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VOLUME:117 No.215, OCTOBER 5TH, 2020

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INSIGHT: TOO MANY WOMEN FACE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

PAGES

Paying a price for dicing with COVID

48 hours to agree new tactic to halt NP/Abaco surge

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis yesterday warned that one out of every 100 New Providence residents is infected with COVID-19 – and having had talks with international health experts, the government would talk to the business community over the next two days on its next move.

Dr Minnis’ comments came during a national address yesterday, where he said the country was averaging a death a day from COVID-19 and that

current restrictive measures in place “are not achieving the desired results” for certain communities.

To help with charting the country’s way forward from the crisis, Dr Minnis said he had met the Pan-American Health Organization and World Health Organization representative to The Bahamas, Dr Esther de Gourville, and that talks would now begin with members from the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Confederation and the National COVID19 Coordinating Committee on “specific strategies and the way forward”.

SEE PAGE FIVE

‘100 TEACHERS’ QUARANTINED AS NEW SCHOOL YEAR OPENS

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Union of Teachers President Belinda Wilson claimed on Friday that a number of schools were plagued by COVID19 cases last week.

At least 100 teachers are either in quarantine or have been quarantined from September 7 to October 2, The Tribune understands.

Mrs Wilson told The Tribune that since last Monday, RM Bailey Senior High School and Anatol Rodgers High School were the latest facilities to have cases of

the respiratory virus.

She claimed there had been “a serious situation” where RM Bailey School was shut down despite students taking examinations there.

“Those students who (were) taking examinations were sent over to CH Reeves’ campus and they are suspected to have been exposed, so this is unacceptable because the virus is contagious and the number of cases is growing daily, especially in New Providence,” the BUT president said Friday.

SEE PAGE FIVE

HOME

COMMERCIAL LOAN BAN AT BOB FOR NEXT THREE YEARS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BANK of The Bahamas’ top executive admitted that its risk management had been poor as he revealed the Central Bank has blocked it from taking on new business borrowers for three-plus years.

Kenrick Brathwaite, the BISX-listed institution’s managing director, told Tribune Business that events before his appointment meant it was unable to currently rebuild a commercial credit portfolio that he believes remains “really critical” to the bank’s future prospects.

“We still have a restriction from the Central Bank with regard to new commercial credit. The restriction has been in place for the last three years, and we cannot take on any new commercial clients.

That’s still continuing,” he disclosed.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

MAN’S BODY FOUND AS FIRE GUTS PROPERTY

‘MUMMY, GET THE DOCTOR’ THE last words of four-year-old Jeremy Green were to ask his mother to get the doctor as he lay dying. The boy was killed along with his father, Jamoric Green, in a double shooting in Eleuthera.

See page three for the full story.

DON’T WORRY - WE’RE FULLY INSURED

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A BAHAMAS-BASED oil explorer yesterday said that the insurance coverage for its first well will cover any tourism or fisheries losses “in the highly unlikely event” of any spill or environmental impact.

Roberta Quant, Bahamas Petroleum Company’s environmental scientist,

told Tribune Business it had obtained protection “considerably in excess of the minimum levels of cover required by the Government” for the Perseverance

One well that will be drilled in waters some 91 miles to the west of Andros near the maritime boundary with Cuba.

Ms Quant said the well’s location was not in a Marine Protected Area, adding that its location was some 85 miles from Cay Sal and had been subjected to intense scrutiny that showed “there are no sensitive environmental receptors anywhere near the drill site”.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

A MAN’S body was found in a house on Meadow Street on Saturday night after police extinguished a fire.

Police said sometime around 10.13pm, officers from the Fire Department received reports of a structural fire located on Meadow and Finlayson Streets.

Fire units were dispatched and upon arrival, found a single storey, tworoom structure engulfed in flames.

After extinguishing the fire, officers then surveyed the interior of the home where they discovered the charred remains of an adult male.

SEE PAGE TWO

YOUR WOMAN AND HEALTH SECTIONS INSIDE THE TRIBUNE TOMORROW

PAGE 2, Monday, October 5, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

THE BAHAMIAN flag flying over St Catharine’s College in Cambridge.

Flying the flag for Black History Month ST Catharine’s College in the United Kingdom flew the national flag of The Bahamas above Cambridge city centre on October 1 to signify the start of a programme of activities celebrating Black History Month.

The flag commemorates the college’s connections with The Bahamas thanks to its earliest known black student, the Hon. Alfred F Adderley, CBE. Mr Adderley is a former parliamentarian, judge and noted Bahamian educator. He died in 1953.

St Catharine’s took the opportunity to fly The Bahamas flag after a recent research project found that Mr Adderley arrived from The Bahamas to study law in 1912, making him the earliest black member of the college on record. Following graduation and legal training, Mr Adderley returned to The Bahamas to practice law, where he distinguished himself in court and became a leader in national politics, religion

and sports.

Professor Sir Mark Welland, master of St Catharine’s College, said: “This Black History Month, St Catharine’s College is starting the new academic year by embracing over a century of black students, staff and fellows contributing to our academic community. We are rightly proud of our black history, first recorded in 1912 with Alfred F Adderley, who contributed so much to life at St Catharine’s and in The Bahamas. I’m delighted that the raising of the Bahamian flag today in his memory launches a programme of activities that will enable us all to reflect and build on these important historical experiences throughout October and beyond.”

The Adderley Prize was established by St Catharine’s following a bequest from Alfred and his son, the late Paul Adderley, who also studied at the college and also served as acting Governor-General of

The Bahamas. The prize is still given annually to recognise St Catharine’s law students for outstanding performance in their exams.

L’myah Sherae, whowas graduated with a master’s degree from St Catharine’s and whose research investigated Alfred F Adderley’s life, added: “Delving into the college’s archives was a very powerful experience for me. I was overwhelmed and completely inspired by the achievements of Alfred F Adderley and the other black students at St Catharine’s who followed him.

“Knowing that I also followed in their prominent footsteps, as a black student at St Catharine’s, was incredibly motivating. I am thrilled that my research inspired the college to fly the Bahamian flag in honour of this rich history.”

The national flag of The Bahamas flew from the college’s flag pole on October 1 and will fly again on October 31, marking the start and the end of Black History Month.

OFFICIALS at the scene of the fire yesterday.

Photos: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

MAN’S BODY FOUND AS FIRE GUTS PROPERTY from page one Speaking to reporters at the scene, police press liaison officer ASP Audley Peters said the victim appeared to be in his early 50s.

Asked if the victim was the sole occupant of the structure, he replied: “From what we understand this is a structure that is owned by another person and some persons would’ve taken over the structure and this individual would have usually normally been at this structure during this day.”

He said while the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, foul play is not suspected by police at this time.

While briefing reporters on Saturday’s incident, ASP Peters also issued a plea

to residents who often use candles and other open flame devices to keep their homes lit, urging them to extinguish the fires before going to bed. He stressed, however, that he was not saying this was the cause of Saturday’s incident.

“What I want to add at this time is persons who may find themselves without electricity, and have to make use of the candles and lanterns, to be cautious and extinguish them before going to bed. Nothing here suggests that this was caused by a candle being lit,” he noted.

“But, however, we would encourage individuals who may have to make use of candles and lanterns to ensure that they are extinguished before going to bed and to discourage children from playing with matches during this time.”

An investigation is ongoing.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 3

Four-year-old’s last words: ‘Mummy, get the doctor’

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

“MUMMY get the doctor, please get the doctor,” were the last words of a four-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Eleuthera on Saturday while he was in his father’s arms.

His father also died in the incident. The wife and mother of the victims who witnessed the fatal shooting unfold said she is now in fear for her own life.

Recalling the horrific incident, the woman whose name has been withheld, told The Tribune she and her family were inspecting a property they were building in the Rock Sound settlement when two gunmen ambushed her husband.

“I thought it was my brother coming, but then I saw my husband telling them ‘Don’t shoot, I have my son in my hand, please don’t shoot,’” she said.

“After they opened fire, I thought it was only one (gunman). I come out the car and I started to run, (but) when I started to run, I saw the next one. He started to shoot at me, but I run into the bush and I heard when they speed off in my car with my other kids inside of it.”

Police said shortly after 5pm on Saturday, officers in Eleuthera were informed that two people had been found unresponsive on a property in Rock Sound.

When police arrived, they found the man and boy with injuries. The two of them were later pronounced dead.

Later that day, officers received additional information concerning two children who went missing in a white vehicle. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department in New Providence were then dispatched

to Eleuthera. When they arrived, they discovered the white vehicle on a dirt road north of Rock Sound.

Police said the two infants were found in the car unharmed.

While officials have not released their identities, family members say the victims are 35-year-old Jamoric Green and his fouryear-old son Jeremy Green.

Yesterday, the young boy’s mother said she is still in shock.

“As they sped off with my kids in the car, I heard my little boy crying so I called his name. He was laying on his side but when he heard my voice, he turned around and he looked at me and said ‘Mummy get the doctor, please get the doctor.’

“I tried to lift him up because he said ‘Lift me, lift me,’ but I saw he was in pain so I say ‘no baby I can’t lift you.’ I know they say don’t move them when they get shoot because you don’t want the bullet to move, so I told him no mummy is going to get the doctor. He said ‘Okay, okay get the doctor’ and he stopped crying.”

Jeremy’s mother said she ran to a nearby residence to try and get help but when she got there, she ended up pleading for an “hour-anda-half” for help that never came.

“I ran and bammed on her door, but she didn’t even want to let me in,” she claimed. “I said, ‘My husband and my son up there, somebody shoot them please they need help, my son tell me to come and get help.’ But she said ‘Hold on, who you is?’ So after she wasn’t opening the door, I push myself in her house and I said, ‘Please come help my son... he get shoot in his thigh.’

“I been there pleading for help about an hour and a half and they did not go up there to my son and

my husband. My son got shoot in his thigh. From my understanding, my son bleed out. If (someone) did come there and tie his leg to stop the bleeding, he would’ve been alive today.

That’s sad.”

The 32-year-old said she could not describe the amount of pain she is going through right now. “‘Mummy get the doctor.’

I couldn’t believe that come out my four-year-old son’s mouth. He was looking at me, I didn’t even have to turn him over. When he heard my voice, he turn and he look at me... only God one knows what I’m going through right now to witness all of that.”

The woman said police found the missing car with her other children in the “back of the bush” with all of the car’s doors closed and windows screwed tight. She said they were able to track them using her iPhone, which she left in the car.

“When they bring my little girl to me she was drenched in wetness where she was sweating in the car.

The officers said they buck up in the car and all. They had my kids way deep, deep in the back of the bush.

(They) left them to die.”

As for her husband, she described him as a “hardworking man” who was devoted to his family.

“He’s a fisherman, a loving husband and caring sweetheart. Anybody in Rock Sound could tell you about him and he loves his kids. Wherever you saw him, you saw me and his kids. And my little boy Jeremy was his shadow.

Everywhere you saw him, you saw my husband.”

His wife said on the day of his death, Mr Green pleaded with his killers not to shoot him while he was holding his son. She added when the gunmen realised she had escaped unscathed, they were angry.

GUNMAN ‘FOLLOWED FAMILY TO THEIR HOME’

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

COMMISSIONER of Police Paul Rolle yesterday said the gunmen who shot and killed a man and his son in Eleuthera on Saturday followed the victim and his family to their Rock Sound property to carry out the attack.

The police chief spoke to reporters while issuing school supplies to children at Pilgrim Baptist Church, as part of the Royal Bahamas Police Force’s community outreach initiative.

According to reports, shortly after 5pm on Saturday, police were informed that two people had been found unresponsive on a property in Rock Sound.

When they arrived at the scene, they found the man and boy with injuries. The two of them were later pronounced dead. Later that day, officers received additional information that a white vehicle and

two children were missing.

Detectives dispatched from the capital later found the children unharmed in the car, which they discovered through a dirt road north of the settlement.

While officials have not yet released the identities of the victims, The Tribune understands they are 35-year-old Jamoric Green and his four-year-old son, Jeremy Green.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, Commissioner Rolle said the “culprits obviously followed” Mr Green and his family when they went to “check on a house” they were building.

“Their house is some distance off the main road and the attack took place,” he said. “The assailants then jumped in his vehicle and drove off. I don’t think they realised that the children were in the car and once they realised they ditched the car, but we found the car sometime later. Both of the children were reunited with the mother...regrettably, the father and one of

the siblings were killed in that incident.”

Asked whether police could say if the double homicide was a targeted attack, he stated: “We are still conducting our investigations with that. Based on what I’m saying, obviously he was followed there because where the house is, this is not some place where people hang out. There was no indication or no argument or anything”.

Police say they have several people in custody in relation to the incident.

Meanwhile yesterday, Commissioner Rolle said the RBPF distributed 400 school bags to children in the Kemp Road community who are scheduled to return to school sometime this week.

He said the force hosted the “give back” as part of their efforts to “interact, partner and build relationships” within the community.

“I think we had 1,600 packages that were issued throughout the various

RETIRED SENIOR POLICE OFFICER DIES RETIRED Assistant Commissioner of Police Willard Cunningham died yesterday morning.

In a statement, Progressive Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis said he was saddened by the news.

“I had the pleasure of working with Mr Cunningham in my capacity as a defence attorney where we developed a professional camaraderie and friendship that lasted until his untimely passing,” Mr Davis said in a statement.

“I recall Willard as a commanding figure and formidable prosecutor in

the Magistrate’s Court. A resilient spirit, he overcame many personal challenges and his work ethic and dedication to the administration of justice led to his ascension through the ranks of the Royal Bahamas Police Force to the substantive post of assistant commissioner of police.

“Willard was also very active in the religious community and upon his retirement from the police force, he continued his contribution to nation building, becoming a minister of the gospel and an associate pastor at Annex

Baptist Church on Wulff Road where he faithfully served until his passing.”

Mr Davis said ACP Cunningham “lived a full, fruitful and purposeful life” dominated by service to others.

“I thank him for his public service as he goes on to reap his eternal reward.”

ACP Cunningham joined the RBPF in 1971 and worked in several Family Island communities during his career. Before his promotion to ACP in 2010, the retired officer was chief superintendent for the Family Islands.

JAMORIC GREEN, the father of Jeremy Green. Both were killed in the shooting.

“I’m scared for my life,” with a sweetheart. That’s she said. “I told officers I a lie. Me and my husband need to go under witness and my kids came together. protection. I saw their body We have been over here language. They were really now two years living hapangry I got away because I pily. I came out of Nassau for the same reason. Nassau fell on my face.”

The woman added she is corrupt. I never know also wanted to refute something like this could reports circulating online happen on the island.”

Insisting the online suggesting the incident was fuelled by a bitter love reports are “completely false”, she added: “That’s triangle.

“My mom told me people incorrect information and I are saying I came over here don’t like that because what

POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle yesterday. communities,” he said.

I know we spent around $3,500 for the school supplies and then there was another $16,000 that was expended on food vouchers.

“Then of course, when we first started with doing the food drive, we did about $50,000. So these were

I’m going through, I don’t need that right now. I’m going through a lot. You know what it is to witness my son — my four-year-old baby — and my husband get kill? And they took my one-month-old baby boy and my one-year-old girl and was trying to kill me too. C’mon man, they are wrong. Everything they said is false information.”

Saturday’s killings marked the third incident in about three weeks where a child was murdered.

Yesterday, Englerston MP Glenys Hanna-Martin released a statement condemning the “spate of gun violence” she insisted was “recklessly targeting children”.

“Three innocent children are dead by violence in as many weeks,” she said.

“This is unprecedented.

This cannot be tolerated.

This is unbearable. The minister must now say what is this government’s plan to counteract this plague of murder now recklessly targeting children.”

She said children must be protected.

“This spate of deadly violence is a shocking signal of the social deterioration in our country. The government must now understand that there must be a reach across the political divide to bring a non-partisan, all hands-on deck merger to combat this scourge. We are talking about our beloved country. Our precious children are now in the firing line. The political leveraging is not working and people are dying.”

Police said they have taken a number of people into custody in connection with the double homicide.

They are also appealing to anyone with information that can assist with their investigation to contact the police at 919, 911, Crime Stoppers at 328-8477 or any police station in Eleuthera.

Photo: Terrel W Carey Sr/Tribune Staff

corporate persons who came forward and partnered with the police and I want to thank all of them who put their money where their mouth is in doing their part and help make this community safe.”

Commissioner Rolle insisted the RBPF would

continue to do its part and help out in light of the current “tough” economic times many people were faced with.

He said the force was also able to distribute meal vouchers and provide water and lunch for the children yesterday.

PAGE 4, Monday, October 5, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

McMillan: We haven’t flattened the curve yet

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net CHIEF Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan revealed on Friday that health officials have not yet seen a flattening of the curve for New Providence, with data suggesting the number of COVID-19 cases could continue to increase for the island in the days ahead.

Speaking during a Ministry of Health press conference, Dr McMillan noted that one out of every 100 ““Nassauvians”” have been infected with the virus, “a stark reality” that continues to overwhelm the country’s healthcare system.

The chief medical officer said while Grand Bahama has made steady progress in its fight against the novel coronavirus, New Providence continues to be the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, with transmission increasing on the island “significantly.”

This as Dr McMillan confirmed the nation’s COVID-19 positivity rate has remained consistent at around 22 to 29 percent.

Officials further skirted around questions of whether the Ministry of Health was consulted ahead of the Ministry of Tourism’s announcement that the 14-day quarantine is being revoked come November 1.

Instead, Dr McMillan would only say both ministries continued to work together.

“Our data shows nearly all new cases are concentrated in the capital,” she said.

“Though daily new cases fluctuate with peaks in early and late September, a flattening is not being preserved given the increasing height of the orange line.

The stark reality is one in every 100 Nassauvians

CHIEF Medical Officer Pearl McMillan. have been infected with COVID-19. Of importance, the hill curve suggests that the number of new cases in New Providence will continue to increase and follow the projected path.”

While painting a grim picture of the COVID-19 situation for New Providence, Dr McMillan was still hopeful the country could still defeat the virus, urging Bahamians to do their part in following all the necessary health protocols.

Her calls for more public adherence were also echoed by Health Minister Renward Wells, who noted that the uptick in cases comes as the country is in its phased re-opening of the economy.

From the onset of the pandemic, the government had implemented a number of restrictions to reduce

COVID-19 spread within communities, including the shutdown of non-essential businesses and beaches and parks.

Many of those restrictions have since been relaxed, with the reopening of the tourism sector set for October 15.

Regarding the COVID19 positivity rate, Dr McMillan said: “(It) remains fairly consistent in the recent past ranging between 22 and 29 percent. This is from epiweek 36 to epi-week 40, we’ve been fairly consistent in our positivity percent – 22 to 29.”

According to various medical sources, including John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a high percent positive means that more testing should probably be done—and it suggests

that it is not a good time to relax restrictions aimed at reducing coronavirus transmission. Because a high percentage of positive tests suggests high coronavirus infection rates (due to high transmission in the community), a high percent positive can indicate it may be a good time to add restrictions to slow the spread of disease.

The higher the percent positive is, the more concerning it is. As a rule of thumb, however, one threshold for the percent positive being “too high” is five percent.

The World Health Organisation recommended in May that the percent positive remain below five percent for at least two weeks before governments consider reopening.

As it relates to Abaco, Dr Gillian Bartlett, who

monitor its new travel protocols which will come into force next month.

Mr Mitchell further questioned if this latest move by the Ministry of Tourism is driven by science.

He said on Friday: “Hotels, as I understand it,

had taken the position that unless the government was able to put in place something that allows tourists to come and not feel trapped here, then there is no point in them opening because there would be no market.

“So, I’m saying that is why the government has been forced to do what it’s doing. They’ve got to get some money into the economy. The issue is, as with everything they’ve done, it’s whether or not we have the capacity to monitor all of the rules that they put in place.

“The science should dictate what we do. I’m saying there’s a balance that has to be struck between life on one hand, livelihood on the next.

“It’s the government that has to make the judgment and it’s the government that must ensure that whatever rule they set in place must be properly enforced.”

On Thursday the Ministry of Tourism announced that tourists and returning residents will be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in The Bahamas and again four days later as part of new rules that will take effect on November 1 and eliminate the need for travellers to quarantine.

The tourists and returning residents will need a RT-PCR negative test result that is no older than seven days to qualify for the travel visa, a revision of the current five-day requirement.

In early September, the Ministry of Tourism said it was recommending hotels

heads the Family Islands COVID-19 taskforce team, said on Friday: “What we’re seeing on grounds of Abaco is definitely an increase of COVID, mostly on mainland Abaco – Cooper’s Town, Marsh Harbour and also in the Sandy Point area, we’re just having a lot of persons presenting to our clinics with side symptoms of COVID. “And when you contact trace, you also find that those persons (who they) have been in close contact with are also coming down with symptoms so that seems to be widening the spread in Abaco and it definitely is an island of concern.”

Asked about the country’s readiness for a possible third wave given the continued strain being put on medical professionals, the Minister of Health Reward Wells noted that his ministry is doing all it can to pool in more resources and strengthen its fight against COVID. His comments came after health officials revealed that 243 healthcare workers have tested positive for COVID to date.

“We are in the process of seeking as best as we can to upgrade our infrastructural facilities. We would’ve already spoken to the fact that we are on the process of seeking to source additional healthcare personnel to add to our current complement,” he said.

“We’re looking at how we can source additional testing equipment so in every sphere that is necessary to be able to deliver the kind of care on behalf of this ministry to the Bahamian people, we are seeking how best we can augment and increase those capacities. “...but there need to be certainly a level of personal

responsibility on the part of our people. This virus just doesn’t spontaneously generate within persons. It is transmitted by contact and we need to adhere to the health protocols that have been put out.”

Mr Wells said a total of 4,220 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in The Bahamas as of Thursday, October 1, 2020.

“Of that number 2,290 cases have recovered and 1,803 remain active. This translates to a recovery rate of 54.3 per cent,” he explained.

“Ninety-three active cases are hospitalised while the remaining cases are in quarantine.”

He said as of Thursday, New Providence has recorded the majority of cases with a total of 3,099.

This is followed by: Grand Bahama with 635; Abaco with 145; Exuma with 32; Inagua with 19; Eleuthera 22; Long Island 12; Andros eight and 156 cases with locations pending.

The Health Minister noted that Bimini, which has reported a total of 54 confirmed cases, has maintained 28 days with no new confirmed cases.

He stated that for September, 2020, Mayaguana recorded only one new case.

With “an average COVID-19 death” per day, The Bahamas has a mortality rate of 2.27 per cent.

Dr McMillan also noted that data has been consistent in its findings in showing that younger people are more impacted by COVID in the country’s second wave compared to the first wave.

This, she added, shows that the country’s efforts to reduce transmission to the older, more vulnerable population appears to be successful.

MITCHELL QUESTIONS CAPACITY TO MONITOR TRAVEL RULES

By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PROGRESSIVE Liberal Party Chairman Fred Mitchell has questioned whether the government has the capacity to properly

PLP chairman Fred Mitchell throughout the country resume full operations and use of beaches on October 15.

At the time, Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar said visitors would be required to quarantine at their choice of lodging for 14 days or the duration of their stay, which he branded as a “vacation in place” experience.

However, the unwillingness of visitors to visit the country and quarantine sparked the new rules.

The ministry said in a statement Thursday: “While October 15 is still set for the reopening of the tourism sector, until October 31 all incoming visitors must ‘vacation in place’ for 14 days or the duration of

stay, whichever is shorter, which means limiting the vacation experience to the grounds and amenities of a traveller’s hotel or accommodations.

“Beginning 1 November, The Bahamas will remove the mandatory ‘vacation in place’ requirement for all visitors, returning citizens and residents, thereby enabling everyone to move about and explore the destination beyond the confines of their hotel or other accommodations.”

All people entering the country will receive rapid antigen tests in The Bahamas which are considered less reliable and less costly than the standard RT-PCR tests.

WELCOME HOME CELEBRATION DELAYED

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE welcome home celebration planned for Friday for the 30 displaced children at the Grand Bahama Children’s Home was postponed after an official travelling with the delegation for the event tested positive for COVID-19.

The testing was mandatory for the group.

The children, who were relocated to Nassau a year ago following damage to

the home during Hurricane Dorian, were scheduled to arrive in Freeport at 9.15am, with an official delegation from Nassau.

FIDA and Rotary Clubs on Grand Bahama had planned a “yellow ribbon” procession through the streets of Freeport and had requested residents and businesses along the route to tie a yellow ribbon on their trees and buildings.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development advised that

the scheduled return of the residents of the Grand Bahama Children’s Home to Grand Bahama had been rescheduled.

“Mandatory, advanced, COVID-19 testing of officials who were included in the delegation revealed a positive test for the COVID-19 virus,” it stated.

The children who experienced the worst of the storm, were relocated to the Ranfurly Children’s Home in New Providence until repairs had been completed.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 5

Paying a price for dicing with COVID from page one A PAHO/WHO representative will also brief Cabinet on Tuesday, he said, adding that the leader of the opposition and his team have also been invited to that meeting.

At the end of the meetings, Dr Minnis said he will subsequently update the nation on the recommendations made by international health experts, specifically as it relates for New Providence and Abaco – where cases continue to climb.

On Friday, health officials reported that one out of every 100 New Providence residents has been infected with the virus, with data suggesting that cases on the island could continue to climb in the days ahead.

Officials also acknowledged the confirmed cases on Abaco to be concerning.

The situation, Dr Minnis said, has placed

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis a significant strain on the country’s healthcare system. He again urged Bahamians to not let their guards down after hitting out at reported large social gatherings with “large Junkanoo rush outs”.

Dr Minnis said only in unity can the nation defeat the COVID-19 threat, warning that “we must recommit on New Providence to full compliance with the rules.”

“Our best and most effective measure to control the spread of COVID-19 is our individual and collective behaviour and

responsibility.

National unity and the spirit of ‘we’ are essential in combating COVID-19,” he said.

“But when we do not act together, this deadly virus sees an opportunity to exploit us and do damage to our individual and common good.

“When you fail to wear a mask or abide by other health measures, the virus may seize on this opportunity to harm you and through you, do harm to others.”

As a part of his government’s efforts to reduce further community transmission, Dr Minnis outlined new guidelines for laboratories conducting COVID-19 tests.

He said all will now be required to be registered with the Ministry of Health and adhere to the following guidelines.

“Each laboratory will be required to meet testing standards established by the Ministry of Health,”

he said. “Laboratories will also be subject to periodic cross-referencing to ensure quality control. Laboratories will be prohibited from administering the COVID 19 RT PCR test unless the patient provides all identifying particulars required by the case identification form. Laboratories will now be required to turn around test results within a maximum of 48 hours.”

He also said the measures will also help produce a quicker turnaround time for test results.

Recognising that thousands continue to be affected by the pandemic, Dr Minnis said the government has decided to allocate $45m for the extension of its assistance programmes to December to further help those most vulnerable.

This applies to its unemployment benefit programme and national food assistance initiative, the latter of which officials had

previously said will end in October.

However, yesterday, the prime minister said: “Ten million dollars have been allocated for a second phase of the national food programme to the end of December 2020. This is a government sponsored programme to ensure that Bahamians receive food assistance in a timely and responsible manner.”

Yesterday, Dr Minnis also sought to explain the rationale behind the government’s decision to relax quarantine protocols for visitors and residents travelling to the country come November, saying officials “recognise that a balance must be found.”

“No protocol is perfect, and so we recognise that a balance must be found,” he added. “The solution must work for everyone entering The Bahamas. By introducing rapid antigen tests upon arrival, and then again 96 hours into a traveller’s

stay, we can more closely monitor and respond to any cases of the virus and act swiftly to contain its spread.”

In view of the new protocols, Dr Minnis said tourism officials are also in discussions with various insurance companies for the implementation of a traveller’s COVID-19 insurance to ensure that visitors “will be cared for appropriately and dispatched out of the country if necessary.”

He continued: “This means we can more confidently allow all visitors to move with less restrictions through the destination.

With this approach, we can offer visitors a bit more true Bahamian experience they know and love, albeit while wearing a mask in public places and abiding

by COVID-19 measures.”

He said the move will also allow workers in the industry to return to work faster, as many have suffered “greatly”.

WORKSPACE HOTSPOT WARNING FROM CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

DECLARING the workplace a COVID-19 “hotspot”, health officials revealed data has suggested that workplaces and mass gatherings may be the leading environments of exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan made the revelation Friday and acknowledged the statistics on COVID-19 exposure were not as complete as officials would like them to be.

However, she said the data had shown up to that point that 41 percent or 447 confirmed cases were exposed to the virus in the workplace or mass gatherings during the second wave.

This was followed by household or “friend” settings, which accounted for 35 percent or 387 exposures.

Dr McMillan also said there have been instances where as many as 12 employees had tested COVID-19 positive from one particular place.

“With regards to exposures, data exists for 31

percent of the cases. Of this (31 percent), 41 percent of persons…infected with COVID-19 have reported their exposure to have occurred in the workplace or a mass gathering setting,” she said Friday.

“Another 35 percent reported exposure from household or friends. We remind the public that the Ministry of Health has developed workplace guidelines and have adapted an assessment tool to improve their ability to prepare and maintain a level of readiness.

“We also implore businesses to have their human resources managers or health and safety officers register and take the nationally adapted online contact tracing course.”

Speaking on the issue on Friday, Health Minister Renward Wells deemed the workplace “a hot spot”.

Despite the high number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Mr Wells said there are some individuals who still have decided to carry on with their lives as normal, presenting a risk to them and their families.

“With the relaxation of restrictions, some have decided to go back to

business as usual, including their social lives,” he said.

“Some have decided to attend planned social events like showers, dinner and birthday parties where they may contract or spread COVID-19.

“These same persons go home to their families where the virus is spread.

These individuals also spread COVID-19 to their co-workers. Now, we have a consistent trend of workplace exposure requiring a constant cycle of quarantining, deep cleaning and sanitization.”

“The workplace is now a ‘hotspot’.”

In August, health officials revealed that uniform branches led the way in terms of contacts’ workplace exposure by occupation, followed by health workers and those in the category of trade, utility and construction.

At the time, ‘family exposure’ and the workplace were considered leading causes of contact exposure to COVID. Government officials say their agencies have since introduced a number of protocols to better protect workers against the COVID threat.

‘100 TEACHERS’ QUARANTINED AS NEW SCHOOL YEAR OPENS from page one According to Mrs Wilson, several other schools were also affected.

“Carlton Francis (and) Willard Patton Preschool - all of them experienced COVID-19 positive cases this week and last week Albury Sayle Primary and A F Adderley Junior High,” she said on Friday.

“The educational system

is not about the Ministry of Education or the union’s likes or dislikes but it’s about the future of the children of our nation,” she said.

Contacted about Mrs Wilson’s claims Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd said he did not have any information on the matter.

Further pressed on cases at various schools such as Anatol Rodgers High School and Carlton

E Francis Primary School, Mr Lloyd said he heard about those incidents but was still awaiting confirmation.

This comes as public schools across the country are set to reopen today, but in New Providence, Abaco and Eleuthera they will offer virtual learning only. However, staff had been reporting to work in advance of schools opening for students.

550 CASES IN A WEEK

By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas recorded more than 550 confirmed COVID-19 cases last week, with health data suggesting that the number of cases could continue to increase for the country in the days ahead.

The latest COVID-19 dashboard accounts for Saturday’s data, which recorded 77 new COVID19 cases, pushing the count to 4,409 with 1,903 of those active.

Seventy of the new cases were recorded for New Providence, six in Grand Bahama and one in Eleuthera. Meanwhile, Friday saw a whopping 96 new confirmed cases - with 88 confirmed in New Providence and one in Grand Bahama. The locations of the other six cases were pending as of Friday.

As for deaths, health officials said the toll stood at 96 up to Saturday, with 18 still under investigation. Sunday’s tally was not released up to press time.

However, speaking during a Ministry of Health Press conference on Friday, Chief Medical Officer Dr Pearl McMillan said one out of every 100 Nassau residents have been infected with the virus.

She also noted that health officials have not yet seen a flattening of the curve for New Providence. This comes after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said last month that the country appeared to be nearing the second wave.

However, the chief medical officer said on Friday: “Though daily new cases fluctuate with peaks in early and late September, a flattening is not being preserved given the increasing height of the orange line.

The stark reality is one in every 100 Nassauvians have been infected with COVID-19. Of importance, the hill curve suggests that the number of new cases in New Providence will continue to increase and follow the projected path.”

She also said the nation’s COVID-19 positivity rate has remained consistent at around 22 to 29 percent, with the Bahamas’ mortality rate set at 2.27 per cent.

Out of the 555 new cases confirmed last week— according to data provided from last Monday to Saturday—New Providence accounted for the majority, with 499 cases. This was followed by Grand Bahama, which recorded 14 cases last week and then Abaco which saw ten new cases.

Smaller numbers were recorded on other islands

or were listed as “location pending”.

Again, Sunday’s data was not available up to press time.

Health officials said while Grand Bahama has made steady progress in its fight against the novel coronavirus, New Providence and Abaco continue to be a cause for concern.

Dr Gillian Bartlett, who heads the Family Islands COVID-19 task force, said of Abaco cases on Friday: “What we’re seeing on grounds of Abaco is definitely an increase of COVID, mostly on mainland Abaco Cooper’s Town, Marsh Harbour and also in Sandpoint area, we’re just having a lot of persons presenting to our clinics with side symptoms of COVID. “…And when you contact trace, you also find that those persons (who they) have been in close contact with are also coming down with symptoms so that seems to be widening the spread in Abaco and it definitely is an island of concern.”

On Sunday, Dr Minnis said his administration will consult with Pan American Health Organisation/ World Health Organisation officials to discuss new preventive strategies about the way forward, especially as it relates to New Providence.

PAGE 6, Monday, October 5, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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Get ready, New Providence BRACE yourselves for another lockdown.

That’s the clear indication from Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis as he tries once again to thread the needle in tackling COVID-19.

It’s a long way from what Dr Minnis was saying on September 23, as he said that the second wave of the virus shows signs of ending. We weren’t convinced by that when he said it, we’re even less convinced now.

The daily dashboard has revealed dozens of new cases, day after day. In the past week alone, there were 550 new cases – and Dr Minnis said we are averaging a death every day.

On Friday, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Pearl McMillan, said that we have not yet seen a flattening of the curve – and yet still we plunged on with plans to reopen the economy.

New requirements are being brought in for tourists – as if anyone will want to come to a country with so many new cases each day. Even those measures continue to prove awkward to navigate – with one Canadian reader in today’s letters pointing out the impossibility of getting a COVID-19 test result, a health visa and booking accommodation in the few days in which the test result will be considered valid.

Schools are getting back underway too – and yet the teachers’ union has concerns about the virus plaguing schools, and at least 100 teachers are either in quarantine or have been in quarantine during the past month. The union also raised concerns about children being potentially exposed during examinations.

Dr Minnis added that one in 100 Bahamians on New Providence is now infected.

We’re in a mess.

While other islands have managed to lock this virus down, New Providence has not – and now we have to figure out what we’re going to do about it.

Until our infection rate is under control, we can forget about tourism restarting. Hotels aren’t going to take the risk of reopening and tourists aren’t going to visit. This is it. Do or, literally in this case, die.

So we should be prepared for whatever comes next. We hope the

government has learned from when it imposed a surprise lockdown – that doesn’t need to happen again, people need time to prepare, to ensure they have enough food and water.

On Friday, Dr McMillan suggested that workplaces were the new hotspot – which might give some indication of the government’s thinking of what measures to take next.

Enforcement needs to be stepped up too – quite often there are few police about on the streets at night to monitor the curfew.

So what comes next? We can only wait and see. But we must stop this virus. Now.

Ignoring domestic violence The story on page nine is a tragic one.

It is also a far too common one.

In our Insight section, one woman recounts the story of the abusive relationship she was in.

Last week, we saw how far that domestic violence could go – with police suspecting a domestic dispute was involved in the events that led up to the double murder of a mother and daughter.

That mother had turned to the police for help before the crime occurred. They were out looking for the suspect at the time the mother and daughter were shot dead. No police car was parked outside her door to protect her.

At the start of the lockdowns, campaigners warned of the danger of increased domestic violence with people stuck at home together and victims having no way out.

As Prime Minister Dr Minnis spoke yesterday, he did not dwell on that topic, touching only briefly on the subject of mental health.

This is not a problem that is showing any signs of going away. Indeed, it seems woven into the fabric of our society.

Too often, a raised hand is seen as an acceptable solution. Too often, violence against our women is ignored. Bruises are paid little attention to, and people ask what did she do to deserve that as if the victim is the one to blame.

How long are we going to ignore the violence in our homes? Do the ones we say we love not deserve better?

Teachers are precious treasures EDITOR, The Tribune.

IT is unquestionable that teachers promote the best habits of independent thought and learning in pursuit of excellence.

Teachers work tirelessly within and outside the school boundaries to meet the ever-changing demands of educational landscapes.

They provide education designed to enable learners to discover their strengths.

Teachers are provocative, thorough, knowledgeable, relentless, enthusiastic, stimulating, well-spoken, exciting and flexible.

Those who fail to appreciate teachers are dismally failing common sense tests.

Teachers prepare learners for a dynamic and unknown future.

Those who fail to acknowledge, recognise, respect, honour and celebrate teachers are certainly

ungrateful, thoughtless and insensible. Nothing in this world can ever change such a person.

Teachers have unique skills that enable them to discover how people learn at the most fundamental levels, how learning differs across individuals, cultures and content areas and the conditions that best foster educational success.

Those people who demean, devalue, mock and abuse teachers should be ashamed of themselves.

Astronauts, actuaries, doctors, actors, editors, economists, builders and barbers have all passed through the thought-provoking care of teachers who enlightened them to think, count, read, write and use their legs, hands and brains.

The unimaginable world will be chaotic, unstructured, dysfunctional, barbaric and unmanageable without teachers.

Teachers also pick up pieces from children with unbecoming behaviours because the parents of these children have failed to discharge their parental roles effectively, particularly in areas of discipline and manners.

Most people in the world are able to discharge the offices of life with usefulness and reputation because teachers imparted knowledge and understanding to them.

If governments have not enough money to adequately remunerate teachers, they should put in place numerous incentives to keep teachers motivated and remaining in professions.

Let us clap hands for teachers and salute them for their industrious work!

HANDSEN CHIKOWORE United Kingdom, October 2, 2020.

Fanfare but still restrictions EDITOR, The Tribune.

HOW disappointing to read in your news this morning that restrictive measures will still be in place to enter The Bahamas as of November.

Despite all the fanfare with yesterday’s announcement by your Tourism Minister visitors will still have difficult barriers and decisions to make if they want to travel to Nassau.

Several couples who are friends of my wife and myself have been coming to Nassau for many years for a holiday before Christmas. My parents have been longtime winter residents.

Everyone is from various parts of Canada.

I do not believe that your Tourism Ministry officials have any idea of the practical problems we face in completing the entry requirements.

Your Minister and his staff yesterday gave a flowery account of the beauty and pristine beaches in your country.

We know all of this or we would not be coming year after year.

However, you must face the fact that there are

LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net too many problems and unknown factors facing prospective visitors that they are essentially forced to look elsewhere where they feel more welcome.

You ask us to have a COVID-19 test no older than seven days from an approved clinic – a difficult task. Yet your Ministry fails to tell us where in Canada are these clinics located.

The provincial governments are the sole authority for health care. Giving such tests to healthy persons is either not allowed or in a low priority for appointments.

So how can we book an air ticket on the few flights operating if we do not know when we can get a test appointment?

We must scan it to Nassau for the new “Health Visa” . We have no idea how long that will take.

Reports are that they are late arriving. How then do we make accommodation bookings?

We now face the new hurdle of having to pay for

the Visa. We are told the cost depends on the length of stay. How will that work for people such as my parents who are winter residents? What are the exact costs?

With all the time consuming requirements most Canadians and others will look to other more visitor friendly destinations.

Our travel agent this morning has advised us to look elsewhere as other Caribbean countries are either testing visitors on arrival or do not require tests.

She stated that The Bahamas needs a reality check immediately. This is based on the belief that people will not travel if they are unwell.

Unfortunately at this moment our family are still not certain how to proceed. We want to be in The Bahamas, but we feel we are being turned away by unrealistic demands. This will surely severely damage your economy. We hope further easing of restrictions will be forthcoming.

ROBERT M WILSON Canada, October 3, 2020.

Sorry state of policing EDITOR, The Tribune.

THAT Bahamian police see themselves as a “force” rather than a “service” is one of the most repugnant and backward features of life in The Bahamas today.

To witness the militaristic behaviour of officers as they aggressively flag down motorists or strut around Bay Street in khakis with crude sticks in hand is to be reminded that the institution has not fully emerged from its colonial role of controlling the masses, rather than protecting them.

Whatever the true story of the Police Force’s apparent failure last month to protect the young mother (who apparently called them) and her child, the prevailing

narrative rings true to many observers – that of a triggerhappy gang, more interested in hunting down the culprit than in actually protecting the caller.

What else could explain the Commissioner of Police’s admission that his units were “all over the city”, yet failed to be in the one place that the caller feared her killer would make his way?

This sad and angering episode is another reminder of how badly politicians have failed Bahamians in terms of governance.

Some years ago, when asked about the prior government’s plans to give at least symbolic recognition to the problem by restyling the organisation “The

Royal Bahamas Police Service”, then-Security Minister Tommy Turnquest proudly announced that he had shelved such plans and a “force” it would stay.

Even worse, politicians have pandered to an ethos among officers that cravenly worships power (including, of course, politicians themselves) yet reserves contempt for the wider community whose taxes provide everything down to their fancy uniforms. It is time to shake up that organisation and remind its leaders of their role, which is to protect and serve the entire Bahamian community.

ANDREW ALLLEN Nassau, October 4, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 7

INDUSTRIAL TRIBUNAL OPENS NEW PREMISES IN FREEPORT

By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Industrial Tribunal in Grand Bahama opened its new premises at Freeport Insurance Building on Friday.

The new facility in Freeport is equipped with “smart court” services, consistent with the government’s overall digital transformation to improve efficiency and conducting business with the general public.

The new court space is much larger than the previous court that was located in the Supreme Court Building.

Minister of State Senator Kwasi Thompson attended

THE OPENING of the tribunal on Friday. the virtual pre-service ceremony at 11.30am in Grand Bahama, led by Helen Almorales-Jones, Vice President, Northern

Region. He also brought remarks during the virtual courtroom proceedings hosted in New Providence.

He noted that the

Industrial Tribunal facility in Grand Bahama comes with an array of smart court services, inclusive of an electronic case management system.

“The Industrial Tribunal is to be especially recognised and commended for introducing electronic filing. The ease of filing documents online, as well as the ability to hold virtual hearings, will now allow this court to significantly reduce in-person interactions to an absolute minimum.

“This is especially timely as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic nationally,” he said.

Mr Thompson further stated: “As the minister responsible for digitisation, as well as having worked in

my previous role as a prac- additional court space. tising attorney, I am also Mr Thompson also noted delighted to share in your that just as the Supreme innovative milestone for Court Building was comNew Providence and Grand pleted and ready to reopen, Bahama.

Hurricane Dorian devas“Your strides in digiti- tated the existing court with sation are consistent with one foot of storm surge. government’s overall digi“The restoration of the tal transformation, which is Supreme Court complex improving efficiency in the was a significant achieveSupreme Courts, Passport ment for the government Office, Social Services and and the people of Grand Cabinet Office,” he said.

Bahama, and allowed the The opening, he said, Northern “Create Region Industrial Safer is another example of the Tribunal to expand to its recurring theme, “Rebuild- present location,” he said. ing Grand Bahama”.

“As the government conThe government com- tinues its work to reform the pleted $2m of restoration public service and drive our work of the Garnet Lev- nation toward continued arity Building, which was technological advancement, in disrepair.

The building we congratulate the Bahamas

By CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DEPT. has received much-needed Industrial Tribunal on being for security upgrades and a pace-setter in digitisation.”

Royal Bahamas

WANTED

VIOLATION OF THE BA

MAN FINED $500 FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN was fined $500 after he pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Gerald Etienne, 36, was charged with simple possession after officers found four grammes of Indian Hemp in his trouser pocket when they searched him on October 1.

The court was told that officers saw Etienne driving a gold Nissan vehicle on the road. Police stopped the vehicle and informed Etienne he would be searched for dangerous drugs and firearms. They discovered $20 worth of marijuana in a clear ziploc bag in the right pocket of his trousers. He was arrested and taken to the Drug Enforcement Unit, where he admitted to the offence in an interview.

Etienne told the magistrate he “turned to smoking” after he lost custody of his children. He claimed marijuana helped to ease his anxiety and depression. He insisted he was remorseful.

In response, Magistrate Rolle-Davis told the accused smoking marijuana would not change the fact his children did not live with him.

He told Etienne it would be wiser to invest in more “productive” activities that could improve his and his children’s conditions, rather than waste money on drugs.

Etienne was fined $500 or one month in prison.

• In a separate incident, Rodney Macon, 34, appeared before Magistrate Rolle-Davis after he was accused of of being in

possession of two and a quarter ounces of Indian Hemp on October 1. The prosecution alleged the defendant had planned to sell the drugs for profit.

During his arraignment on Friday, Macon denied the allegation and his case was adjourned to November 26 for trial.

He was denied bail and remanded to the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. Macon has a right to apply to the Supreme Court for bail.

• A 20-year-old man was charged with unlawful possession in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Jordan Ellis appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis after he was found with a compact disc DVD player, which officers had a reasonable suspicion to believe he had stolen.

The court was told officers saw a grey van that was parked on the highway for a couple of days.

That night, officers also observed a man in another van who appeared to be acting suspiciously. As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed a person jump into the black van. They then intercepted the vehicle and informed Ellis he would be searched. When officers searched the van, they found a CD player which did not fit in the vehicle. The defendant was arrested. Ellis told police he did not know how the CD player got in his van or where it came from.

In court, Ellis told the magistrate he bought the CD player for $50 for his girlfriend’s car.

After pleading guilty to one count of unlawful possession, he was placed on six months’ probation.

MAN TOLD TO PAY BACK COUSIN FOR PHONE

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A 34-YEAR-OLD man who was accused of stealing his cousin’s phone was ordered to compensate him for the device.

James Markland was accused of stealing Barry Thompson’s Samsung cellphone on September 29.

He pleaded guilty to one count of stealing from a person during his hearing before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis on Friday. The prosecution said that around 12.20pm, Mr Thompson was at work when Markland came to the establishment to do work for their boss.

While he was there, Markland asked the complainant to use his phone so he could call their boss.

The court was told that Mr Thompson then dialed the number for the defendant and handed him his phone.

A short time later, he saw Markland heading to the front door while speaking with their boss on the phone.

Mr Thompson continued to do his work until

he heard the door slam. At that point, he went outside where he saw the defendant running down the street with his cellphone. According to the prosecution, Mr Thompson never gave Markland permission to take his phone. The court was also told his device was never returned to him.

During the hearing, Markland told the magistrate he was outside using Mr Thompson’s phone when the complainant came outside, grabbed his hand and asked him where he was going. He claimed this caused the phone to “fly out of his hand” and shatter on the floor. Markland added he had offered to buy Mr Thompson another phone, but the complainant opted to press charges instead.

In response, Magistrate Rolle-Davis noted the defendant owned up to damaging the phone and accepted his guilty plea.

He subsequently ordered the defendant to pay Mr Thompson $190 for the Samsung device and warned him if he failed to do so, he could risk spending three months in jail.

DESCRIPTION:

KENRICK HAN

MAN SOUGHT FOR BAIL VIOLATION

29 YRS 10Th NOVEMBER, 1990 BAHAMIAN PLACE OF BIRTH: FREEPORT, G.B. AGE: DATE OF BIRTH: NATIONALITY:

EYE COLOUR:

HEIGHT WEIGHT RACE:

OCCUPA

SEX: BROWN COMPLEXION: HAIR: DARKBy DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter BUILT: TATTOO MUSCULAR dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

LAST KNOWN ADDRESS: KING APARTMENTS GR A BAY 29-year-old Grand Bahama man charged with murder is wanted by police for a bail violation.

An all-points OF bulletin The subject is wanted for VIOLATION THEwas BA issued for Kenrick Hanna, approached with CAUTION if seen.

If you have any of Kings Bay Apartments, person, please contact the Police at numbers listedThe belo Freeport on Friday. suspect is about five feet, Police Emergency National Crime 10 inches tall Prevention of muscularO build, weighing 210lbs. He 302-8430/1 has low cut hair, brown eyes www.royalbahamaspolice.org CID and a dark complexion.

(242) 350-3106-9 Hanna also has tattoos on his arm, aleg andplace chest.

‘To make The Bahamas safer to live, wor Hanna was charged last December with the murder of young mother Monet Darville, who was found stabbed to death at Kings Bay. He had allegedly SARAH St George and Dr Ricardo Major touring the Genesis Academy facility in Grand Bahama. attempted to take his own life after the stabbing by leaping from the balcony of the apartment complex and sustained serious injuries.

Anyone with information WITH a helping hand from the Grand Home in Freeport and was inundated concerning his whereabouts Bahama Port Authority, Genesis Acad- with floodwater during Hurricane is asked to call police at 911, emy on the island is on course to resume Dorian. The flooding destroyed most the National Crime Prevenin-person lessons in late November. of the interior, and the roof and the tion Office at 302-8430/1 or Its principal, Dr Ricardo Major, said students’ agriculture and aquaponics sysCrime Stoppers at 352-1919. the school offers a programme for trou- tems were also significantly affected. bled teens who are trying to refocus on “We hope to have the aquaponics area their education and obtain their high rebuilt, as learning agriculture is a great school diplomas. outlet for our students and creates innoThe academy helps mainstream stu- vative opportunities for them,” added Dr dents who are recovering from substance Major. abuse, criminal rehabilitation, and “Every child deserves a second

By DENISE MAYCOCK other needs not applicable to a regular chance,” said Sarah St George, GBPA Tribune Freeport Reporter classroom. acting chairman. “Dr Major and his team dmaycock@tribunemedia.net “For over 20 years, the GBPA has have helped rehabilitate many a wayprovided this facility for the Ministry ward teen who just needed that little bit THREE women were of Education, as well as supporting the more time, that little bit more attention charged separately with Academy’s after-school programmes and and care. I believe in supporting our fraud in the Freeport Magprojects that help to guide these students youth; they are our future, so we must istrate’s Court on Friday. back into mainstream life and become do everything we can to help guide them Cassinel Oliver, 32, of productive citizens,” said Dr Major. through tough times. No child should Settlers Way, Freeport, “On behalf of the Ministry, we appre- feel forgotten. appeared before Deputy ciate the value the Port Authority sees “We will continue to support the Chief Magistrate Debbye in our programme. They have sup- after-school programmes such as chess, Ferguson on eight separate ported our academy 100 percent and aquaponics, carpentry and traditional charges. believe in these students who, with our agricultural programmes because it She pleaded not guilty to help, will become great members of the makes a huge difference. We know our all charges, including two community.” support helps these children become counts of forgery, posses Genesis is in the Children’s Village better citizens for our home, our city and sion of a false document, near the Grand Bahama Children’s our island.” uttering a false document,

PLEASE APPROACH WITH EXTR

911

GENESIS BACK AFTER THE STORM

WOMEN FACE FRAUD CHARGES

abetment to fraud by false pretences, conspiracy to possess a false document, conspiracy to utter a false document, and conspiracy to fraud by false pretences.

Oliver elected a summary trial. She was denied bail and the matters were adjourned to February 15, 2021 for trial.

Also appearing in court was Shenika Coburn, 32, of Hanna Hill, Eight Mile Rock, and Raven Mavis Thompson, 24, of Jones Town, Eight Mile Rock.

The women were both arraigned on eight charges, including possession of a false document, uttering a false document, fraud by false pretences, conspiracy to possess a false document, conspiracy to utter a false document, and conspiracy to fraud by false pretences.

They pleaded not guilty to all the charges and elected summary trial.

Bail was denied and the matters were adjourned to February 15, 2021, for trial.

THE STORIES BEHIND THE NEWS

By MALCOLM STRACHAN IN the same week when US President Donald Trump may have upped it a notch in becoming the most

vilified man in the world, equally as shocking as his behaviour during the first presidential debate was the news that came early Friday morning. The American President tested positive for COVID-19.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020

POETIC JUSTICE, MAYBE? EITHER WAY, TRUMP CONTRACTING COVID-19 DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR THE BAHAMAS Trump’s response to COVID-19 was one of the topics of the debate – but rather than hearing an apology for the multitude of missteps and dismissiveness of the virus’ severity, the strategy was a full barrage

PUBLIC HOSPITALS AUTHORITY

NOTICE TENDER FOR THE PROVISION OF FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE URGENT AND EMERGENCY CARE PROJECT OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL TENDERS ARE INVITED FROM QUALIFIED COMPANIES FOR THE PROVISION OF FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE URGENT & EMERGENCY CARE PROJECT OF THE PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL OF THE PUBLIC HOSPITALS AUTHORITY. TENDER DOCUMENTS, WHICH INCLUDE INSTRUCTIONS TO TENDERERS, SPECIFICATIONS AND OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION, CAN BE COLLECTED FROM THE PHA’s WEBSITE AT www.phabahamas.org.

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of verbal attacks in an West Wing, of all places, as attempt to dominate the a COVID hot zone. spotlight.

You just can’t make Though many have found this stuff up. And as the fault with President Trump’s Trump era may be culmihandling of the coronavirus, nating with an end suited no one was prepared for the for a Hollywood movie, the eventuality that he, himself, uncertainty that looms in would contract it amid an America should also create election campaign. unsettling feelings for The We can probably fill an Bahamas as well. encyclopedia with wild As we have been gearing quotes from Trump on the up for the second reopencoronavirus. There’s been ing of the country’s tourism everything from injecting industry, the leader of the COVID-19 patients with most powerful country in disinfectant to the predic- the world, and our main tion that COVID-19 would source market, contracting just disapthe coronapear - “like It’s no secret that virus was the a miralast thing we cle”.

The when threats loom needed.

74-year old over an economy, Although President no prognomay need consumers become sis has been a miracle stingier with their given on of his own how this will to survive a money as they tend affect travel, sickness that to save more for a consumer has already confidence claimed the rainy day. A rainy in the US lives of more day, in this instance, has been than a mil- has been a torrential unsurprislion people ingly shaken – over downpour, as the in the past 200,000 of coronavirus, with few days. them being AccordAmericans. no cure currently ing to a poll Even available, continues published with one of on Friday his closest to be a threat that by Mornfriends suc- can lead to an ing Consult, cumbing to nearly half COVID-19, economic downturn of all US the Presi- of epic proportions. registered dent has voters felt downplayed more worthe virus at every turn. ried about the economy Holding campaign events after learning the news of where attendees not only the President’s diagnosis. refuse to wear masks but, It’s no secret that when in defiance of health guid- threats loom over an econance the world over, seek omy, consumers become to intimidate others for stingier with their money doing so. Even in debate, as they tend to save more Trumped mocked his for a rainy day. A rainy day, challenger, former Vice in this instance, has been a President Joe Biden, for torrential downpour, as the regularly wearing masks. coronavirus, with no cure Trump has endorsed currently available, continsuch cavalier treatment of ues to be a threat that can the virus to the extent it lead to an economic downhas become White House turn of epic proportions. culture. Some prominent To make matters worse, members of American those who had a false sense media are referring to the of confidence from Trump’s

IN this image released by the White House, President Donald Trump sits in his conference room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md, on Saturday, after testing positive for COVID-19.

Photo: Joyce N Boghosian/ The White House via AP

outlandish talk about coronavirus have had this notion crash and burn since news broke of his illness.

Unless, somehow, the experimental cocktail being administered to the US President is able to provide him with a lifeline, his political career isn’t the only thing at stake. We may once again be stuck with thousands of unoccupied hotel rooms as would-be travellers begin to take a longer look at the coronavirus for the sake of their health and finances.

Our only hope is that both Trump and Biden would have done enough for the latter to emerge as the victor in the election.

So much damage has been done to the US – a country that has become the poster child for division among its citizens – and it has a lot of work to do to repair itself.

The US needs a leader that is going to do what needs to be done to get the virus under control and restore unity and confidence among its citizens.

It’s not so much that Biden is a superstar candidate. Rather, Trump’s presidency has become such a stain on American politics that a reboot may be the cleanest alternative in moving forward. And if The Bahamas is lucky, a sense of a renewed command at the helm may be just enough to get our tourism industry off the sidelines in the near future.

As we powerlessly await whatever fate lies ahead for us, our leaders ought to be spending every waking moment figuring out how to empower our people and spur new industries.

History should never find us in this position again.

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

INSIGHT

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020 PAGE 9

Chantal is just like many Bahamian women. She had simple goals in life - study hard, find a good job, meet a nice guy and settle down.

Not much to ask for but sadly for too many women in our society today that simple dream can end in tears.

I MET D when I was him he needed to either a student at College of drop me off or come inside, The Bahamas. Both of us not sit in the car outside. were doing evening classes After a while, D got tired because we worked during of that and told me to move the day. Since we were both in with him. I wasn’t sure in the business department, about it at first, but it was we had more than one class getting crowded at home together the semester we so I decided to move. I figmet. We got to know each ured I could always go back other when we were in the home if I wanted to. same group for a project.

Once we started living I saw he was very smart together, he started going and he was always friendly from zero to 100 fast. One toward me. minute he was talking about Our group vacation and was meeting the next thing on weekends ‘The first time I knew he so we ended he punched me, was slamming up spending I was brushing things around a lot of time. because D used to my teeth and he dishes were give me rides wanted to get in in the sink. to the meet- the bathroom to Plenty times ings because he told me he I didn’t have get ready for work. didn’t bring a car. It was a I missed midterms me there to lot of flirting, up and that week because lay but nothing read books too serious. I I didn’t want to and watch think he asked show up with a tv all day. I me out once did my best or twice, but swollen face, so I to keep a I was busy. just didn’t go back. good house Around the After that, he was and make end of the him happy, semester, he hitting me more.’ but nothing called and was enough. said, “Look here, you like When my grades started me and I like you, so stop to drop, he really started playing.” He had that way roughing me up. He would where he never really asked shake me or break stuff. me to do something. He just He said I already wasn’t said it. helping enough with bills, We went out during the couldn’t keep house to Christmas break, but things save my life, and now I got hectic when classes was going to school for no started again. That’s when reason. It went right back he wanted to lock me down, to that talk about me never like he was trying to make making something better of sure I wasn’t going out with myself. anyone else. I thought once The first time he punched we said we were together it me, I was brushing my teeth would have been fine and and he wanted to get in the he would be more comfort- bathroom to get ready for able, but he got more pushy. work. I missed midterms He was showing up at that week because I didn’t my job to see if I was there. want to show up with a He was coming smiling and swollen face, so I just didn’t everything was like a joke. go back. After that, he was Even when he asked if hitting me more. He was any other men were hang- blaming me for everything ing around there, he was that went wrong. It went laughing and the staff was on for over a year. I went to laughing too. My cowork- the police once or twice, but ers liked him because they it didn’t help. I thought I thought it was so cute how just had to suck it up. What he was always checking on really made me leave was me. when he kicked me in my Around exam time, I stomach when I was pregdidn’t want to go out as nant. He was carrying on much. I had a lot to do and bad and said the baby probI couldn’t focus with him. ably wasn’t his.

Even when he said, “Let’s I couldn’t go back home study,” it was like I had to pregnant and not married. be entertaining him. He I had to save up to get a started saying things that place without him knowing, didn’t make sense, like I so I used to give most of my thought I was better than tips to my friend. It took him or smarter than him. months to save up enough.

Sometimes he was just When I found a place, my mean, saying I could study friend helped me pack all day, I wasn’t going to be while D was at work. He anything big. It was hurtful, showed up at my work so but I didn’t want to show it. much, I had to tell everyone I just took it as motivation there that he was abusive so to work harder and prove they could help keep him him wrong. away from me.

Even though we weren’t I guess I didn’t know the going out as much, we difference between love were spending a lot of time and control. From the start, together. He insisted that D was always trying to keep we take the same classes, me too close. Nothing I and he used to drop me did was good enough and home after class. He didn’t he kept me in the house as get along too well with my much as he could so no one daddy. Daddy used to tell really saw me. No one knew

what was going on, and I didn’t even know better until I thought he was going to kill my baby. I was so scared, I called my friend and she got me some help.

I didn’t want to go to the police again, so they helped me make the plan to leave.

Anyone in this kind of situation, you have to tell someone. I wasn’t going to be able to leave on my own. Making the plan was hard and I really needed the help. I had to get counselling after all that. I was scared to date anyone for a long time after that, especially with a baby.

When she’s old enough, I’m going to tell my baby about abuse, and not just the physical kind. The kind that makes you think you deserve the physical kind when it comes. I don’t want her to ever go through that or think it’s normal.

For other people, pay attention to your friends and whoever they’re with.

There are always signs and I guess the one for me was that no one ever saw me without him, and it’s not cute like people think.

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC The Public is hereby advised that

Mr. Jamaine Bostwick, whose photograph appears, is NO longer an employee of PREMIER TRAVEL.

He is NOT authorized to conduct business for or on behalf of the company which includes but is not limited to transacting any business, receiving funds, giving instructions or act in any way for and on our behalf.

Whoever transacts any business with him for and on behalf of PREMIER TRAVEL, does so at his/her own risk as the Company shall not be liable for such transactions and they will NOT be honored.

MANAGEMENT

PAGE 10 MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020

INSIGHT

EMAIL: insight@tribunemedia.net

WHO PUT THE FIRST FOOTPRINTS IN BAHAMIAN SANDS AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

By Matthew F Napolitano, Scott Fitzpatrick, Jessica Stone, University of Oregon and Robert DiNapoli State University of New York FOR the millions of people around the world who live on islands today, a plane or boat can easily enough carry them to the mainland or other islands.

But how did people in the ancient past first make it to distant islands they couldn’t even see from home? Many islands around the world can be reached only by traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles across open water, yet nearly all islands that people live on were settled by between 800 to 1,000 years ago.

Archaeologists like us want to understand why people would risk their lives to reach these far-off places, what kinds of boat and navigational methods they used, and what other technologies they invented to make it. Islands are important places to study because they hold clues about human endurance and survival in different kinds of environments.

One of the most interesting places to study these processes is the Caribbean, the only region of the Americas where people settled an archipelago with some islands not visible from surrounding areas. Despite more than a century of

then. Part of our job was to see if each of the 2,500 radiocarbon dates available would meet today’s standards. Dates that did not meet those standards were thrown out, leaving us with a smaller database of only the most reliable times for human activity.

DETERMINING WHERE PEOPLE LIVED FIRST

‘Archaeologists like us want to understand why people would risk their lives to reach these far-off places, what kinds of boat and navigational methods they used, and what other technologies they invented to make it.’

research, there are still many questions about the origins of the first Caribbean people, when they migrated and what routes they took.

My colleagues and I recently reanalysed archaeological data collected over 60 years to answer these fundamental questions.

SETTLING THE ISLANDS ONE BY ONE Based on the discovery

of unique stone tools and food remains such as shells and bones, archaeologists have a general understanding that people first spread throughout the Caribbean in a series of migrations that probably began at least 7,000 years ago and likely originated from northern South America.

Amerindians paddled between islands in dugout canoes and were remarkably adept at open-water travel.

Archaeologists

GN-2447

don’t know what inspired people to first colonize the Caribbean islands, but we do know they brought plants and animals from the mainland, like manioc and oppossum, to help ensure their survival.

There are two main ideas about what happened.

For decades, the prevailing notion was that people migrated from South America into the Antilles in a south-to-north “steppingstone” pattern. Because the islands stretch in a gentle arc from Grenada all the way up to Cuba in the northwest – with many largely visible from one to the next – this would seem to provide a convenient path for early settlers.

This hypothesis, however, has been challenged by evidence that some of the earliest sites are in the northern islands. Analyses of wind and ocean currents suggest that it was actually easier to travel directly between South America and the northern Caribbean before moving in a southerly direction. Researchers call this proposal of a north-to-south migration the “southward route” hypothesis.

REVISITING PREVIOUS SCIENTISTS’ DATE DATA

Figuring out which model for settling the Caribbean best fits the evidence depends on being able to assign accurate dates to human activity preserved in the archaeological record.

To do this, researchers need a lot of reliable dates from many different sites throughout the islands to establish how, when and from where people landed.

Archaeologists typically use a technique called radiocarbon dating to figure out how old an artefact is.

When an organism dies, it stops producing carbon and its remaining carbon decays at a fixed rate of time – archaeologists say “death starts the clock”.

By measuring the amount of carbon left in the organism and then performing a few additional calculations, scientists are left with a probable age range for when that organism died.

Archaeologists often date things like food remains, charcoal from cooking hearths or wood in the building where they are found. If archaeologists date shells found in a trash heap, they can tell, usually within a range of 25 to 50 years or so, when that shellfish was harvested for a meal.

We recently reevaluated about 2,500 radiocarbon dates from hundreds of archaeological sites on more than 50 Caribbean islands.

Archaeologists have been radiocarbon dating findings in the Caribbean since the 1950s – when the radiocarbon technique was first discovered. But dating methods and the standards scientists follow have improved dramatically since

By statistically analyzing these remaining dates, we confirmed that Trinidad was the first Caribbean island settled by humans, at least 7,000 years ago. However, Trinidad is so close to South America that only simple – or even no – boats were needed to get there.

After Trinidad, the oldest settlements occurred between 6,000 and 5,000 years ago in the northern Caribbean on the large islands of the Greater Antilles: Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. Reaching them would have required crossing passages of water where no islands were visible to the naked eye, although navigators rely on other wayfinding techniques – like current, cloud patterns, seeing birds fly in a certain direction – to know if land is out there.

By around 2,500 years ago, people had spread out to settle other islands in the northern Lesser Antilles, including Antigua and Barbuda.

Based on these data, the patterns of initial settlement of the Caribbean are most consistent with the southward route hypothesis.

Around 1,800 years ago, a new wave of people also moved from South America into the Lesser Antilles, colonizing many of the remaining uninhabited islands. About 1,000 years later, their descendants moved into the smaller islands of the Greater Antilles and Bahamian archipelago. This is when Jamaica and the Bahamas were settled for the first time.

Our research findings also support the widely held view that environment played a significant role in how and when islands were settled.

Archaeologists know that once people settled islands, they frequently moved between them.

Not all islands are the same, and some offered more or better resources than others. For example, in The Bahamas and the Grenadines, the primary way to access freshwater is by digging wells; there are no streams or springs.

Some islands lacked clay for making pottery, which was important for cooking and storing food. People may have also traveled to different islands to access preferred fishing or hunting spots or seek out marriage partners.

Strong seasonal winds and currents facilitated travel between islands.

That’s also probably one of the reasons why Caribbean people never developed the sail or other seafaring technologies that were used in the Pacific, Mediterranean and North Atlantic around the same time. Dugout canoes crossed between South America and the islands just fine.

Interpretations of past human behaviour at archaeological sites are anchored by radiocarbon dates to study change over time. For archaeologists, it’s important to periodically take another look at the data to make sure that the narratives built on those data are reliable. Our review of the radiocarbon record for the Caribbean allowed us to show – with increased accuracy – the ways in which the region was first colonized by people, how they interacted and moved between islands, and how their societies developed following initial colonisation.

• Originally published on theconversation.com

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 11

Analysis: Trump faces credibility crisis over health scare WASHINGTON Associated Press

ONE month from Election Day, President Donald Trump is facing a credibility crisis as yawning as his health crisis, at a moment when he needs the public’s trust the most.

The president’s coronavirus infection, as well as the illnesses of several aides and allies, has imperiled the highest levels of the US government. The White House’s efforts on Saturday to project calm backfired in stunning fashion, resulting in a blizzard of confusing and contradictory information about the health and well-being of the commander in chief. A cleanup effort yesterday did little to increase confidence, with Trump’s doctor saying he was trying to project an “upbeat attitude” while also revealing new details about the president’s condition that he had not previously disclosed.

It’s a moment months in the making, the collision of Trump’s repeated defiance of his own administration’s guidelines for staying safe during the pandemic and his well-known disregard for facts. The result: deep uncertainty for Americans over whom and what to believe about the health of the nation’s leader at a perilous moment in US history.

“This is bigger than Donald Trump. It’s about the institution of the presidency,” said Robert Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s first White House press secretary.

For any president, credibility in a crisis is paramount — the ability to rally Americans of every political persuasion around a commonly accepted understanding of the

situation. For a president on the brink of an election, particularly one held in as tumultuous a year as 2020, it could be the difference between serving one term or two.

Yet Trump has squandered widespread credibility from the very start of his presidency, spending his first full day in office disputing official tallies of the crowd size at his inauguration and asking Americans to disregard photographic evidence showing that he drew fewer people to the National Mall in Washington than his predecessor.

The episode set the tone for the rest of his administration, with Trump creating alternate realities around issues big and small, amplified by the help of friendly media outlets.

He frequently touts records and milestones that don’t exist. He spreads baseless rumors about his political opponents, including declaring without evidence that Joe Biden, his Democratic rival in the 2020 presidential campaign, might be on drugs in their debate.

Yet Trump’s credibility has come under even greater scrutiny during the pandemic, the single biggest test of his presidency. He’s repeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus in public, despite telling journalist Bob Woodward privately in February that COVID-19 was more deadly than the flu. He’s floated unverified and harmful treatments, including suggesting Americans could inoculate themselves by injecting bleach.

In April, just weeks after the pandemic took hold in the US, only 23% of Americans said they had high

PRESIDENT Donald Trump steps down from Marine One as he arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md, after he tested positive for COVID-19. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows is in the background. The president’s coronavirus infection, as well as the illnesses of several aides and allies, has imperiled the highest levels of the US government. The White House’s efforts on Saturday to project calm backfired in stunning fashion, resulting in a blizzard of confusing and contradictory information about the health and well-being of the commander in chief.

Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP levels of trust in the information the president was providing the public about the virus, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

As Election Day draws near, Trump has increasingly flouted public health guidelines and many of the scientists advising his administration, eager to make the case to voters that the worst of the pandemic that upended nearly every aspect of American life is behind them.

For weeks, Trump has been traveling across the country holding large rallies and hosting events at the White House without social distancing or requiring guests to wear masks.

That includes a crowded ceremony in the Rose Garden last weekend to announce the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. Several attendees, including two US senators and first

Trump’s doctor’s comments on symptoms, care spark confusion

By LAURAN NEERGAARD Associated Press FOR the second day in a row, the Navy commander in charge of President Donald Trump’s care left the world wondering: Just how sick is the president?

Dr Sean Conley is trained in emergency medicine, not infectious disease, but he has a long list of specialists helping determine Trump’s treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

Conley said yesterday that Trump is doing well enough that he might be sent back to the White House in another day -- even as he announced the president was given a steroid drug that’s only recommended for the very sick.

Worse, steroids like dexamethasone tamp down important immune cells, raising concern about whether the treatment choice might hamper the ability of the president’s body to fight the virus.

Then there’s the question of public trust: Conley acknowledged that that he had tried to present a rosy description of the president’s condition in his first briefing of the weekend “and in doing so, came off like we’re trying to hide something, which wasn’t necessarily true”.

In fact, Conley refused to directly answer on Saturday whether the president had been given any oxygen -only to admit the next day that he had ordered oxygen for Trump on Friday morning.

It’s puzzling even for outside specialists.

“It’s a little unusual to have to guess what’s really going on because the clinical descriptions are so vague,” said Dr Steven Shapiro, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s chief medical and science officer. With the steroid news, “there’s a little bit of a disconnect”.

DR SEAN CONLEY, physician to President Donald Trump, and other doctors, arrive to brief reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md yesterday. Trump was admitted to the hospital after contracting the coronavirus.

Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Conley has been Trump’s physician since 2018 -- and already has experienced some criticism about his decisions. In May, Conley prescribed Trump a twoweek course of the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to protect against the coronavirus after two White House staffers had tested positive. Rigorous studies have made clear that hydroxychloroquine, which Trump long championed, does no good in either treating or preventing COVID-19.

This time around, Conley is being put to an even greater test, trying to balance informing a public that needs honesty about the condition of the president with a patient who dislikes appearing vulnerable.

Dr Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist who retired from the Army medical corps as a brigadier general, said Conley would be obliged to follow Trump’s wishes regarding what information about his condition is released publicly, as is true in any doctorpatient relationship.

But Conley as a military medical officer is bound to adhere to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which prohibits lying, he said.

A number of current and former military officials declined to comment on the record, referring all questions to the White House.

But several said they were concerned that Conley’s efforts to spin a more upbeat characterization of the president’s current health condition is raising flags within the Navy about his credibility and the reputation of the Navy’s medical team. They said his admission that he tried to give an optimistic description of Trump’s condition may lead the public to question future information he or the other doctors provide.

They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations or because they are not part of the president’s medical team and therefore do not have details on his condition.

According to medical licensing records from Virginia, Conley graduated from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006. Rather than having an MD degree, Conley is a DO, or doctor of osteopathic medicine -a fully licensed physician but one that, according to the American Osteopathic Association, focuses more holistically on treating the “whole person”.

Conley went on to a residency in emergency medicine at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, and served at a NATO trauma hospital at Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan.

lady Melania Trump, have since announced they have tested positive for coronavirus.

They, and the president himself, are now among the more than seven million Americans who have been infected. More than 205,000 Americans have died.

It’s not clear how Trump became infected.

He announced on Twitter at 1am on Friday that he and Mrs Trump had tested positive for the virus; the following evening, he was transported via the presidential helicopter to a military hospital just outside of Washington. The only details the White House provided were that the hospitalisation was precautionary and that Trump’s symptoms were mild.

On Saturday, the White House tried to fill in the details with a televised briefing by Trump’s physician, who painted a sunny picture of the president’s situation,

emphasising that he was still working, walking on his own and not laboring to breathe.

But Dr Sean Conley notably refused to provide some specific details, including repeatedly sidestepping questions about whether the president had at any point required oxygen.

Shortly after, and off camera, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows gave journalists a more troubling depiction. After describing Trump’s symptoms as “mild” the previous day, Meadows now said the president’s situation had been “very concerning”. Though his health was improving, Meadows said the next 48 hours would be critical.

Yesterday, Conley conceded that he had been trying to be “upbeat” in his assessments. But his second briefing revealed how much he had withheld: the fact that the president had required supplemental oxygen on Friday morning and that the president was

given steroids because of a second drop in oxygen levels on Saturday. Conley said yesterday that he didn’t know whether Trump required supplemental oxygen on Saturday and that he would have to ask the nurses. He also sidestepped questions about the results of Trump’s lung scans.

Still, Conley said the president could be discharged from Walter Reed as soon as today.

To those who have grown weary of Trump’s record on transparency and the truth, there was little hope that the coming days would bring a greater level of clarity.

“These are the patterns of this presidency, and for Trump, the patterns of a lifetime,” said Peter Wehner, a Republican who served in President George W Bush’s administrations and a Trump critic. “There’s no reason to believe he or his inner circle are going to change.”

PAGE 12, Monday, October 5, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

UNITED AND LIVERPOOL LEFT AT SIXES AND SEVENS MANCHESTER, England Associated Press ENGLISH football's biggest teams have never experienced a day like it.

Liverpool and Manchester United were both comprehensively humiliated by defeats Sunday that rank among the heaviest in their history.

Just when it looked like United's 6-1 collapse at home to Tottenham would be the day's biggest shock in the Premier League, Liverpool managed to surpass it.

The champions fell apart

to lose 7-2 to an Aston Villa side that only avoided relegation on the final day of last season and is now one of only two sides with 100% starts.

No defending champion in 67 years has lost so heavily in England. It's been 57 years since Liverpool was beaten as badly.

"We lost kind of the plot," Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp said. "The results are strange."

With Leicester opening Sunday with a 3-0 loss to West Ham, it leaves Everton and Villa, whose last titles came in the 1980s,

WHO pictured scorelines like these? Reigning champions Liverpool shipped seven goals, while Manchester United conceded six.

Mourinho said. "I can imagleading the way with per- ratio is the highest in the Smith said.

English league in 90 years, • Manchester United has ine that tonight he's not fect starts.

Sunday's latest wave according to statistics from now opened the season going to sleep very, very with back-to-back home well. But this is the hard life of erratic results —- with Opta.

To put into perspective losses for the first time since of us."

25 goals across six games • West Ham produced — continued the breath- the gulf between Villa and 1986.

But it had started so well a second successive vicless, high-scoring start to Liverpool — 64 points sepfor United by winning a tory while manager David a season being played out arated them last season.

Coronavirus infections penalty inside 30 seconds Moyes self-isolates with the without fans in stadiums denied Liverpool both that Bruno Fernandes con- coronavirus. due to the pandemic.

From home, Moyes The 3.79 per game goal Sadio Mane and Thiago verted. But Tottenham Alcantara. A shoulder quickly turned the game oversaw the selections and injury meant Alisson around by exploiting Unit- tactics that led to Michail Becker had to be replaced ed's wretched defense, with Antonio, Pablo Fornals and in goal by Adrian. goals from Tanguy Ndom- Jarrod Bowen scoring in And it was Adrian's poor bele and Son Heung-min the victory over Leicester. pass that was seized on ensuring Jose Mourinho's "David has been involved

by Jack Grealish to set up side was in front by the sev- in everything," assistant summer signing Ollie Wat- enth minute. manager Alan Irvine said. kins for his first Premier United lost Anthony "He picks the team, he talks League goal after four min- Martial to a red card that about the substitutions. We utes. It was the start of a hat came after Erik Lamela talk about training every trick for the recruit from overreacted to a slap in the day, we deliver the messecond-tier Brentford. Cap- face, with a delayed fall to sages. I have to say that tain Grealish was on target the ground. it's been fantastic that the twice, while there were also Harry Kane extended players have accepted the goals for John McGinn and Tottenham's lead on the situation as well as they Ross Barkley on his debut half-hour and completed have." after joining on loan from the rout from the penalty • Sheffield United manChelsea. spot in the second half after aged its first goal of the "Pretty much everybody Son netted again and Serge season but still lost 2-1 to made massive mistakes Aurier hit the target.

Arsenal to remain witharound the goals," Klopp "It's very embarrassing, out a point. Goals from said. it hurt all the players," said Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Mohamed Salah did United's Ole Gunnar Sol- Pepe ensured Arsenal has score twice for Liverpool, skjær. "It hurts me as the won three out of its four but only when 2-0 and 5-1 manager. It's my worst day games. down as the visitors were ever."

• Fulham is also yet to get completely outplayed by It was blissful, though, for off the mark after losing 1-0 Villa.

Mourinho. A loss to Tot- to Wolverhampton Wander“To go and get a result tenham as United manager ers after Pedro Neto scored. and a performance like two years ago played a part Moussa Djenepo and Oriol that, against an exceptional in his firing that year.

Romeu gave Southampton team, takes something spe"I have sympathy for a 2-0 victory over West Brocial," Villa manager Dean Ole because of the result," mwich Albion.

Red zone woes costly for Dolphins MIAMI Associated Press THE Miami Dolphins couldn’t kick enough field goals on Sunday to beat high-scoring Seattle.

They tried. Five consecutive scoring drives ended with three points, but that added up to only 15 — and a loss.

“You’re never going to beat a team like that kicking field goals,” coach Brian Flores said. “We all know and understand that.”

And yet the Dolphins kept settling. Even at the Seahawks 11-yard line, trailing by five with less than nine minutes left, Miami settled for three.

And so they settled for a 31-23 loss.

“Finishing in the red zone is definitely the most glaring thing we need to address,” center Ted Karras said.

“Obviously if we finish, it’s a different game.”

The Dolphins (1-3) had 25 first downs and netted 415 yards, but against the NFC’s highest-scoring team, that wasn’t enough.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 315 yards, ran for 47 and took the blame for

repeatedly coming up short against the Seahawks (4-0).

“Red zone execution really falls on the quarterback,” Fitzpatrick said.

“For me, I walk out of this game feeling terrible.

I felt like there were a lot of guys on our team that played well enough to win.

I unfortunately was not one of them. When your quarterback doesn’t play up to his ability, you’re not going to win a lot of games in this league.”

Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions and had a passer rating of 66.5, which will fuel a new round of speculation that top draft pick Tua Tagovailoa should replace him. Miami plays Sunday at San Francisco.

Quarterbacking won’t be the only topic for Monday morning quarterbacks.

Back-to-back coaching decisions when Miami trailed and threatened early in the fourth quarter were also debatable.

First came the third-and-3 call — a run that didn’t surprise the Seahawks. They threw Myles Gaskin for a 2-yard loss.

“Backside linebacker ran

me down,” Gaskin said.

“Got to be faster.”

Flores then opted to kick another field goal, which left Miami trailing 17-15 with 8 1/2 minutes left.

When the Seahawks scored touchdowns on their next two possessions, it was 31-15.

Should the Dolphins have gone for it on fourth down?

“After a game you think about every situation — you could have done this, you could have done that,” Flores said. “We’ll look at all of it and try to be better next time.”

His players were grumpy after the game, perhaps a good sign. A month into the season, the record suggests they’ve improved only slightly over 2019, when they started 0-7 and finished 5-11.

But last year they were outscored in their first four games 163-26. This year the margin is only 96-93.

“It’s bad to have that record,” Fitzpatrick said.

• Other scores: Chargers 31, Buccaneers 38; Bills 30, Raiders 23; Browns 49, Cowboys 38; Giants 9, Rams 17; Colts 19, Bears 11.

MISSISSIPPI VICTORY FOR GARCIA JACKSON, Mississippi Associated Press SERGIO Garcia delivered two key shots on the back nine, the last one an 8-iron to 30 inches on the final hole for birdie and a one-shot victory Sunday in the Sanderson Farms Championship.

Garcia closed with a 5-under 67 and won for the 10th consecutive year worldwide, and the first time on the PGA Tour since the 2017 Masters.

Peter Malnati, whose lone PGA Tour victory came at this tournament

five years ago, closed with a career-best 63 and waited nearly two hours to see if it would hold up.

It almost did.

Garcia was two shots behind when he hit 5-wood on the par-5 14th that narrowly cleared a bunker, hitting in the top collar, onto the fringe and rolling out to just inside 4 feet for eagle to tie for the lead.

He had to save par from a bunker with a 5-foot putt on the 15th after a poor tee shot, and then he delivered the winner with a big tee shot on the 18th and

an 8-iron from 171 yards.

Garcia immediately began walking after the shot, and it dropped down next to the hole and settled right behind it.

Closing his eyes right before the stroke, a habit he returned to this week, he made it and clenched his fist with a grin not seen on the 40-year-old Spaniard lately.

One week after falling out of the top 50 in the world for the first time since 2011, Garcia won for the 11th time on the PGA Tour and the 31st time worldwide. He finished at 19-under 269.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 13

Chisholm ready for Braves

by RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Jazz Chisholm and the Miami Marlins will continue their improbable playoff run this week in the National League Division Series.

The Marlins will open the best-of-five series against the Atlanta Braves, on Tuesday, October 6, at Minute Maid Park In Houston, Texas.

First pitch is set for 2pm local time, broadcast live on Fox Sports One. Subsequent games in the series will follow daily at 2pm with game five (if necessary) on October 10 at 4pm.

The No 6 seeded Marlins advanced to the NLDS with a two game sweep of the No 3 Chicago Cubs last week on the road at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

Chisholm did not make an appearance in either game, but was named to the Marlins 28-man roster for the postseason. He is one of

seven rookies on the Marlins’ youthful postseason roster — all of whom made their Major League debut in 2020.

Atlanta, the No 2 seed in the NL, advanced with a pair of shutout wins to sweep the Cincinnati Reds.

Atlanta won the season series 6-4 over Miami this season, including 3-4 games in their final matchup of the regular season en route to their third straight NL East division title. They have also won the season series for six consecutive years and Miami has held the edge just four times in the past 20 seasons.

Chisholm achieved several career milestones against the Braves this season.

On September 9, he recorded his first major league home run, RBI, triple and multi hit game in the Marlins 29-9 loss to the Braves on the road at Truist Stadium in Cumberland, Georgia.

He became the third youngest Marlins player to

have a game with a home run and a triple behind Miguel Cabrera. The only players to do it at a younger age were Giancarlo Stanton and Jeremy Hermida.

The MLB will host its division series, league championship series and the World Series in controlled “bubble” environments as a measure to prevent COVID-19 exposure.

The other NLDS, between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres will be hosted at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

The American League Division Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees will be hosted in San Diego at Petco Park while the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s will be hosted at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

The AL Championship Series will be at Petco Park, and the National League Championship Series at Globe Life Field. The World Series will be played entirely at Globe Life Field.

MIAMI Marlins Jazz Chisholm gestures to the Marlins dugout after hitting a two-run double during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees on Sunday, September 27.

Photo: Kathy Willens/AP

FROM TEAMMATES TO RIVALS

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER teaming up with each other in a few Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Tournament games this summer, Deyton Albury and Garreth Edgecombe played against each other for the first time in their pre-college prep experience.

Albury, a graduate of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, made his debut for Believe Prep Academy against Edgecombe, a graduate of Galilee Academy, now with the Trinity Prep Academy in the prep college

exhibition basketball tournament at the Rock Hill Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The two 18-year-olds hooked up on Sunday with Albury and Believe pulling off an impressive 71-56 victory after falling behind 12-0 to Edgecombe and Trinity at the early stage of the game in the first quarter.

“We started off slow in that game,” said Albury, who had 12 points in the victory. “We fought back and got into the game. They switched up their defense to confuse us a lot, but we were able to turn things around and easily won the game.”

As for the match-up

GARETH EDGECOMBE, left, and Deyton Albury.

between the two former team-mates at Temple Christian Academy, Albury said they shook hands before the game and during the game, they both blocked a shot by each other.

“It was still competitive,” Albury said.

Edgecombe, who finished with ten points in the loss, said it was a good experience against his homeboy.

“It was a good, although we lost the game,” Edgecombe said. “We had a chance, but I think fatigue got to us down the stretch when they came back to take control. I know coach is going to let us work on those mistakes in practice tomorrow (today).”

In making his debut with his new team, Edgecombe said he was pleased and he’s confident that he have the ability to play at this level and to be able to make a valuable contribution to the success of Trinity as the season progresses.

“We have a pretty good team, so it’s just a matter of adjusting to everybody,” he said. “I think once we do that, we will be okay. I like the team we have. We are going to much better down the road.”

Edgecombe and Trinity finished with a 1-2 record in their pre-season exhibition games this weekend.

Albury and Believe still had one more game to play late Sunday, but they went in

BASEBALL: ‘THEY DON’T LIKE US, WE DON’T LIKE THEM’ SAN DIEGO Associated Press AFTER losing eight of ten games in a contentious regular-season series, the New York Yankees just can’t shake the AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays.

Not only will the Bronx Bombers face the Rays in the AL Division Series at Petco Park in one of MLB’s bubbles, but the teams that have a recent history of throwing at each others’ hitters are sharing the same resort hotel in northern San Diego County.

Outfielder Brett Gardner said he’s cordial when he passes Rays players at the hotel. “Obviously it’s not ideal but it’s the cards that we’ve been dealt and I feel we’ve got a group of guys that’s very professional and just business as usual.”

Rays outfielder Kevin

Kiermaier minced no words when he said: “They don’t like us, we don’t like them, and it’s going to continue to stay that way.” Responded Gardner: “I think the feeling’s probably mutual.”

Game 1 is Monday night, when Yankees ace Gerrit Cole — a Southern California native — opposes Blake Snell, the 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner.

“They got the best of us this year, arguably the best team in baseball,” Gardner said of the Rays, the AL’s top seed. “They had a really good season, ran away with the division. Obviously it’s up to us to come out and play better against these guys.”

Here are some things to look for in the series: • Hard feelings between these teams date to spring training 2008. They hit a peak on September 1 when Aroldis Chapman threw a 101mph

pitch near Mike Brosseau’s head. Chapman earned a three-game suspension that remains under appeal. Both managers were suspended for one game apiece.

• Cole grew up a Yankees fan in the heart of Angels and Dodgers territory, pitched at UCLA and then spent five seasons with Pittsburgh and two with Houston before realising his dream when he signed a $324m, nine-year contract with the Yankees.

Thanks to the oddness of 2020, he’ll make his second postseason start for the Yankees in an NL ballpark and could come back on short rest for a Game 5.

• All-Star Rays outfielder Austin Meadows has been taking live at-bats and could return to the lineup after being sidelined by a left oblique strain since September 18.

undefeated at 2-0.

In scoring 14 points in their first game against Meridian Prep, Albury helped Believe as they won by 40 points.

“I honestly didn’t know that we would have come out that strong,” Albury stated. “We only practiced for four days, so I’m thinking we would struggle to gel together, but it was the complete opposite.

“We came out strong and it seemed like we were playing together for months. We ended up blowing out our opponents. It was a good all-around game. We have a good all-around team.”

Albury said like they did over the summer when they played in the AAU Tournaments with coach Jamal Smith, they had to conform to the protocols established for the coronavirus pandemic and they are abiding by the rules.

GARETH EDGECOMBE, left, and Deyton Albury.

PAGE 14, Monday, October 5, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

GN-2449

HIELD AT ODDS WITH KINGS COACH WALTON from page 16 being negotiated, but the Kings must also make a decision on the future of restricted free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic. It’s possible that new general manager Monte McNair assesses his team and finds that he can’t have both Bogdanovic and Hield on the same squad. Then, a decision will have to be made.”

Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent this offseason while Hield enters the first year of his new four year $94 million extension.

McNair singled out Hield at his introductory press conference to the franchise last month, and called him an “elite shooter” whose spacing is important for the team.

Hield was removed from the starting lineup in favor of Bogdanovic

in January and continued to see inconsistent minutes for the duration of the season, culminating in season low minutes when the NBA resumed play at the “bubble” in Orlando, Florida.

Hield played sparingly in several of Sacramento’s seeding games, including a season low 11 minutes in a win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged just 14.3 points per game on 43 percent field goal shooting in Orlando.

Following the Kings’ regular season finale, Hield spoke with reporters on several topics, most noteworthy was his reply when asked whether he would be content to continue his role off the bench next season.

“Y’all know me, y’all know how I talk, y’all know how I feel with a lot of stuff, yall can read me well, so I’ll let y’all answer that for yourselves,” Hield said.

MIAMI Heat’s Tyler Herro, left, and Los Angeles Lakers’ Danny Green, right, compete for control of a loose ball on Friday.

COMFORTS OF NBA BUBBLE NOT LOST ON LAKERS’ DANNY GREEN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida Associated Press GAME 3 of the NBA Finals would have been in Miami. There would have been 20,000 screaming fans in the arena, along with no shortage of other potential distractions in a city that ordinarily offers plenty of sun and fun.

These finals, of course, are at Walt Disney World.

That’s just fine with Los Angeles Lakers guard Danny Green.

The rules that keep players on the Disney campus — inside the so-called bubble, as most say — and very few opportunities for anything to take the focus off basketball are, in Green’s mind, beneficial.

So, too, is the lack of travel, which in the case of this series between the Lakers and Miami Heat would have meant five-hour crosscountry flights.

“It’s a little easier to be locked in and not worry about guys going out,” Green said Sunday before Game 3 of the title series.

“We know where everybody’s going. We know what everybody’s doing. There’s not much to do here, which allows us to stay focused. ...

All in all, it’s easier to stay more focused and be less distracted.”

Road games in the finals tend to suit Green well anyway.

He is one of two players in NBA Finals history to make at least five 3-pointers in a road game without missing — he did it against Miami on June 9, 2013, two days before Mike Miller matched Green’s 5 for 5 on the road for Miami against San Antonio in Game 3 of that series.

Green entered Game 3 of the finals ranked fourth in title-series history in road 3-point shooting, among players with at least 30 tries from beyond the arc.

Only Ray Allen (32 for 68, .471), Mario Chalmers (16 for 34, .471) and Rashard Lewis (14 for

31, .452) are better than Green on 3s in road finals games with at least 30 total attempts; Green entered Game 3 shooting 22 for 49 (.449).

LEBRON’S RECORDS Every game that Lakers forward LeBron James plays now basically requires the updating of record books.

Sunday was his 257th career postseason appearance, two shy of matching Derek Fisher for the most in NBA history. He entered Game 3 of the NBA Finals seven free-throw attempts shy of matching Shaquille O’Neal (2,317) for another postseason record.

His second assist of Game 3 passed John Stockton (1,839) for second-most in playoff history, behind only Magic Johnson (2,346). And with his third assist on Sunday, coming on the last play of the first quarter, he joined only Johnson (584) and Bob Cousy (400) with 400 assists in a finals career.

And by simply getting into Game 3, he matched Tom Heinsohn (52) for the fifth-most NBA Finals appearances behind Bill Russell (70), Sam Jones (64), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (56) and Jerry West (55).

HEAT FROM 3 The Heat have a chance to post one of the 10 most prolific 3-point seasons in NBA history, even after nine of their regular-season games were canceled because of the shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Miami entered Sunday with 1,200 3-pointers this season, by far a team record. It’s the 13th-highest total by a team in any NBA season, with Cleveland (1,202 in 2017-18), Boston (1,214 in 2016-17) and Dallas (1,217 this season) keeping the Heat out of the top 10 in that department.

The record for 3s in a season was set by Houston last year, when the Rockets made 1,495.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 5, 2020, PAGE 15

From safety on the field to safety in a time of COVID

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN former National Football League player Dr Myron Rolle continue to make an impact as a neurosurgery resident on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, the retired safety who played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, was featured on First Take, the popular sports talk show on ESPN. He was interviewed by host American sports anchor Molly Qerim-Rose and commentators Stephen A Smith and Max Kellerman as they weighed in on the NFL postponing the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game after multiple players and personnel tested positive for the coronavirus and discusses how the NFL has handled COVID-19 protocols.

Rolle, a neurosurgery resident at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, was first asked by Qerim-Rose on how he felt about the game being postponed.

“I think it’s a very good idea, honestly,” said Rolle, who was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship and studied at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford University for the 20092010 academic year in order to earn an MSc in Medical Anthropology.

“I was very skepitable about the NFL getting the season going amidst the pandemic. We have seen 200,000 people die from Covid-19 and millions more affected.”

Rolle, chosen in 2010 as the second-smartest athlete in sports by the Sporting

ABOVE and right, Myrone Rolle joining the First Take show on ESPN. News, behind baseball player Craig Brewslow, said at the hospital where he function, he’s operated on persons who are Covid-19 positive and he’s taken care of patients with neurosurgical disease, burdened with Covid-19, which indicates to him that the coronavirus is real.

He mentioned that it’s reached the White House with President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, now affected, so it’s happening and permeating all parts of culture, including sports and now football.

Without a bubble as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) have done in Florida, Rolle said the NFL has exposed its players, the personnel, their teams and their families to this very challenging virus and so it’s going to

be difficult for them to think that the season can continue without any more disruptions.

Smith brought up a key point when he asked Rolle about how he felt about the way the NFL handled their season over the last few months and whether or not he think they could salvage the remainder of it.

“I think the NFL has fallen short, honestly,” Rolle said. “I think their priority was putting the product on the field. They have a consumer and they

want to meet a demand and everyone is yarning for football. They want to get this product going as much as possible.

“They’ve put all these testing and protocols in place to help force that issue. But in the long run when you have coaches and other sideline personnel, not being very compliant with their mast wearing, I think its microscopic of what you would see if you walked into a NFL locker room.”

Having talked to a number of players about

how their testing was done earlier on, during training camp, is much different from what is going on, so I’m not sure if the results are accurate or truth, or the real negatives are true negatives.

“I think there’s a little bit of complacency happening. I feel that there is more that could be done and I yarn that these players are trying to protect themselves and their families. That is premium at this point.”

Given the availability and the results of the tests right

away, which would allow for more contract tracing, Kellerman suggested that the NFL is a much safer place to be in where they are constantly tested, is perservsive.

“That’s part of the story,” Rolle lamented. “If they can get that done and get it done efficiently and effectively, you have a case where the NFL can resume safely, not only for the players and the staff, but their family members.

“But again, you have different variables where you have people traveling and so you don’t know who you are in contact with when you are in a hotel or on a bus to the stadium. So that just add to these new degrees of safety that we are not sure about.”

Rolle, the is the youngest son of Whitney and Beverly Rolle and is now married to pediatric dentist Latoya Legrand-Rolle, suggested that the NFL use all of the medical resources available to make a better determination on how they should proceed with the remainder of their season.

The panel, led by QerimRose, thanked Rolle for his impute and the contribution he’s making as a medical professional in his brief pro football career.

Three weeks after its outbreak when Mass. General’s neurosurgical floor was transformed into a Covid-19 ward, Rolle’s duties shifted from his normal neurosurgical cases to fighting the virus.

Last year, Rolle also came home to assist in the restoration of Grand Bahama and Abaco after the passing of Hurricane Dorian, which wrecked havoc on the majority of those two islands, killed countless amount of people and left hundreds more dispersed.

BYE BYE BOWL from page 16

The Mid-American Conference and Conference USA will once again offer the two participating teams for the showdown, as they have done previously with the six other games as organizers have vowed to capture the imagination of the Bahamians and visiting college football fans once they have gotten past the coronavirus pandemic.

Before the pandemic halted play this year, the Bahamas Bowl drew a lot of post achievements for a few of the teams. Both of the first two winners of the bowl - WKI in 2014 and Western Michigan in 2015 - went on to win their respective conference titles the following seasons.

Western Michigan also participated in a New Year’s Six bowl after an undefeated season in 2016. And

UAB, the Bahamas Bowl runner-up in 2017, won the Conference USA title in 2018.

This year’s Bahama Bowl cancellation comes on the heels of the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis and the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase both being moved from the Bahamas and heading to Sanford Pentagon (arena) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota due to the fact that Atlantis remains close as the country try to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Like the Bahama Bowl, the Battle 4 Atlantis, which was introduced to the Bahamas in 2011, hope to make a return to The Bahamas in 2021 after being staged in the United States for the first time this year.

The field for the 2021 edition of the tournament was recently revealed featuring several returning programmes. The UConn

Huskies (American Athletic Conference) will make their third tournament appearance while the Syracuse Orange (ACC), Michigan State Spartans (Big 10), and Virginia Commonwealth Rams (A10) will make their second appearance.

The remainder of the field includes the Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12), Arizona State Sun Devils (PAC 12), Auburn Tigers (SEC) and Loyola-Chicago Ramblers (Missouri Valley Conference) making their B4A debut in the 2021 field.

The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase for women’s collegiate teams was set to enter its fourth edition.

It will now be played in Naples, Florida this year.

The first two editions of the tournament were hosted in 2017 and 2018 at the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium before it was shifted to the Baha Mar Resort in 2019.

AN END TO A HISTORIC RUN

by RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE longest-running international bowl game in college football history is the latest major event on the Bahamas’ sports tourism calendar to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ESPN Events officially announced that the 2020 Bahamas Bowl was one of its 17 of its postseason NCAA football bowl games to be cancelled due to the fallout from the pandemic and subsequent travel restrictions.

The Bahamas Bowl traditionally features teams from the Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.

Since its inception in 2014, the Bahamas Bowl has been a platform for

several programmes to achieve their first win in school history and brought postseason football to the Thomas A Robinson stadium.

The game was sponsored by Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen from 2014 - 2016 followed by Elk Grove Village and its business slogan “Makers Wanted” came on board as title sponsor in 2018 and 2019.

The Bahamas Bowl committee and its stakeholders have also attempted to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between the event and its host country.

To that end, the committee galvanised support to join the Hurricane Dorian Relief effort and contributed a total of $75,000 to the Bahamas Red Cross in October 2019 to assist those impacted by the storm that ravaged the northern Bahamas.

Each of the Bahamas Bowl’s participating conferences, the MAC and C-USA, contributed $25,000 while the Orange Bowl Committee contributed an additional $25,000.

Bowl week also features annual visits to the Ranfurly Home for Children, and a Youth Football Leadership Clinic, in conjunction with USA Football.

The inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Central Michigan Chippewas was the first FBS-level bowl game outside of the United States or Canada since 1937. The Hilltoppers held on for a 49-48 win in one of the most memorable bowl games of the 2014 season.

The improbable finish in which Central Michigan scored a 75-yard, threelateral touchdown as time

CHARLOTTE 49ers vs Buffalo Bulls in last year’s Bahamas Bowl. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff expired advanced to the Finals for the 2015 ESPY “Best Play” award.

In 2015, the Western Michigan Broncos scored a 45-31 win over the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders — the first-ever bowl victory for Western Michigan.

In the 2016 game, the Old Dominion Monarchs defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles 24-20 for the Monarchs’ first-ever bowl victory.

The 2017 game featured the most lopsided win in

bowl history when the Ohio Bobcats won 41-6 over UAB in the fourth edition.

The 2018 Bahamas Bowl was recognised as the No.7 ranked bowl by CBS Sports in their recap of NCAA postseason football play.

The FIU Panthers claimed the Prime Minister’s trophy with a 35-32 win over the Toledo Rockets.

In the most recent edition, the Buffalo Bulls won 31-9 over the Charlotte 49ers, another first bowl win in a respective programme’s history.

With the Bulls’ win, the MAC evened the all-time Bahamas Bowl series, 3-3 with C-USA. The Bahamas Bowl has also produced a total of 26 alumni chosen in the last six NFL Drafts. Additionally, a total of nine undrafted free agents who participated in the Bahamas Bowl have gone on to play at least one NFL game.

In July 2019, the MAC announced a continuation of its tie-in with the bowl through the 2025–26 football season.

SPORTS SECTION E

CHISHOLM READY FOR PLAYOFFS PAGE 13

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2020

BYE BYE BOWL

LAST year’s Bahamas Bowl, featuring the Charlotte 49ers vs Buffalo Bulls.

Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff

Pandemic sees event move but organisers hope for return

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net THE domino effect of the coronavirus pandemic on international sports in the country continue to fall as ESPN has announced that they are moving the Bahamas Bowl from the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium this year.

ESPN Events announced last week that they will be canceling the Bahamas Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl from its list of 17 postseason college football games for the 2020 season. The Bahamas Bowl and the Hawaii Bowl, which were both set to be played in December, have been cancelled due to the current health pandemic and travel restrictions.

“We are disappointed that we aren’t able to stage events at these premier destinations this year,” said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming & ESPN Events. “We are committed to bringing both games back in 2021, and we thank our conference partners, sponsors and

the local communities for their ongoing support and understanding.”

More details surrounding the bowl game that is played between representatives from the Mid-American Conference and Conference USA, are forthcoming, according to ESPN Events.

Dubbed “Bowl Games are Better in the Bahamas” since it was first brought to the Bahamas, Atlantis Resort and the TAR Stadium in 2014 with the Ministry of Tourism throwing a lot of the government’s support behind the organisers.

A year later, the Bahamas Bowl was enhanced as ESPN Events came on board and carried its first international college bowl game live, giving it student-athletes, conference partners, alumni, fans and sponsors a first -class experience from one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.

Plans, however, are already underway for the seventh edition of the bowl game in 2021.

SEE PAGE 15

HIELD AT ODDS WITH KINGS COACH WALTON

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE relationship between Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings appears to be unstable as the franchise continues its offseason.

According to a report

by Jason Jones of the Athletic, Hield is no longer answering phone calls from Kings head coach, Luke Walton.

While Hield’s social media activity has fueled discussion on trade rumors, contrast reports suggest that the Kings are in no rush to deal the fourth year shooting guard who has become one of the elite three point shooters in the NBA. “According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the Kings understand that it’s the offseason, they know that Hield is a

CHAVANO “BUDDY” HIELD tireless worker and they expect him to be ready for the start of training camp and the season, whenever that might be,” James Ham of NBC Sports reported.

“A lot can change between now and the start of the 2020-21 season (or just 2021, as it might become due to the coronavirus pandemic). The draft is set for Nov 18. The start of free agency still is SEE PAGE 14