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PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis pleaded with residents to ignore misinformation during a national address last night and to recognise that the COVID-19 vaccine is the only way out of a pandemic that continues to disrupt societies around the world. He also announced measures to boost the country’s ability to bear the latest surge of COVID-19 cases. Although many residents anticipated that he would announce new restrictions to curb the
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net spread of the virus, Dr Minnis announced none. He instead made it clear that letting commerce and daily life continue is one of his priorities. His address came as 130 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on Tuesday while 100 people remain hospitalised, including ten in the Intensive Care unit. The COVID-19 death toll also increased to 286 after a 58-year-old Bimini
man died on July 26th. For much of his speech, Dr Minnis appealed to Bahamians who have been hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine. He emphasised that fake news and disinformation have confused people about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. “These falsehoods are helping to lead to serious illness and death by those who base their decisions
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
on this false information. They are making people afraid of medical science and vaccines. I want to be very clear to all Bahamians and residents: We are in a struggle between life and death. Taking the vaccines, will protect you from serious disease and death,” he said. “Listening to fake news about the vaccines, and not getting your shots, could kill you, or cause you serious illness that could be with you, for the rest of your life, no matter SEE PAGE THREE
PAGE 2, Thursday, July 29, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
BPL workers call in sick By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
WHITNEY HEASTIE, CEO of BPL.
A SIGNIFICANT number of Bahamas Power and Light employees called in sick yesterday, prompting executives to assure customers that supply would continue uninterrupted. While it was unclear how many workers were absent, Bahamas Electrical Workers Union president Kyle Wilson said it was possible around 60 percent of the employees did not show up for work. However, executive sources said about 50 people said they were ill. Despite this, during a press conference yesterday BPL CEO Whitney Heastie was adamant that customers could expect supply to continue as usual. He said: “So, for instance, we do have people that can
work up to 16 hours a day. Based on the actual industrial agreement we do have contingencies such that they can take breaks and then come back, but we don’t want this to go on for days on end. So, we look for this to come to a speedy resolution so that we can move the business on in a normal way. “However, if it doesn’t, we will continue to run this business with uninterrupted supply to our customers... a day, a week, a month, we will supply our customers.” BPL chairman Dr Donovan Moxey said the employees’ actions were entirely up to them. “Our focus again, as the CEO has said, is delivering service and so if employees choose to call in sick you know in unison or chorus that’s entirely up to them,” Dr Moxey said. “At the end of the day,
it’s the organisation’s obligation to whomever to deliver service, regardless of whatever we have now left within the organisation to deliver that service.” Dr Moxey explained that after a negotiating session on Tuesday the company had made a formal offer to the union. “The union then, based on information we found, distributed that particular offer publicly,” he claimed. He was referring to a proposal The Tribune has seen dated July 27, 2021. In that proposal, BPL’s executive director, Hugh Rollins, said the company was not in a position to provide increments in addition to what was already being provided to staff on an annual basis. He proposed the company and union sign a two-year industrial agreement to expire in 2023 and renegotiate a new industrial agreement upon expiration of that period. Further provisions of the expired industrial agreement remain as is. Additionally, all employees would receive on the date of signing the agreement one lump sum payment equal to the normal Christmas bonus and then on August 1, 2022 another payment equivalent to the Christmas bonus. Dr Moxey pointed out that the company had yet to turn a profit. “We’re negotiating with a union who’s asking for additional benefits that will be up to $3m above and beyond what’ve already paid and so from BPL’s perspective what we’re doing here, as part of the board, as part of the new executive team is... we’re looking to right the ship with BPL,” Dr Moxey said. “In order to do that we
need to get a fiscal house in order. One can recognise that given the salary that we pay and the benefits for the last 15 years this company has yet to turn profit. “The reality of it is this: BPL’s financial position is such that we don’t really have an extra dime to pay at all and so if it’s that we end up negotiating or agreeing to something, to be quite honest with you, any seven-figure number, we’re going to have to seek help to cover that cost.” In a press release yesterday, the company noted: “The old IA expired in April 2018. In honour of the expired agreement, and because we care about our employees, we paid in June 2018 the annual increment and incentive bonuses totaling $511,739. “In December 2018, we paid the annual bonus – ranging from $700 to $1,000 per employee – for a total payment of $578,200. In 2019, the total increment and incentives paid amounted to $810,540.09. In 2020, the figure was $796,667. “With regard to Health Benefits, 70 percent of BPL employees have 100 percent of their individual health insurance paid by BPL, and 30 percent of BPL employees have 70 percent of their individual health insurance paid by the company. It is to be noted that the three percent increase in health insurance premiums last year amounted to an additional $3.36 per month for BPL employees and $7.83 paid by BPL for the individual health insurance premiums, and that the health coverage benefits for all BPL employees remained the same as a result of the increase in premiums.”
OFFICIAL REJECTS CLAIM ON SPIKES By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net
A PAN-AMERICAN Health Organization official has dismissed suggestions that vaccinated people are the cause of worldwide spikes in COVID infections. During PAHO’s weekly webinar, the organisation’s Assistant Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa said studies in the US and England show vaccinated people are actually less likely to spread the disease. “This is not true,” he said of the claims. “The current transmission in the US is mostly due to unvaccinated people. There is no statement from the CDC saying that this new increase of COVID is related to vaccinated people. “A couple of weeks ago, the public health in England also released a very comprehensive study showing that vaccinated people had more than 50 percent less infections. The vaccination has double effect protecting you; preventing severe illness, hospitalisation and even death. It also reduces the chance that you will transmit the disease to your relatives, family and communities.” Dr Barbosa said for this very reason, everyone should become inoculated against the disease. Over the last week there were more than 1.26 million COVID-19 cases and nearly 29,000 deaths reported in the region. Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, and Paraguay are among the countries reporting the world’s highest weekly death rates. And PAHO reports that cases have more than doubled in the US over the last week, mainly among the unvaccinated. “Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, Cuba is experiencing higher COVID infection and death rates than at any point in the pandemic, and all age groups are affected: in the last week, more than 7,000 minors and nearly 400 pregnant women have tested positive for COVID-19,”
said Dr Carissa Etienne, director, PAHO. “As COVID continues to circulate, too many places have relaxed the public health and social measures that have proven effective against this virus. And as people move more easily and mingle without precautions, COVID follows. “At the same time, our region has yet to access the vaccines it needs to keep our populations safe. So far, just 16.6 percent of the population of Latin America and the Caribbean has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. And while vaccination coverage is higher in countries like the US, Chile, and Uruguay, it remains below 20 percent for more than half of the countries and territories in our region. Dr Etienne said as countries have dedicated resources, staff and attention to their COVID-19 responses, many have been hard-pressed to keep up other essential health services that people need. “In a recent survey of health services in the region, 97 percent of participating countries and territories reported disruptions. 45 percent reported disruptions in at least half of their health services,” she continued. “These disruptions are having an inordinate impact on our first level of care. The first level of care is the foundation of our health systems. It is here where children go to for immunizations, expectant mothers receive prenatal check-ups and people living with chronic conditions receive their medications. “It’s also here where most COVID-19 testing and contact tracing takes place. Disruptions at the first level of care have worsened over the course of this pandemic, and the consequences have been devastating – particularly for routine immunisations.” She said if certain trends are not reversed the region risks “an avalanche of worsening health issues.” She said COVID-19 will not be the only health crisis demanding countries’ attention.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 29, 2021, PAGE 3
from page one
against the virus at a cost of $7.2m. “Our plan is to engage as many trained professionals as possible to provide healthcare to Bahamians and residents, and to get shots in arms, as quickly as possible, as our vaccine supply increases. We are also calling on all retired nurses, doctors and pharmacists to come forward and assist in this, our time of need,” he said. He also announced that Samaritan’s Purse will erect 18 beds at the Princess Margaret Hospital starting tomorrow. He urged residents to follow health protocols over the next few weeks, like wearing masks properly and limited contact with people outside of one’s household. “When you don’t need to be out, stay at home,” he said. He also said he has instructed the Secretary to the Cabinet to tell permanent secretaries to implement a schedule that lets public workers work from home where possible and he encouraged private companies to do the same thing. “We are asking you to do the things that will allow us to continue to openup and to press forward our economic revival and recovery,” he said. He also revealed that a new geofencing application will be introduced to replace the Hubbcat system in order to monitor people who should be in quarantine.
Your country needs YOU how old you are. The vaccines have been tested. “They are safe and effective. There is nothing to be afraid of. The virus that causes COVID-19 is easy to catch. “As the head of a leading health organization stated: ‘Viruses have one goal: to multiply.’ Countries will only get out of this pandemic, by vaccinating a large percentage of their populations. As you can see from our current situation, when large numbers of people get sick at the same time, it is harder for the healthcare system to take care of them. Dr Minnis noted that Infectious Disease Expert Dr Nikkiah Forbes has said that none of the hospitalised PMH cases or COVID-19 related deaths have been people who are fully vaccinated against the virus. He announced that the Pan-American Health Organisation has advised that the third tranche of pre-paid vaccines – 33,600 AstraZeneca doses – will arrive next week. He said he is communicating with the Secretary General of CARICOM to ensure there is no delay in the arrival of Pfizer vaccines from the United States. He said those vaccines will be offered to 12-to-17 year olds with the consent of their parents or guardians. “As a medical doctor of 40-plus years, I recommend that you take the vaccine,”
PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis during his national address last night. he said. “Do not listen to fake news over the medical science. Increasingly, in recent weeks with the spread of the delta variant there have been stories in the international media of people who refused to take the vaccine getting critically ill. Some, while in intensive care, desperately
asked to be vaccinated. Doctors have had to tell them that sadly it was not possible at that time.” Some of these people have died. “Some who are very sick or who are dying are now realising that they weren’t told the truth. There are those who said COVID-19
was a hoax, that the disease was not real. That was not true. Now there are those who are saying false things about the vaccines. COVIID-19 is not like a mild flu. Bush medicine will not cure COVID-19 or stop you from catching the virus.” Dr Minnis said there is
OPPOSITION Leader Philip ‘Brave’ Davis at a press conference yesterday.
PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Leader Phillip “Brave” Davis says the country is on the brink of a public health catastrophe. Hospital admissions due to the COVID virus have soared with 100 people now receiving treatment in hospital. Mr David said there needed to be unity among Bahamians and not divisions based on vaccination status or political affiliation. He also said people needed to receive information they could trust in order to make the best decisions for themselves. Suggesting ways to tackle vaccine hesitancy, Mr Davis said medical professionals should be made available to answer questions. In addition he suggested there were other ways to address the spread of COVID-19 like a private-public partnership to improve indoor air ventilation. The PLP held a press conference yesterday several hours ahead of Prime
Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ much anticipated televised address. Mr Davis said: “We have seen more than 1,600 new COVID cases recorded within the last three weeks. Our public health system is strained beyond capacity – described by one doctor as ‘ beyond breaking point’. “Over the last week, our country’s case count per 100,000 in population has been one of the highest in the world. We are a nation in serious peril.” However, Mr Davis insisted there is a way out of the pandemic and listed several measures recommended by his party to help chart the country forward to recovery. The measures proposed are increased testing, expanded testing centres and additional contact tracers — something the PLP has repeatedly called for since the onset of the pandemic. The PLP leader also called on the government to revisit its current testing policy for fully vaccinated people and partner with private medical facilities to assist with its vaccination
campaign among other things. Mr Davis said the Minnis administration has been more reactive than proactive in its response to COVID-19 and insisted there needed to be a feasible action plan to safeguard the country against more infectious COVID-19 variants. “If they don’t take the time to plan or understand what are the issues relating to this virus and have a fuller understanding of the tools necessary to arm ourselves and the Bahamian public to fight the virus, you’ll be continuing having these what I call off the cuff responses, not thorough (and) not connected to any logical science and we’ll continue to have the flip-flopping,” the opposition leader said at yesterday’s press conference. “I mean it’s troubling to me and it must be troubling to our people to see that this flip-flopping is such a dangerous virus that’s spreading amongst us.” The Bahamas has recorded 14,457 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic.
still no confirmation that the feared Delta variant of COVID-19 is present in the country though officials are acting with caution in view of the current surge. He said forty-nine medical staff and 111 nurses and nursing support staff will soon be hired to augment the fight on the frontlines
Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
DAVIS: WE’RE ON BRINK OF CATASTROPHE By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
Photo: Patrick Hanna/BIS
Of this count, 1,574 infections are still active, with 100 people said to be in hospital sick with the virus as of July 27. Mr Davis further echoes his previous assertions of an early general election, insisting the vote could still be held safely in the country despite the current situation. Speculation of an early election was reignited after Mr Davis voiced an expectation last week that a snap election would be called soon. Although Dr Minnis has since several times dismissed the claim – insisting only that he one knows the dates – Mr Davis told reporters yesterday he still holds true to his prediction. This comes as COVID-19 cases are once again spiking in the country, with concerns now arising that an early election – if called this year – could lead to further virus spread. However, yesterday, the PLP leader insisted that elections could be held safely once all the health protocols are followed and strictly enforced.
PAGE 4, Thursday, July 29, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
Nurses’ anger at delay in honorarium payment TOTAL CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES
RECENTLY CONFIRMED DEATHS
14,457 286 TUESDAY
130 CASES
• A 58-YEAR-OLD MAN FROM BIMINI ON JULY 26.
NEW PROVIDENCE 95 ELEUTHERA 13 ABACO 10 GRAND BAHAMA 6 EXUMA 4 BIMINI & CAT CAY 1 PENDING 1
BAHAMAS Nurses Union president Amancha Williams. By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Nurses Union president Amancha Williams yesterday voiced her anger at the delay of honorarium payments to COVID healthcare workers, calling it “deceptive and wicked”. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health issued a statement announcing the delay of payments to August. Health Minister Renward Wells had initially promised that the payments would be issued at the end of this month. Ms Williams has, since last summer, agitated for the government to make the payments it promised and her members were looking forward to seeing the money in their salary yesterday. She called the delay “unacceptable.” “It is so sad that the Minister of Health has failed
the people again,” she said. “They’ve had more than a year and a half to work out their list. They know exactly what they wanted to do from March. We met with the minister and talked about the Budget, creating and going through the list, verifying and ensuring. “The minister said that he would have, and I quote his exact words, ‘I would pay half in June and complete it in July, but I will go ahead and pay everybody one time in July’. He said that to the reporters on numerous occasions. “Excuses! Excuses! Excuses! If the truth be told, he is not telling the truth. We are very grateful in a season like this. We have waited for an honorarium and we were told that a number of nurses wouldn’t get it. “We’ve even said to the minister, ‘Come on let’s sit down and talk. Give everybody a little something
because everybody played a part’.” Ms Williams said nurses on every island played a role in the fight against COVID and should be given “a little something” for their efforts, which in most cases included risking their own lives. “We have so much entry points,” she continued. “We worked very hard to keep relatives alive; giving of ourselves, using techniques to survive in a time like this … a pandemic that seems not to want to go away. “We’ve lost six nurses from 2020 to now in various places … various institutions; SRC (Sandilands), Department of Public Health and PMH. The morale with the nurses in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas has dropped to the floor. So as the Minister hires (new nurses) they will be leaving. If he brings in 64, a hundred will be leaving.
SEVENTEEN Rand Memorial Hospital nurses in Grand Bahama called in sick yesterday affecting wards and inpatient services. In a press statement, the Public Hospitals Authority confirmed the nurses’ action saying calls came from nurses before the 8am and 3pm shifts. The authority said there had been no communication from the Bahamas Nurses Union that any action would be taking place. BNU president Amancha Williams said she had
no knowledge of any industrial action, saying only: “I know a few of the nurses said they were sick.” Rand Hospital Administrator Sharon Williams said the sickout came at a bad time. She said: “The alleged sick-out of nurses comes at a time when the Rand Memorial Hospital is already experiencing a nursing shortage, and against efforts to mitigate services during a pandemic which has strained resources. “This major setback has affected the Rand
Memorial Hospital’s wards and inpatient services as these areas were most negatively affected as a result of the sick-out.” However, she added: “Measures were taken to redeploy nursing staff that reported to work in strategic areas to maintain our ability to provide health care to our patients.” PHA said management will continue to monitor this turn of events and assured the public that everything will be done to ensure the patients receive optimal health care.
17 RAND NURSES CALL IN SICK
TOTAL TESTS
HOSPITALISED
118,017 100
CASES IN ICU
10
RECOVERED
12,501
BIMINI MAN DIES AS 130 CASES CONFIRMED MINISTRY of Health officials said 130 more cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the country in addition to one new death. On Tuesday, 95 of those cases were in New
Providence, six in Grand Bahama and 10 in Abaco. Additionally, there was one new case in Bimini and Cat Cay, 13 in Eleuthera, Exuma had four, and one of the cases was listed as location pending.
The new death happened on July 26, with officials saying the deceased was a 58-year-old man from Bimini. COVID-19 hospital admissions also rose to 100 from 93 the day before.
“We, as a union, thought that there were ways of making things better for the people. We came up with increases, scarcity allowances and benefits that don’t even require funding – a day off, a stress day, birthday’s off – just to ensure that our members were happy in working in a time when every time we turn around we are announcing death.” The union chief pointed
out that there was much stress and sadness over the past year in the field of healthcare due to COVID-19, the show of appreciation would have been welcoming. “We’ve seen loved ones crying … mother died, daughter died, dad died, uncle died … of the same family, back to back,” she said continuing. “This is not just emotionally, psychologically taxing …. It brought a lot of stress among us. At
the end of the day are we not even worth to be considered or thought about to say, ‘how would they feel? I know I’ve been promising. Let me fix it.” “We are dealing with greedy men with wicked ideas and only thinking about themselves while destroying a whole community of good people. I’m not scared to say that this is deceptive and wicked … the way they move,” she claimed.
CHINA DONATES $78,000 WORTH OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES THE Bahamas received a donation of $78,000 worth of medical supplies from the Chinese government yesterday, the sixth such batch of donations since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Dai Qingli, participated in a ceremony for the donation at the Ministry of Health. Bahamas Information Services said: “The items comprise 10,000 Tuberculin syringes, 3,000 sets of coveralls of various sizes, 10,000 pairs of Nitrile gloves, 30,000 N95 facemasks, and 100,000 medical face masks. “Minister Wells underscored that the donation is ‘most timely’ and assured that the items will go a ‘very, very, very long way’, especially during the ‘challenging’ period that the nation is presently experiencing. “Your country has been most gracious and generous to have given The Bahamas such a needed supply at our most vulnerable time and we are most appreciative
and grateful for the kind and thoughtful gesture,” he said. According to the BIS statement, Mr Wells said The Bahamas has benefitted greatly from the economic cooperation, trade, investment, cultural exchanges and bilateral support from The People’s Republic of China. “Your visit comes at a time when we are experiencing some new emerging challenges and threats brought on by the COVID19 pandemic,” he said. “On Sunday, 25 July, 2021, we experienced the most cases of COVID-19 in The Bahamas, some 133 cases in a single day. Moreover, as a Small Island Developing State, such surges in cases are a real challenge to a country like The Bahamas. “Currently, The Bahamas is experiencing its third wave of COVID-19 infections. What is noteworthy about this period is that hospitalisations have increased exponentially. Due to COVID-19 exposures on six wards of our
public hospital, bed spaces were closed to new admissions. The bed capacity was reduced by 96 so that only 32 beds were being used for COVID19 patients. As a result, Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) has had to establish strict measures to deal with the increasing COVID-19 cases. “Our nurses, doctors, emergency medical services and other essential health care workers continue to work hard. Currently, many of our nurses, however, especially those who are trained to treat COVID-19 patients have migrated to countries that can provide them with higher compensation rates. ‘With assistance from the Pan American Health Organization, we received the results of samples that were genetically sequenced from the Fiocruz Laboratory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We were recently able to confirm the presence of the UK and Iota variants in the country. This causes further concern from the Government.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 29, 2021, PAGE 5
Social Services staff protest By DENISE MAYCOCK AND LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporters SCORES of Social Services employees demonstrated across the country in a show of frustration yesterday, citing unfair practices, poor working conditions and unresolved workplace grievances. The demonstrations, which began around midday, prompted the closure of offices in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco, Exuma and other Family Islands. All social workers protested on their lunch break yesterday, The Tribune was told, and the group plans to write to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis with their demands to which they have given him said he has seven days to respond. In widely circulated videos, protestors on the various islands could be seen holding placards which read “overworked and underpaid” while chanting “promotion overdue” and “unfair treatment”. A similar exercise was also seen in New Providence, featuring dozens of workers demonstrating outside the department’s headquarters on Baillou Hill Road. According to social workers, their frustrations stem from years of neglect and disrespect. They are upset over the government’s failure to regularise workers in the unemployment work assistance programme, some of whom have remained unconfirmed for over 30 years. Workers have also hit out at the lack of promotions in the agency, which they claim are long overdue. They furthered that officials failed to establish a medical insurance or risk allowance plan for employees among other things. “I work as a case aide at SRC (Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre) where there is COVID all around, everywhere you turn – left, right and centre,” social worker, Natasha Todd told reporters during yesterday’s protest. “We are at risk. I’ve been on the work programme for 16 years. I’m a single mother. Have two children, working and only getting $220 or $210 a week.” “It’s very unfair to us and we work hard and they make demands and we’re always at work and we’re working like (permanent) people and in fact we have worked harder than the people because we carry the majority of the work.” Shenita Collie, senior clerk at the department of Social Services, agreed that workers deserve better treatment, saying staff morale is at an all-time low. She said: “For a long time, the Department of Social Services have been overlooked. They don’t seem to remember us unless
SOCIAL Services workers protest outside their HQ yesterday. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff it’s time for work. If a hurricane hit today, these same people they’re ignoring would want us to get up and go in whatever situation with no health insurance, no risk allowance… we are tired of being ignored. We want our promotions; we want a proper career path. We want a regularisation of staff.” Public Service Union president Kimsley Ferguson was also out in support of the social workers yesterday, saying enough is enough. He said ministry officials have not resolved workers’ concerns despite their claims to be working on the matter. He told reporters the group plans to write Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis and will give him “seven days” to respond to their grievances. “We’re saying to the government of The Bahamas that social workers will tolerate no more mistreatment and abuse while being required to serve the public during the course of any natural disaster that would take place in this country,” Mr Ferguson said yesterday. “In my view and in their view, these individuals are essential workers in this country. (They) should be considered for honorarium that’s been given. They should be considered for insurance. They should be considered for hazard pay and so we’re going to stand in solidarity across the length and breadth of this country until such time as the government with their dismissive attitudes pay attention to the concerns of the workers in this country. “Across the length and breadth of this Bahamas, Exuma, Inagua, Abaco and in Grand Bahama, in Nassau and in every family island. Social workers have taken this opportunity to make an appeal to the government of The Bahamas,” Mr Ferguson added. “The offices are closed. These people are entitled to a lunch hour and we’re using that today to make our voices heard.”
STAFF protesting in Abaco yesterday. Asked what’s the next step if workers’ concerns are not addressed, the BPSU president charged: “There is going to be an industrial action. We want our money, and we want it now.” Last month, social services employees demonstrated over a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit, refusing to serve the public until the system was repaired. At the time, Social Services Minister Frankie Campbell told reporters staff concerns were being addressed. Numerous attempts were made to reach Mr Campbell regarding workers’ latest concerns but were unsuccessful up to press time. Meanwhile, social workers in Grand Bahama protested at the Department of Social Services yesterday over a number of concerns, including increased pay and non-regularisation of long-serving staff. About 20 to 30 workers marched around the parking lot, holding placards and singing “Solidarity Forever”. Speaking on behalf of the workers, Juleta Ingraham said they are tired of being overlooked and ignored and disrespected as civil servants. “We are the most degraded profession in the civil service; we are the least paid,” she complained. Mrs Ingraham stressed that social workers in Grand Bahama continued working, even during the pandemic and Hurricane Dorian. “We never stopped working, we prepared the hurricane shelters and worked the shelters. A lot
MINISTRY AIMING TO GO DIGITAL By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE Ministry of Works has launched its Electronic Plan Review and Inspection System designed to digitise the current paper-based permitting and inspection process. The new system, officials said yesterday, will make a major difference in their ability to reduce the backlog of permits awaiting approval and cut down on the time it takes to process an application from start to finish. This is a welcome upgrade as officials at the ministry are currently battling a backlog of permit applications Around 1,000 to 1,500 applications are received by the ministry each year. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Works Desmond Bannister said the wait time for a building permit was “significantly long”, especially when projects desperately need to move forward. He said the new system will improve the country’s
ease of doing business. “The current time that it takes to process a building permit is estimated to be on average 55 to 75 days, that’s approximately eight to ten weeks,” he said. “That’s a significantly long time when a project needs to move forward and other approvals must be obtained from various ministries (and) agencies. “I am pleased to advise that the implementation of the programme will permit all of the agencies involved in the building permit process to review drawings concurrently, which is expected to reduce the processing time of residential applications to 15 days, two weeks (and) the commercial applications to 30-days or one month on average.” “As you all would be aware, it has been this government’s mandate to improve substantially the ease of doing business in the country. An important aspect, a part of achieving this objective is the improvement in the processing of construction permits, which I am advised has The Commonwealth of The Bahamas ranked
77th out of 190 countries in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index 2020 on ‘Dealing with Construction Permits’. Anticipated reduction in the time it takes to receive a building permit is anticipated to improve our ranking significantly in this area, and thus result in greater economic activity.” When the system is fully implemented, officials expect it will allow for realtime tracking of permit applications, GIS mapping for plan review and inspection processing, automate permit fee calculations and online payments, and improve customer service through the availability and tracking of the permit status. Mr Bannister added six companies were issued requests for proposals to provide a solution for the system, and bids were returned from three companies. After a detailed review of the proposals, Tyler Technologies was declared the winning tender. The go-live date is six months from yesterday’s launch.
of them lost loved ones, vehicles, and their homes, but they continued working. “We have absolutely nothing – no risk allowance, no insurance, no hazardous pay, but still yet some are unrecognised in The Bahamas.” Mrs Ingraham noted the unemployed programmers who are support staff at the Social Services Department are still not regularised as permanent workers. “They are the legs of SS,” she said, adding that some have been employed for 30, 20, and 12 years, earning only $210 per week, with no increase, and no benefits when they retire. “We are simply saying we are tired of it; we have been saying it over and over and repeatedly. This is a fight
we have had for some time now and it’s fallen on deaf ears. “What bothered me the most was that the government decided to go and regularise the 1,103 individuals of the 52-week programme, but still have not touched the regularisation of workers in Social Services. “To me, that is very wrong and very bad, and that is why we came out today. We say enough is enough.” According to Mrs Ingraham, some social workers with a Master’s degree have not even been regularised. She also added that there are people working monthto-month that have not received their letters of appointment as yet. “Social workers weave the fabric of society in every nation, but yet we seem to be the ones always walked on and disrespected and nothing happens,” she said. Social worker Latoya Cartwright, who is also the northern region vice president at the Bahamas Public Services Union, said that all public service agreements are still outstanding. “The government is refusing to come to the table, and social workers, not only in Grand Bahama, but also in the Family Islands, are working at a disadvantage to assist the community.” Ms Cartwright also noted that the career path in Grand Bahama is outstanding. “The list of concern is too long to mention – something must be done.” The union official said they plan to continue to protest and demonstrate until their demands are met by the government. “We plan to do this until they bend, they must come to the table. They must do what we elected them to do. We will not stop until we are satisfied,” she said. Kirkland Russell, vice
president of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas Trade Union Congress and vice president of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas Hotel Managerial Association, said workers are being denied basic human rights. He said the TUC stands in full support of the social workers in Grand Bahama. “The concerns that these workers have are not political. These are basic human rights concerns. The ILO (International Labour Organization) made it clear that workers’ rights are human rights.” “We cannot continue to allow the government to lead the way in the casual worker phenomenon,” Mr Russell said. “These persons (at SS) working for 10 and 15 years are not permanent and pensionable. We call on the government to make a decision concerning these workers.” Mr Russell said that the union is concerned that other employers will follow. “Looking at the industrial park in GB, at some companies less than 20 percent of employees are casual. This is detrimental to our economy and we say it must stop.” Referring to tragedy in Freeport on Tuesday, he said: “The tragedy that happened yesterday where three persons died, that could have been any one of those casual workers without insurance. We must do what is necessary to assist workers at SS, whether they are essential or not. “When disaster hits and they are called to be on the frontline, they are essential workers. When the pandemic hit, they are essential workers. But, when it is time to pay $1,400, they get nothing, and they are not essential workers. They must treat workers and the union with respect, and come to the table and negotiate a decent contract for the workers.”
PAGE 6, Thursday, July 29, 2021
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,
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Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .
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Prime Minister says it’s up to us THERE was a lot of anticipation ahead of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ national address last night – but did he deliver? With COVID cases soaring and Dr Minnis reluctant to stifle the resurgence of the economy, he was caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. So what did he do? He flipped the script. Rather than it being about what he would do to curtail the spread of the virus, he instead called on the public to do what it could to stop COVID short. He pleaded with Bahamians to take the vaccine, and criticised fake news. He pointed out that none of those who have died from COVID-19 have been fully vaccinated. He urged businesses to work from home where possible and said government workers would be doing the same. But mostly? He said it was up to us. There are no big changes in lockdown, no shift in quarantine hours, no adjustments beyond what was already in place with regard to gatherings – just a strong push to get people to stay at home if they don’t have to be out, and to wear masks and keep socially distanced if they do go out. There are some measures to help – some more medical staff being hired, Pfizer vaccines being offered to 12- to 17-year-olds with consent of their parents or guardians, a rethink of the Hubbcat system to monitor people in quarantine. Dr Minnis also warned how in other countries people dying from the vaccine
pleaded with medical staff for the vaccine only to be told it was too late. We have – or are about to receive – vaccine supplies to keep on putting into people’s arms. It might not be enough yet, but it’s coming. We have the knowledge of the daily routines we need to follow to minimise the spread. Those are the biggest tools in the fight against COVID – and we need to use them. Is that enough? Should we be shutting down more instead as in earlier waves? That’s the decision Dr Minnis has had to make. It is perhaps the biggest gamble of his political career. Is he doing enough to stop the spread of the virus himself? That’s a question he’ll be judged on whenever he does ring the election bell and the electorate gives its own verdict on his performance. Hiring more staff tells you how much need we are in – or are going to be in – as this wave continues. Which brings us back to Dr Minnis’ main plea. “As a medical doctor of 40-plus years, I recommend that you take the vaccine,” he said. “Do not listen to fake news over the medical science.” The virus is not a hoax, and the fake stories about COVID-19 and the vaccine are not true. So now we have a choice. Take the vaccine and save lives, or ignore it and watch the country get overrun with the virus. Put like that, it’s not much of a choice at all.
Commentators in the media can save lives EDITOR, The Tribune. IT IS difficult to read or listen to the media commentators in The Bahamas these days. They are a mixture of editors and other types of “thought” leaders. Nearly all of them are locked in the mindless loop of knee-jerk political criticism. It goes like this: The Government or Prime Minister says something. They then rant and rave, criticising what was said. Some take little time to think about the issue being discussed. Some seem not to even understand what was said. That does not stop them, however, from going on and on and on with mindless criticism. The Bahamas is currently in its second most significant COVID-19 wave, which may become its worst if current rates of infection
continue. Many more people will get sick in the weeks to come. Many more will be admitted to hospital. Many more will die. The media commentators can help with this. Rather than being vapid repeaters of the same old critiques, they should use their platforms to challenge the widespread vaccine hesitancy in The Bahamas. Bahamians believe a hodgepodge of nonsense concerning vaccines. They think they will be microchipped. They think the devil sent the vaccine. They think vaccines will make them sterile. The list of unbelievable foolishness goes on and on. The commentators should spend their time ramming home the message that vaccines save lives. Attack the foolishness
anti-vaxxers put out. They should spend their time telling people to limit their contacts during this surge. They should explain over and over why the vaccines are safe and effective. By doing this the pages and airwaves could be more filled with useful information that saves lives. The anti-Government, gotcha style of commentary is tired, repetitive and boring. We are in the worst public health crisis in our lifetimes. Those who have the power to influence thought have a moral responsibility to use that power responsibly. Too many are not. Let’s try to change our people’s minds about vaccines and help save their lives. The Bahamian commentators could do much better. MSG Nassau, July 22, 2021.
A tsunami of lies about vaccines EDITOR, The Tribune. THE government’s policy of allowing tourists who are at least two weeks past their double or single dose covid vaccine regimen to enter without covid testing is being savaged on social media as the supposed vector for our third wave of the disease. For this to be true, one would have to believe that most of the vaccinated but covid carrying visitors arriving here as early as May, when the programme started, are still here in which case some of the symptomatic should have presented to the hospital, been flown out on emergency medical flights or recovered without need for medical intervention. While we have a policy to allow the vaccinated in, the US and many other countries that receive direct flights from the Bahamas have entry requirements that include a negative covid test result. So, it is more likely that the vaccinated visitors who came here either did not have the disease when they arrived, or they all received false negative results in their covid tests before their return flights. It is not confirmed that the Delta variant of the disease is here, but it is not a stretch to imagine that it is. The best solution to bring the virus under control
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net is for all residents to get the vaccine. But just like in the US and elsewhere the drumbeat of deadly misinformation has even nurses and health care workers protesting being made to get the jab as a pre-condition for their job looking after covid-positive patients. When it comes to promoting vaccines, we as a nation have never collectively sung from the same music sheet. Even the news media which are sworn to be fair defenders of truth sometimes end up spreading incomplete information. A recent editorial told of six fully vaccinated people in the US who contracted covid at a wedding. For starters the wedding was in Texas, not Utah as the editorial claimed. Instead of reporting it as the uplifting story of how vaccines may have saved five lives, the opposite was conveyed. It was an outdoor wedding and guests were asked to be fully vaccinated. Two of the wedding guests had recently arrived from India (where the delta variant was first identified) and circulated amongst the 50 other guests. Six people in all were infected. Two of
A bunch of clowns A rational To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394
EDITOR, The Tribune. WAS it just a coincidence that your Monday’s editorial featuring the BPL bosses was almost right next to the cartoon of three clowns? I find it amazing that our power company manages to continue in spite of the fact that none of their phones work and that they don’t
even have a listing in the directory. This presents a bit of a problem to anyone like me who is trying to claim for damages resulting from a July 7th outage. Oh! and could anyone out there explain what exactly is meant by the word “issues”. CHRISTINA SMITH Nassau, July 27, 2021.
perspective EDITOR, The Tribune.
THERE was a letter in Wednesday’s Tribune referring to how to get a reluctant population here in the Bahamas to take the vaccine. Maybe some rational thought would assist?
In big numbers approximately 3,700,000,000 people that’s 3.7 billion have been vaccinated in the world. Recorded deaths due to the vaccine worldwide approx 11,000. Officially over 4.2 million people have died of COVID.
the guests had the Pfizer vaccine and two had the Moderna. Two had an Indian-made (not yet WHO approved) vaccine called Covaxin. One of the Covaxin recipients, a man in his late 60s with no covid-19 comorbidities, died from complications. The other five who survived had preconditions including high blood pressure and diabetes or were classified as overweight. The guest from India who died had received his second shot just 12 days before the wedding and the scientists suspect it may not have had enough time to take full effect. The drumbeat from all quarters ought to be that covid vaccines help prevent severe sickness and death. As we watch disturbing pictures of our most unvaccinated fellow citizens seeking treatment at public hospitals, we must be mindful that we are all paying for those who refuse vaccination. Ours is not a problem of vaccine hesitancy. We suffer from a tsunami of fear mongering, lies, exaggerations and spin driven and sustained on social media and parroted by some politicians, clergy and influencers. THE GRADUATE Nassau, July 28, 2021
This means statistically you are 382 times more likely to die of COVID than you are to die from the vaccine. Is that clear enough? THE REALIST Nassau, July 22, 2021.
red beTHE TRIBUNE Stephen mith to FRANK Smith outside court on Friday. custody Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
Thursday, July 29, 2021, PAGE 7
‘Die’ Stubbs murder eal $72,000 sentence is slashed n a month By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net THE Court of Appeal yesterday reduced the 45-year murder sentence of Stephen “Die” Stubbs by ten years. In 1999, Stubbs and two other men were convicted of the murder of At least two suspects re- former police officer Jimmy Ambrose. main at large from cases At his first trial, Stubbs was convicted and sentenced to that go back to 2014. death according to the mandatory Based on past experienc- death penalty. However, his appeal conviction was allowed and he es, ASP Thompson said she against was ordered to be retried. expects fraudsters to use Stubbs’ second trial was aborted on first day of the judge’s summation the stolen information to the of the case. make transactions within a And after his third trial, he was week after capturing the in- convicted and sentenced to life A3MAIN imprisonment. Nonetheless, when formation. Friday, July PAGE 3 he6, 2018, appealed the punishment in the Their period of op- Court of Appeal, although the panel his appeal against conviceration is usually about a dismissed tion, they allowed his appeal against month. Fraudsters have sentence and imposed a sentence of years’ imprisonment. been known to withdraw 45Stubbs further appealed to the funds locally and in other Privy Council that also dismissed his appeal against conviction, but jurisdictions. his appeal against sentencing. “We want the public granted At the time they ordered that Stubbs to be aware of their sur- be resentenced, ruling the Court of had not taken into account the roundings when using ma- Appeal breach of his constitutional right to be chines,” ASP Thompson tried within a reasonable time. They said. “Shake the mouth- further concluded that the Appellate Court had failed to consider the
THE TRIBUNE
ert skimming device, above right. Photos: Terrel W. Carey/ Tribune Staff STEPHEN “Die” Stubbs at a previous court appearance. stomers installing devices on ma- piece of the ATM. If it’s ,” ASP chines between 10pm and easily detached or rattled 3am. or appears to be tampered a “deep They are partly distin- with, don’t use the mavice” is guished by their cloth- chine. Notify the bank and FARRAH JOHNSON adjourned for trial. she police asked her department. for a ride. her ifIf she went to sleep he eByATM ing, wearing hooded jack- the Tribune Staff Reporter When Campbell’s former She said when she returned was going to kill her. She dsters.” ets, baseball peopleafter are said lurkfjohnson@tribunemedia.net girlfriendcaps gave and evidence suspicious to the apartment this made her feare A MAN their cutsunglasses yesterday, she said she and ing dropping the woman else- ful so she tried to get up despite the sumaround a machine, be his former Campbell shared a two- where, an “intoxicated” and leave, but Campbell aptures and don’t use that girlfriend onmer the weather. wrist bedroom apartment with aware Campbell “aggressively” “charged towards” her with a box cutterThey during often a magnetic have multiple machine. yourwithpin another couple. She said approached Protect her and told a box cutter. She said drunken rage, a court was on the evening in question, her to tell their male roomas you enter the codewhen intoshe put her hands up told yesterday.cards at ATM machines, a their roommates “had a sit- mate that she saw his in self defence, Campbell in Paulthe Campbell sign ofwasprobable criminal the machines.” arrested after he was uation” where the woman partner bring another man ended by slicing her on her araccused to beof assaulting brought Thompson another man into into their unit.investigate susactivity,and ASP Banks the apartment. She said The when threatening to kill his Thomp- said. pected witness fraudsaidand victims former girlfriend on May when Campbell saw this, she told the accused she This isn’the the firsttheir timemale could to get their notified did notexpect see anything, he 30, 2021. whoaffectcame home money began arguing her so He deniedthe thecountry alle- roommate caught has been back,with ASP Thompgations when he first and asked the woman to she went into the room cameras ed bySenior skimming son said. leave. fraud. to lay down. The woman appeared before
MAN ‘CUT EX-GIRLFRIEND’S WRIST WITH BOX CUTTER’ THE CROWD at the World Relays in The Bahamas - and below, Chris Brown racing for The Bahamas at the event.
Dropped - no cash for World Relays
from page one
Efforts were also made to contact Pauline Davis, the IAAF councilwoman, but she declined to comment. Davis, who will celebrate her 52nd birthday on Monday, said she preferred to wait until she received clarification from the government. But Bahamas Association of Athletic Associations’ president Rosamunde Carey, who served as chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the last World Relays in 2017, said it’s quite disappointing that The Bahamas will not be the A9MAIN host any more. “It’s very unfortunate that after working so hard to make The Bahamas the destination for the World Relays that we won’t be able to host it again,” Carey said. “Over the years, we have made this one of the
Magistrate Derence Rolle Davis and the case was
premier events hosted by the IAAF, because a lot of the things that were introduced at the World Relays are now being staged at various meets by the IAAF.” The latest addition was the mixed relays, was staged for the first time in 2017 at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium when the team of Steven Gardiner, Shanuae MillerUibo, Anthonique Strachan and Michael Mathieu won The Bahamas’ first gold at the championships in a time of three minutes and 14.42 seconds. The IAAF has agreed to add the mixed relays to its schedule of events during the IAAF World Championships, scheduled for September 28 to October 6, 2019, in Doha, Qatar. Also since the three previous championships, held in 2014, 2015 and 2017, the IAAF has introduced the teams as a quartet when they entered at the start of
the 100m on the track, and athletes and dignitaries that the winners were presented attended. with their medals immedi“It’s very disappointing, ately following the event. but we understand the conThose two features of the sensus of the government,” World Relays were also car- she said. “As the former ried over to some IAAF chairman, I just want to say events. thank you to the previous Carey said that while The Bahamas Government and Bahamas won’t host the the IAAF for allowing us to event on May 10-11, 2019, showcase such a prestigious as originally planned, it’s event. not known who will pick “We have made The up the baton and stage it Bahamas a global sporting next year. She said that she mecca, hosting the event to had spoken to IAAF presi- the high standard that the dent Lord Sebastian Coe, IAAF expected us to put and several countries have on. We have been able to expressed an interest. put the event as a staple on She indicated that Coe is their calendar and fulfill the expected to make a formal confidence that they had announcement on the can- placed in our council and cellation by The Bahamas The Bahamas in general.” and theThursday, possible July venue With the 9BAAA prepar5, 2018, PAGE for the next host country by ing to go to elections in next week. November, Carey said she’s The last World Relays, not certain if the BAAA according to Carey, was would be putting in a bid estimated to cost about to host any other event in $5m to stage, includ- the next few years, including accommodations and ing the return of the World transportation for the Relays in 2021.
Campbell’s ex said after the woman was kicked out
said when she did, Campbell followed her and told
RY OF FINANCE WORKER FORMER MINISTRY EMPLOYEE old to prove link Dess OFin $500,000 FRAUD WITHDRAWS APPEAL case COURTfraud DEBATESFRAUD NAME IN FRAUD CASE
By FARRAH JOHNSON LA Tribune Staff Reporter orter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net dia.net
he n, tst t-
period of time Stubbs had spent under a sentence of death. Yesterday, Justices Sir Michael Barnett, Maureen Crane-Scott and Milton Evans reduced Stubbs’ 45-year prison sentence by five years as compensation for the breach of his constitutional rights. They further deducted another five years “to take into account” the time Stubbs spent on remand for the offence. In their judgement, delivered by Sir Michael, the panel ruled that it was possible for an “otherwise reasonable sentence” to be reduced to compensate for the breach of a constitutional right. “The sentence of 45 years imprisonment imposed on the appellant is a reasonable sentence in the circumstances,” Sir Michael said. “However, having regard to the 14-year delay which resulted in a breach of the appellant’s right to a trial within a reasonable time and the two years spent under sentence of death, the appellant’s sentence is reduced by five years. “In all the circumstances, we are satisfied that a reduction of five years would be reasonable compensation to Mr Stubbs for a breach of his constitutional rights. In the circumstances, the sentence should be 40 years. Having regard to the five years the appellant spent on remand, the appellant is sentenced to 35 years imprisonment from the date of conviction on July 25, 2013”.
Johnson was also charged By NICO SCAVELLA with 10 counts of Tribune stealing Staff Reporter by reason of employment. nscavella@tribunemedia.net He is accused of being A CROWN witness concerned with others yesterday and stealing a total of confirmed that former Ministry of Finance $445,996.42 in cash from accounts clerk James the ministry between Anwar December 21, 2016, andJohnson also went by his middle name, folMarch 31, 2017, which lowinghe extensive legal had access to by virtue debateofover the user name his employment. connected to a local busiJohnson also faced one ness allegedly receiving count of attempted thousands stealing of dollars in by reason of employment unauthorised payments. for allegedly attempting to Director of Information steal $41,115 from the minTechnology at the Minisistry on April 5, 2017. try of Finance June Collie not only In November, he was confirmed that she of an “Anwar Johnarraigned before knew Magisson” on who worked at the trate Samuel McKinney an additional two ministry, counts she also identified the person currently on trial of falsification of accounts the man to whom she and as well as twoascounts was referring, and that he of stealing by reason of employment for his answered alleged to that name on multiple occasions. actions between November The revelation came 25, 2016, and April 5,a 2017. day after lead Crown It is alleged that on both attorney Terry Archer November 25, 2016, and to exhibit certain sought April 5, 2017, while documents serving containing as an accounts clerkJohnson’s at the purported user MOF, Johnson falsified the tag ‘FINANJO’, which was payment records of allegedly VMMS used to facilitate Business Service, purportcertain unauthorised paying to show that ments it was at the ministry. entitled to receive two Those sepa- documents, which hard copies of certain rate payments of of were $37,500 files retrieved from the minand $69,996 respectively. JAMES ANWAR JOHNSON istry’s system by Ms Collie, It is further alleged that contained on both November 25, the user name the police who requested the Crown previously faced, ‘FINANJO’; the first three certain information from according to Magistrate 2016, and April 5, 2017, lettersofrepresent an abbre- her, Ms Collie conducted Armbrister, was that while Johnson stole, by reason his employment, viation $37,500 for finance, while a query on the ministry’s the user tag ‘FINANJO’ the letter’s ‘AN’ and ‘JO’ system and retrieved cer- suggested a forename and $69,996, the property of purportedly represent the tain information, which she beginning with the letthe Bahamas government. first two letters of Anwar then uploaded into Micro- ters ‘AN’, the charge sheet Yesterday, however, Mr and Johnson. soft Excel and ultimately listed Johnson’s first name Archer indicated thatAccording the to Magis- produced in hard copy as James, and not Anwar. prosecution would be withtrate Ambrose Armbrister, format. As a result, the magisdrawing counts 14 after and 26 being approached by However, the issue that trate questioned if sufficient against the accused, which dealt with falsification of accounts and attempted stealing by reason of employment. Johnson now faces 24 charges for alleged actions between December 2016 and April 2017. Johnson has pleaded not JAMES Anwar Johnson outside court previously. guilty to the charges.
evidence had been led to He subsequently establish was a strong enough connection between John-sentenced fined $12,500 and son and the user name notwithstandto ‘FINANJO’, two years in prison for ing the issue of which first he went by. thename offences. he Thus, Magistrate yA FORMER Ministry of IfAmbrose he fails to pay Armbrister had the fines, d ordered that the Crown s,Finance employee who was he would could risk spending an have to establish a d Finance “nexus” between Johnson’s c-found guilty of defrauding additional two on former user name and theyears othe ministry of more than person currently on trial. raigned remand. Yesterday, after much te$250,000 has withdrawn his legal debate on the issue, attorney, Johnson’s le Ms Collie first confirmed ourt on O’appeal that sought to chalthat based onFrancis, the informaDevard initially ntion provided in the user efraud’,lenge his conviction. tag, as well aschallenge being familiar his consought to nwith the names of the variIn March, James Johnson, as viction before the ous ministry employees, she Court of ver half hewas convicted of stealing knew of an “Anwar JohnAppeal. son” who worked there. us by reason When questioned, she within a of employment, However, they said she was told bywhen coltefalsification of accounts leagues and other persons ve appeared before Justices that the individual in quess”and attempted stealing by was “Anwar Johnson”, er Sirtion Michael Barnett, Jon but never actually walked nreason of employment. ohnson, up to him andCarolita introduced Isaacs and Bethell er The former Ministry of herself. or However, she in Beach yesterday, MrsaidFrancis said oFinance accounts clerk falmaking her rounds around sJohnson intended the Cecil Wallace Whitfield to withthe payment records JAMES Johnson outside court as esified Chief building, she would see this me draw his now appeal. “Anwar” and again, of VMMS Business Service previously. and also heard that person FerguThe Crown d-from respond to “Anwar”also when intended December 15, 2016 to he others would call out his appeal Johnson’s two ofApril to speak with him. counts 5, 2017, purporting $41,115 from the ministry to name rs After a bit more prodyear sentence. on April 5, 2017. ding, she ultimately . to show that VMMS Busiccounts identified the “Anwar” h However, Sirshe Michael During his trial before ness Service was entitled to spoke of as Johnson seated d in the court room. noted that the Department te rnreceive 2016payments nearing Magistrate Ambrose ArmJohnson is accused of PublictheProsecutions did ministry of ng$500,000. brister earlier this year, of defrauding over half a million dollars n provide a five-monththem period. with any Johnson, being con- Johnson maintained his notwithin d He has pleaded not guilty ercerned with others, stole a in respect of ohnson, innocence. And at the submissions to the charges. The trial continues. their application. n,total of $445,996.42 in cash close of the proceedings, the atat “No skeleton submissions Magistrate Armbrister l-from the ministry between ds e, falsi21, 2016 and found that the Crown was have been provided,” he ceDecember 6,March 31, 2017, which he only successful in proving stated. “This court cannot cords of ng i-had access to by virtue of Johnson had facilitated be held hostage like that. o Service the theft of $258,000 and In the circumstances we nghis employment. are on going to dismiss the attempted theft of also accused JOHNSON, 27, outside court Friday wherethehe 5, Johnson 2016, wasJAMES of attempting to steal $41,115. appeal”.
faced Photo: Terrel W. Carey/Tribune Staff
porting S Busiitled to totaling
fraud-related charges.
had ac-
her that two pairs of handcuffs were used to alleviate
ed to apply to the Supreme while leaving, particularly MAN TOLD PAYfor$500 MARIJUANA FINE Court TO for bail his client. as he had gone through the
Before concluding Johnprocess when By FARRAH JOHNSON that around 2.20pm on the same foil wraps. He was sub-officers Tribune Staffson’s Reporter day in question, a team of had sequently arrested and arraignment, however, escorted him to court charged fjohnson@tribunemedia.net officers on mobile patrol taken to a nearby station the chief inmagistrate ex-area for his he arraignment. the Wulff Road where admitted to the f stealA MAN caught with a observed the accused who offence in an interview pressedearher appeared observation that Mr Francis stressed that employquantity of marijuana to drop a plastic with police. lier this month must pay Johnson was a fairly “heavy something had to be “funbag near a vacant lot.FORESTERDuring his hearing before sed of 2018 $500 to avoid spending They then approached Magistrate Samuel McKinset man,” him whoandseemed to damentally wrong” with th oththree months behind bars. informed him ney, Nixon pleaded guilty to be “unduly uncomfortable” process. He also sugPolice Jeremiah that he would be searched that one count of possession. total ofarrested Nixon after they found 5.8hands in reference to danger- gested He was subsequently with his being cuffed it was even more hounces from of Indian hemp on ous drugs and firearms. fined $500 or three months to Departhim considhim Deon July 13.behind his back. When they examined concerning at the Bahamas en The magistrate’s the bag he’d dropped, ment of Correctional senior officer told ering how some individuals d court was March told A yesterday they found several silver Services. in custody were taken into the courtroom through a
wrist before punching her with his other hand. The court was told the woman called the police a short time later and reported the matter. During the hearing, Campbell was represented by attorney Dion Smith. When he cross-examined
the witness, he suggested that she had made up the allegations because she was angry at her ex-boyfriend. In response, she said the incident was not the first time that Campbell had threatened her. The case continues on August 30.
PAGE 8, Thursday, July 29, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
MOURNERS prepare to bury coronavirus victim 27-year-old Nancy Ndanu Musyoka, a high school teacher, with her daughter Jaylla Musyoka, in Kakungu village, Kitui county, Kenya, yesterday. Photo: Brian Inganga/AP
“Infodemic: An excessive amount of information about a problem that is typically unreliable, spreads rapidly, and makes a solution more difficult to achieve.” With human tragedies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, there are those willing, often happily, to exploit human frailty, fear, anxiety and ignorance. Misinformation, disinformation and lies are fashioned into powerful munitions by those who aggressively stoke panic and hysteria for political, financial and other gain. Some political leaders denied the seriousness of the pandemic. Some played games over restrictive measures for political reasons. Charlatans have sold fake remedies to rake in profits. Irresponsible religionists have claimed vaccines are the mark of the beast or balked at necessary public health measures for private gain. Rabid anti-vaxxers have offered a tsunami of ridiculous and obviously false and doctored claims about the virus, its variants and vaccines. Sadly, there are now millions of sick or dead victims of such manipulation and exploitation. As noted by one observer in the paraphrasing of a classic insight: “In pandemics, as in war, truth is often the first casualty.” Cordell Hull, the longest-serving US Secretary of State, who served under Franklin Roosevelt for 11 years and who also helped to found the United Nations, paraphrased an old adage: “A lie will gallop halfway round the world before the truth has time to pull its breeches on.” Such lies rapidly penetrate cyberspace and every continent before truth has an opportunity to have its morning tea or coffee and certainly before the truth can educate and inform those already infected by pernicious and deadly untruths on everything from vaccines to the outcome of elections, to vicious claims about ethnic and other minority groups, to climate change denialism. Mass misinformation, like viral pathogens, have accompanied pandemics from the Antonine smallpox plague of 165-180 A.D. in Rome to Europe’s Black Death, to the 1918 Flu Pandemic, to COVID-19.
During the Black Death, Jews were scapegoated and massacred because of fake news about them poisoning wells. The difference today, as noted by social psychologist Sander van der Linden, is that: “Technology enables the spread of misinformation in a way that wasn’t possible before.” As reported at Frontiers in Public Health: “COVID19 has been referred to as a ‘digital pandemic’ due to the multitude of information in various forms that have been circulated since it got first detected…” More than three billion people are regularly on social media for endless hours every day. It is now the primary information source of communication and information for most of those on these platforms. More Bahamians get their information from WhatsApp and Facebook. Most Bahamians, especially those under a certain age, do not read newspapers, watch television news nor search for accurate news from reliable sources online. We all know friends and associates who endlessly forward fake information on the disease, believing such information is true, basing life and death decisions, including getting vaccinated, on non-credible and often dangerous sources. Many people continue to believe false claims and stories even after they are debunked, including through daily barrages of “myth, rumours, pseudoscience or altered facts”, which many believe, strenuously refusing to seek out other information.
FAKE CLAIMS
As observed by the Brookings Institution: “Widespread panic, especially when it involves a disease with unknown and lethal consequences, lends itself perfectly to fringe notions reinforcing already-held world views, producing what the World Health Organization recently termed an “infoepidemic”. The tragic antidote to this fake information on COVID will be a personal health scare or the death of a loved one. A news story on a US network on Tuesday night told the story of two brothers.
A season of sadness, dying and regret
One of the brothers barely survived COVID19. His brother, 60, who had similarly refused to be vaccinated because of fake news circulated by others, left his brother’s hospital bed and rushed to a Walgreens to be vaccinated immediately. One hospital in the UK got a letter from a former patient who recovered from the many effects of the virus. He wrote about his fake claims and false suppositions about the disease: “I wish I could take back everything I believed and everything I said about this.” A dear friend recalls being in a bank line at home and overhearing an exchange about an upcoming lunar eclipse. One gentleman asked a friend, “Are you going to watch the eclipse?” The response: “I don’t bother with those demonic things!” A natural occurrence, explicable through science, was in this worldview caused by an evil force. The mindset is Medieval, something some may have believed in the fifth to fifteenth centuries or in a much earlier period in human history. Years ago, a letter to the editor in a local journal condemned the various obelisks found at public monuments on New Providence such as at the Cenotaph in downtown Nassau. The monument, located in the Garden of Remembrance, pays tribute to those military men and women who lost their lives on behalf of their country but is deemed by some conspiracists as something dark and nefarious. Much of the world and many Bahamians engage in magical thinking fuelled by a lack
of basic appreciation for science and the scientific method. This method is classically defined as: “a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.” It is a method based on the gathering of tested facts. Many people in the world do not understand basic science, including what is a virus, a germ or a vaccine. In place of this is typically a jumble of superstition, easily exploited and morphing into an ant-scientific mindset and often fuelled by fundamentalism.
SCIENCE
What percentage of Bahamians actually believe or appreciate the basic constructs of evolutionary science? This lack of basic scientific knowledge is linked to health illiteracy. The Lancet noted in an editorial: “Referred to as the silent epidemic, health illiteracy is the inability to comprehend and use medical information that can affect access to and use of the health-care system.” Many are dying or becoming gravely ill because of a lack of understanding of basic medical and scientific facts. A late aunt of an acquaintance used to tell the latter that God was in charge of when she died. The aunt was obese, never exercised and ate poorly. A predestination worldview is often an excuse for not making good decisions on health matters.
A grave lack of understanding of viruses, vaccines and measures to protect and to preserve life, is leading to mass death around the world. This is a part of the great and sad tragedy of COVID-19. Millions are suffering and dying needlessly, including loved ones here in The Bahamas. A mother on television in a southern US state, who was vaccinated, could not convince her son, the great love of her life, who suffered from obesity, to get vaccinated. She recently buried him. Some are using the funerals of loved ones as venues to get others vaccinated. In numerous stories here at home and in global media reports, vaccine hesitancy by those who have fallen ill from SARSCOV-2 has become regret by those who previously refused to take a vaccine for a complex of reasons, including a host of fears. A relative recites the regret of a colleague in her 60s who, in Bahamianese, “stenched” in getting vaccinated because of the many WhatsApp and Facebook posts she digested laced with arsenic-like bogus claims about the danger of vaccines. After contracting COVID and becoming quite ill, she is now
determined vaccinated.
to
TOLD LIES
get
Around the world, many people now realize they were lied to by those who downplayed the dangers of the SARS-COV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease, with potential long-term physical and mental effects. After battling the disease for weeks, 51-year-old Glenn Barratt recently died from COVID-19 in the United Kingdom. He had previously decided not to be vaccinated. His last words to his bedside nurse on the vaccine: “I wish I had.” In this phase of the pandemic, with many now personally experiencing the reality of the disease in real time and not through fake information and falsehoods spread through various platforms, we are in a season of sadness, dying and regret. Hopefully, more people will respond to their loved ones and to credible sources and get vaccinated in order to save their lives. As more people are vaccinated, the SARS-COV-2 virus and it variants, which can become deadlier and more pernicious, will ruthlessly exploit the unvaccinated with greater lethal force than viral fake memes.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, July 29, 2021, PAGE 9
Problems for the pollsters - they just can’t get it right
STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
PUBLIC opinion poll- points in the national popuing here in The Bahamas is lar vote and 4.3 percentage neither high art nor exact points in state polls. In an election when science. In fact, if we weren’t bombarded with references nearly 160 million votes on American television sta- were cast, that amounts tions to the latest “breaking to missing the results by news” from some poll or 6.5 million votes or more. another in the US, we might Biden’s final margin was not not pay any attention at too much larger than that. It’s hard to conclude on all to this often influential, lucrative but decreasingly this evidence that polling reliable method of deter- did a very good overall job mining public attitudes on in 2020 of correcting the social, political and eco- inaccuracies and outright errors from 2016. nomic issues. Speaking at a private Some observers in the US still blame polls for Hillary conference recently in New Clinton’s stunning presiden- York, well-respected polltial election loss to Donald ing historian and analyst Trump five years ago. Karlyn Bowman agreed. According to this narrative, She added that one major newspaper Clinton was lulled to sleep American by inaccurate last-minute had concluded “polling is polls in the key Upper Mid- broken and no one knows west states of Wisconsin how to fix it.” Bowman, who has anaand Michigan. Believing the polls lyzed polling for more there foretold a comfort- than 40 years, has worked able victory for her, Clinton at the conservative think tank American skipped any late Enterprise Instipre-election tute for most of appearances in ‘While polls that time, and these tradition- in the ‘golden has gained wide ally Democratic era’ of such respect from states. But she her peers, even lost them, and legends as many George Gallup those Pennsylvania who disagree where the poll- were able with her righting was also leaning politics. dicey, and the to pinpoint Most experts US got four attitudes and regard her as years of Trump opinions, the professionally as its President. Despite essen- polls now tend non-partisan. In addition to tially blowing to get swept up pollsters’ failthe call on the in the general ing to sort for 2016 election, voter education American poll- hysteria and level prior to the sters remained polarisation 2016 elections, mostly confident of American Bowman said, in their methods. the polls did not They said the politics.’ – and could not, reason for the errors five years ago was given the pressure of deadthe polls had not measured lines – count the large late for the educational level of vote that year. “Far more voters than potential voters. This meant support usual made up their minds among white, less educated very late in the election male voters for Trump was cycle,” she said. “They not accurately assessed and made their decisions and thus the poll predictions of voted after the pollsters had election results turned out wrapped up their work. And on available evidence, these to be incorrect. Pollsters figured out a late-deciding voters appear way not to make that same to have cast their ballots mistake again. And they overwhelmingly for Trump.” Last year, the polls missed did avoid sampling errors on education in last year’s again. Bowman thinks a big reason for this is simply election. But they still goofed. In many Trump voters have fact, as pollsters’ perfor- become inured to regarding mances in 2020 are being government officials, pollassessed in the aftermath of sters and other official and another disappointing per- quasi-official individuals as formance, the polls at least basically untrustworthy. Hearing Trump consistforecast Joe Biden’s victory. In polls in individual states, ently lambast polls may well however, the results were dis- have hardened his supportastrous, and have compelled ers’ attitudes and led them to the industry to review their either decline to participate in opinion sampling or delibermethods once again. According to a study ately misrepresent their views, conducted by the Ameri- “if only to mess with the polls can Association for that they see as biased against Public Opinion Research conservatives in general and (AAPOR), public opinion Trump in particular.” While all 66 polls polls in the 2020 presidential election were damaged Bowman personally studied by errors of “unusual mag- correctly forecast Biden’s nitude”, the highest in 40 win, only two-thirds got the years for surveys estimating Senate races right. This, she the national popular vote said, “is a huge problem for and in at least two decades pollsters”. A huge impediment to for state-level polls. In a press release, accurate polling in the the AAPOR task force internet and COVID age reported it had examined is the stark decline of in2,858 polls, including 529 person polling, Bowman national presidential race said. During the pandemic, traditional polls and 1,572 state-level door-to-door presidential polls. They sampling disappeared. Pollfound the surveys over- ing by phone broke down as stated the margin between 70 percent via cellular and President Biden and former 30 percent via landline. “When poll takers used President Trump by 3.9
landlines,” Bowman found, “it took over 25,000 calls to harvest 200 valid responses. When they called on peoples’ cell phones, it was also daunting. “People use callerID. The estimates were that 40,000 calls were required for 800 good surveys.” That’s an unsustainable business model. As in-person polling becomes prohibitively expensive, Bowman said “polling needs to become innovative in ways that have not been previously imaginable. They literally have to reinvent their professional methodology”. “Now,” she continued, “pollsters too often follow the lead of the national media. While polls in the ‘golden era’ of such legends as George Gallup were able to pinpoint attitudes and opinions, the polls now tend to get swept up in the general hysteria and polarisation of American politics.” Someone asked how Joe Biden is doing so far in the polls. “I think he has very solid approval ratings, with especially high marks on his handling of the COVID pandemic. If the disparity in hospitalisations and deaths from the virus continues to widen among vaccinated and unvaccinated, the Republicans’ embrace of anti-vaxism may hurt them badly.” Bowman said Biden’s lowest ratings come on matters such as immigration, crime and, increasingly, concern about rising inflation. That makes sense. The confusing mess at the southern American border with Mexico, regional concerns about defunding police and episodic rises in crime rates and the natural inflationary pressure of massive federal spending on COVID relief are all reasonable concerns in voters’ minds. Biden’s ratings, Bowman said, are steady at five to ten points above Trump’s highwater mark of 47 percent approval. And she said there is some polling evidence Trump’s preponderant influence on the national scene is receding: more Republicans now identify as members of the GOP than as supporters of the former President. Still, the spectre of big government and big spending loom over the political landscape. Bowman said “since 2013, a majority of people see government as a large problem, especially the federal government. State and local governments are often considerably more popular”. Asked about the dampening effect of polls on voters’ willingness to actually go vote, Bowman said this is much more apparent in Britain and other relatively smaller democratic populations. “I see little evidence that there’s much of an effect of polls on American voters,” she said. Someone asked if pollsters would do better in 2022 than in 2020 in election forecasting and voter assessments. Bowman just smiled. It’s clear political parties and the news media will both have to hope the pollsters can solve some of their most vexing problems in the next year. If they don’t, the political business in the United States will have to seriously examine how to figure out what voters want.
THE American House of Representatives is finally convening its own Commission of Inquiry on the hot topic of the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. As is often the case these days in American political life, attempts to make the commission bipartisan and objective have run aground on Republican
next year, Democrats will have an opportunity to tar them anew with the sticky sleaze of the former administration. There are bound to be numerous good theatrical moments during the hearings, and perhaps the Republicans can be made to pay a price for their cravenness.
HAVE THEY NO SHAME? attempts to wish away a profoundly disturbing and embarrassingly sordid episode in the arc of US history. As House Republican leaders continue to debase themselves in the fading hope that by aligning with former President Trump they can recapture control of their chamber
PRESIDENT Joe Biden - pictured during a visit to the Lehigh Valley operations facility for Mack Trucks in Macungie, Pennysylvania, yesterday - was at least correctly predicted by polls to win the presidency this time around, but pollsters still have to solve problems with their surveys to regain confidence. Photo: Susan Walsh/AP
PAGE 10, Thursday, July 29, 2021
THE TRIBUNE
THE TRIBUNE
BIDEN TO LAUNCH VACCINE PUSH FOR MILLIONS OF FEDERAL WORKERS By ALEXANDRA JAFFE and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Hoping to set a model for employers nationwide, President Joe Biden will announce Thursday that millions of federal workers must show proof they’ve received a coronavirus vaccine or submit to regular testing and stringent social distancing, masking and travel restrictions. An individual familiar with the president’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm details that had yet to be announced publicly, emphasised that the new guidance is not a vaccine mandate for federal employees and that those who decide not to get vaccinated aren’t at risk of being fired. The new policy amounts to a recognition by the Biden administration that the government — the nation’s biggest employer — must do more to boost sluggish vaccination rates, as coronavirus cases and hospitalisations rebound, driven largely by the spread of the more infectious delta variant. Biden has placed the blame for the resurgence of the virus squarely on the shoulders of those who aren’t vaccinated. “The pandemic we have now is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Biden said during a visit Wednesday to a truck plant in Pennsylvania, where he urged the unvaccinated to “please, please, please, please” get a shot. A day earlier, he mused that “if those other 100 million people got vaccinated, we’d be in a very different world.”
Details The administration on Wednesday was still reviewing details of the expected guidance, and significant questions about its implementation and scope remained. It was unclear whether the president would issue similar requirements for the military and how federal contractors would be affected. The administration is announcing the move now with the hope that it will give agencies enough time to craft their own guidelines and plans for implementation before workers return fully to the office. The announcement is expected to come as part of broader remarks Thursday that Biden promised would outline “the next steps in our effort to get more Americans vaccinated.” The individual said the conversation around the new vaccine guidance had been in the works for some time and was intended to provide an example for private companies to follow as they get ready for workers to return this fall. But it’s just the latest policy shift from the administration during a week of new coronavirus mitigation efforts, as the White House grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalisations nationwide driven by the delta variant and breakthrough infections among vaccinated Americans.
Thursday, July 29, 2021, PAGE 11
HAITI’S NEW PM PLEDGES TO HOLD ELECTIONS SOON AFTER SLAYING NEW Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry pictured last week. (AP Photo/Joseph Odelyn) PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s newly installed prime minister, Ariel Henry, held his first press conference on Wednesday as he pledged to hold elections as soon as possible following the slaying of President Jovenel Moïse. Henry said the government’s mission is to hold
free, honest and transparent elections with a large voter turnout as he stressed the need for security. He also said he wants to fight unemployment and reestablish confidence in the country’s judicial system, adding that he has been meeting with civil society leaders and others since being sworn in on July 20.
“The discussions up until now are difficult but constructive,” he said, without offering any details or taking any questions. Henry stressed the importance of reconciliation and unity, adding that he wants a new model of government: one that is transparent “and above all, free of corruption.” The press conference,
which lasted less than 10 minutes, was held just hours after Henry met with a new Cabinet behind closed doors. He only briefly mentioned the investigation into the July 7 attack at Moïse’s private home in which the first lady was seriously injured, saying that those responsible need to be brought to justice.
At least 26 people have been arrested in the killing, including 18 former Colombian soldiers and a top police official who served as general coordinator for Moïse’s security detail. Authorities are still searching for other suspects including a former rebel leader, an ex-Haitian senator and a Haitian Supreme Court judge.
YOUTH FOCUS OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN MEXICO’S THIRD WAVE
By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hours after Mexico City authorities raised the capital’s COVID-19 alert level in the face of surging infections, especially among young people, residents packed a plaza on a pleasant evening in the charming Coyoacan borough. Among them was Mario Estrada Flores, a lanky 21-year-old college student, who along with nine friends — all without masks — started up an impromptu rap performance that drew dozens of applauding onlookers. “I’m not worried about getting infected because I’m young,” Estrada Flores said. “I have more defenses than an older person ... we have the idea that since we’re young nothing bad is going to happen to us or if we do get it it’s not going to be so strong.” Specialists say that attitude is common in Mexico’s youth, a population that is driving the increase in infections in the country’s third pandemic wave. Mexico has registered 2.75 million confirmed infections and more than 238,000 COVID-19 deaths, both figures the government concedes are significant undercounts. The country’s death total places it behind only the United States, Brazil and India. Throughout the pandemic, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has resisted imposing strict lockdowns seen in other countries or limiting travelers arriving from abroad. His government opted for a rapid expansion of hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients, recognising early on that much of the population had to leave home every day to work and feed their families. The number of new infections has been rising since mid-June and is now up more than 40%, according to government figures. But unlike the last spike in cases in December and January, hospitalisations, and especially deaths, have been rising much more slowly. Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said Tuesday that the number of infections were about 37% higher than Mexico’s first wave, but still had not reached the heights of its second. He said mortality was 77% lower than during the first wave and 87% lower than the second. “The potential of this epidemic is very large and it is growing very rapidly,” said Dr. Andreu Comas, a professor at the San Luis Potosi Autonomous University’s Medical School and Center for Health Science
PEOPLE sit inside a bar in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City, Friday. Specialists say Mexico’s youth is driving the increase in infections in the country’s third COVID-19 pandemic wave. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Research and Biomedicine. He said in the 29th week of Mexico’s pandemic, the country exceeded 16,000 daily infections, a figure 2.7 times larger than the same time last year. Comas said this new wave could be far-reaching because “now it is hitting the bulk of the population which is the group between 16 and 55 years old.” That counts for half of Mexico’s 126 million residents. “It is the population that moves the most because on one hand it is the country’s economic engine and on the other it is the population with the most social life,” he said. The younger side of that group also remains largely unvaccinated, making them more vulnerable in this
wave, said infectious disease expert Dr. Francisco Moreno Sánchez, of the ABC Medical Center in Mexico City. This week, in an attempt to slow rising infections, the government added people 18 and over to those eligible for vaccinations. So far, about 42.4 million people have been vaccinated, according to the health ministry. That is about 47% of the adult population, but only about 30% of the total population, leaving many vulnerable, Moreno Sánchez said. “Many of them are going to be infected, they are going to have to be hospitalized and there is no system that can help control this,” Moreno Sánchez said. The Delta variant is another factor
in this most recent surge in cases, as it has been in much of Latin America. It is far more contagious and has a shorter incubation period, Moreno said. The San Luis Potosi Autonomous University has said it is present in at least 23 of Mexico’s 32 states. López Obrador downplayed the threat of the latest wave, saying that it would be “less damaging” than the first two, “because we have fewer hospitalsations and most importantly, fewer deaths.” The president ruled out closing stores or other businesses, saying the government would not “exaggerate with authoritarian measures” because “we all already know how to take care of ourselves.” López Obrador was infected with the virus in January. On Tuesday, the president revealed that his 14-year old son Jesús Ernesto had recently been infected. He said they had been together, because they didn’t know he was infected because “it doesn’t hit adolescents hard.” He said neither he nor his wife had problems because they were vaccinated. López Obrador said he shared that information to calm fears and remind people that the vaccines have demonstrated their effectiveness. Authorities will focus on expanding the vaccination campaign because there is no other option for facing the virus, he said. During a break in the rap performance, while some of his friends danced to reggaeton in the plaza, Estrada Flores, a first year student in administration, conceded that being out without a mask “is a little ignorant on our part because we’re taking a risk and we have older relatives, and we also put them at risk.” While some of his friends don’t trust the vaccines, he said he was open to getting it, because “it’s better to take care of ourselves, because of the older people we have at home.” Across the city, Alejandro Carrillo, a 28-year-old doctor, was in a small bar drinking beer and dancing salsa with 20-some others, all without masks. “I had not gone out, but now I’m vaccinated,” Carrillo said by way of explanation. He said infections were rising because “people are overconfident.” He said Mexicans would have to keep taking care of themselves because “infection is going to be everywhere, in the metro, on the bus, here, in the street, anywhere.”