarely, if ever, has politics entered and perhaps interfered with the national response to a

genuine emergency crisis as it has done in the current situation. It is, at the very least, a regrettable, and avoidable, shame.

PAGE 10, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Virus spike fears as US gets back to business WASHINGTON Associated Press US STATES are beginning to restart their economies after months of paralyzing coronavirus lockdowns, but it could take weeks until it becomes clear whether those reopenings will cause a spike in COVID-19 cases, experts said Wednesday.

The outbreak’s trajectory varies wildly across the country, with steep increases in cases in some places, decreases in others and infection rates that can shift dramatically from neighborhood to neighborhood.

“Part of the challenge is although we are focused on the top-line national numbers in terms of our attention, what we are seeing is 50 different curves and 50 different stories playing out,” said Thomas Tsai, assistant professor at the Harvard Global Health Institute. “And what we have seen about COVID19 is that the story and the effect is often very local.”

A handful of states started easing their lockdowns about two weeks ago, ranging from shopping malls in Texas to beach hotels in South Carolina to gyms in Wyoming. Georgia was one of the first states where some businesses were allowed to open their doors again, starting April 24 with barber shops, hair salons, gyms, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors.

MEDICAL personnel help residents sign in for a COVID-19 test at a church in Brooklyn, New York yesterday.

But it may be five to six weeks from then before the effects are known, said Crystal Watson of Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “As we saw early in the year, epidemics of COVID-19 start slow and take some time to build and become evident,” Watson said.

• IN Geneva a World Health Organization official warned it’s possible the new coronavirus may be here to stay. “This virus may never go away,” Dr Michael Ryan said.

Without a vaccine, he said it could take years for the global population to build up sufficient levels of

immunity. “I think it’s important to put this on the table,” he said. “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities,” like other previously novel diseases such as HIV, which have never disappeared, but for which there are now effective treatments.

AS EUROPE REOPENS, KEY PROTECTIONS ARE STILL ELUSIVE ROME Associated Press

ITALY’S virus reopening was supposed to be accompanied by a series of measures to limit infections in the one-time epicentre of Europe’s pandemic: the distribution of millions of inexpensive surgical masks to pharmacies nationwide, a pilot project of 150,000 antibody tests and, eventually,

the roll-out of a contacttracing app. None of these is in place as Italy experiments with its second week of loosening restrictions and looks ahead to Monday’s reopening of shops and, in some regions, bars and restaurants.

Italy’s commissioner for the emergency, Domenico Arcuri, went on the defensive to respond to mounting criticism of his Phase II

roll-out. He insisted “Italians know well what to do” to protect themselves, even if they don’t have the tests, masks, contact-tracing or other measures that public health authorities deemed necessary for Italy to reopen in safety. “Sometimes I make mistakes for which I expect criticism and, if necessary, reprimand, from Italians,” Arcuri said.

Italy’s problems

epitomize the challenges many countries face as they seek to balance economic and health care needs while reassuring terrified citizens with promises that perhaps were overly optimistic.

France’s pledge to “protect, test and trace” all those who come into contact with a coronavirus patient was dealt a setback on Monday when the constitutional court threw out

part of its new virus law.

The court objected to the contact-tracing language and ordered the government to take extreme care in protecting privacy.

The law, which took effect on Tuesday, calls for teams of health care workers to trace the contacts of COVID-19 patients and share that data on a government server, with or without the patients’ consent.

BRITIAN ON COURSE FOR ‘SIGNIFICANT’ RECESSION LONDON Associated Press THE UK government yesterday warned of a “significant” recession after official figures showed the economy shrank 2% in the first quarter of the year even though it included just one week of the coronavirus lockdown.

The Office of National Statistics found that the slump was getting deeper as the quarter came to an end, with output down by 5.8% in March alone, the month when curbs on everyday life started being put in place by the British government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK into full lockdown on March 23, days after closing pubs and restaurants and schools.

The March figure illustrates the scale of the coronavirus slump to come, with the Bank of England, for example, warning of the biggest annual slump since 1706.

“With the arrival of the pandemic, nearly every aspect of the economy was hit in March, dragging growth to a record monthly fall,” said statistician Jonathan Athow.

FEARS THAT VIRUS IS BACK IN WUHAN BEIJING Associated Press

AT least one community in the Chinese city of Wuhan was to begin testing residents for the new coronavirus today after officials were given 10 days to test everyone in the city where the pandemic began, Chinese media reports said.

About 1,000 residents of a compound in Qiaokou district were to be tested in groups. No official announcement has been made, but district officials have confirmed receiving mass testing orders from the city’s coronavirus task force, the reports said.

It remained unclear if everyone in the city of 11 million people would actually be tested and how such a monumental campaign would happen.

The short order came after the discovery last weekend of a cluster of six infected people at a residential compound in the city, the first new cases in more than a month.

NZ BARBER SNIPS AWAY AT MIDNIGHT WELLINGTON, NZ Associated Press

THE raggedy hairstyles and scruffy beards have been there for all to see on video calls, so barber Conrad Fitz-Gerald decided to reopen his shop at midnight yesterday — the moment New Zealand dropped most of its lockdown restrictions as the nation prepared itself for a new normal.

Fitz-Gerald said he’d had about 50 inquiries for midnight haircuts, but limited the initial customers to a dozen, starting with his 18-year-old son.

“People are saying their hair is out-of-control, they can’t handle it anymore,” he said. “Lots of parents of teenage kids have been calling up, too, thinking a haircut at midnight would be a great novelty. Unfortunately, we are full up.”

BARBER Conrad Fitz-Gerald in action early this morning.

SPORTS SECTION E

PAGE 15

THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020

WBC ‘casualty’ for top minor league players

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

he COVID-19 pandemic continues to force cancellations throughout the baseball world with the 2021 World Baseball Classic reportedly the latest casualty.

According to ESPN, sources revealed that next year’s event will be cancelled and may not appear again until the 2023 edition.

Several of the Bahamas’ top minor league players were expected to compete for Team Great Britain in the WBC Qualifiers.

There are currently 20 Bahamians in minor league baseball.

The official roster announcement was just days away from release before the pandemic originally brought sports to a halt, but several players had already confirmed their participation with the programme.

The WBC was scheduled to be hosted in March 2021 and was set to expand to a record number of 20 teams and hosted in three countries - Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

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

Great Britain was set to compete in Pool two, March 20-25 against the

ESPN sources have revealed that the 2021 World Baseball Classic will be cancelled and may not appear again until the 2023 edition.

Several of the Bahamas’ top minor league players were expected to compete for Team Great Britain in the WBC Qualifiers in March next year.

Czech Republic, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines and Spain.

Pool one was scheduled for March 12-17 and included Brazil, France, Germany, Nicaragua, Pakistan and South Africa.

Sixteen teams had already secured a berth in the 2021 WBC - Australia, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic,

Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, United States, and Venezuela.

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

With Richardson and Cartwright on the roster, Great Britain went 1-2 during the 2013 Qualifier

played in Regensburg, Germany, where it debuted in the WBC. The highlight of their tournament was a 12-5 victory over the Czech Republic.

And at the 2017 Qualifiers in Brooklyn, New York, Richardson and Cartwright were joined by Ali Knowles, Jazz Chisholm, Kyle Simmons, Todd Isaacs, Reshard Munroe,

Byron Murray and Champ Stuart.

That team finished just one game shy of WBC qualification when they suffered a 9-1 loss in the final.

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

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AFFECTS THE INT. SIGNING PERIOD

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net MAJOR League Baseball continues to make adjustments to its schedule of operations and a reduction in the amateur draft could delay the international signing period, a time when many Bahamian prospects have signed minor league deals in recent years.

MLB is negotiating a proposal that could lead to a shortened season that begins in July, a draft that has been shortened to just five rounds and also the agreement allows MLB to delay the opening of the international signing period from July 2 to as late as January 15.

The league has yet to inform teams when the signing period will begin.

International Elite Sports Academy products Adari Grant and Kristin Munroe were listed by MLB Pipeline as some of the top infield prospects in the current class and were considered highly sought after prospects.

The Bahamian pair were the only players from the English-speaking Caribbean on a list dominated by prospects from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Venezuela.

The international signing period is when major league clubs sign amateurs from anywhere outside the United States.

MLB can push the 2020-21 period back to January 2021, and the 202122 period back to January

SEE PAGE 12

Teleos Cherubims will cherish 2020 accomplishments

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter​ bstubbs@tribunemedia.net​ THE spread of the coronavirus has not only interrupted the flow of sports worldwide, but it has forced the closure of schools as well.​ In that vain, Teleos Christian Academy was unable to celebrate the achievements of their Cherubims’ student-athletes during the past academic school year, but the principal, Pastor Dave Adams, said it was a year that he will cherish for the accomplishments by their sporting teams up to that point. ​ Teleos senior girls basketball and volleyball teams were coached by Tannica Joseph, a graduate of Teleos. She led the Cherubims to victory in the Bahamas Scholastic Athletic Association’s volleyball tournament with Rowana Duverse as the most valuable player.​ The Cherubims junior girls’ team were the runners-up.​ Adams said he was particularly proud of the accomplishments of their basketball team as they went on to win the BSAA title, despite losing their 6-foot, 3-inch centre, Erin Williams, who left to go to play for the Anatol Rodgers Timberwolves. Williams played for Teleos for the past three years and competed on the junior national team for the last two years.​ In her absence, Adams said coach Joseph was still able to guide Teleos to winning the title behind the 1-2 punch from Duverse and Ladasha Johnson.​ The Cherubims also earned second place in the BSAA’s open division for girls’ basketball.​ Teleos’ primary boys and girls teams, coached by Yves Pierre, also achieved some success, winning or finishing up behind

PASTOR DAVE ADAMS, far left and top right with Cherubims senior girls, of Teleos, receives a Coach of the Tournament award from organiser Wilton Johnson.

Temple Christian Academy in just about every tournament they participated in during the BSAA season or in Grand Bahama.​ The Cherubims boys’ basketball team was led by Andrew Bethel. Their girls’ team had a tandem of Melaysia Brennen and Merlanda Beaubrun, who controlled their destiny.​ Adams also relied on the services of another Teleos graduate Chauncey Cooper to coach their senior and primary boys’ volleyball teams. He was assisted by Tom Grant Jr.​ In volleyball, the Cherubims won the BSAA championship after going undefeated as Dave Adams Jr and Benjamin McHardy provided the spark.​ Teleos also won the BSAA primary boys’ championship title behind the MVP performance from Darius Hanna.​ In basketball, coach Cooper was again assisted by Grant Jr and Gerald Bethel. The coaching staff took the junior boys through an undefeated (19-0) win-loss season in the BSAA league as they

repeated as the champions with Michael Albury as the highlight of the show. ​ The Cherubims’ intermediate boys team, coached by Pedro Berkley, won the BSAA title behind the outstanding performance from Jamie Vil.​ And their senior boys team, coached by Walter Charlton and Nathan Innocent, got off to a rocky start after seven of their returning players had left the programme with one going to Government High, three to Anatol Rodgers and another three to Mt Carmel.​ However, Adams said there was some light at the end of the tunnel as their prayers were answered when hurricane Dorian ravished the island of Abaco and they were able to accommodate 17 boys and girls with their education and living accommodations.​ “We found out that several of the young men could play basic basketball, but three of them could play really good,” Adams said. “It was then that we realised that God was putting Teleos

team together.​“As they precited together under coach Charlton and coach Nathan, they began to improve.

Finally they were getting along pretty good and foregoed playing in the Hugh Campbell to play in the Long Island Tournament for the second time.

It proved to be a real motivating time for them as they won the tournament, going undefeated in both the senior and intermediate boys’ divisions.”​ According to Adams, the real test for Teleos came in the BSAA tournament where their senior boys team advanced to the championship to face their former head coach and the three outstanding young men who had defected with him. ​ In the best-of-three series, the Cherubims encountered another setback when two of their players were not allowed to play due to some technicality, which shortened their bench to only two substitute players.​ Adams said Teleos lost the first game but they did not lose heart. ​

“With the depleted team we came back and tied the series at one apiece,” Adams said. “In the third and final game, the lead changed hands several times before Teleos won decisively.”​ Adams said there was a tremendous celebration after the championship win due to the fact that they played against their players who had left for what they thought was a better team and the fact that their former coach had publicly stated that coach Charlton was an incapable coach.​ “Head coach Charlton did a masterful job in coaching, matching and counteracting Mt Carmel with his strategy,” Adams said.​ “He, along with his assistant coach Nathan, had a great game plan that worked. In the end, Teleos became BSAA champs again for the fifth year in a row.

What a great year Teleos had.

As principal, I want to thank my coaching staff for a job well done.”​ Adams also lauded his entire senior boys team, especially Adams Jr, who led in points, rebounds and assists in the championship.​ “I also want to commend Enrico, the great motivator, Welty for his great leadership, Carlos, who played beyond expectation, Frednel, our steady beast, Mauricio ‘Bunwood Webster, the player who never quits, Ricardo Riley, who played his roll beautifully, Basol, known as the “Quiet Assassin” and “Gil”, a player who comes through in the right time.”​ Although the Cherubims didn’t get to properly celebrate their accomplishments at school as the coronavirus abruptly shut down the season after they completed basketball, Adams said he owes a debt of gratitude to all of the players, coaches and staff at Teleos for a great season.

PAGE 12, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

NCAA DELAYS DATE FOR NBA DRAFT ENTRANTS TO RETURN TO SCHOOL INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is pushing back its deadline for early entrants to the NBA draft to withdraw and return to school, though it will wait to set a new date.

The deadline was June 3, which would’ve come 10 days after the completion of the NBA scouting combine. But with the combine postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic, NCAA

senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt said in a statement Wednesday that college sports’ governing body won’t set a new deadline until the NBA has determined its revised

timeline for the predraft process.

“This modification is being made with the health and well-being of our student-athletes in mind, along with their ability to make

the most informed decisions during this uncertain time,” Gavitt said, specifically noting the postponement of the combine.

Gavitt said the NCAA will work with the National

Stretch it out: Serena, Venus Williams offer fans yoga tips

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer SERENA Williams is looking forward to getting back to competing when the coronavirus pandemic permits it, in part because she’s “feeling better than ever.”

Her older sister, Venus, is looking forward to hanging out at a rooftop bar.

Two of the most famous and successful siblings in the history of sports — owners of a combined 30 Grand Slam tennis titles in singles and an additional 14 in doubles as a pair — shared those thoughts and more after doing yoga together Tuesday during an online session that offered workout tips and some laughs.

All professional tennis tournaments are on hold at least until mid-July because of the pandemic. The French Open, for example, was postponed from May to September, while Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time in 75 years.

Under normal circumstances, the Williams sisters might have been in action this week at the Italian Open, a clay-court tuneup for Roland Garros.

“I really look forward to getting back on the court.

It’s what I do best. I absolutely love playing,” Serena said.

“But this break is ... a necessary evil. ... I felt like my body needed it, even though I didn’t want it.

And now I’m feeling better than ever. I’m feeling more relaxed, more fit. Now I’m just like: Now I can go out and play real tennis.”

Asked by her sister what she’s excited about when life returns to normal, Venus replied: “I like to go out and I just want to be on top of a rooftop bar with champagne in my hand and ... just having a good time, dancing.”

In the meantime, fans who want to know how to flex and stretch like a champ got the chance to watch along as 23-time major singles title winner Serena led the session, chatting along the way.

Venus, who won Wimbledon five times and the US Open twice, joined her on a nearby yoga mat, following the same routine and occasionally showing modified versions.

The whole thing was on the sisters’ individual Instagram Live feeds. After the yoga was done, they asked each other some questions, and then Venus stayed around to take queries from viewers.

The aim, it appeared, was to help folks find ways to stay in shape while stuck at home during the COVID19 outbreak.

VENUS WILLIAMS, left, celebrates winning against her sister Serena, right, after a match on the opening day of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on December 27, 2018. Serena Williams is looking forward to getting back to competing on a tennis court when the coronavirus pandemic permits it. Her older sister, Venus, is looking forward to hanging out at a rooftop bar. Two of the most famous and successful siblings in the history of sports shared those thoughts and more on Tuesday after doing some yoga together during an online session that offered workout tips and some laughs.

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili) At one point, Serena cautioned, “Do not injure

yourself doing this.” At another, she said: “If you

have bad knees, like me, use a pad.”

28-YEAR-OLD SUMO WRESTLER DIES FROM CORONAVIRUS IN JAPAN TOKYO (AP) — A 28-year-old sumo wrestler died yesterday from the coronavirus.

The Japan Sumo Association confirmed the death and identified the wrestler as Shoubushi, whose real name was Kiyotaka Suetake. The association said he

died of multiple-organ failure. He is reported to have been the first sumo wrestler to die from the virus, and among the youngest to die in Japan. The sumo association said the wrestler developed a fever on April 4 but could not get a test or find a hospital until his symptoms

worsened and he was accepted four days later. He was moved to an intensive care unit on April 19.

The Summer Grand Sumo Tournament scheduled to take place from May 24 to June 7 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan was cancelled earlier this month over fears

of further spreading the virus. A large event later this summer is still scheduled to go ahead and is to be held without spectators. Japan has recorded almost 16,000 cases of COVID-19 and 657 deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Association of Basketball Coaches to ensure the change “supports a player’s decision-making process” on the draft while also allowing them to retain their college eligibility.

The NBA announced May 1 that it was postponing the draft lottery and combine scheduled for Chicago this month.

WOMEN’S GOLF STARTS UP IN SOUTH KOREA – WITHOUT FANS SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The South Korean women’s golf tour is starting up again with the KLPGA Championship opening today, an event that will be played without fans on the course.

Women’s golf in South Korea joins Korea’s professional baseball and soccer leagues, which have already restarted in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The priority is the safety of the players, tournament officials and golf fans and (the event) will be broadcast,” the organisers said in a statement.

The tournament at the Lakewood Country Club located east of the capital Seoul was originally scheduled for April 30 through May 3.

Organisers said social distancing will be practiced by players and tournament officials.

Players will also have hand sanitisers available.

It was not clear if players would take coronavirus tests.

The 150-player field is topped by Park Sunghyun, Kim Sei-young and defending champion Choi Hye-jin.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Ko Jin-young and Park Sung-hyun, who are No. 1 and No. 3 in the women’s world golf rankings, will play an exhibition skins match near Incheon International Airport on May 24, with the players donating their winnings to charities of their choice.

PANDEMIC from PAGE 11

2022. Teams will also not be allowed to trade international bonus slots in 2020 or 2021. The draft is expected to take place virtually on June 10.

As a byproduct of the COVID-19 fallout, there has also been a reported agreement in place with the MLB to reduce the number of minor league affiliate teams by 40.

MiLB currently fields 160 teams across its various leagues, but that number could be reduced to as much as 120 and the remaining teams could face realignment, according to the Washington Post.

Prior to the suspension of all baseball activity, many of the Bahamian players had yet to receive their assignments for the upcoming season.

The MLB pledged to offer players financial support through May 31 as the pandemic continues.

According to the Associated Press, the weekly minimum salaries on fullseason minor league teams range from $290 at Class A to $502 at Triple-A over the five-month season, meaning many players are making more during this hiatus than they do during the season.

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Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 13

AP SOURCE: POLL OF NBA PLAYERS SHOWS DESIRE TO PLAY, IF SAFE

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer MIAMI (AP) — A person familiar with the results of poll of NBA players taken by their union says there would be “overwhelming” support for any plan that has this season resuming in a safe way amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The poll conducted by the National Basketball Players Association was informal but gave a clear sense that players would like to not only get to the playoffs but also resume at least some of the regular season, according to the person who shared details with The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because it was not to be detailed publicly.

The exact results of the poll were unknown, and the methodology behind the poll — including how many players participated — was unclear.

The NBPA sent a letter to agents Tuesday discussing, among other things, the results of the player polling and some details of the call the union and its membership had late last week with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

In that call, Silver talked about the possibility of resuming a season without fans and potentially playing at a centralised site — notions that have been discussed for some time.

There are numerous hurdles to clear to get games back, the need for testing of

THE MIAMI Heat and the Memphis Grizzlies practice before an NBA basketball game in Miami, Florida, on October 23, 2019. If so inclined, NBA teams like Miami, Orlando and Utah could all be back in the gym for voluntary workouts in small groups starting Friday when the league ban on such things expires. None of them will be reopening that day. 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) players and staff when play resumes among them, and what could be viewed as positive signs Tuesday were just that — signs, not absolute indicators that there is a path for a return to play this season.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose team wouldn’t be headed to the playoffs

and was preparing to play home games in an empty arena because of the virus threat before the league suspended the season, told radio station 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area on Tuesday that he believes the Warriors’ season is over.

“We’ll be good soldiers.

If the league asks us to play

more games, we’ll play,” Kerr said. “I don’t anticipate that happening, but we’ll be ready if it does.

And in the meantime, you know, it’s not my decision, it’s not our decision -- it’s the NBA’s decision, what to do, when to do it.”

NBA players had somewhat different reactions.

Memphis’ Ja Morant, the likely frontrunner for rookie of the year, tweeted that he wants to play.

And Orlando guard Evan Fournier said international soccer inching toward a return “gives me hope” that the NBA can do the same.

“Everybody in the league, we want to finish this year,”

Cleveland’s Larry Nance Jr said earlier Tuesday.

“One, obviously because we love the game, but at the same time there’s a serious chance of us missing out on, what, 20-plus per cent of our contracts, which is for a lot of guys pretty significant.”

The NBA suspended its season on March 11 with 259 regular season games remaining, or roughly onefifth of the season.

Players have been paid in full on each of the four paydays that have followed, though that will change Friday when most of the league sees a 25 per cent reduction in their pay cheque.

Players stand to lose roughly $850 million in gross salary if the regular season is not resumed and the NBA exercises its right to withhold roughly 1.08 per cent of each player’s salary for any game that is ultimately cancelled. On average, that would mean each NBA player stands to lose about 21 per cent of his total salary.

No games have been officially cancelled yet; the 25 per cent reduction starting with Friday’s check was negotiated between the league and the union with the expectation that the season will eventually be shortened.

A handful of teams have opened their facilities for voluntary workouts; Miami and Orlando are expected to be the next two teams to do so on Wednesday.

AP SOURCE: NO MLB ECONOMIC PLAN IN 1ST SESSION WITH PLAYERS

By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball did not include an economic proposal during its opening presentation to the players’ union on terms to start the coronavirus-delayed season.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker criticised big leaguers for not being willing to cut pay further at a news conference on Tuesday, and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said his state is open to games without spectators for all the major sports starting Saturday.

The electronic meeting of MLB and the players’ association lasted between three and four hours and consisted of baseball officials explaining their view of the economics, science and logistics of getting the season under way, several people familiar with the session told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no details were announced.

Owners gave the goahead Monday for a proposal that players receive the percentage of their 2020 salaries based on a 50-50 split of revenues MLB receives during the regular season and postseason, a person familiar with that plan told the AP. That person also spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan was not announced.

The concept would cut the expenses of teams worried about playing in empty ballparks due to the pandemic. The union views revenue sharing as a salary cap, which it has said it will never agree to, and the concept was not presented.

If empty stadiums or neutral sites are used, an agreement with the players’ association is needed to play ball.

Opening day was to have been March 26. MLB’s plan could lead to the season starting around the Fourth of July with an 82-game regular season, playoffs expanding from 10 teams to 14 and the designated

hitter used for the first time in games between National League teams.

MLB officials showed slides during the meeting and the union delegation, which included players, caucused and asked questions.

Baseball officials explained how they would use a lab in Utah to give the sport its own testing ability, the people said.

Baseball officials also expressed concern about a second wave of the coronavirus in the fall and their worries it could force cancellation of the postseason.

While players are paid their salaries during the regular season, the bulk of MLB’s national broadcasting revenue derives from the postseason.

Players agreed March 26 to a deal in which they would be paid prorated shares of salaries based on the portion of the 162-game regular-season schedule that is played.

As part of that agreement, if no games are played they would receive service time for 2020

matching what they earned last year.

The average MLB salary is $4.4 million at full price if the season had started on time.

“I realise that the players have the right to haggle over their salaries, but we do live in a moment where the people of Illinois and the people of the United States deserve to get their pastime back, to watch, anyway, on television,” Pritzker said in response to the last question of his news conference.

“If they’re able to come up with safety precautions, as has been suggested by Major League Baseball, that works, I hope that the players will understand that the people of our United States need them to recognise that this is an important part of leisure time that all of us want to have during the summer, to watch them play baseball, to root for our favourite teams,” the Illinois Democrat said.

“We need that back, that normalcy back, and I hope they’ll be reasonable as they

negotiate. But I must say I’m disappointed in many ways that players are holding out for these very, very high salaries and payments during a time when I think everybody is sacrificing.”

A member of the family that controls Hyatt hotels, Pritzker’s net worth has been estimated by Forbes at $3.4 billion. The players’ association declined comment on his remarks, spokesman Chris Dahl said.

Players and teams committed in the March deal to “discuss in good faith the economic feasibility of playing games in the absence of spectators or at appropriate neutral sites.”

Union head Tony Clark has said that negotiation is over, and many players have said they already have deal with terms for 2020 and see no need to bargain more.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has said about 40 per cent of MLB revenue is tied to gate, including concessions, parking, ballpark advertising, luxury suites and programmes.

Union officials and players have cited the March agreement as setting economic terms and say they have no inclination for additional cuts.

Players are more interested in medical protocols and testing designed to protect them from and detect the new coronavirus.

Ducey announced “Major League Baseball, the NBA, the NHL, the NFL, MLS are able to participate and play in the state of Arizona after May 15.”

Under some of baseball’s possible plans, a portion of teams and possibly all would be based in the Phoenix area, but the first preference of late is to play in empty regular-season ballparks.

“Of course, this would be with CDC guidelines, and protecting the public health,” the Republican said.

“We have had discussions with leaders of some of these leagues and they all know they are welcome to operate, play and perform in the state of Arizona.”

COLUMN: NASCAR SET FOR ‘HUGE MICROSCOPE’ AS RACING RETURNS

SECRET Service Agents search fans as they enter the Fan Zone before the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, on February 16.

(AP)

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

Speedway. The move gives the France family almost total autonomy of the largest racing series in the United States and flexibility to make its own plan to survive the pandemic.

Still, making money means being on the track even if the full 36-race Cup Series schedule isn’t possible.

NASCAR said it wants to run at least seven Cup races within driving distance for the teams before it ventures outside the South.

For now, Hamlin said drivers have faith in NASCAR’s process.

“I’m pretty certain that no matter what, we’re in an advantage because we’re a non-contact sport, especially with the players themselves,” Hamlin said.

“I’m confident that we can go from our street car that we drive to the racetrack into our race car (and) not be within six feet of anyone, except for the person that is on the window net.

“We’re going to be able to do this and it should be pretty effective.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR’s season started with the Secret Service doing a security check on the firesuit-clad polesitter for the Daytona 500 and thousands of fans waiting hours in line to pass through a metal detector.

When the season resumes on Sunday some 13 weeks later, drivers will have their temperatures taken as they enter Darlington Raceway in South Carolina and they will be wearing masks as they leave their isolated motorhomes and make their way to their cars. There will be no fans allowed inside.

Faced with many of its teams falling into financial ruin, NASCAR is waving the green flag on a plan it believes allows the series to safely return to racing.

Only essential personnel will be permitted into the infield with strict guidelines on social distancing, access and protective clothing.

There will be no one to boo

reigning series champion Kyle Busch, no pre-race concert, no pomp and probably no flyover.

The seven races so far announced in May are at Darlington and Charlotte Motor Speedway, tracks within driving distance from teams’ North Carolina base. Four are in the elite Cup Series and the other three are lower-tier Xfinity and Truck Series races.

NASCAR hasn’t raced since March 8 so Wednesday night events at Darlington and Charlotte are the only way to cram in some of the missed events.

These races will be nothing close to the weekly travelling circus NASCAR typically stages and participants will be figuring out a new normal when they pull up to the gate at Darlington.

“Just the unknowns about the procedures — you can read about them all you want and we also heard through the teleconference we had with NASCAR about the protocols,” said Daytona 500 winner Denny

Hamlin. “Obviously there will be a huge microscope on how we’re doing things, making sure it’s done in a safe manner. For all of us, it’s just the unknown of making sure we’re doing it the right way.”

Much has changed since Joey Logano scored his second victory of the season — which has so far consisted of just four Cup races — at Phoenix in March.

Kevin Harvick is still the points leader and Hamlin, Logano and Alex Bowman are locked into the playoffs as race winners.

Ryan Newman will be back in the field Sunday after his horrific crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500. He suffered a head injury that took him out of his Roush Fenway Racing Ford, but the long pause in the season gave him enough time to heal and receive medical clearance to race again.

Matt Kenseth has come out of retirement to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing, which fired Kyle Larson during the shutdown for

using a racial slur during an online race. NASCAR is not running any practices or qualifying before Sunday’s race, so Kenseth will be cold when he climbs into a stock car for the first time since the 2018 season finale.

At 48, he will be the oldest driver in the field.

NASCAR had hoped to announce a revamped 2021 schedule in April that included midweek races, more short tracks and road courses, and other efforts to shake things up. Those plans have been delayed as completing the 2020 jigsaw puzzle is now the priority; NASCAR said last week it won’t race this year as scheduled at Chicagoland Speedway or on the road

course in Sonoma, California. The spring race in Richmond, Virginia, also will not be rescheduled.

The series, which has seen attendance and ratings drops for several years, is desperate to get going and not just for the sake of its hard-hit teams. NASCAR has issued two rounds of layoffs during the pandemic — cuts last week decimated staffing at many race tracks — and those still employed took pay cuts, furloughs or forced vacation.

NASCAR last fall closed its $2 billion purchase of International Speedway Corp. to consolidate control of 12 tracks that include Daytona, Talladega and Homestead-Miami

PAGE 14, Thursday, May 14, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

High-tech devices help NFL teams keep players safe, in shape

By MICHAEL MAROT AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Darius Leonard works relentlessly at his rural South Carolina home to prepare for another football season. He’s also wary of pushing too hard, knowing a minor injury could become a major setback given the dearth of medical experts in his area.

So when in doubt, the Indianapolis Colts star confers with his coaches, who are creating safer, more efficient individual workout programs based on data collected the past few weeks.

It’s all part of a changing NFL world: high-tech devices supplanting oldschool creativity.

“We are getting a ton done,” Colts coach Frank Reich says. “With the technology today, they all have heart rate monitors, so they do their workouts, it’s all logged, it all kind of shoots

to our system. This isn’t, ‘Hey, I’m watching you.’

This is, ‘Hey, I’m interested in you.’ I’m a little bit of a numbers guy, so I like to see these charts. Then I’ll show them to the team.”

That fits neatly into the new guidelines for this year’s revamped offseason programme, too.

Teams can conduct classroom instruction and on-field activities through Zoom meetings or similar apps instead of at their facilities. They can meet virtually as much as four hours per day, four days per week.

Players also can voluntarily wear monitors to track workouts. Teams can send up to $1,500 to each player to purchase equipment.

Not everyone has followed the same script. New Orleans cancelled its offseason programme. But the Colts are taking advantage of their allotted time. Reich estimates Indy spends half

its time in meetings and the rests monitoring workouts.

Technological advances are helping everyone cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I understand a lot more about the NFL now than I did 10 years ago,” new Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Andy Dalton said, comparing the difficulty he faced during the 2011 lockout with today’s circumstances. “So I guess the advantage now is there’s still these virtual meetings, so you’re able to connect and talk through the offence and talk through different things, stuff that I didn’t have my rookie year during the lockout.”

Social media also plays a part.

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia recently reminded running back Ty Johnson about training safely — after watching a video of Johnson pulling a Jeep while wearing a helmet.

INDIANAPOLIS Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) runs a drill during practice at the NFL team’s football training camp in Westfield on July 31, 2019.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy) “Obviously, I’m pretty sure there was someone in the car to hit the brakes in case he slipped,” Patricia said. “I go to safety first.

I mean it’s a Jeep, so once you get it moving, the ball bearings kick in and the tires go. Some of that, I was busting his chops about.”

Companies such as WHOOP and Myzone could become game changers even after things return to normal.

WHOOP, an online fitness company, partners with the NFLPA to provide wearable monitors for players. Nearly 1,000 players have used the service over the past three years as well as teams from Major

League Baseball, the NBA, NFL and Major League Soccer.

The waterproof device can be worn around the wrist or bicep and tracks heart rate and strain during workouts and recovery periods.

In addition to measuring heart rate variability, resting heart rate and respiratory rate, it provides information about sleep performance to give coaches the necessary information to ensure safe, efficient workout plans that won’t overstress the body.

“If you go too far and keep training in a state where you’re not recovered, you’re not making physiological gains at that point.

You’re just digging a hole,” said vice president of performance Kristen Holmes, a former US national field hockey player and NCAA title-winning coach at Princeton.

“It’s not about more and more and more. It’s about being smart and managing load.”

The results may even help in the fight against COVID-19.

WHOOP has information showing customers who tested positive saw a spike in their respiratory rates just a few days before the onset of symptoms.

Zebra Technologies has been using computer chips in shoulder pads and practice shirts since 2014. Now it has installed them in footballs.

Radio transmitters at stadiums and practice fields transmit data that company officials say can track

measurements within 6 inches of actual distance.

The results often appear on television broadcasts: how far or fast a player ran; how far a ball was thrown; or how much separation a receiver had from a defender. Those numbers came in handy when most pro days were canceled because of the pandemic.

“Not only did we track the Senior Bowl game, but we tracked all of the practice sessions. We captured all of the player information that week,” said John Pollard, vice president of Zebra sports business development. “The teams apply it as a tool like any other training process or mechanism they may have in place. It can help with things like rehab, too.”

But without the radio transmitters, Zebra cannot track workouts at home.

WHOOP and Myzone still can, and their numbers help players like Leonard, a 2018 All-Pro, return to football healthy and prepared.

“I’m not going to say I can get enough out of it, but I can get a good bit,” Leonard said of his modified regimen. “It sucks being from the country where you don’t have a chiropractor, you don’t have a physical therapist who can actually work on you day in and day out. So with me, a guy who loves to train hard and run fast every day, I can’t do that now because if I tweak something I have no one here to help me out. So I really have to take my time and kind of do all the small things right.”

ITALIAN SOCCER LEAGUE HOPES TO RESUME COMPETITION JUNE 13 ROME (AP) — The 20 teams in Serie A agreed yesterday to resume competition on June 13 in empty stadiums.

The date is subject to approval by the Italian government, however.

“With regard to the restart of sporting activity, it has been indicated, with respect to the decisions of the government and in compliance with the medical protocols to protect the players and staff, the date of June 13 for the resumption of the league,” the league’s governing body said in a statement.

Earlier, Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora said full team training will restart on May 18 after a

revised medical protocol was approved amid the coronavirus pandemic. The clubs have already resumed training on an individual basis.

Players and backroom staff will be closely monitored and tested and if one person tests positive for COVID-19, the whole club will have to go into quarantine for two weeks.

Serie A has been suspended since March 9, when the government ordered a nationwide lockdown.

There are 12 rounds remaining in Serie A, plus four matches that were postponed from the 25th round.

Also, the Italian Cup is in the semi-final stage.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, May 14, 2020, PAGE 15

NBA now up to 10 teams back for voluntary workouts

By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA is now onethird of the way back, at least in terms of voluntary workouts.

With Miami re-opening its doors Wednesday, 10 of the league’s 30 teams have gone forward with on-court individual workouts — the first permitted sessions since the league ordered teams to close their training facilities as part of the coronavirus pandemic response about two months ago.

Besides the Heat, the other teams that have opened so far are Portland, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver, Atlanta, Indiana, Sacramento, Toronto and Utah. More are expected in the coming days; among them, Orlando is close, and the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Saturday.

And while there still is no decision about whether the season can resume — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, has told the league’s players he expects to make that call by mid-June at the latest — getting back to some semblance of work is generally being considered a positive step.

“We’re kind of just feeling it out, playing it by ear, taking it day by day,” said Toronto assistant coach Brittni Donaldson, who was in the gym with Raptors wing Malcolm Miller when the reigning NBA champions opened their facility again Monday.

“Hopefully, you know, in a week we can start ramping it up a little more. But to start we’re just keeping it very basic, very simple.”

The league has very strict rules about these workouts; no head coaches can be involved, no more than four players can be in the facility at a time — the Raptors are limiting it to one player — and intense safety precautions must be taken before, during and after the sessions. When Donaldson was throwing passes to Miller, she did so while wearing a mask and gloves.

Heat captain Udonis Haslem was one of Miami’s players to report back to work on Day 1 at their facility, though it wasn’t his top priority. He was sporting a customised mask with the team’s logo earlier Wednesday when he appeared at a food distribution drive that he helped organise near downtown Miami.

UTAH Jazz centre Rudy Gobert (27) talks with guard Donovan Mitchell, left, during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons, in Detroit, on Saturday, March 7.

Both players have tested positive for the coronavirus. Gobert’s test result forced the NBA to suspend the season. (AP) “This is first,” Haslem said at the food drive. “ This is most important.”

Haslem said the workout started well, then he began to fade a bit toward the end.

Like most NBA players, he’s been doing individual workouts during the league’s hiatus but said nothing replicates what it takes to get through an on-court workout.

Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis let professional leagues know that the Sunshine State is ready to welcome them all if needed.

With Orlando often mentioned as a potential centralised site if the NBA resumes play, and it was one of the sites Silver told players late last week that is under consideration, DeSantis said Wednesday that the state is putting a premium on the value of professional sports.

“Professional sports are going to be welcome in Florida,” DeSantis said. “That may not be the case in every other state in this country, as we’ve seen. And so what I would tell commissioners of leagues is, if you have a team in an area where they just won’t let them operate, we’ll find a place for you here in the state of Florida, because we think it’s important and we know that it can be done safely.”

TOUGH GOING FOR FRENCH TENNIS PLAYERS RETURNING TO TRAINING

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Sports Writer PARIS (AP) — Nicolas Mahut once spent three days on court in the longest match in tennis history, yet even light training for one hour proved challenging for him yesterday.

That’s because he was returning to practice following many weeks of staying at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdown that started on March 17 in France ended Monday, releasing Mahut and other professionals gingerly back onto court.

Mahut traded shots of varying speed and accuracy with practice partner Grégoire Barrère.

“It feels good to play tennis again. Everyone had missed it; the players, the coaches,” Mahut said after the session, held at a training centre near the grounds of the French Open at Roland Garros.

“The big risk is to get injured,” Mahut said. “We played leisurely for one hour and there are already a few pains.”

For Mahut and many other athletes, this has been a layoff unlike any other.

“What’s different is that this isn’t even like an injury.

Everyone’s had an injury, and been away from the circuit for five, six months. But this was a different feeling,” he said.

“We weren’t on holiday — far from it for all the people who were confined — and we weren’t injured.

It was a really complex situation to deal with.”

What also felt strange was the many new obligatory measures aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 — such at not sitting down on a chair, using different balls than your opponent, and sliding on gloves to wipe down the net cord with disinfectant after the session.

“Hopefully we can quickly have some normal training conditions again,” Mahut said.

“But you have to respect the rules … We’re already lucky enough to be back playing.”

The 38-year-old Mahut won majors as a doubles player, but is probably best known for agonisingly losing to John Isner 70-68 in the fifth set at Wimbledon in 2010, the longest match in history.

They played for 11 hours, 5 minutes in a match featuring 168 consecutive holds of serve and a combined 216 aces.

But even getting one ace against Barrère was a struggle.

“You don’t lose the feeling with the racket, or very little,” Mahut said. “What’s really hard is serving, your feet are heavy. We’ll need to wait a while before reaching the highest level again.”

He hopes that will be at Roland Garros, a few hundred metres away in western Paris. The claycourt tournament was meant to start May 24, then got postponed to September 20 because of the virus.

“My optimistic side tells me that we will play at Roland Garros,” Mahut said. “But my more realistic side tells me it could be a very complicated season (with) no play at all.”

There have been myriad opinions as to when tennis can resume, even without fans.

“What’s for sure is that we can’t start playing again if there’s a risk of contamination,” Mahut said. “Is playing without fans an option? I really don’t know.

I don’t think it’s the right time to get into a debate over who is right and wrong.”

Wearing a blue face mask, Dr Bernard Montalvan supervised Mahut and Barrère.

He is helping ease French tennis players back into training, with Mahut and Barrère expected to be tested shortly for the virus.

But Montalvan thinks tennis may have to wait

for a vaccine before fully returning to normal. “I can’t say when the vaccine will be ready, probably not for a long time,” he said. “We’ll see what the directives are, but I imagine professional tennis will resume before a vaccine is validated.”