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VOLUME:117 No.183, AUGUST 20TH, 2020

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER:$1

FACE-TO-FACE: HOW MJ IS OVERCOMING THE ODDS

SANDS LETS RIP ‘HURRICANE’ MAY ARRIVE

BY SUNDAY

Former minister accuses government of blundering by: • No coherent plan to tackle crisis • Vilifying public for COVID spread • Having no grasp on realities of life

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands said Monday’s sudden lockdown and subsequent policy reversal will make it “infinitely more difficult for the government now to win the public confidence again”.

His comment came as residents swarmed grocery stores, gas stations and water depots in New Providence yesterday, crowding the island’s streets after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis lifted the full lockdown on Tuesday afternoon.

“People were p*****d off,” Dr Sands, pictured, said. “People were angry that they were forced into a position where they didn’t have the opportunity to do what responsible people do. ‘I didn’t get medication for my mummy,’ ‘can you help me to get some water,’ ‘I need a five gallon bottle of water, Dr Sands can you help me to get it?’”

On whether a full lockdown will ever be feasible for New Providence, Dr Sands said: “Anything is feasible and realistic if it is properly planned and executed. What is not reasonable is an ad-hoc spur of the moment decision that does not take into account the reality of life in The Bahamas, particularly for the least among us. Yes we are able to participate in a lockdown, and yes the overwhelming majority of Bahamians, and I’m speaking about my view that greater than 90 percent of Bahamians support the idea that the virus has to be beaten and that an obligatory part is aggressive social distancing, but people still have to eat and people still have to take medication, people still need basic necessities of living and when you are forcing people to make the choice between complying with a protocol and living, then they are going to have to choose survival.”

SEE PAGE THREE

THE National Emergency Management Agency is closely monitoring a weather disturbance projected to threaten The Bahamas by Sunday.

A broad area of low pressure located about 1,000 miles east of the Windward Islands is being monitored for possible development into a tropical storm, as environmental conditions are conducive for its growth, NEMA said in a statement issued yesterday.

“The system is moving generally west northwestward at 15 to 20 mph.

Computer models presently indicate that this system is to eventually move into The Bahamas SEE PAGE TWO

IDB WARNS: 100,000 JOBS ON THE LINE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

STRIPPED BARE

PANIC shoppers flooded food stores around the capital yesterday after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis reversed his decision on the seven-day severe lockdown for New Providence

MORE than one in every six “formal” jobs in The Bahamas could be lost due to COVID-19, the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) has warned, making 100,000 workers “vulnerable” to the fall-out.

Drawing on a paper produced to assess COVID-19’s impact on regional employment, the IDB said the findings estimated that almost 18 percent of jobs in the Bahamian formal economy could be lost due to the contraction and subsequent restructuring the pandemic will likely cause.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

DAME JOAN - RIGHTS ARE BEING BROKEN

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

DAME Joan Sawyer has insisted the government has infringed upon the constitutional rights and freedoms of Bahamians who have been subject to lockdowns, leaving a window open to sue the state over this infraction.

The former Court of Appeal president, in a missive explaining her interpretation of various

DAME JOAN SAWYER articles of the Constitution, said it appears that even if the competent authority

makes orders to protect the citizens and residents from the novel coronavirus, a person who is detained without reasonable cause to suspect that he/she has the virus or has been exposed to it, would still have the right to sue the government for infringement of his or her constitutional rights and freedoms.

Her remarks came in response to comments from Law Reform Commissioner

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

SEE PAGE FOUR

Obituaries & religion will be in The Tribune tomorrow

PAGE 2, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

PINDER PREDICTS ‘A SILVER LINING BEHIND DARK CLOUDS’

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

LABOUR Director John Pinder said officials expect more job layoffs in the coming weeks, but he appealed to employers to have patience as a “silver lining is behind these dark clouds”.

This comes just a few weeks after he said unemployment “will not necessarily increase” due to the new lockdown.

He told The Tribune yesterday it was the hope of the Department of Labour that the government’s 13-week unemployment benefit extension would actually encourage companies to keep their workers

employed.

“Most likely,” Mr Pinder said yesterday, when asked if there was an expectation that more small businesses would lay off staff due to the pandemic and current lockdown. “But we are hoping that the fact that the government extended this grace period for another 13 weeks that it would help.

“While the persons only get $150 per week, they are still getting something.

“We are hoping that it will cause the employer to hold these people until at least the end of September and hopefully something changes by then.

“Some companies are already looking at the forecast and saying they won’t make it to open so some

will make the decision to give people separation packages.”

He urged employers to be patient.

“There is a silver lining behind these dark clouds.

Certainly the world is hoping that there is some kind of cure for this thing or some way to control it so that borders and tourism are able to fully open up.”

However earlier this month, when asked about the same issue, Mr Pinder was optimistic employers would not rush to layoff staff due to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ imposition of a “two week minimum” lockdown.

“Unemployment will not necessarily increase because of the new lockdown,” Mr

Pinder said on August 4. “I think for the most part, it all has to do with the economy opening up. Because we have that extended 13 weeks with NIB that gives the employer some time to try to get their business in order. And, so we don’t expect any extra layoffs just because of the lockdown that is happening now.

“We recognise that once you are in an extended layoff period, NIB is still giving you some level of assistance and that is the view of the employer not terminating you, but keeping you in an additional layoff position so that when the economy opens again, you have your job.”

In June, Labour Minister Dion Foulkes said the

country’s unemployment rate could be as high as 40 percent, but stressed officials won’t know the exact figure until the Department of Statistics does its jobs survey.

Earlier this year, concerns were also raised that NIB might not pay clients whose employers deducted contributions from their salaries and did not make payments to the agency.

Mr Pinder previously assuaged those fears.

“NIB is saying once the person has proof of employment and the contribution being deducted, NIB is still going to process those persons for unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit,” he said two weeks ago. “So they are

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

not holding that against the employee. NIB will certainly go after the employer in cases like that. They have a policy and protocols in place that if an employer does not come in to make the necessary arrangement for the payment, then they have the right to prosecute.

“It also depends on the position the employer is in.

Because of COVID, they might have some level of leniency but if these persons have not been making the contribution payments prior to that then that is a different situation. NIB will make their judgement call on how far back the employer is on the payments.”

Editorial View - Page 6

POLICE CAR DAMAGED AT PROTEST A POLICE vehicle was damaged during a protest near Windsor Park on Tuesday.

Police said 39 people were arrested during the short-lived protest because they did not have lawful permission to demonstrate.

“The officers questioned the purported leader to determine if there was any permission granted to conduct a protest,” a police report said.

“It was discovered that a certificate was not granted for permission to demonstrate. The crowd was asked to disperse, however, they did not comply and as a result 39 people were arrested and will be charged for unlawful assembly. During the ordeal, one of the police vehicles was damaged by a protester. As a result, that individual will be charged with the offence of damage to government property.”

The group began to gather around 9am Tuesday, intent on protesting the ‘no notice’ seven-day lockdown for New Providence imposed by Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis on Monday night. The harsher elements of the lockdown were reversed Tuesday afternoon.

The group had planned to march to Bay Street but were quickly stopped by police.

PANIC shoppers flooded food stores around the capital yesterday after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis reversed his decision on the seven-day severe lockdown for New Providence. Long lines of anxious shoppers were seen around the island, some queuing from early morning, and police were called to a Super Value location yesterday to quell chaos. This prompted Super Value to release a statement noting there was no need to panic shop, as its stores “are fully stocked” and there will be “no shortage of food.”

Super Value said there is a three-month supply in the chain’s warehouse and items were being imported every day.

‘HURRICANE’ MAY ARRIVE BY SUNDAY

from page one

by Sunday, August 23, with the likelihood of it strengthening into a hurricane as it passes through the our chain of islands,” said Trevor Basden, director of the Department of Meteorology.

“Based on current projections, the Department of Meteorology will likely issue alert messages starting Thursday.”

Residents throughout the country are being advised to closely monitor the progress of this system and to heed local advisories.

On Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis reversed the harsh seven-day lockdown imposed on New Providence a day earlier, which mandated the closure of food stores, water depots,

private pharmacies, and gas stations.

In a statement explaining the U-turn, Dr Minnis said the reversal came after Cabinet was briefed by weather officials on a storm that may impact the country and after residents raised concerns with him.

He conceded residents and businesses need more time to prepare for such a lockdown.

NEMA director, Captain Stephen Russell, said at this point, residents should have basic preparations in place to safeguard their families, homes and businesses.

Basic preparation kits should include: flashlights, a battery operated radio, canned foods, a manual can opener, bottled water, waterproof container for important documents, medications, first aid supplies, among other things.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 3

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

Another 107 cases & two more deaths

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

ONE hundred and seven COVID-19 cases were confirmed yesterday and the death total from the virus increased by two for a total of 22.

The latest deaths include a 46-year-old man and a 65-year-old man, both of New Providence. The country now has 1,531 confirmed cases, of which 1,296 are active.

The Ministry of Health also revealed the impact the virus is having on bed space with 61 people now hospitalised in the country, adding that the previous figure on hospitalised cases was inaccurate.

Clarifying hospitalisation numbers, the ministry said: “It is noteworthy to mention that when a person has contracted COVID19, symptoms may be mild enough for a person to selfisolate at home. However, when symptoms become severe, a person may need a higher level of medical care. (On Tuesday), the 18th August, 2020, edition of the COVID-10 Bahamas dashboard reported there were seventy-eight persons hospitalised. The number of persons actually hospitalised tallied at forty-seven.

“The discrepancy represented a misclassification of persons at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre. This institution is generally not designated as an acute care hospital or facility, rather a long term care facility.

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis The first positive COVID19 person was identified at SRC on 25th July, 2020.

Contact tracing and further testing activities have identified additional cases at this institution. Of the positive cases, 20 persons are having symptoms and counted as clinical inpatients ‘hospitalised’ and are in isolation.”

Officials also reported an additional non-COVID related death, bringing the total to three. This category refers to people who had COVID-19 but died from an unrelated disease/ incident.

The newly confirmed cases include 59 people on New Providence, 44 on Grand Bahama, one on Exuma and three with locations classified as “pending”.

The dashboard information came after the latest Emergency Powers Order was issued, which allows laundromats to open between 6am and 9pm along with grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, hardware stores, and water

depots or water production companies.

As for laundromats, they must maintain fifty percent occupancy.

Billed as a “storm preparedness” order, the document was released after 5pm yesterday, hours after the previous order had expired.

The order followed Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ reversal of his decision implementing a near complete lockdown of New Providence.

The new curfew is 10pm to 5am daily.

However, only essential workers and businesses are allowed to operate away from home.

People can now leave their homes to obtain water from public standpipes between 6am and 9pm under the order.

Manufacturers can produce goods for food stores or mail boats for interisland trade from Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm, “provided that the manufacturer does not

Ex-minister Sands accuses government of having no coherent plan from page one The Tribune understands there was deep concern among some of the prime minister’s Cabinet colleagues about the level of consultation that preceded Monday night’s announcement.

Dr Sands, who resigned as health minister in May, suggested he does not support another lockdown if a broader plan is not articulated.

“As a surgeon I try to look at the root cause of a problem,” he said. “The root cause of this is multifactorial. We have a number of weaknesses in our approach to COVID19, we are trying to make decisions with inadequate data, we have issues with persons spreading this virus in restaurants, office buildings, health facilities and so on and that means that we have widespread community transmission so our approach has to be multifaceted and I think we need to now be focused on enforcement and education so that people consistently practice an approach to COVID-19 all the time.

“Suggesting we can just lock a country down without a plan that every single Bahamian can articulate is

FORMER Health Minister Dr Duane Sands not the way. If you simply lock down and open up and nothing is different, isn’t that the definition of insanity? What is the plan? How will people earn a living once you come out of the shutdown and will you be doing things the same way as before?”

He continued: “Lockdowns are effective if you are buying time to implement a particular plan. The World Health Organisation has made it clear that national lockdowns are not the way to go unless you are doing it for a particular reason to roll out a policy that will be articulated to the general public. What we’ve done is we’ve vilified the population. We’ve said you are the reason why we are in this problem as opposed to saying we are

all partners together and if we work together and agree this is going to be the approach. So this is going to take wide consultation, real consultation. This is not a one man job.

“We have to try and demonstrate that we are worthy of trust. One of the things we have to do is apologise, own the problem that we have done some things that we shouldn’t have done.

What that does is it humanises the government and gets people to understand ‘hey, I’m not the only one a part of the problem, the government is also a part of the problem.’ We’ve all made mistakes, I’ve made mistakes, but we have to work together to move forward.”

Editorial View - Page 6

open to the general public.”

Wholesale grocers or bakers can deliver to food distribution centres, the Department of Corrections, retail grocers or mail boats heading to Family Islands.

Commercial banks,

insurance companies, brokers and agents can operate daily between 8am and 5pm while commercial fishing businesses can operate to deliver catch to processing plants.

Weddings remain

prohibited. However, funerals that were prearranged to be held between August 18 and August 25 can be held if they are conducted at the graveside and are limited to five people excluding officiants and mortuary workers.

PAGE 4, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

MITCHELL: I AM APPALLED BY THE SCENES OF CHAOS ON THE STREETS PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell said some people have asked the party to move a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis over the chaos that erupted over his seven-day lockdown of New Providence and subsequent U-turn.

However, he said the official opposition moved such a vote last year and was unsuccessful, adding it could only be done once per

By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net THE president and members of the Bahamas Communication and Public Officers Union are calling for the immediate resignation of the general manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas.

The union has alleged bullying, threats and a lack of empathy at BCB after COVID-19 exposure at the public broadcaster.

Standing outside of the gates of the BCB, located at Rusty Bethel Drive off Collins Ave, the union expressed a lack of confidence in the BCB’s general manager, Kayleaser Deveaux-Isaacs, saying she has failed her staff.

“The reason we have gone to the press is because of the heartlessness of management at the Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas,” BCPOU leader Dino Rolle said.

“The union is simply asking for the resignation of one Kayleaser Deveaux-Isaacs because she has failed her employees.

“After making a number of sacrifices, our members, who are owed outstanding amounts of money, have

parliamentary session or once in a five year term. Since this is the case, he said the only solution the Westminster system allows is to now force a general election.

Last December, PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis gave notice in the House of Assembly that his party planned to move a resolution of no confidence in Dr Minnis.

The opposition was concerned over whether Dr Minnis misled

Parliament during debate last year on a resolution to enter a five year agreement for the Town Centre Mall to house the General Post Office. The resolution was brought because the mall is partly owned

by St Anne’s MP Brent Symonette, who was the minister of immigration and financial services at the time. That vote failed however.

Mr Mitchell, pictured, said yesterday: “I am appalled at the scenes of chaos on the streets of New Providence today.

This is caused by the Prime Minister.

“Some have asked the PLP to move a vote of no confidence in the government. Please remember that we did that and it was defeated in December last year. The rules

only allow one such vote per parliamentary session.”

Mr Mitchell said a local talk show host wants to know “where the PLP is on the resignation of the Prime Minister.”

He also said: “The PLP has called for him (Dr Minnis) to do so innumerable times. As late as this morning, we suggested given the loss of confidence by the people, the only solution our system allows is to force a general election.”

now to hear, because they have refused to go back into an unsanitised building where they were exposed (to COVID-19), management is trying to bully them back on the job.

“My members insisted they were concerned about their own health and safety. . .management has ratcheted up their bullying tactics by threatening the jobs of my members; threatening to downsize the corporation because they can’t have their way and continue to

expose my members. I think that is unconscionable. It shows that the general manager lacks empathy for her staff.”

Staff at the BCB first received a memo on Saturday, August 15, telling them the government broadcaster was closed until Monday, August 17 due to a staff member contracting the COVID-19 virus. The memo instructed staff to return to work on August 17. The building opened on Monday and then staff

received a second memo on Tuesday, August 18, telling them that the company would be closed again due to a second staff member contracting the virus. Monday’s memo also said that management and the board of directors were determining how to restructure the company and that restructuring might include downsizing.

Mr Rolle said employee fears have been exacerbated by management’s alleged failure to ensure

tests were done on staff who were exposed to those who contracted the virus. The first employee who tested positive is a sports reporter.

It is unknown who the second employee is, but it is said to be someone from the News Department.

“My members are concerned about their health, the health of their families and refuse to return on property until full sanitisation measures are taken and persons exposed are isolated and ordered to stay away from the workplace,” Mr Rolle said. “Despite the exposure of the BCB staff, Ms Kayleaser DeveauxIsaacs insisted that BCB employees prepare written statements explaining why they were unable to return to work.

“Repeatedly, after the government issued its return to work guidelines and indicated in the guidelines about the employer’s responsibility to the employees as it relates to the Health and Safety Act providing them basic personal protective equipment, the management at this Broadcasting Corporation has refused to do so.

Even as recently as August 10th the BCPOU sent a communication to management that they have yet to

some constitutional rights and freedoms would have to be curtailed in the public’s interest and for the public’s safety.

Dame Anita said: “In this regard, Article 29 provides ‘Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of Article 19, any provision of Article 20 other than paragraph (4) thereof, or any provision of Articles 21 through 26 (inclusive) of this Constitution to the extent that the law in question makes in relation to any period to which this Article applies, provision, or authorises the doing during any such

period of anything, which is reasonably justifiable in the circumstances of any situation or existing during that period for the purpose of dealing with that situation.’

“Further, the governor general is authorised to make regulations by section 3 of the Emergency Powers Act, for the purpose of securing the public safety during an emergency, and is authorised to delegate to authorities or persons, the power to make rules and orders for any of the purposes for which the regulations are authorised to be made.

Regulations authorised to be made for the purpose of

dealing with emergencies may provide: for the detention of persons; restriction on their movements; and for the apprehension, trial and punishment of persons who offend against the regulations.”

As a result Dame Anita said considering, Article 29 of the Constitution, and section 3 of the Emergency Powers Act, laws may be made in an emergency which curtail a person’s right not to be arbitrarily arrested or detained; the right to the protection of the law except that provision of Article 20(4) which expressly prohibits the conviction of any act or omission which was not an offence at the time it was done; the right to the privacy of home and property; freedom of religion including the right to manifest religion in worship, practice and observance; freedom of expression; freedom of assembly and association; freedom of movement; and freedom from discrimination.

However, Dame Joan said this explanation neglected to consider several other constitutional articles. Further, she said to refer to Article 29 of the Constitution as if it stands alone is “disingenuous”.

“It is noteworthy, however, that in your presentation you made no mention of Articles 2, 17, 18, 27 and 28 of the Constitution which are also included in Part III of the Constitution and which are not mentioned in Article 29,” Dame Joan said in response. “…No one, in their right mind would say that a government modelled on the Westminster model of democracy, does not, in a true national emergency, have the power and the duty to, for example, quarantine persons who have infectious diseases,” she also said.

She also said: “The difficulty for you and the present administration is that it has exercised an exorbitant power on the pretext that they are concerned to save lives

from this ‘deadly virus’ by detaining every person in The Bahamas — except for persons they have in their wisdom deemed ‘essential workers’.

“In rushing to judgment based on an opinion tendered by a retired president of the Court of Appeal and current law reform commissioner under a contract of or for services with the government, no account was taken of the other provisions of the Constitution which must be borne in mind when advising a government, which is contemplating making such draconian orders as have been made by the present administration which have become increasingly restrictive of the exercise by ordinary persons of their entrenched human rights of freedom of movement, freedom of conscience, freedom from arbitrary arrest. . .

“Even though Article 19 and 20 are referred to in Article 29, it is relevant to note that Articles 18 and 19 also refer to Article 29.

Therefore, to read Article 29 as if it stands alone or is superior to the other articles dealing with fundamental rights and freedoms, is disingenuous as well as dangerously misleading. . .”

In modern times, the detention of whole segments of a particular populace was practiced by people like Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin, Dame Joan said.

“The United Nations’ Human Rights Convention as well as the European Convention on Human Rights were directed to the prevention of such excesses for the future yet, here in 2020, the government of The Bahamas has detained not just a segment or segments of the population but the whole population except for those they describe as ‘essential workers’.

“If your argument is correct, there is nothing wrong with the government inflicting torture, or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment on people who have not been charged with any

TV union boss leads calls for BCB chief to resign from job

respond to. And, now we are where we are having two persons who have contracted the COVID-19 one of whom has done so because of the first case.”

Ms Deveaux-Isaacs did not respond to calls or messages from The Tribune seeking comment.

However, BCB executive chairman, Frederik Gottlieb released a statement saying he and the BCB board of directors are satisfied that the general manager and executive team immediately applied all necessary COVID-19 protocols as outlined by the Ministry of Health and the Department of Environmental Health Services.

“The board fully supported these actions,” his statement said. “The relevant areas affected were cleaned and sanitised immediately after the first positive test and thereafter, the entire building was sanitised and cleaned.

“The board and executive management are deeply concerned for the health and safety of all staff members and will continue to follow the advice and protocols of the Ministry of Health and Department of Environmental Health Service as the pandemic is navigated,” he said.

breach of any law let alone the orders of the administration during a declared period of public emergency,” she continued.

Before July 10, 1973, Dame Joan said, there was one occasion when the then governor placed the country under martial law and a squad of soldiers from the Gloucestershire Rangers was sent here and billeted in Oakes Field – that was during the General Strike of January 1958.

Dame Joan also said there is a “serious lack of trust in the veracity of the information being given to the public and yet they are being even more drastically restricted in the exercise of their undoubted freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution itself”.

“You also made no reference to Articles 27 and 28 of the Constitution,” she continued. “Article 27 protects from deprivation of property without prompt and adequate compensation. “. . .Article 28 deals with the enforcement of fundamental rights of any person in The Bahamas.

“So far as relevant to the issues under consideration, Article 28 reads as follows: “28. – (1) If any person alleges that any of the provisions of Articles 16 to 27 (inclusive) of this Constitution has been is being or is likely to be contravened in relation to him then, without prejudice to any other action with respect to the same matter which is lawfully available, that person may apply to the Supreme Court for redress.”

Dame Joan continued: “. . .It appears from the above provisions that even if the competent authority makes orders, ostensibly to protect the majority of the citizens and residents of The Bahamas from the virus, a person who is detained without reasonable cause to suspect that he/she has the virus or has been exposed to it, would still have the right to sue the government for infringement of his or her constitutional rights and freedoms. And, of course, Article 29 does not, and could not logically refer to this article.”

Top lawyer insists government could be sued over lockdown from page one

Dame Anita Allen, who last week argued it is lawful to lock the country down, impose curfews, quarantines, requirements to shelter in place, and wear masks in public and to impose penalties for noncompliance, provided such acts are unlawful at the time they were committed.

Dame Anita, also a former Court of Appeal president, maintained that regarding the constitutionality of the regulations, orders and protocols, the framers of the Constitution anticipated there would be times of emergency when

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 5

CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

TURNQUEST: IGNORE FAKE NEWS

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PEOPLE waiting at the Church of God Auditorium on Joe Farrington Road for food vouchers from the National Food Distribution Task Force.

Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Dozens wait at church for food vouchers

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net SCORES of people waited for hours yesterday at Church of God Auditorium on Joe Farrington Road to receive food vouchers from the National Food Distribution Task Force.

The task force has been inundated with requests for assistance since Monday night, and a representative said more volunteers are needed to vet applicants.

Although seating was provided, individuals were in the hot auditorium with no air-conditioning. There were complaints of the slow

process to receive the $50 Super Value voucher and the lack of social distancing in the crowded room.

Gejonte Miller, project manager of the Red Cross arm of the task force, estimated roughly 800 people came to the church but the group was only prepared for 500.

The project manager said applicants must register at rapidbahamas.com if they are seeking food assistance.

Then registered individuals get a rapid ID number, a call from the centre to be vetted and are later assigned to a distribution centre and given a time and date to come.

“What’s been happening

is after the prime minister gave his speech the other day persons are then either confused or have the wrong information and they are feeling that if they need food that they can just come to a food distribution centre without having registered and so that’s why we’re seeing an increase number of persons,” she said.

“We’re backlogged because overnight there were some 2,500 to 3,000 persons that would be registering overnight and. . .a call centre has to individually call and vet each one of these persons, it takes some time. We don’t have the manpower to actually be current with our list.

“We’re going to try to bring on some more volunteers next week so that we can have more persons at our call centre actually calling and vetting.”

Some in the queue complained about the process.

Ashley Evans, 32, said she has been at the centre before but said yesterday was unorganised. She had been at the auditorium since 5.45am yesterday, but claimed others who came after her were being served first.

“It is moving very slow, mainly because persons that came here after 8 were able to be served before the people that was here from five and six o’clock like everybody who came late was

able to be served and the people who came here early to get the early numbers we’re still seating here,” she explained.

Tamika Oliver, 45, said she had been waiting since 6am, but when The Tribune spoke with her she had yet to receive a voucher.

The hotel worker is unemployed right now and doesn’t have any food in her home. She thinks the process for voucher distribution is not applied fairly.

“They give you a number but there’s still people here who ain’t had no number, walk in, get coupons . . .

What’s the number process for if you aint gonna stick to that?”

TOURISM CHIEF LOOKING TO AN OCTOBER UPTURN

By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Tourism is eyeing late October as the return of its global marketing strategies, hoping by then the country is ready to reopen, Tourism Parliamentary Secretary Travis Robinson said yesterday.

“We are looking at around late October for phase one (of the reopening) and the early part of November, if everything pans out, for the final phase as we go back out and infiltrate the market with the tourism brand of The Bahamas,” he said.

He said about $13 million in ads were put on hold when Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis implemented restrictions last month to

again slow the spread of COVID19. “Since the country readjusted by going back to a lockdown, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation halted all our marketing overseas to understand what’s happening globally and locally,” he said. “There was a need to ensure the message we were selling about The Bahamas being open for business is unified across all our marketing areas. We have some nine different offices all around the world so there is a need to ensure we are sending unified messages in terms of what people can expect with respect to the restrictions and protocols put in place by the competent authority.

“The situation has been fluid in the country. At one particular time there was the COVID-19 negative test that was required, then there was the 14-day quarantine

requirement and then adjustments were made again so hotel properties have been deemed quarantine sites. To ensure we are not back and forth to the global community about our message that The Bahamas is open for business, we are holding our ads. We have been meeting on a regular basis discussing the new marketing campaign that will involve every island of The Bahamas in our new market going forward.”

Mr Robinson said when the country is ready for business again, tourism officials want visitors to get their travel visas quicker than they did when the country last reopened.

“We’ve been meeting with a local company to adjust the process for accepting COVID-19 negative tests from guests,” he said. “One challenge we experienced when guests

JAILED FOR VIOLATING CURFEW

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A 27-YEAR-OLD man who pleaded guilty to violating New Providence’s curfew was sent to prison yesterday because he could not pay a $750 fine.

Shaquille Williams appeared before Magistrate Cara Turnquest-Deveaux charged with curfew violation after police found him on Faith Avenue around 3pm on August 18.

Prosecutor Waynette McPhee told the court officers were on patrol when they observed a man walking on Faith Avenue. Sgt Mcphee said officers then questioned Williams about his reasons for being on the street, but he could not give “a satisfactory reason”.

He was taken to a nearby station where he admitted the offence. St Mcphee

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said Williams later claimed to police he left his house because he was going for food and water.

During yesterday’s hearing, Williams agreed with the facts read by the prosecution and pleaded guilty to the charge.

Magistrate TurnquestDeveaux subsequently ordered Williams to pay $750 or six months at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services.

However, in response Williams said: “I can’t pay that. I could do the time starting today.”

Kemual Stewart, 30, also appeared in Magistrates Court yesterday. Stuart was charged in early May with assaulting his neighbour with a cutlass and threatening to take his life as well as violating the lockdown on May 2. According to the prosecution, Stewart’s neighbour, Cornell Forbes,

reported to police that around 11am that day Stewart approached him with a cutlass and threatened to “chap and murder him”.

As a result, Stewart was arrested and taken to the East Street South Police Station. During an interview with police, Stewart admitted to being in an argument with the complainant and a woman over parking on his lawn.

He was remanded to prison on May 4 after pleading guilty to the three charges. Yesterday, Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis sentenced Stewart to prison for 18 months for assault with a dangerous instrument, another 18 months for threats of death and four months for violating the lockdown.

Those sentences were ordered to run concurrently beginning from the day Stewart was remanded in May.

submitted their tests was the turn around time to issue them their travel visas. “You can have anywhere up to 2,000 to 3,000 visitors coming to The Bahamas each day, even more. The demand to have those negative tests processed manually by individuals at the command centre became strenuous so we are at the table negotiating with a local company about participating in that work. We are looking at the possibility of an automated system and artificial intelligence so when we do reopen, tourists who submit their test can receive their travel visa within ten to 15 minutes. We will ensure we prevent false tests from being approved.”

Mr Robinson also said those who want to give input or suggestions can email him at trobinson@bahamas.com.

DEPUTY Prime Minister Peter Turnquest has promised the government is committed to the nation’s full recovery from Hurricane Dorian and its battle against COVID-19.

His assurance came as he said a significant amount of “fake news and irresponsible information” is being circulated on social media over the condition of roads and schools in East Grand Bahama, the constituency Mr Turnquest represents.

In a recent video clip posted on WhatsApp, a man claims that schools in EGB are always neglected by successive governments.

In the 48 second video was footage of a public school in disrepair. The man said: “Can someone please tell me why every school in GB is getting fix besides the schools in East End? Can someone tell me why East End always got to be last to get anything done from any government, especially from the people who been supporting the FNM government for years and years and always getting left behind? Like, what the expletive?. Seriously, though? Every time, every government, it is the same thing over and over, always.

He further complained: “Why the (expletive) EE always getting left behind?

There is always a new school someplace, always a clinic someplace, and they just fix the same old, dumb, stupid sh.. all the time, like why?”

In response to the video, the East Grand Bahama MP stated that a comprehensive school is being built in High Rock.

According to MP Turnquest, the site is identified, and engineering work is underway to make it a resilient school that is capable of being a hurricane shelter.

He said: “While a significant amount of fake news and irresponsible information make the social media rounds, the video clips related to the road and schools in East Grand Bahama highlight the genuine concerns of residents who have every right to demand updates.

“I remain proud to represent the wonderful and community-minded people of East Grand Bahama, and to be a part of a government committed to our nation’s full recovery of hurricane Dorian as we now tackle COVID-19 and it’s deadly impact,” said Mr Turnquest.

PAGE 6, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Does the Prime Minister have a plan?

IN just four words, former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands shows the problem with our current approach to tackling COVID-19: “What is the plan?”

The saddest thing is that it’s not easy to give an answer. First of all, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis continues to resist direct questioning from the press – something he’s not done often since the resignation of Dr Sands.

After all, had Dr Minnis taken questions at the end of his national address, the first question would likely have been how are people supposed to get food, water and medicine if they don’t have any.

The second reason it is hard to identify a plan is that as soon as new measures were put in place, the government did a U-turn.

In fact, the new regulations give more freedom than those in place before the national address – with the curfew extended and more days for shopping.

How have we gone from total lockdown to less restrictive than the day before the lockdown? It’s hard to see a pattern to the government’s actions.

Dr Sands is candid in his assessment of the attempted total lockdown – saying it will be “infinitely more difficult for the government now to win the public confidence again”. After all, some senior figures spoke out with assurance that there would be no such lockdown – showing themselves to be, at best, out of the loop.

“People were p****d off,” said Dr Sands. “People were angry that they were forced into a position where they

didn’t have the opportunity to do what responsible people do.”

That’s the heart of it. Had the people been given the chance to prepare, there would have been discontent, but not the feeling of betrayal that came with an immediate shutdown.

The question has to be what is the purpose of the lockdown – what is it being used to accomplish? And the next question has to be what are the consequences of that decision in how it affects the people?

The revised rules announced that NIB would start issuing cheques again, for example, but it took a follow-up statement to announce that the banks would be open so people could pay them into their accounts.

It does make you wonder who Dr Minnis is listening to. Indeed, we hear a number of his Cabinet colleagues were uneasy about the amount of consultation ahead of his national address.

Dr Sands says that one thing that needs to be done is to apologise. He’s right, but that’s not enough on its own.

Whoever Dr Minnis listened to ahead of his national address, he needs to add some wiser heads to that group too, who would have warned him of the problems he ran headlong into.

It also wouldn’t hurt to start pulling some economic rabbits out of the hat – to give people a glimpse of hope for what comes after the pandemic. Because there needs to be a plan for that – and people need to be able to plan for their own part in that future.

So many U-turns we’re going in circles HAD enough of U-turns? Well, here’s another.

A few weeks ago, Labour Director John Pinder said that unemployment “will not necessarily increase” due to the recent lockdown. Now? He’s predicting more job layoffs in the coming weeks.

Everyone could – and indeed many

did – have told him that more job losses would be coming. We’re not sure what dreamland he was operating in.

Now, he’s saying “a silver lining is behind these dark clouds”. Yes, Mr Pinder, that’s nice, but if you could tell us what to do about the clouds, that would be helpful.

Ms Kelly should retract EDITOR, The Tribune CATHERINE Kelly, in a recent column, obviously thought she was dispensing good natured business advice that would help us during the pandemic-forced shut-down of our tourism economy.

Advocating that we rip up the “All are welcomed here” door mat and replace it with one reading “Rich white people only” smacks of insensitivity, ignorance and, sadly, racism.

In one column she lit a stick of dynamite to all of her previous more enlightened offerings in which she generally sowed seeds of tolerance and enlightenment on the issue of race.

She immediately disinvited TV icon Oprah Winfrey, sporting legend Michael Jordan, entertainers Jay-Z and Beyoncé, entrepreneur Bob Johnson, and investment banker Robert Smith, all black billionaires. Not to mention the thousands of black mere multi-millionaires next door in the US whose very presence in our islands attracts the type of media attention we crave and now cannot afford to buy.

Presumably, Barack and Michelle Obama’s reported $50 million net worth won’t get them a bligh from

immigration commandante Kelly.

So too, apparently, she doesn’t want the Bahamian sun to shine on the faces of the over 500 Chinese, Indian, Mexican, African and Middle Eastern billionaires. Nor the thousands of non-white millionaires around the world.

Somehow their money doesn’t resonate through our economy as loudly as that of rich white people.

We know that’s hogwash.

So, there must be more in the mortar than the pestle for Ms. Kelly. Perhaps she has research that suggests white people stay longer, spend more or are better behaved in public. But that can’t be it. Oprah is still regarded as the doyen of polite society. Beyoncé sets a fashion standard wherever she moves. And Michelle Obama is still good friends with Her Majesty the Queen.

For some Bahamians, white people are still the stereotypical picture of what tourists ought to look like. Back when the world was overtly prejudiced and more unequal than it is today, whites were the typical tourists vacationing here. Since the sixties all of that has changed for the better.

Alas, it is not her black fellow citizens who should

be fuming mad with Kelly for her callous confession.

It is her white compatriots who must denounce her vitriol.

Having one bad actor “shame the race” applies equally to whites as it does to blacks. But Kelly has let us all down. And this one hurts because of the historically symbiotic relationship between black Bahamians and GrecoBahamians, from which Kelly is descended.

The late George Mosko, a prominent Greek Bahamian businessman and philanthropist realized that he had a legacy to protect as his family were master furniture craftsmen operating from their factory on Shirley Street. So proud were the Moskos of their work that they did it in the storefront window, visible to all.

Realising the family’s name and reputation for quality was on everything they did, Mosko would tell staff, “Do it right, and don’t shame me.”

Ms Kelly ought to retract her comments as well as a follow-up column which attempted to justify the first but still entirely missed the point.

THE GRADUATE Nassau August 18, 2020

Minnis must remember he said it is the people’s time EDITOR, The Tribune THE announcement that Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip “Brave” Davis had contracted the COVID-19 virus is a stern reminder that the virus is no respecter of persons. We must pray for the PLP leader and the 1,300 plus Bahamians who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

With so many confirmed COVID-19 infections, Bahamians must lay down their political swords and spears and focus their energies on fighting this viral monster, rather than going to Windsor Park or on Facebook to revile the political directorate that already has its hands full.

While Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ announcement of an immediate restrictive lockdown for New Providence took many Nassauvians completely off guard, this does not give Operation Sovereign Bahamas protesters the right to stoke the flames of rebellion against the delegated authority’s emergency order, especially during a crisis of this magnitude, with so many Bahamians losing their lives. To be sure, Minnis should allow Nassauvians (especially essential workers) to stock up on gasoline, water, grocery and medicine, in order to prevent unnecessary hardship. I appreciate Minnis’ desire, as a physician, to beat COVID-19, hence saving the lives of Bahamians.

However, I have a gut feeling that Minnis, as prime minister, is intentionally being austere in order to discipline the Nassauvians who openly flaunted their disobedience to the competent authority on Facebook in recent days at a concert event. I don’t believe it’s fair to punish

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net innocent Nassauvians for the unruly culprits. Herein lies the situation The Bahamas currently finds itself with a prime minister who is a doctor, who is morally bound to the Hippocratic Oath, unlike former prime ministers who were all solicitors.

Having said that, now is not the time for civil disobedience.

I highly doubt that the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr or Mahatma Ghandi or the Burma Road Riot organisers or the Black Tuesday protesters would’ve endorsed the Operation Sovereign Bahamas protest, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s a fine line between unruly civil disobedience and anarchy.

As a physician, Minnis obviously believes that he has medical science on his side, especially with there already being nineteen deaths due to COVID-19.

Doctors would sometimes recommend an unpopular procedure or a prescription abuse to their patients. I see the doctor in Minnis enforcing an unpopular restrictive lockdown with the aim of curtailing COVID-19.

To his credit, Minnis announced that the National Food Distribution Task Force will continue its programme on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which means that no Nassauvians should go hungry during the lockdown. How efficient this programne will be during the seven-day lockdown is anyone’s guess, considering the sheer size of New Providence’s population, which is near 300,000.

The Central Bank of The Bahamas, perhaps due

to pressure by the Minnis administration, has also notified commercial lending institutions that it does not endorse their garnishing of struggling Bahamians’ National Insurance Board unemployment benefits deposited to their accounts.

This should eliminate the long lines at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium, which probably is one reason for the current spike in COVID-19 infections in New Providence.

Grand Bahamians have been on a similar lockdown, yet I cannot recall there being any protests on the island. But then again, Grand Bahamians are passive. For what it’s worth, new COVID-19 infections appear to be trending in the right direction on Grand Bahama, owing to the lockdowns.

The healthcare system is nearing its breaking point, with limited beds available at the Princess Margaret Hospital, coupled with overworked, exhausted healthcare professionals – a situation that would never go unnoticed by the doctor in Minnis.

Those who criticise the lockdown measures should offer an alternative plan, rather than just sit on the sidelines and criticise. In the meantime, I implore the PLP to steer clear of Operation Sovereign Bahamas. The antics it carried out after the prime minister’s address were politically motivated. In the meantime, I am appealing to the prime minister in Minnis to allow Nassauvians to shop for much needed supplies for the lockdown. I am appealing to the man, who on the campaign trail said that it is the people’s time.

KEVIN EVANS Grand Bahama August 18, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 7

TWO MEN DENY FIREARM POSSESSION CHARGES

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

TWO men were arraigned in Magistrates Court yesterday on firearm possession charges.

Eric Arthur, 21, and Elvardo Deveaux, 22, stood before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis yesterday, charged with being in possession of an unlicenced firearm. Deveaux was also charged with possession of ammunition.

Arthur is accused of

unlawfully possessing an unlicenced black glock .40 pistol on August 17. Meanwhile, Deveaux is accused of possessing an unlicenced black Austria Glock. 40 pistol and 13 unfired rounds of 40mm ammunition on August 18.

Both men, who were represented by attorney Ian Cargill, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Bail was denied for both defendants and the matters were adjourned to November 18 for trial. The men were remanded but

have a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

Also appearing in court yesterday was Franklyn Dean, 26.

Dean stood before Magistrate Kara TurnquestDeveaux, charged with causing grievous harm after he was accused of causing harm to Carvon Glass on July 24. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

However, bail was denied and the matter adjourned to November 9. Dean also has the right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

THREE ACCUSED OF FORGERY, ATTEMPTED FRAUD

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THREE Grand Bahama men were charged with forgery and attempted fraud in connection in the Freeport Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.

Austin Augustine, 27, of Hanna Hill, EMR; Loran Turnquest, 29, of No 15 Waterfall Drive, Freeport; and Darren Davis, 47, of No 3 Egret Circle, Freeport,

appeared before Magistrate Laquay Laing.

The matter is in connection with a complaint filed

by Gold Rock Company to the Royal Bahamas Police Force between August 11 and 14.

Augustine was charged with once with one count of possession of forged documents, and attempted fraud by false pretences.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Turnquest was charged

with possession of a forged document, two counts of fraud by false pretences, and conspiracy to commit fraud by false pretences.

He was also charged with two counts of forgery and one count of possession of a forged document. He pleaded not guilty to the all the charges.

Davis was charged with receiving, and pleaded not guilty. The matter was adjourned to November 14, 2020 for trial.

Private Funeral Service For Pastor Sharnel Aniska Rolle, 42 of #14 Maria Avenue off Prince Charles Drive will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 21st, 2020 at Lakeview Memorial Gardens Mausoleum, John F. Kennedy Drive and Gladstone Road.

Officiating will be Apostle Raymond & Pastor Olivia Wells.

Due to the Government Orders and related restrictions placed on funerals, attendance is limited to (5) family members. The family apologizes for any inconvenienced caused.

Everyone in attendance must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth. Six feet physical distancing is required at all time.

There will also be a live streaming for the late Pastor Sharnel Rolle on Living Waters Kingdom Ministries Facebook or youtube link @livingwaterskm.

Cherished memories will forever remain in the hearts of those Sharnel held close to her heart are her Mother: Stephanie L. Burrows; Father: Reginal B. Rolle; Three Sisters: Sharon & Marilyn Cooper; Monika Gray; One Brother: Antonio Cooper; One Brother-in-Law: Brandon Gray; Four Nieces: Troyanna Ferguson; Carltanek Brown; Tanganika Rolle & Alexis Cooper; Five Nephews: Shawn & Dominic J. Cooper, Carlton Brown; Collin & Dylan Cooper; Two Grandnephews & One Grandniece: Kahleel Ferguson; Sienna Rolle & Ricardo Bauld Jr.; aunts: Gloria Johnson, Lenore and Ruth Burrows & Elaine Cravatt, Arnette Burrows, Mildred, Agatha and Pecola Pratt, Maxine Knowles, Dorothy Bain, Phillipa Burrows and Paula Pratt (GB), Agnes, Tiffany, Shonel, Anita, Deanne, Samantha Pratt and Derry Hutchinson (Exuma), Barbara Fernander and Kim (MIA); Uncles: Patrick & Doreen Musgrove, Stephen Davis, Richard, Louis, Daniel, Johnathan, Desmond and Starry Pratt; Grand Aunts: Joycelyn and Winnifred Pratt; cousins: Rev. Yonne Clarke, Franklyn Pinder, Sharran & Bernadette Dorsette, Geraldine Ingraham, Barbara Davis, Mervin & Dennis Ingraham, Latoya Campbell, Anthony Edgecombe, Antoinette Bodie, Masianne Jolly, Keva Been, Quethera Stuart, Bridgette, Bradley & Turkessa Burrows (GB), Sharran Neymour, Almardo Brown and W/Sgt. Antonia Cunningham, McKea Whymns, Johnette Sweeting, Ladia & Monique Burrows, Fredrica Kemp, Ryan Paul, Tamico Brice, Santoyua Edgecombe, Anthonique Coleby, Kachino Farquharson, D/Inspector Demetria Capron, DCpl./ Willesha Cravatt, Aderia & Antoniqua Burrows. Hon. Min. Shonel Ferguson (Member of Parliament for Fox Hill) Paulette, Jacqueline & Lorraine Pratt, Paulene Turnquest, Valerie Watson, Antonio Brown, Shawaughna McPhee, Kimblin & Olivia Strachan, Vernice Wilkinson, Tiffany Clarke, Daphanie Johnson; Adraiana Prosper, Shonikn, Quantino, Travette, Stephen, Cindy, Mario, Melvin, Shekira, Jada, Richard Jr, Daniel Jr, Lakisha, Philisha, Robin; and Melissa; Spiritual Sister: Minister Monique Kel Taylor; Spiritual Family: Apostle Raymond & Pastor Olivia Wells and the entire Leadership of Living Waters Kingdom Ministries Family, especially the Music Ministry, Fine Arts & Finance Teams, Minister Lisa Bain; Other relatives & friends: Prophet Stephen & Nadine Munroe (Believers Embassy International); Bishop Earl Randy Fraser (Psalms of Victory Kingdom Ministry); Bishop.

J. Carl and Minister Evangeline Rahming (St. Pauls Baptist Church); St. Anselm’s Catholic Church; Apostle George & Saveletta Fowler (Final Hour Ministries); Real Estate Office, Harry McDonald, Minister Lisa Bain, Pastor Adrian Francis & Global Ministry Family; Bethel Baptist Church & Family; Pastor Barbra Rahming (United Fellowship Outreach Ministries); Pastor Cranston Evans; Pastor Ricardo Miller; Pastor Heath & Andrea Fowler; Princess Belemzy Ministries; Dr. Don Deveaux & Oak Tree Medical Center Family; Dr. Duane Sands; Doctors & Nurses of Doctors Hospital; Medical Teams at Cleveland Clinic & Jackson Memorial Clinic; Royal Bank of Canada (Nassau & Canada Teams); East Park Estates Association & Families; Hon. Min. Michael Pintard; L. W. Young Class Of 94’; Leon & Annamae Taylor & Family; Beatrice “Auntie B” Seymour & Family; Candia Adderley & Family; Ernest Adderley; Patrick Deveaux & Family; Prescott François; Step Street Family; Dorsett Street Family; Harborside Resort Family; Grass Life Enterprise; Millon Express Family; Sister Elizabeth Butler & Family; Pat Scott & Family; Maxine Sands & Family; Sabrina Davis & Family; John Hulland; David & Charlotte Hoist & Family; Harry McDonald & Family; Sgt. Marilyn Thomas (Royal Bahamas Police Force); M/S Ervin (Nicholas) Moss & Family (Royal Bahamas Defence Force); Ivan (Kennedy) Conyers & Family (Department of Immigration); Mildred & Alissa Butler & Family; Lavon Collie & Family; Kathera Nesbitt & Family; Rashad Higgs & Family; D’Shaun Miller & The Entire Coakley Family; Yolanda Campbell (Rochelle Dorsett of Andros) & Family; Genae Nottage & Family; Marissa Brice & Family (Lowe’s Pharmacy); Entire Bahamasair Family; Office of The Attorney General & Ministry of Legal Affairs; Office of The Director of Public Prosecutions; Ministry of Works (especially the planning division); and a host of many other relatives & friends too numerous to mention.

PAGE 8, Thursday, August 20, 2020

WHILE many are facing tough times due to the pandemic, there are those whose struggles are exacerbated by medical issues and the subsequent cost of getting proper care. That’s the fight that Michelo McKenzie Sr must overcome for the sake of his son, Michelo Jr. Eleven-year-old MJ has been battling illness since infancy and has been in and out of the hospital for most of his life. He was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis and he has sickle cell anaemia. He has surprised doctors time and time again, defying the odds stacked against him.

Maybe it has something to do with his larger-thanlife personality. He is full of smiles and laughter and he loves music - especially gospel - and enjoys playing his guitar.

Despite every obstacle to his health, MJ is a happy boy with a bright future ahead of him, maybe even as a preacher, because he loves to mimic the preachers and share a good word.

This is why his father, affectionately called “Mich”, is doing everything he can to keep up with his son’s medical bills and keep his family afloat during one our world’s toughest crises.

When MJ was an infant, Mich and his wife took their baby for a routine doctor’s visit along with his scheduled vaccination. MJ developed a fever and it became so high that his parents took him to the Rand Memorial Hospital, Grand Bahama. He was immediately admitted to hospital.

MJ was in hospital for 25 days and in that space of time, he lost his vision and mobility on the left side of his body.

“During that time, MJ had four doctors in the hospital who were treating him and trying to fight this bad pneumonia infection,” Mich recalls.

“On the 22nd day, the fever finally started to break and come down from 104°. The Department of Social Services assisted in us travelling to the United States for MJ to be seen by a neurologist because of the scarring and damages to his brain. He was seen by Dr Michael Grossman who at the time had over 55 years experience in neurology.

“MJ was in bad shape at the time when he was seen

by Dr Michael Grossman and he couldn’t help us because MJ had to get a lot of tests done and we didn’t have insurance coverage.

He had to get a Cat Scan, MRI on his brain, and he had to be sedated because he was still an infant. The only way he could have gotten the medical attention he needed was to go to the hospital. So, my wife and I decided that we would take him to the emergency room. We were referred to Broward General and that is where we took MJ. “When we arrived at Broward General, MJ was seen by Dr Rodriguez and her staff. He was having a seizure when he got admitted and the neurologist and neurosurgeon were paged right away. It was Dr Stoll, MJ’s assigned neurologist who informed us that MJ in fact had pneumococcal meningitis and he was suffering from hydrocephalus, or excessive fluids to the brain. MJ had to have fluids drawn from his brain and he had to get brain surgery to implant a VP Shunt to drain the fluids out. The

THE TRIBUNE

Fighting the odds since infancy, MJ keeps smiling Shunt was successfully implanted but MJ’s body started to reject the foreign object that was placed into his brain.

“After the second day in ICU, we were informed that MJ had sickle cell anaemia. This was a shock because MJ did all of his tests via private and public clinic and nobody told us this. My wife was tested and she always knew she was anaemic but I never got tested. The type of sickle cell disease that he has, they told us both parents have to be anaemic.”

MJ spent just over three weeks in Broward General before he was discharged.

He then had to receive occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy. Today, MJ is still receiving treatment at the Haematology Department at Broward General and is still being seen by his doctors, neurologists, haematologist, paediatrician, therapists and analagists.

His mother has not had the opportunity to work as she must constantly travel with her son and meet his many appointment dates. He requires special care as he has a host of allergies - even major changes in weather could send him into an episode.

“MJ is now 11 and still battling issues with this painful sickle cell disease but he is coming along great. My wife has given up her life and had to make the sacrifice to be there for our son. He is in her care and she has truly done a wonderful job in his upbringing and welfare. In past 10 years, MJ has had three more brain surgeries and has multiple seizures but through it all, it’s the grace of God that has always kept him well.”

MJ went from partial paralysis to mobility. He can see well, but he is still deaf in his left ear. He continues to show marked

improvements that impress his doctors and give his parents encouragement that he will be able to be all he wants to be one day.

Mich has made every sacrifice necessary for his family. He knows what it is to have the power cut off for months at a time and to go hungry for his son.

He has sold valuable assets to pay mounting medical bills. But this schoolmate of mine is always positive and upbeat. He greets our class WhatsApp chat with motivational words and scripture verses every day.

I have personally seen him give his last and share without a second thought. He is one of those people who is a friend to all with a heart of gold.

Living in the nation’s second city after Hurricane Dorian and during a pandemic makes things even more difficult. He says morale is low and hopelessness is rising as the island nears 30 days of lockdown.

Mich called Grand Bahama ‘the forgotten city’. He believes that disillusionment will continue to grow unless the government puts intentional focus on saving it.

“Everyone is holding up their hands looking to the sky saying ‘why, Lord, why’ because they have been trying to recover since 2004 when Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hit,” he explained.

“Then Hurricane Dorian was devastating for us, and it feels like people are more focused on Abaco. But we got hit hard here, too, and that was followed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The government must realise that people are hurting everywhere and must make sure that if nothing else, people can receive NIB and Social Service assistance on time. It is chaotic, trying to go to NIB and Social Services every week to see if checks have been distributed as yet, and

ABOVE, MJ with his father, Mich and, below, travelling with his mother

it’s like a waste of time. To add to that, we are now on total lockdown. We don’t mind the lockdown in that it is important to protect the health and safety of the people, but we need the support and financial assistance of the government. Some people haven’t received their first NIB cheque yet.

“I got a lot of runaround because they were saying my contributions were inconsistent. I had to ask them what about my ten or so years at the Freeport Container Port. I got hurt and had to stop working in 2015. In 2018, I got hired back as a temporary worker, as a forklift operator. Whenever the ships come to the port and go on dry dock for repairs, the company calls us in to do the repairs.

We could work six months straight, but sometimes

it was two months on, six weeks off. What are we supposed to do if there aren’t a lot of jobs available and this is what we have to take?

The government needs to relax the red tape a bit and make considerations for people. We have bills to pay and children to feed. You have people who are trying to figure out where they will live because they cannot pay the rent. Some people are talking about going to other islands to look for work.

“The government needs to leave all this red tape because people need to survive,” he said. “Everyone is like ‘what do we have to do’ and ‘who do we have to turn to’. Everyone is just talking about Abaco, but don’t forget Grand Bahama. Things are bad here in Grand Bahama for many people, but not for everyone. Every day I just

thank God, because every day there is still hope and one day, this too shall pass.”

Mich has taken on entrepreneurial pursuits to make ends meet. He says he believes in doing a good deed every day: “The only way we are going to survive this - we have to look out for one another. Some people feel like by taking care of their family and kids they are doing what God told them. No, it beyond just you. You have to go out there and help others.

If your neighbor doesn’t have and you have, share, because one day it could be you.”

To help with MJ’s medical expenses, donations can be made at RBC account number 752 3433, branch number 05285. Mich can be reached at 828-9503 or email michmckenzie3271@ gmail.com.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 9

W Biden may have cracks,

ERE you watching the first couple of evenings of the Democratic national convention in the midst of a Bahamas lockdown as COVID-19 tried to secure a tighter grip here? Most of the convention was actually quite worth watching.

The Democrats, operating virtually and mostly outside Milwaukee where they will need to amass a huge voter margin in November in order to retake Wisconsin for Joe Biden, presented an impressive pastiche of snippets and short speeches from an intentionally diverse collection of Americans meant to represent the broad coalition the party needs to stitch together to win back the presidency.

Convention planners clearly invested wisely in production values for their big TV show. Presenters were slick and sophisticated. The video clips of ordinary people lingered long enough to reveal individual characteristics.

The featured speakers were sufficiently limited in their time that much of the pomposity accompanying such events was gratifyingly absent.

On the first night, Michele Obama, still America’s First Lady, skewered President Donald Trump in such a quiet, dignified way that parts of her address may appear for months in campaign ads. Her husband did not disappoint either. They both looked older and somehow even more reassuringly, still the Obamas. It was a reminder for voters who were paying attention that the American presidency does not have to always rest in the hands of a knave.

When Michele Obama said the following, listeners had the sense she was speaking the truth, from her heart: “Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can: Donald Trump is the wrong President for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove that he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He cannot meet this moment.

He simply cannot be who we need him to be for us. It is what it is.”

“It is what it is” was a notso-oblique reference to a remark Trump made during one of the most calamitous, revelatory interviews he has given as President. The interviewer had brought the conversation around to the coronavirus pandemic which is sabotaging Trump’s White House tenure. He mentioned that more than 1,000 Americans are dying every day from COVID-19.

“They are dying, that’s true,” the President said, flatly with no apparent emotion. “It is what it is.”

For much of the early part of the Democratic convention, only CNN, MSNBC, PBS and C-SPAN covered the entire show.

During the early parts of the convention schedule, regular programming appeared on the traditional broadcast networks. ABC, NBC and CBS covered what their executives felt

Trump’s loathed but can be masterful - for the US it is what it is STATESIDE

with Charlie Harper

was important. The rest was saved for the evening news broadcasts and the early morning talk shows for the next day. Fox News offered its usual highly-rated evening fare of smug Sean Hannity and snarky Laura Ingraham.

Joe and Jill Biden both featured on Tuesday evening. Many viewers were doubtless looking at his face and checking for misstatements that would affirm the Republican line that he is increasingly senile and may not be mentally competent to handle the presidency.

At the same time, the convention’s TV producers are eager to display Biden’s human side that offers such a profound contrast to the President’s obdurate insensitivity.

In doing so, Biden’s humanity and compassion are on display. But Biden does appear to be halting and hesitant at times. They are just instants in the teleplay. But the seeds of doubt have been skilfully planted

by Trump and the Republicans. It is a reminder that the US President is cunning, even brilliant, at identifying the weaknesses of his opponents and exploiting them.

The Democrats and Biden have to hope that events prevent him and Trump from facing each other in person for the presidential debates still on the election calendar for September and October.

It’s a shame that incandescent New York City congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) cannot take Biden’s place on the debate state. Given only 60 seconds on the national TV stage on Tuesday, she almost stole the whole show. This woman is a shooting star. She may be hailed in the history books as the personification of no more Old White Man Politics in the US. Or not. Look at the power Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer and Trump himself still hold in Washington DC. But for 96 seconds on Tuesday, AOC dazzled.

Here’s some of what she said, and it is certainly worth noting that she offered these remarks in the process of seconding the long-doomed nomination of left-wing hero Bernie Sanders as the Democratic

candidate for the White House.

AOC emphasied the power of a “people’s movement that seeks to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny and homophobia.”

She said the movement “realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of longterm stability for the many.”

AOC has been outspoken about having to work three jobs to support herself, facing foreclosure on her home after her father died from cancer and most recently, how it is only now that she is an elected federal representative (with an annual salary of nearly $200,000) that she is able to afford braces for her teeth.

The Democrats have to be careful with their own left wing. Fortunately for those who feel Trump must be replaced, there is evidence the Dems realize this. But the danger for the party represented by AOC and many other passionate advocates is real. If Biden/ Harris do win in November, and if the Democrats somehow manage to recapture a majority in the US Senate, they will need to move to the left in a way that precludes the many challenges their own left wing are even now preparing.

And at the same time, the Republicans, freed of the electoral albatross Trump is rapidly becoming, will be locked and loaded for a frontal assault on, among other things, the massive federal debt that they have

DEMOCRATIC presidential candidate Joe Biden with his wife Jill encouraged recently and forgotten they ideologically oppose. They won’t forget after the election, and with the country still mired in economic distress, the GOP would be able to craft a convincing message for voters who have often revealed a startling shortness of memory in matters such as public policy.

Joe Biden will know all about this. It has happened in recent American political history, and it hit him and Barack Obama right between the eyes.

Obama/Biden swept to victory in 2008 and set to work on an ambitious social agenda. The centrepiece, they decided, should be health care, picking up the torch Hillary Clinton had to cede 14 years earlier during her husband’s first term. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, was the result.

Masterfully distorting

the real implications of Obamacare for American voters, the Republicans immediately started a campaign to roll back the ACA. A pushback against the first black President and his liberal policies strengthened and the Democrats got whipped in the 2010 bi-elections. Most nextday historians and pundits still feel the 2012 election was Mitt Romney’s to lose.

Trump clearly agrees and berates the Utah senator for this consistently.

Obama/Biden did win in 2012, but they limped through their second term and suffered the humiliation of having to watch while Mitch McConnell’s US Senate denied Obama’s attempt to place a moderate on the Supreme Court.

A loudmouth Republican congressman shouted “You lie” at Obama during one of his last State of the Union messages. It wasn’t

a pretty picture. Thoughtful observers are already looking ahead to the actual prospective governance of a Biden/Harris administration. There will be an initial euphoria. They may have a chance to secure passage of some progressive legislation.

But the GOP and the millions of sore Trump losers won’t quietly go away. Neither will Bernie Sanders’ many ardent supporters, who are sufficiently alienated from present-day America that they may not care that their passion could easily return Republicans to congressional majorities in 2022.

A President Biden would need to be prepared, skilful and most of all, lucky, to survive his first two years in office without suffering mortal political wounds. He’ll have lots of people eager to inflict those wounds.

PAGE 10, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

MAURITIUS OIL SPILL WILL RING ALARM BELLS WITH US HERE IT would not be surprising if television footage of the massive oil spill off the coast of the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean rang alarm bells among Bahamians fearful of a similar catastrophe happening here to threaten our marine ecosystem and unique natural environment.

Some may also seek to link this tragedy to the danger of offshore oil production in the pristine waters of The Bahamas.

The sad images of a stricken Japanese oil tanker spewing out an estimated more than 1,500 tonnes of its cargo of 4,000 tonnes after running aground last month on a reef will be heart breaking to environmentalists in particular.

There has already been substantial damage to the sea, beaches,

coral reefs and marine life and a massive clean-up operation is underway. The most recent news is that the vessel has split in two, but it is claimed that much of the remaining oil has already been pumped out of it.

The well-known environmental group Greenpeace has asked why the vessel was sailing so close to a reef in charted waters and is raising questions about the protection of the environment and the efforts of the vessel’s owners to deal with the crisis.

An internet search reveals that oil spills are all too common around the world as a result of collisions, pipeline leaks, production platform leaks, onshore derailments, fire and other accidents – and the Exxon Valdez spill

The

Peter Young column A MONTH ago, I wrote about the thorny and controversial subjects of ‘wokeness’ and the ‘cancel culture’ - and I return to these today because there is growing evidence that people in the UK are fighting back against these strange phenomena, which are loosely defined as demanding adherence to a new orthodoxy about social and political justice together with attacking and ruining the lives of any who do not submit to such demands.

Some are now saying the notion of political correctness has gone too far and the so-called liberal elite has become illiberal in its disdain for freedom of expression and its refusal to listen to dissenting opinion which does not fit with its extreme views. Such attitudes fly in the face of democracy in which free speech, free and fair elections and respect for the rule of law - together

with the right to rational argument without fear of sanction or reprisal – are fundamental.

Former Australian rock star of the 1980s, Nick Cave, who was once described as a “leftie icon”, has now made headlines by writing that political correctness was an honourable attempt to reorder society in a more equitable way but has become an unacceptable expression of moral certainty and selfrighteousness that shuts down debate or alternative views. As he puts it so vividly, a refusal to engage with uncomfortable ideas has “an asphyxiating effect on the creative soul of a society”. Any belief system which says “I’m right about everything and no other opinions are allowed” will surely fail ultimately - though not if George Orwell’s 1984 becomes the norm.

Reportedly, in Britain this pattern of intolerance

in Alaska in 1989 and the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 are considered to be the two worst in US waters.

So, even without offshore oil production, there is the risk of accidental collisions of tankers or of their running aground, though it seems there have been no serious incidents involving tankers passing through Bahamian waters.

That said, despite all the claimed safeguards it is reasonable to claim that entering into offshore oil production would be likely to increase the risk of an oil spillage and consequent damage to the local environment. But the question is how great is that risk and is it worth taking when balanced against the likely huge economic benefit.

There is no space today to make the case for and against proceeding with offshore oil production. But it is no secret that the government has given the initial go-ahead by granting licences for exploratory drilling.

If it turns out that oil can be produced in commercial quantities, any government would be under considerable pressure to allow it to proceed, given that the domestic economy is in such a sorry state as a result of coronavirus. But there is likely to be strong opposition from environmentalists so perhaps some sort of consultation exercise might be desirable on such an important issue. If managed properly, oil production could transform the Bahamian economy even

if world prices have dropped recently.

Assuming that discovery of a vaccine will eventually pave the way for a return of tourism, many will contend that the priority must be to protect and preserve the nation’s unique environment that makes it such an attractive place for visitors. But, equally, that should not necessarily rule out offshore oil production. So far, the risk of potential pollution is said to be low. But the key should surely be to assess the risks associated with such production carefully and thoroughly – bearing in mind that, as I understand it, drilling is in a relatively small area many miles southwest of Andros – and to insist on adequate safeguards.

Those who live in a democracy must be on permanent guard is creating a climate of fear that is destroying essential liberties. The whole issue shows how fragile democracy can be - with its freedoms constantly under threat - and it is good that more and more people are speaking out against the excesses of political correctness.

The Black Lives Matter movement, whose struggle for racial justice and equality is generally considered to be legitimate, is an example of such intolerance

BELARUSIAN opposition supporters a protest rally yesterday

for it has been infiltrated by far-Left political activists and anarchists intent on overthrowing capitalism and the existing order; and for further evidence look no further than the events right now in Belarus whose people are resisting dictatorship following claims of a flawed election.

So those who enjoy democratic freedoms in their own country should surely be on permanent guard - in order to preserve them in a troubled world.

A FINAL CURTAIN FALLS ON THE HEROES WHO GAVE THEIR ALL IN covering last week the atomic bombing of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945, I mentioned the commemorations and celebrations that would follow on the fifteenth of the same month to mark three quarters of a century since the formal end of the Second World War. The events that took place in Britain turned out to be so moving and

meaningful that I hasten to offer comment. Moreover, it is improbable that their like will be seen again since the next important milestone will be the far-off centenary. The intervening anniversaries are commemorated in a more modest way and the veterans are in their nineties so their attendance at future events will be lost.

In last week’s column I

recalled the US entered the war following Japan’s surprise attack on its Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Four years of fierce fighting in the Pacific followed, with heavy casualties on both sides, as American forces gradually captured islands occupied by the Japanese.

By the summer of 1945, the US was in a position to invade the mainland but

Japan finally surrendered soon after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. VJ-Day is celebrated on August 15 at the time the surrender was announced but the documents were not formally signed on board the USS Missouri until September 2.

Historians acknowledge that, in bringing about an end to the war by surrendering, Emperor Hirohito had to break the grip of the

military on the nation and on the throne itself. They also recognise the US’s magnanimous treatment of post-war Japan. Immediately after the surrender, a military occupation by the Allied Powers followed until 1952, accompanied by far-reaching reform including a new Constitution under which Japan was not allowed to maintain offensive military forces though it was clear that it could rely on US support in time of danger. The Constitution declared, inter alia, that the Japanese people would remove war as a sovereign right of the nation as well as the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. The result has been the emergence of today’s democratic, peaceful and prosperous nation.

None of this, however, should disguise or lessen condemnation of the brutality and barbarity displayed

by Japan’s armed forces, not only in the Second World War but earlier as well during the invasion of China in 1937 - the Nanking Massacre is just one example. It can never be forgotten that in the war against Japan there were 71,000 British and Commonwealth casualties including more than 12,000 prisoners of war who died in captivity.

Nevertheless, last week’s events in Britain were in a spirit of remembrance and of gratitude to those who lost their lives, rather than retribution or revenge, and were based on the words of the Kohima Epitaph carved on the memorial in the cemetery of the same name in northeast India - “For your tomorrow, we gave our today”.

As veterans looked on, the Prince of Wales led the nation’s service of remembrance and laid wreaths at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in northwest England and there was a two-minute silence to honour the dead.

Prince Charles paid a heartfelt tribute to what he described as the forgotten army in a forgotten war that continued for several months after the end

PRINCE CHARLES of the conflict in Europe.

There was a special message from The Queen and Prince Philip of “grateful thanks to all those who fought so valiantly”; and it is interesting that Prince Philip himself, who served in the Royal Navy during the war, was on a British warship in Tokyo Bay when the surrender documents were signed.

In a separate address to the nation 75 years after his great grandfather, King George VI, gave a speech on VJ-Day praising British and other Commonwealth forces, Prince William spoke of “the most catastrophic conflict in mankind’s history” and described the emotions at its ending as “the mix of happiness, jubilation and sheer relief together with deep sadness, and overwhelming sense of loss for those who would never return home”. All this was topped off by a special BBC televised star-studded programme of famous actors portraying key figures from the war, including, of course, the forces’ sweetheart, Dame Vera Lynn, who had sung to the troops in the jungles of Burma.

With their mix of commemoration and celebration, these events were unforgettable and could even be the last of their kind in relation to the Second World War. I, for one, felt a sense of vicarious pride, since honouring the casualties of war is the least new generations can do. Historians should not be the only people who are interested in former times and who study annals, relics, records, archives, memoirs and ancient documents. The rest of us surely ignore the past at our peril.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 11

Obama hails Harris as Democrats slam Trump WILMINGTON, Delawre Associated Press FORMER President Barack Obama last night warned that American democracy may not survive if Donald Trump is re-elected, delivering a scathingly remarkable assessment of his successor at the Democratic National Convention.

Then delegates broke a historic barrier by nominating Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s running mate and the first black woman on a national political ticket.

Obama, himself a barrier breaker as the nation’s first black president, pleaded with voters to “embrace your own responsibility as citizens – to make sure that the basic tenets of our democracy endure. Because that’s what is at stake right now.

Our democracy.”

The third night of the Democrats’ four-day convention stood out for its urgent focus on voting and the party’s commitment to progressive values on issues like gun violence and climate change. Democrats targeted Trump’s policies as dangerous, casting him as cruel in his treatment of immigrants, disinterested in the nation’s climate crisis and over his head on virtually all of the nation’s most pressing challenges.

At the same time, high-profile party figures spoke directly to women and all voters of color, whose energy this fall could ultimately decide the outcome.

Harris, a 55-year-old California senator and daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, addressed race and equality in a personal way Biden cannot when he formally accepts his party’s presidential nomination today.

“There is no vaccine for racism.

DEMOCRATIC vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaking last night We have got to do the work,” Harris said, her words emphatic though she was speaking in a largely empty arena near Biden’s Delaware home.

“We’ve got to do the work to fulfill the promise of equal justice under law,” she added. “None of us are free until all of us our free.”

Just 76 days before the election, Biden faces the difficult task of energizing each of the disparate factions that make up the modernday Democratic Party – a coalition that spans generation, race and ideology. And this fall voters must deal with concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic that has created health risks for those who want to vote in person.

Biden leads many polls, but his

supporters report being motivated far more by antipathy toward Trump than genuine excitement about Biden, a 77-year-old white man who has spent nearly a half century in politics.

Democrats hope that Harris and Obama in particular can help bridge the divide between those reassured by Biden’s establishment credentials and those craving bolder change.

The pandemic has forced Biden’s team to abandon the traditional convention format in favor of an all-virtual affair that has eliminated much of the pomp and circumstance that typically defines political conventions.

And after two nights that

BELARUS LEADER WARNS OF TOUGH NEW STEPS AGAINST PROTESTERS MINSK, Belarus Associated Press BELARUS’ authoritarian leader yesterday threatened to bring criminal charges against opposition leaders and called on his security services to get tougher on demonstrators — a possible harbinger of a renewed crackdown on the peaceful protests challenging the extension of his 26-year rule.

President Alexander Lukashenko also accused the West of fomenting the unrest as he sought to consolidate his grip on power amid widening demonstrations.

Lukashenko spoke as the European Union rejected the official results of the vote that kept him in office and expressed solidarity with protesters. The EU said it’s preparing sanctions against Belarusian officials responsible for the brutal post-election police actions.

During the first four days of protests, police detained almost 7,000 people and injured hundreds with rubber bullets, stun grenades and clubs. At least three protesters died.

The crackdown stirred broad outrage and helped bolster protesters’ ranks.

On Sunday, an estimated 200,000 people rallied around the Belarusian capital’s main square. The huge crowds forced the

authorities to back off, and police refrained from interfering with demonstrations over the last five days.

But faced with a widening strike that engulfed the country’s biggest industrial plants, police moved again Tuesday to disperse some protests. Officers briefly detained about 50 demonstrators who gathered

outside the Minsk Tractor Factory to support its workers, who have been on strike since Monday, according to Sergei Dylevsky, leader of the factory’s strike committee.

“People are on strike demanding Lukashenko’s resignation, and authorities respond with batons and riot police,” Dylevsky said.

featured several Republicans, Democrats yesterday emphasised their party’s values on issues like climate change and gun violence, issues that particularly resonate with younger voters.

On guns, Biden wants to repeal a law shielding firearm manufacturers from liability lawsuits, impose universal background checks for purchases and ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines. On climate, Biden has proposed a $2 trillion plan to invest in clean energy and end carbon emissions from U.S. power plants by 2035, even though his proposals don’t go as far as activists’ preferred “Green New Deal.”

WILDFIRES BLAZING IN CALIFORNIA Associated Press CREWS were yesterday battling wildfires in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands of people were under orders to evacuate as hundreds of wildfires blazed across the state amid a blistering heat wave now in its second week.

Gov. Gavin Newsom blamed “this extraordinary weather we’re experiencing and all of these lightning strikes” for 367 known fires, including 23 major fires or groups of fires. He said the state has recorded nearly 11,000 lightning strikes in 72 hours.

Police and firefighters went door-to-door before dawn yesterday in a frantic scramble to warn residents to evacuate as fire encroached on Vacaville, a city of about 100,000 between San Francisco and Sacramento. At least 50 structures were destroyed, including some homes, and 50 damaged. A helicopter involved in fighting fires crashed in Coalinga yesterday morning, said Tony Botti, for the Fresno County sheriff’s office.

“This is an incredibly emotional and stressful time for most of us who’ve endured a number of wildfires over the last few years,” said Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.

Ash and smoke filled the air in San Francisco, which is surrounded by wildfires burning in multiple counties to the north, east and south.

PAGE 12, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

MITCHELL SCORES 30, JAZZ ROUT NUGGETS 124-105

Celtics rout 76ers, take 2-0 lead LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and the Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers 128-101 last night to take a 2-0 lead in the firstround Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tatum had a career playoff high for the second straight game after

scoring 32 points in the opener Monday. Kemba Walker added 22 points and Jaylen Brown had 20 for the Celtics, who shot 51 per cent from the field.

Joel Embiid had 34 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, and Josh Richardson added 18 points.

The Celtics lost starting forward

Gordon Hayward to a right ankle sprain in Game 1 and expect him to be out for approximately four weeks.

The 76ers led by 14 in the first quarter, but the Celtics rallied to lead 65-57 at halftime. Boston coach Brad Stevens gave the reserves credit.

Brown’s 360-degree dunk with just under eight minutes left in the third quarter put the Celtics up 74-59. Boston extended its lead to 98-75 at the end of the period.

The Celtics held the 76ers to 22 per cent shooting in the quarter.

Brett Brown remained confident in his team.

Raptors top Nets to take control LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Nick Nurse went small and the Toronto Raptors came up big.

The Raptors second-year coach used a small lineup that included Pascal Siakam at centre to help finish off the Brooklyn Nets yesterday and take a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series. Fred VanVleet had 24 points and 10

assists, Norman Powell had a big game off the bench with 24 points and the defending NBA champion Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-99 in a game they trailed for more than three quarters.

Kyle Lowry had 21 points, nine rebounds and forced a big turnover in the closing seconds that led to a game-sealing dunk for Powell. Nurse spent the better part

of the second half looking for the right mix to counteract the Nets’ decision to switch everything on defence. He finally found the right five in the fourth quarter.

Garrett Temple led the Nets with 21 points.

The Raptors raced to a 33-point second quarter lead in Game 1 and blew out the Nets 134110 after converting a franchise

playoff record 22 3-pointers on 44 attempts.

But this game was much closer as the Nets built a 14-point lead in the first quarter.

The Raptors didn’t take their first lead of the game until nine minutes remained when Anunoby drove the lane and scored on a left-handed dunk. Toronto was in control after that.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Donovan Mitchell remained patient with Denver’s defence making things difficult for him.

Instead of forcing the issue, he simply distributed the ball — until his opening arrived.

Mitchell scored 21 of his 30 points in a big third quarter and the Utah Jazz beat the Nuggets 124-105 yesterday to even the firstround playoff series at a game apiece.

All part of his maturation as a playmaker.

“The biggest thing for me is reading the situation,” Mitchell explained. “My first years, I kind of saw the rim, being a scorer. I prided myself over the quarantine just how to become playmaker. Find a way to get the team involved. It may not always be scoring. I think today, just trusted my teammates.”

Mitchell was an efficient 10 of 14 from the floor and added eight assists. He helped the Jazz break open the game in the third quarter and increase the lead to 31 in the fourth.

His performance was on the heels of scoring a Jazz playoff-record 57 points in a 135-125 overtime loss in Game 1. Naturally, Mitchell was the focus as the Nuggets tried take away his drives to the right side.

“Anytime you put two guys on the ball, you’re going to give something up,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

Mitchell’s teammates contributed in a pivotal way.

Jordan Clarkson scored a personal playoff-best 26 points on a day the Jazz shot 51.7 per cent from the floor. They also had 32 assists and hit 20 3-pointers.

Game 3 is Friday.

“We stayed locked in and communicated. That’s what we need the whole series,” Mitchell said. “We need the same energy and intensity.”

Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr. had 28 points, and Nikola Jokic added 28 points and 11 rebounds.

ISNORD from PAGE 16 America for his D-I Scholarship. I invited him to my Raw Talent summer programme and he also competed with us in the Summer of Thunder Invitational,” Raw Talent founder, Kino Burrows, said.

“He’s a high character young man and he’s a workhorse. First in the gym, last to leave.

“He can do everything on the floor. They have high expectations of him because they’ve raved about his growth over the past few months.”

Isnord received several tryout opportunities where Burrows currently plays professionally in the French LNB League.

“I had coach Quentin Demeritte come to France to train with Kenny while we sought an opportunity.

We found that opportunity in the Czech Republic,” Burrows said.

“He was there longer than expected because of (the COVID-19 pandemic) but we were looking for a long term development based opportunity where Kenny could play high level basketball and grow at the same time.”

Isnord first started to receive high major offers from Division I programmes, following his standout summer on the AAU circuit when he reclassified to the 2019 class and joined Showtime Ballers during his junior season.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 13

FIFA SHAPES NEW RULE TO HELP PLAYERS SWITCH NATIONAL TEAM

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA is helping soccer players switch eligibility and represent a second national team with a planned rule change announced yesterday.

The proposal gives hope to players who are eligible for multiple countries but fell out of favour at their first national team, where they are bound after just a single minute of playing time in a competitive game.

The new wording would let players switch eligibility if they played a maximum of three times for the first national team -- including tournament qualifying games -- before they turned 21, and at least three years earlier.

The new rule will take effect next month if 211 national federations approve it at the September 18 congress that FIFA is hosting online from Zurich.

A FIFA working group has tried for more than two years to shape the

new proposal. A test case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport ahead of the 2018 World Cup is key background.

Munir El Haddadi, now with Europa League finalist Sevilla, wanted to be selected for Morocco but lost his appeal against the FIFA rules. He had played just once for Spain in September 2014, as a 77th-minute substitute in a European Championship qualifier.

The new rule would not help Brazil midfielder Oscar, who has suggested switching to China where he has played club soccer since 2017.

Oscar would fail the test because he has played more than three times for Brazil, including after he was aged 21, and at a World Cup finals tournament in 2014.

The proposal would bar nationality switches for anyone who played at a “final tournament of the FIFA World Cup or a final tournament of a confederation competition.”

FIFA EXPECTS $120M INCOME DROP BUT SAME PROFIT THROUGH 2022

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — FIFA forecast the pandemic will cause a $120 million drop in its revenue plan through the 2022 World Cup in a revised four-year budget published yesterday.

Cost-cutting is also predicted to help offset a $200 million hit from being unable to stage a revamped Club World Cup in June 2021, when Europe and South America stage their postponed continental championships.

Still, FIFA said most World Cup broadcast and sponsor deals were already signed and should keep the same profit in the 201922 financial cycle, even on reduced income of $6.44 billion.

“The projected result before taxes and financial result of $100 million can therefore be confirmed, despite the impact of this pandemic on the match calendar and the global economy,” soccer’s world body said in notes accompanying its 2019 financial report.

FIFA has committed $328 million in extra grants from an emergency fund to ease soccer bodies through the pandemic crisis.

More has been available for loans.

The knock-on effect is that FIFA forecasts reserves of no less than $1.6 billion after the World Cup in Qatar finishes in December 2022. It was $1.9 billion when the four-year budget was agreed in 2018.

FIFA aims to keep a minimum level of $1.5 billion in reserve to protect against a World Cup being cancelled.

It depends heavily on income tied to the men’s World Cup and expects to book $4.7 billion revenue for the 2022 financial year.

That means FIFA reports a loss on paper in

each of the three previous years that was $280 million, according to the 2019 report.

FIFA spent $513 million on “development and education” projects in 2019, including more than $400 million in grants to soccer bodies worldwide.

The loss is forecast to be $800 million in pandemichit 2020, when revenue of just $250 million should be booked.

FIFA said 94 per cent of its broadcasting income was already signed for the 201922 cycle, though it currently has relatively few World Cup sponsors: six top-tier partners and three in a lower level.

“With the majority of the commercial rights having already been sold, the impact of the coronavirus crisis on FIFA’s revenue is expected to remain comparatively low,” the Zurich-based body said.

FIFA previously detailed an expected drop in revenue from ticket and hospitality sales at the 2022 World Cup because of smaller stadiums in Qatar, which hosts the last 32-team tournament.

However, FIFA is set for booming income at the 48-team World Cup in 2026 which will set records for average attendance at stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico, in addition to having 80 games instead of 64.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s payment package in 2019 topped 3 million Swiss francs ($3.3 million) in base salary, bonus and allowances, the annual report said.

Payments to secretary general Fatma Samoura totalled just under 1.6 million Swiss francs ($1.75 million), and more than 14.5 million Swiss francs ($16 million) to members of the decision-making FIFA Council.

SEVILLA’s Munir El Haddadi, left and Manchester United’s Harry Maguire vie for the ball during their Europa League semi-final soccer match in Cologne, Germany, on Sunday, August 16.

(Ina Fassbender/Pool Via AP) FIFA’s new flexibility even suggests letting

players revert back to their original national team if

they never actually play for the second one.

The existing FIFA rules have been used by many players born in Europe — who played in national age-group teams or friendly games — and switched to African countries where they have ties through their parents or grandparents.

In more updating of eligibility rules, FIFA wants to clarify how long players must live in a country before they can play for its teams. The proposal aims to help players who as children moved with their families to a new country for non-soccer reasons.

Three years residency would be required if a player moved before the age of 10, and five years residency if the move was aged 10 to 18.

FIFA’s existing rule already requires a five-year residency from the age of 18 if a player wants to acquire a new national eligibility.

That allowed Brazil-born forwards Elkeson and Aloisio to switch to the current China team after they were naturalised as citizens.

PAGE 14, Thursday, August 20, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

‘Social distance ambassadors’ to monitor players at US Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer FORTY “social distance ambassadors” will monitor the US Open grounds to make sure players and others are avoiding close contact and wearing face coverings -- the US Tennis Association bought 500,000 masks to distribute -- as part of efforts to avoid a coronavirus outbreak during the fan-free Grand Slam tournament.

“We’re trying to leave nothing to chance,” Billie Jean King National Tennis Center chief operating officer Danny Zausner said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, “and make it as stress-free for the players as possible.”

The USTA announced Tuesday that one person, who is not a player, turned up positive for COVID-19 out of 1,400 tests administered in the controlled environment set up for the US Open and another tennis tournament preceding it at the same site in New York.

The Western & Southern Open, moved this year from Cincinnati because of the pandemic, begins Saturday. The US Open starts August 31.

Two tests are taken 48 hours apart when a player or member of an entourage arrives at one of the two official hotels or one of the private homes the USTA made available for rent on Long Island. (Eight players

chose the private housing option.)

The person, who is asymptomatic, came up positive on the second test and will be isolated for 10 days. Contact tracing will attempt to determine who might have been exposed.

“We expected this to happen,” USTA CEO Mike Dowse said during a conference call with reporters.

“Mathematically, we expected to have a positive, if not more than one. So we did anticipate this and we have put very specific protocol in place to prevent this from spreading broadly. ... Our No. 1 priority is to take care of this person first, and secondly to prevent the spread from going any further.”

Once the US Open begins, a player testing positive would be kicked out of the tournament.

“This is all about mitigation of risk, lessening the exposure,” tournament director Stacey Allaster said.

She said about 350 players -- roughly 90 per cent of the field -- already are in the “bubble.”

Among the elements of the USTA’s plan, described to the AP by Zausner: -- Similar to the on-site ambassadors, who will be split into two shifts of 20, monitors at the hotels will make sure people don’t leave their rooms for 24 hours after an initial COVID-19 test. “If they come down for whatever

By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer

TENNIS fans move in and out of Arthur Ashe Stadium during the fourth round of the US Open tennis tournament on Sunday, September 3, 2017, in New York. (AP) reason -- because they’re young -- a security person is there to say, ‘Excuse me.

You need to be upstairs,’ and send them back up to their room,” Zausner said.

-- Instead of individual cars ferrying players and others between the hotels and tournament site, about 60 buses will be used, filled to 50 per cent capacity.

One person will sit by each window and the adjacent seat will remain empty.

-- Every room on the 40-acre USTA campus was measured and had its air flow analyzed.

Some rooms were shuttered, others outfitted with filtration systems to rotate air and “meet hospital criteria,” according to Zausner.

-- Arthur Ashe Stadium locker rooms that normally hold up to 300 people are limited to 30 at a time -- and only players, not coaches or other entourage members. And players’ access will be restricted to 15 minutes or so, tied to match and practice schedules.

“That’s a big sacrifice for (players). They’re used to hanging out in the locker room, the lounges in the locker room, spending quality time in there with other players,” Zausner said.

-- Most training and massage tables were moved from locker rooms to outdoors, such as under the viewing gallery for practice courts.

-- The player dining room’s capacity was reduced from 300 to 50; hundreds of rented tables and chairs were set up on the Ashe promenade.

-- Sixty-four suites in the main arena, each of which normally generates hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue, are being assigned as personal lounges to the 32 women and 32 men who are singles seeds for the US Open.

“For the players, this has to feel like a US Open -like, even better than last year’s US Open,” Zausner said.

“The only caveat is that we’re building it for 350-plus players but not 800,000-plus fans.”

AUSSIES READY FOR DOG DAYS OF CRICKET IN BIO-SECURE BUBBLE

By JOHN PYE AP Sports Writer BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — The dog days of isolation are something Aaron Finch is content to continue to ensure global cricket — his job — goes on despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Preparing for Australia’s cricket tour to England next month has been a different experience for the opening batter who will lead a squad of 21 for a series of three Twenty20 games and three one-day internationals next month.

A strict lockdown in Melbourne is in effect now as Victoria endures a deadly second wave of COVID-19 infections.

This is a preview for him of more isolation on tour, with the Australians set to go into a bio-secure bubble just like the West Indies

and Pakistan squads have for games in England over recent weeks.

Finch started an online news conference Tuesday with a warning that his dog might bark in the background and he’d pause his responses if that happened — which it did a couple of times. He signed off the online news conference with an apology, smiling with his headphones still on: “Take care. Sorry about my dog.”

During the first lockdown, which started in March, Finch posted a video of himself on social media doing a dance in front of his little dog, Evie, and dubbed it “quarantinelife.”

In Melbourne’s second lockdown, which started this month, the barking has become background noise.

Footballers, coaches and team staff in Australia’s

CIVALE’S COMPLETEGAME GEM LIFTS THE INDIANS PAST PIRATES 6-1

National Rugby League and Australian rules competitions have been heavily fined or placed back in quarantine over the last month for breaking bio-security protocols that are in place to ensure their sports can be played domestically during the pandemic.

England fast bowler Jofra Archer was stood down for a test match against West Indies last month after making a detour to his home between games and bursting the socalled bio-security bubble.

Finch said following the rules shouldn’t be an issue for his squad, which leaves Australia on Sunday.

There are players in the squad who will tour England, then go into isolation immediately before the Indian Premier League — the lucrative Twenty20 tournament that is being

staged in the United Arab Emirates starting September 19 — and go back into isolation on return to Australia before a home series against India.

“What’s really important to remember is we’re in a position to help continue the global game,” Finch said when asked if sanctions had been discussed for players who breach the bio-security protocols.

“And there should be no more motivation than that, to do everything right.”

Because, he added, “if that falls over then we’re all out of jobs and the game isn’t in a healthy state, which we can’t afford to have.”

Finch said thousands of people across the cricket world have worked to ensure international cricket can be played, and “we owe it to those people, in particular, to do everything right.

Australia’s international borders have been closed since March, and domestic borders between some states have also been closed since a second

outbreak in Victoria earlier this month.

With night-time curfews and high-level lockdowns in place in Melbourne this month, there’s been doubt over the city’s status as host of the annual Boxing Day cricket test. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is scheduled to host the Australia vs. India test in the traditional December 26 time slot, but there’s growing speculation that the match could be moved.

Finch said the players and administrators were prepared to be flexible and to compromise.

“Yes, you love the 90,000 (crowd) on Boxing Day ... it’s an amazing spectacle.

To have the ability to host it at the MCG is huge. It’s so iconic and such a great event,” Finch said. “But equally, it comes down to what is best for the game at the time. Keeping the game as healthy as it can be is the upmost responsibility of players and everyone.

“So whether that has to change for a year, one summer, I don’t think is going to be a huge issue.”

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Civale struck out six and didn’t issue a walk while picking up the first complete game of his young career as the Cleveland Indians pushed their winning streak to five with a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night.

The 25-year-old Civale allowed five hits and narrowly missed a shutout when Pittsburgh pushed across a run with Josh Bell’s sacrifice fly in the ninth.

Carlos Santana broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, one night after slamming a towering three-run blast to lift Cleveland to a 10-inning victory.

Domingo Santana added a bases-clearing double in the eighth as the Indians improved to a season-best six games over .500 (15-9).

Santana turned on a fullcount cutter from reliever Dovydas Neverauskas (0-3) and sent it over the right-field seats for his third home run of the season.

Pittsburgh’s National League-worst batting average dropped to .211 when it failed to muster much of anything against Civale.

The Pirates have dropped 13 of 15 and their 4-16 record is the worst in the major leagues a third of the way through the abbreviated 2020 season.

Cleveland’s offence is no better than Pittsburgh’s, but a little goes a long way for AL Central contenders.

The Indians, whose .200 team batting average is dead last in the majors, are now 12-0 this season when scoring three or more runs.

Having a dominant pitching staff helps. Civale gave the bullpen a break by working Cleveland’s team ERA to 2.61, the best in the majors.

The Pirates failed to put a single runner in scoring position against the efficient Civale until pinchhitter Cole Tucker doubled leading off the ninth.

VALIANT EFFORT Pittsburgh starter Steven Brault matched Civale out for out over five scoreless innings. Brault needed 29 pitches to get through a shaky first but quickly settled down. He didn’t allow a hit until consecutive singles by Franmil Reyes and Jordan Luplow leading off the fifth but escaped the jam by turning a double play in which he caught a line drive with a 110 mph exit velocity off the bat of Domingo Santana then threw to first to double off Luplow.

NCAA MOVES TOWARD FREE YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY FOR FALL ATHLETES FROM PAGE 16 Underclassmen will be guaranteed a waiver to get back the year of eligibility if they want during their careers, but they will count against roster and scholarship limits.

COVID-19 concerns have led all but six Division I leagues to postpone fall sports, with the hope of making them up in the spring semester.

But even those conferences that are moving toward a fall sports season — including the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference — have decreased the number of games scheduled to be played and built in extra time in anticipation of disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The Big Ten and Pac-12 are among the conferences looking into an alternative football season, starting maybe as soon as January.

“It’s hard to penalise a guy a season of eligibility

for things that aren’t in his control,” California coach Justin Wilcox said before the council’s recommendation was handed down.

“You put him in a difficult spot if you say, ‘OK, are you going to choose to play spring for this many games and that’ll cost you a year.’ Because then guys are going to say, if it’s four games or three or six or whatever they’re going to do, then they’re going to say, ‘Well, maybe I want to save it and play an entire season in ‘21.”

The Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have also postponed fall sports among those in the NCAA’s highest-tier of football.

In the second tier of Division I known as FCS, which has an NCAA playoff, all the conferences have postponed fall sports season.

A few schools are scheduled to play nonconference football games.

The 12-hour schedule for football teams not slated

to play over the next few months will kick in Monday and run through Oct. 4.

“I don’t agree at all with the 12 hours,” Penn State Franklin said before it was approved.

“That makes no sense that other teams are going to be having a season, and we’re only going to get to work with our guys for 12 hours. You’ve got voting from basically all the different conferences, and right now, the only people voting in the best interests of the Big Ten are the people from the Big Ten.” After several days of public outcry from players and their parents, Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said in a open letter that a fall season will not be revisited and the conference is evaluating winter/ spring models for football.

“We are actively planning for the winter and spring seasons for all sports, including the return of football,” Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, August 20, 2020, PAGE 15

Bayern beat Lyon 3-0, to play PSG in Champions League final

By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The Champions League final will finally be a meeting of champions again.

Bayern Munich made sure the title match will live up to the competition’s name by beating Lyon 3-0 yesterday, setting up a final against Paris Saint-Germain.

It’s the first time in 22 years that the final will feature two teams who qualified as domestic league champions.

Lyon wasted a couple of early chances and was then overwhelmed by the clinical Bavarian powerhouse, the competition’s highest-scoring team which was coming off an 8-2 win over Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

Serge Gnabry netted twice before Robert Lewandowski added a later header, giving that duo a combined 24 Champions League goals this season, part of Bayern’s total haul of 42.

PSG as a team only has 25 goals in the competition this season.

“We will look to organise our defence, but we know our biggest strength is putting our opponents under pressure,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said.

In 35 games since Flick was promoted to manager in November after Niko Kovac’s firing, he won 32 of them to steer Bayern from fourth place in the Bundesliga, to German Cup glory and into a first continental final since lifting the European Cup in 2013.

Sunday’s game at Benfica’s stadium will be the first time since Real Madrid faced Juventus in 1998 that two domestic champions met in the final.

BAYERN’S SERGE GNABRY, right, celebrates his side’s second goal with teammates Robert Lewandowski, centre, and Thomas Mueller during the Champions League semi-final soccer match against Lyon at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, yesterday.

(Miguel A Lopes/Pool via AP) “For now we celebrate a little bit,” Bayern midfielder Alphonso Davies said.

“But afterwards we focus on the next game. It’s going to be a good game, there’s going to be goals in it.”

The loss for Lyon, in its first Champions League semi-final in a decade, cuts out the last route back into European competitions next season.

After only finishing seventh in the curtailed Ligue 1 season and being beaten in the French League Cup final by PSG, Lyon will be out of Europe for the first time since the 1996-97 season.

Back on the field where it knocked out Manchester City on Saturday, Lyon was made to pay for the squandering its opportunities to take the lead after finding

more space in the Bayern defence than Barcelona, which was thrashed 8-2 on Friday.

Memphis Depay hit the side netting in the fifth minute with only goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to beat from a tight angle and Karl Toko Ekambi hit the right post. “I don’t think we can have any regrets ... because we had two big chances,” Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes said. “We could have been 2-0 up.

In these top-level matches you pay for not taking your chances though.”

Just a minute after the post denied Lyon the opener, Gnabry brushed aside several challenges as he cut in from the right and powered in a shot into the top corner in the 18th minute. “The first couple of minutes we struggled a

little bit,” he said. “My goal came at the right time to give us a bit of confidence.”

His threat was evident across the pitch at the Sporting stadium in Lisbon, driving forward with the ball for the move that led to the second goal.

After releasing Ivan Perišic on the left wing, the ball was squared into the penalty area.

Lewandowski’s sliding connection was blocked

by Lopes but Gnabry was on hand to knock in the second in the 33rd.

It extended Gnabry’s hot scoring streak to nine goals across nine games in this season’s pandemic-disrupted Champions League.

But Lyon was not out of sight.

Just before the hour mark, Moussa Dembélé fed Houssem Aouar who

passed to Ekambi, but the forward shot straight at Neuer’s legs. So many chance to score and none taken for the team that also ousted Juventus to qualify for unique lasteight tournament, which is being played without fans in the Portuguese capital, with single games replacing the usual home and away fixtures.

Lewandowski never has much trouble scoring, although it took until the 88th minute this time when he rose to meet Joshua Kimmich’s free kick with a header.

Lewandowski has now scored in nine consecutive Champions League games, and has 55 goals overall for the season. And it wrapped up a 20th successive victory in all competitions for Bayern.

DORTMUND SIGN BRAZIL YOUNGSTER REINIER ON LOAN FROM MADRID DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Borussia Dortmund signed Brazilian forward Reinier on loan for two years from Real Madrid yesterday.

The Bundesliga club said the 18-year-old Reinier, a Brazil under23 international, will give the attack-minded team another option going forward.

Madrid signed Reinier for a reported 30 million euros ($36 million) from Brazilian club Flamengo in January, but he did not make a competitive appearance for its senior squad.

He trained with the team and made three appearances for the Spanish champion’s reserves, scoring two goals.

Reinier helped Flamengo win the Brazilian championship and Copa Libertadores last season, but the coronavirus pandemic interrupted his period at Madrid.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on the lad for over two years,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said.

“In addition to his outstanding technical qualities, he also boasts a strong physical presence.

“Following the long break from competitive football, we’ll give him the necessary time to adapt to professional football in Germany.”

Dortmund has enjoyed a fruitful relationship with Madrid in recent years.

Most recently it profited from Achraf Hakimi’s two-year loan spell from Madrid. The Morocco wing back has since joined Inter Milan.

SPORTS SECTION E

SEE PAGE 15

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2020

Our ‘Junkanoo Boyz’ are placed in Group F

SEE PAGE 12

MAVS PULL EVEN WITH CLIPPERS

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

T

MAVERICKS guard Luka Doncic dribbles the ball against the LA Clippers during the second half of Game 2 of their first-round playoff series last night in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The Mavs beat the Clippers 127-114 to even the series at 1-1. (AP)

he Bahamas learned its possible path to a berth in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following CONCACAF’s preliminary qualification draw.

The Junkanoo Boyz were placed in Group F of the new restructured qualification process, alongside top seed Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, Guyana and Puerto Rico.

Group A includes El Salvador, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat and the US Virgin Islands.

Group B is led by Canada and includes Suriname, Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Aruba. Group C includes Curacao, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Cuba and the British Virgin Islands.

Group D comprises Panama, The Dominican Republic, Barbados, Dominica and Anguilla.

Finally, Group E is headed by Haiti and includes Nicaragua, Belize, St Lucia and The Turks and Caicos Islands.

“Many communities across the CONCACAF region continue to face very difficult circumstances due to the current public health situation and my thoughts and prayers go out to them,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani in a press release.

“Given the suspension of the March, June and September FIFA match windows, and with so many of our member associations unable to complete a full FIFA rankings cycle, the previous CONCACAF Qualifiers were compromised, and a new approach was required.”

The Qatar 2022 qualification will feature three rounds vying for three anda-half World Cup spots.

The First Round (30 teams) will feature CONCACAF teams ranked 6-35 based on the FIFA/Coca-Cola rankings as of July 16, 2020.

The Bahamas is currently ranked No. 30 based on the aforementioned rankings.

Groups will compete in a single round robin format.

Each team will play every other team in their group once, playing a total of four matches - two home and two away.

At the end of the first round the six group winners will progress to the second round. The second round (six teams) will be played between the group winners from the first round in a home-and-away in a direct elimination format.

The three winners will progress to the final round

featuring eight teams, the three winners from round two and teams based 1-5 on the FIFA rankings.

Mexico, the USA, Costa Rica, Jamaica and Honduras have already qualified directly for the third round.

The top three teams will advance to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the fourth placed team will qualify for the FIFA Intercontinental Playoff, scheduled to be played in June 2022.

The Bahamas most recently competed in regional competition at the senior men’s national team level last year in the CONCACAF Nations League and emerged as the top group team in League C, Group B. The Bahamas finished as group winners with 10 points, and earned a berth in both League B and the 2021 Gold Cup qualifiers.

It’s official: Isnord will join Get Better Academy

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

programmes specialises in maximising basketball potential of its players.”

Their mission statement is geared towards helping players “individually develop players and based on their goals provide them with opportunities to either sign a professional contract or receive a full scholarship to American University.”

GBA has facilitated over 25 players through its programme to NCAA Division I programmes and professional leagues throughout Europe in recent years.

An athletic 6’9” forward known for playing above the rim on both ends of the floor, Isnord said his game has grown exponentially since he transitioned to the US and looks for even further development at GBA. Director of GBA Julien Betko looked ahead to what he expects Isnord to provide the programme. “We are tremendously excited

WILKENSON “Kenny” Isnord will officially join Get Better Academy (GBA) in Prague, Czech Republic, as he makes his transition to pro basketball.

Isnord, a prospect of the Raw Talent organisation, signed a three-year deal with GBA to continue his basketball career in Europe.

“I am very excited about this opportunity with GBA Academy,” he said. “It has been a very rough year but amidst all the adversity, I never lost my trust and faith in God. It is truly a blessing and I can’t wait to get to work and see what the Lord has in store for me.“ According to the organisation, GBA is “a private international basketball academy which through effective training

WILKENSON “Kenny” Isnord has signed a three-year deal with Get Better Academy to continue his basketball career in Europe.

that we signed a three-year contract with Bahamian prospect Wilkenson Isnord.

He is bringing world class athleticism to our team and I think he will be a force for us on both ends of the floor,” he said.

“Kenny spent three months with GBA last season and his improvement was incredible. It convinced us that he is not only physically talented but also extremely hard working, ambitious with great character. This combined with our developmental programme makes us thrilled about Kenny’s future.”

In early 2019, Isnord was a fast-rising prospect in the Florida AAU circuit. He committed to join the Florida International University Panthers out of DME Academy in Daytona, Florida. Isnord chose FIU over Appalachian State, Florida Gulf Coast

and Virginia Commonwealth University. He also drew interest from Virginia Tech, Masachusettes and Louisiana Tech.

Eligibility issues prevented Isnord from taking the opportunity with FIU and he had to re-evaluate the next step in his career, prior to joining Raw Talent.

During this time period, he was at home in Abaco and survived the ravages of Hurricane Dorian along with his family. Like many residents of the island, the Isnords lost their home in the storm.

“I’m super excited for Kenny. He’s a laser focused young man and the sky’s the limit for him. My work with Kenny started about early 2019 when [Bahamas Basketball Federation] President Bowleg asked if I can assist because he was having issues returning to

SEE PAGE 12

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KLAY’S STATUS UNCLEAR UNTIL THE WARRIORS ARE BACK TOGETHER

By RALPH D RUSSO AP College Football Writer COLLEGE athletes who play fall sports, including football, will be given a free year of eligibility no matter how much they compete over the next 10 months if an NCAA recommendation is approved later this week.

The NCAA Division I Council voted yesterday to recommend all athletes whose fall seasons are being altered by the pandemic should get the year of eligibility back. The council also recommended the NCAA should pursue staging fall sports championships during the spring. No recommendation was made for the size of the fields and how they should be picked, which will ultimately determine whether conferences choose to participate.

“We continue to be committed to providing opportunities wherever possible,” said Council chairwoman M Grace Calhoun, the athletic director at Penn.

Other fall sports include men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country.

And the council approved the Football Oversight Committee’s plan to allow teams not playing in the fall to have 12 hours per week of mandatory activities that include strength and conditioning, meetings and noncontact, unpadded practices.

The proposals need approval by the Division I Board of Directors, which meets Friday.

If the board signs off — which is likely — all athletes, whether they play or opt out because of concerns about COVID-19 at any point during the 202021 academic year, will not be docked one of their four years of eligibility.

The NCAA made a similar decision earlier in the year when spring sports had their seasons cut short by the pandemic. All of those athletes were permitted to get an extra year of eligibility, with seniors who wanted to return not counting against roster or scholarship limits for the 2021 seasons.

The same thing will happen for fall sport athletes in 2021-22.

SEE PAGE 14