11262020 BUSINESS

business@tribunemedia.net

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2020

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Bahamas to get $60m for COVID battle boost

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

T

he Government is set to borrow $60m to boost the public health sector in its fight with COVID-19 and eliminate the paper-based system it employed to manage the crisis up until August 2020.

An Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) paper, detailing how the first $20m of these advances will be spent, revealed that the Government and Ministry of Health’s analysis and decision-making during the pandemic’s first few months were “impeded” by the reliance on manual systems.

It acknowledged, though, that the situation had improved since August 2020 with support from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to move to a technology-based solution for testing, contact tracing and case investigation, with The Bahamas’ COVID-19 testing rate now

* Nation fought crisis with paper-based system * Millions needed for clinics fallen into ‘disrepair’ * IDB’s $400m generates 29% of deficit funding matching those of major European countries such as France and Germany.

The IDD documents, which have been reviewed by Tribune Business, also disclose that a significant portion of the first $20m will be spent on retrofitting the ventilation and air conditioning (AC) systems of 56 public health facilities so they can receive COVID-19 infected patients.

They reveal, though, that many of the AC systems in the 18 public health clinics targeted as priorities for these upgrades are in poor condition, while several - especially the Fresh Creek Clinic and Nicholl’s Town Community Clinic in Andros - require multi-million dollar upgrades beyond this work.

And some $1.26m is being allocated to develop and install

‘ENORMOUS SUM’ FOR SENATOR’S RELATIVES

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Auditor General says a Senator’s relatives stand to earn “an enormous sum” from leasing their Gladstone Road property to a government agency that typically loses over $1m per year.

Terrance Bastian and his staff, in their audit examination of the National Training Agency (NTA) that was tabled in the House of Assembly, said the $7.9m in rental income that Dr Michael Darville’s

family stands to gain over the ten-year lease of their Gladstone Road property represented a significant commitment on the Government’s behalf.

“Annually, $790,000 is expended for the agency’s rental office space, New Providence head office,” the auditor general’s report added. “At the end of the ten year lease agreement, the expenditure will amount to $7.9m. This outlay is considered an enormous sum.

“We recommend that consideration should be

SEE PAGE 4

FISHERIES SPLIT DEEPENS ON PROPOSED FOREIGN BAR

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net THE fisheries industry’s divide over plans to bar foreigners from working on Bahamian-owned boats deepened yesterday as the two sides hit out at the positions each have taken.

The National Fisheries Association (NFA), which represents fishermen, took aim at the position paper presented by the Coalition for Responsible Fishing (CFRF), a group that advocates for

the sector’s processors, wholesalers and exporters, arguing that its claims job losses will result from the proposed Fisheries Bill are “absurd”.

The NFA, in a statement, said it had “been fighting this Coalition’ for many years.... They have made the practice of intensive conch harvest commonplace, as well as pioneering the use of thousands of deep ocean fish pots. They have prioritised conch diving year-round and we have seen the stocks

SEE PAGE 4

“prefabricated self-contained isolation units” at 42 Bahamian ports of entry, costing $30,000 apiece, so that travellers displaying COVID19 symptoms or suspected of having the virus can be isolated from the rest of the population.

The IDB report revealed that the multi-lateral lender, via this $20m loan, a further $40m health sector “investment” and other advances, will be financing some 29 percent of the $1.39bn fiscal deficit that the Government is projected to incur in its 2020-2021 budget year.

“The Government of The Bahamas is planning on increasing its external debt by $1.39bn this fiscal year, of which IDB is projected to provide 29 percent of these funds,” it said. “This includes the $200m policy-based loan on

competitiveness and sustainability approved in 2020, a $20m health prototype programme, a $40m investment loan in the health sector, and a second $140m policy-based loan in the areas of competitiveness and sustainability. The last three operations are due to be approved in December 2020 and throughout 2021.”

Detailing COVID-19’s threat to overwhelm the public health system, which has diminished slightly for the time being at least, the IDB report said The Bahamas was now better positioned to manage the crisis than it had been when the pandemic first erupted in March 2020.

“At the onset of the pandemic, the information and data management were manual and paper-based. This affected the

speed and collation of data collection, flow and analysis, making it difficult to track the progress of the situation, and impeding decision-making,” the IDB said of the Bahamian public health sector.

“To address these weaknesses, in August 2020, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), began to digitise data collection instruments to improve efficiencies in collection, collating and analysis of cases, contact tracing and laboratory test data.

“Currently, a SharePoint platform is used for multiple-user real time data entry for contact tracing, case investigation and laboratory results, while Go.Data, an open source application developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), is used for analysis of epidemiological information.”

With PAHO also providing support for data entry and collection, and laboratory tests, the IDB added: “At the same time, other

SEE PAGE 4

INVESTIGATORS: GET SKY’S RECORDS FOR FATE OF $28M

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net FORENSIC investigators have urged Sky Bahamas’ main financier to subpoena its accounts via the Supreme Court so the fate of more than $28m advanced to the failed airline can be determined.

The BDO accounting firm’s report - which Fred Kaiser’s companies are heavily reliant upon to support the allegations made against his former business partners, ex-deputy prime minister K Peter Turnquest and former Sky chief executive, Captain Randy Butler - says there is presently insufficient evidence to conclude that a fraud has been perpetrated.

Asserting that such claims can only be proven if access is gained to Sky Bahamas’ accounts, BDO’s forensic report said for them it raised questions about the accounting, record-keeping and support documentation for loans advanced to Sky Bahamas by Mr Kaiser’s two

EX-DEPUTY PM K Peter Turnquest. companies, Alpha Aviation and Advanced Aviation.

Mr Turnquest, who is not named as a defendant in Mr Kaiser’s action

despite purportedly playing a central role in an alleged “bogus loans conspiracy”, managed both these entities on Mr Kaiser’s behalf while also being Sky Bahamas’ 70 percent majority shareholder and chairman.

He has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and pledged to fight the claims made against him.

BDO’s report questioned the processes followed in making payments in compliance with First Caribbean International Bank (Bahamas) banking mandate that stipulated who the account signatories were and set limits on how much they could authorise for payment in any transaction.

The report, which has been seen by Tribune Business, emerged as both Mr Turnquest and the Prime Minister last night confirmed he had stepped down as deputy prime minister and minister of finance to ensure the allegations against him do not become “a distraction” for the Government as it

SEE PAGE 6

PAGE 2, Thursday, November 26, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

DESIGN A WAY OUT OF YOUR ‘COMFORT ZONE’

All designers were not born professionals. At some point in their career they were amateurs. And even if a masterpiece was created, there is always room for correction, accentuation and criticism.

While perfection comes with trials, persistence and inspiration is the power to achieve greater heights.

Being an inspiration means being a role model or the driving force for the people of your genre.

It is always wise not to limit your challenges.

Instead, challenge your limits. A project may become lacklustre or unmanageable after a few goes. When that occurs, stimulate your desire and

energy, and continue giving your best. Do not stop when you are tired; stop when you are done.

Revise your design, and try to implement it wisely, while not allowing your individuality to dwindle away.

You are bound to express and impress. Obligatory corrections are mandatory.

Recreating art or a design, or following history using the most popular and successful colour schemes, retro themes, overlaps and fusions can prove to be the best inspiration for beginners.

Use words to embark on the vision.

It can be absurd, but the performance may also be outrageous.

Try working with the patterns, and always make an attempt to fuse or reinvent.

No one excels in their comfort zones.

The comfort zone is a beautiful place but, sadly, absolutely nothing grows there. To eat new fruits, step out from it, reincarnate yourself and watch the world cherish your victory.

Ask questions a little more, test yourself, and prove yourself, not only for one day but every day.

Be innovative, but never go with the flow.

Do not be a dead fish.

Swim through the difficulties and reach your destination.

If not now, then when? If not you, then who? If failed then always remember…

“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”

Ultimately, graphic design is the formal response to a strategic question. It is thinking made visual. It is the creativity allowing you to make mistakes and thinking about which one to keep.

Always strive to learn a little more, design a little more, and challenge yourself a little more each day.

Overall, be creative, as

with memories rather than regrets. Enjoy life and stay on top of your game.

NB: Columnist welcomes feedback at deedee21bastian@gmail.com

creativity is simply intelligence having fun. Until we meet again, fill your life

ABOUT COLUMNIST: Deidre M Bastian is a professionally-trained graphic designer/brand marketing analyst, author and certified life coach with qualifications of M.Sc., B.Sc., A.Sc. She has trained at institutions such as: Miami Lakes Technical Centre, Success Training College, College of The Bahamas, Nova Southeastern University, Learning Tree International, Langevine International and Synergy Bahamas.

ISAIAH STRACHAN, IYANDA HILTON, MARIAH LEWIS.

DEANDRE FORBES, GARISE HANNA, CAMILLE MITCHELL.

BTC’S JUNIOR ACHIEVERS GOING VIRTUAL WITH COVID

The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) has launched its annual Junior Achievement initiative in a fully virtual environment for the first time in 40 years due to COVID-19.

Garfield ‘Garry’ Sinclair, BTC’s chief executive, said: “Junior Achievement provides the basic building blocks for budding entrepreneurs, and we are happy that we were able to again kick off this programme for students not just in New Providence, but in Grand Bahama as well.

“We thought it would have been a challenge keeping senior students excited and engaged on a virtual platform, especially after a long day of school, but to our surprise it has been quite the opposite.

“Students are excited and are bringing a fresh perspective on how they can benefit from a virtual Junior Achievement this year. Most encouraging are the ideas on how they can create jobs to positively advance the state of the country.”

BTC said this year’s Junior Achievement theme is Innovative Dreams, Virtual Reality. Both companies have selected names and their executive leadership teams.

In New Providence, the team has chosen the name GLITCH, which means a Generation of Leaders Ignited to Change History. The board includes Isaiah Strachan as vice-president of marketing; Iyanda Hilton as vice-president of human resources; Mariah Lewis as vice-president of production; DeAndre Forbes as vice-president of finance; and Garise Hanna as vice-president of public relations.

This year’s president is Camille Mitchell, a 12th grade student at Anatol Rodgers High School.

In Grand Bahama, the team has chosen the name Ignite.

Chardonnay Bowe was elected president, and the Board includes Laniya Sargent as vice-president of marketing; Danielle Wilson as vice-president of human resources; Neveah Grant as vice-president of production; Devaughn Woods as vice-president of finance; and Quinique Goddard as vice-president of public relations.

“I want to thank our advisory teams, both in New Providence and in Grand Bahama, for their commitment to this programe. We are led by Keva Turnquest in Nassau, and in Freeport by Deequann Carroll and Eleanor Munroe, who are both BTC retirees,” Mr Sinclair said.

“The teams are imparting nuggets on critical thinking and effective leadership. Parents and the community at large can rest assured that their children are in the hands of some pretty awesome leaders.”

Students meet weekly via ZOOM, and there are 30 students enrolled in both programmes. Both companies are finalizing their product selections for the upcoming year.

CHARDONNAY BOWE, LANIYA SARGENT, DANIELLE WILSON.

NEVEAH GRANT, DEVAUGHN WOODS, QUINIQUE GODDARD.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 26, 2020, PAGE 3

FOOD STORE AWAITS MID DECEMBER SALES RISE

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A FOOD store yesterday said they anticipate sales will increase by mid-December following the traditional “seasonally low period” that normally occurs at this time of year.

Cyril Carey, general manager of Kenneth’s Food Store on Prince Charles Drive, told Tribune Business: “Usually this time of the year sales drop anyway.

Especially if people can travel, they eat a little less now, more sparingly.

“People are getting ready for some of the end-of-year deals. I saw someone post something on social media with John Bull having a 75 percent-off sale. You can’t beat that if you’re getting ready for Christmas no matter what.”

Bradley Rolle, assistant manager of Centreville Food Market, said the continued hotel closures were a key factor behind low sales at this time with many still depending on the Government’s

food assistance programme.

“That has really accounted now for the amount of sales that we could be having, but we don’t have right now,” he added.

With not one customer in his store at mid-morning yesterday when he spoke to Tribune Business, Mr Rolle added: “So, yes, sales have dropped off tremendously.

“What has happened, though, was when we had the lockdown weekends no food stores were opened up on Saturday and Sunday.

We used to make a couple of dollars, like on Thursday and Friday.

“Now that Saturday is basically free, those days don’t get sales at all.

“Sales have dropped tremendously, stuff is not moving off the shelf. The reality is the fast food restaurants are cheaper, and it’s quicker to just get into the drive through to pick-up some food and take it home.

It’s not healthy, but this the cheapest thing for them now.

Unfortunately, it is what it is.”

Gym owner ‘unsettled’ by indifference to his plight

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net A Bahamian gym owner yesterday branded the Government’s seeming indifference to his and the wider sector’s plight as “unsettling” as a competitor switched their focus to other ventures.

Dr Kent Bazard, owner/ operator of Empire Fitness, questioned why the sector remained closed while industries where customers are in even closer proximity have been allowed to open by the Government.

“We’re taking everything one day at a time, one week at a time. My bills are still piling up and there is no word from the Competent Authority or any kind of reprieve,” he said. Despite being provided with some relief by his landlord, Dr Bazard said Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) and other vendors/ creditors are not giving him a break.

DEFENDANTS FACE ‘ONUS OF PROOF’ ON FOREIGN TAX FRAUD

By YOURI KEMP Tribune Business Reporter ykemp@tribunemedia.net

burden of proof in The Bahamas; the burden of proof is always on the prosecution.

“But the onus of proof, what lawyers refer to as an evidential burden, is in this Act. REFORMS to the penal code will place Evidential burden is very simple. If you’re the “onus of proof” on foreign residents of driving on the street, and the police arrest you The Bahamas to demonstrate they have not and ou can’t produce your licence, they won’t defrauded overseas governments, Cabinet arrest you, but they’ll charge you with driving without a valid driver’s licence. When you go ministers said yesterday.

The changes, debated in the House of to court, all they have to do is prove that you Assembly, essentially impose the same penal drove on the road.”

Mr Bannister added: “This Act leaves an regime on expatriates as exists for Bahamians onus on the defendant; an evidential burden who seek to cheat the Government of where the foreign country raises suffiits due tax revenues. cient evidence that a fact exists, and the They are also intended to further fact would be the allegation that the strengthen The Bahamas’ anti-money defendant owed money to that governlaundering and tax evasion regime ment and did not pay it. amid the constant pressures from the “That is going to be presumed to likes of the Financial Action Task be true unless the defendant provides Force (FATF), European Union (EU) evidence to the contrary. Additionally, and Organisation for Economic Coan allegation by a foreign government Operation and Development (OECD). that information in relation to their Elsworth Johnson, minister for financial services, trade and industry and ELSWORTH general revenue, which the foreign government law requires the defendant Johnson Immigration, told the House of Assemto provide, and is not provided, is also bly that the Penal Code amendments capture “money laundering, tax avoidance, going to have to be rebutted by evidence by tax evasion, trafficking in persons, the funding the defendant.”

Mr Bannister said, in support of the forof proliferation of weapons of mass destrucfeiture clauses: “We are sending messages tion, or terrorism financing and cybercrime”.

With such acts resulting in a summary con- today that if you sit in The Bahamas, and you viction incurring fines of up to $500,000, and submit that false statement to a public official imprisonment of five years, Mr Johnson said in a foreign government, on summary convicthere are also forfeiture clauses for persons tion you could serve six months in prison and found guilty of using the proceeds of tax will pay a final $100,000. And if you’re convicted on indictment you can serve five years avoidance and money laundering.

“Among the penalties for the offence is the in prison or pay a fine of $500,000.

“The law provides forfeiture orders. If real power for the instrumentalities or proceeds of such an offense to be forfeited, and paid property is used in the commission or in conto the confiscated funds. These monies which nection with an offence, that property can be are forfeited will not be paid or shared with forfeited. Also, if property is received or posany government to settle any tax liabilities in sessed as a result of the product of an event, that property can be forfeited, whether or not our country,” he added.

Desmond Bannister, minister of works, said any one has been convicted.”

Mr Bannister said the courts “shall” conthe changes place the “onus of proof” upon fiscate the property and have it remitted to the accused person.

Mr Bannister said: “The amendment has the Government of the Bahamas. “It is manwhat we call a shift of the onus of proof, and datory forfeiture whether or not someone is I don’t want anyone to confuse that with the convicted,” he added.

He also queried why jitneys, with passengers and the bus drivers sat close together, have been allowed to resume services amid COVID-19 but gyms and fitness centres have not. This, Mr Bazard said, was despite gyms having the ability to control who comes into their facilities and the distance they and others must be apart.

Branding communication between the gym owners and the Competent Authority (Prime Minister’s Office) as abysmal, he said: “It’s just wild situation, and there just doesn’t seem to be any plan.

If there is a plan, nobody’s letting us in on it.

“So all this uncertainty is just..... it’s very unsettling.

The lack of concern is very unsettling. This is not the way you treat a tax paying business owner. This is not the way you treat a Bahamian tax paying business.

There’s just no excuse for it.”

Meanwhile Jennifer Godet, owner of J-Line Fitness Bahamas, told Tribune

Business: “I’m looking forward to my next phase, and that’s opening a bar and grill. So I’m just spending my time doing that. So when I’m ready to open my bar and grill, the gym will be open probably some time next year. I’m just focusing on other things. I’m good.”

Ms Godet said she does not expect J-Line to reopen before year-end 2020.

December, she added, is usually the “least attended time for the gyms” and she does not expect many clients if the Government does give the go-ahead.

Asked if she would reopen before year-end should the Government allow, Ms Godet said: “I would, but only because I’m an open air gym. I don’t see how gyms that have to air condition 10,000 square feet of interior; I don’t see how they can make it if they have to run air conditioning from 5am until 9pm with 10,000 square feet that they have to cool.

“It’s just not feasible for them. But I’m an open air gym. I don’t have that overhead, so I could do it. So if he [the Prime Minister] relaxes, I would be open in December, but I don’t I don’t expect many members though.”

Agreeing with Ms Godet that December is the softest period for gyms, Dr Bazard said “he has no choice” but to open if the Prime Minister gives permission. “I’ve done a whole lot of research,” he added.

“You know, I can call up and down about the international requirements and what are the risks of contamination and all of that stuff, and I have found that most of us are within the required measures for safe operation.”

Dr Bazard said he found persons at the greatest risk of contamination are those who sit face-to-face at restaurants less than six feet apart. “The way we have managed this thing, we’ve caused many bottlenecks and people to congregate,” he added.

PAGE 4, Thursday, November 26, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

‘ENORMOUS SUM’ FOR SENATOR’S RELATIVES

FROM PAGE 1

given to having a government-owned facility for the agency in place at the end of the lease agreement as a means of cost effectiveness.

In addition, any suitable existing government-owned property that could be transformed or renovated for the same should be utilised to maximise scarce resources.”

The report details two office space rental agreements that were signed for the National Training Agency, both for a ten-year term.

The first, agreed on June 1, 2014, involves an annual $137,500 in rental payments, while the second - agreed a month later on July 30, 2014 - was for $652,500 annually.

Together, they total $790,000 or $7.9m.

It is unclear why two lease agreements were signed, but the auditor general’s report states they apply to the same building - the New Providence head office. Both lease deals were signed under the former Christie administration when Dr Darville was

minister for Grand Bahama, but he has vigorously denied any suggestion of wrongdoing or conflict of interest, adding that he played no part in the then-Cabinet’s decision.

Details of the National Training Agency’s Gladstone Road lease surfaced several years ago, with the Opposition arguing at the time that they were deliberately leaked to distract from the furore surrounding the Government’s decision to lease space at the Town Centre Mall from Brent Symonette and his family for the General Post Office.

Carl and George Darville, Dr Darville’s brother and late father, respectively, and the principals of Darville’s Wholesale, were named as the landlords on the lease document.

The details were slightly different, though, to those cited in the auditor general’s report, with the lease purportedly signed on June 1, 2015, for $58,453 per month over a ten-year period.

Some 26,100 square feet was involved. Based on that

property size, sources told Tribune Business yesterday that a $790,000 annual rental rate amounted to a price of $30.27 per square foot.

They pointed out that this was far in excess of the $12 per square foot at which the Post Office had leased the Town Centre Mall from Mr Symonette - a detail that Senator Darville’s party became extremely vexed about.

However, other real estate sources speaking on condition of anonymity said the few details provided in the auditor general’s report did not enable a proper analysis of whether the $30.27 per square foot price was “enormous”.

They explained that a deeper dive into the lease agreement, and its underlying terms and conditions, was required given that the $30.37 price could include items such as common area maintenance (CAM) charges; utility charges; and compensation to the landlord for making leasehold improvements or fix-ups to the property to entice the National Training Agency

to move in. “There’s got to be multiple components to that,” one contact said. “It’s not clearly defined what’s in the price per square foot.”

They added, though, that any leases longer than five years require parliamentary approval, while the Government is also following an unwritten policy of keeping rental rates for properties it leases below $25 per square foot. Meanwhile, the auditor general’s report revealed that Bahamian taxpayers are having to subsidise the Gladstone Road head office lease

payments given the National Training Agency’s minimal income and seven-figure annual losses.

The agency suffered net operating losses of $1.278m and $1.032m during the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 fiscal years, respectively, with income for those two years standing at just $29,024 and $107,298. There was an improvement in 20182019, though, as revenues jumped to $792,585 and the net operating loss dropping to $732,515. So-called “government grants” amounting

to a collective $3m, and running at $1.278m, $1.032m and $732,515, were required to cover the losses across the three fiscal years detailed in the auditor general’s report.

Noting that the National Training Agency did not begin charging VAT until September 17, 2018, despite the tax being implemented in January 2015, the auditor general also urged it to “adequately maintain” its bank accounts so as to avoid being charged bank overdraft fees even though it has no such facility.

Bahamas to get $60m for COVID battle boost FROM PAGE 1 technology solutions are being considered to improve efficiencies of electronic data collection at the point of entry, and speed up flows of case investigation data and laboratory test results.

“The transition to digital applications highlights the need to update not only the processes and flow of information but also the technological infrastructure of the Ministry of Health, and of the points of entry, train health personnel and manage the process change that this entails.”

However, the IDB said the COVID-19 testing ramp-up had brought The Bahamas into line with major European nations.

“The Ministry of Health conducts widespread testing; on average, 224 tests per 100,000 people between 20-27 October, 2020, with a 10 percent positivity rate,” it added.

“The number of tests per 100,000 that The Bahamas is performing is comparable to what France (283 per 100,000) is testing, and is above Germany (190) and Italy (164).” Still, the threat to the Bahamian public health system’s sustainability is never far away.

“To overcome the shortage of human resources, the Ministry of Health hired 29 senior house officers and 71 nurses. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health still has shortages of healthcare workers, while those in the frontline are at risk of infection and burnout,” the IDB added.

“As of October 27, 2020, about 243 frontline healthcare workers out of approximately 2,800 have been infected with COVID-19, most of whom were working at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH). A similar number are also in quarantine. As a result, additional efforts are now needed

FISHERIES from PAGE 1

plummet as a result. “Their Dominican employees have pioneered the practice of ‘cracking out’ conchs on the sea floor and littering miles of conch grounds with the shells of the dead. A disturbing sight, and a damaging practice to the continued use of that area by conchs. This is not the way conch fishing used to be done, and now we are seeing the impacts.”

But Errol Davis, the Coalition’s official spokesperson, vigorously denied the NFA’s claims when contacted by Tribune Business. He said its members were unaware of the “conch-cracking” allegations, adding that the Dominican fishermen being targeted by the NFA have been in The Bahamas for years - some of whom have permanent residency.

Mr Davis added that no commercial fishing vessel

to expand and protect frontline healthcare workers.”

And the burden imposed by caring for COVID-19 patients has also resulted in service cut-backs elsewhere. “Women at reproductive ages are facing diminished access to prenatal and obstetric services, as too are patients with chronic conditions and victims of gender-based violence.

“The pandemic exacerbated the shortages of health personnel,n and exposed limitations in infrastructure and lack of medical equipment, which is negatively affecting the provision of essential care services - care for diabetes, hypertension.”

To address the physical challenges, the IDB funding will invest a total $3.48m to retrofit the AC systems of up to 56 public health facilities so that they produce negative pressure and stop COVID-19’s airborne spread between different departments.

This, though, will be a challenge. Repairs to the Fresh Creek and Nicholl’s Town clinics apart from AC works have been pegged at $1.2m and $2.4m, respectively, with both locations said to be in a state of disrepair.

The Bimini clinic’s roof is leaking, while the AC system at Exuma’s mini-hospital that was built between 2012 and 2016 is already said to be “in urgent need of replacement”.

Meanwhile, the Government has secured COVID-19 vaccines for 20 percent of its population via the Commitment Agreement (Committed Purchase Arrangement) with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI).

“The committed purchase agreement comprises the down payment for $251,520, equivalent to 15 percent of the cost of the doses, and the forward payment for $1.392m, equivalent to 85 percent of the total costs to access the vaccine doses for 20 percent of the population,” the IDB said.

leaves conchs on the seabed, and they instead find a designated area to leave the conch shells. “No one takes conchs back to land,” he said.

The row between the two sides erupted after the Coalition published a report opposing recently-tabled Bills in parliament that seek to make the employment of non-Bahamians in the fisheries sector illegal.

The Coalition argued that over 1,000 people would be hurt by this move, adding that the ratio of Bahamian to non-Bahamian workers in the sector is just over 2:1 and that it would be Bahamian families that would suffer more if these foreign workers are not allow to harvest seafood.

However, the NFA blasted back: “They do not care about the long-term survival of the industry, only their profits and the ability to sit back and reap the rewards.

“They have no basis for

the absurd claim that 1,000 Bahamians will lose their jobs as nearly every business they cited as being dependent on fisheries are supported by fishing companies that are fully owned and operated by Bahamians. “We are in an era of COVID, with mass unemployment, and they are concerned about hiring more foreigners? Hire Bahamians and invest in Bahamian labour. You cannot run businesses that lower wages, and undercut Bahamian labour, then claim to be supporting Bahamians.”

Mr Davis, though, argued that the NFA “doesn’t understand how this business works”.

He added that in addition to those directly employed, during the peak season large vessels take even more Bahamians out to sea to help with the harvest. As a result, he suggested the 1,000 jobs being at risk is a very conservative number.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 26, 2020, PAGE 5

‘Good compromise’ hope over Dorian tax breaks

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net Abaco’s Chamber of Commerce president is optimistic that “a good compromise” may have been reached with the Government on the Dorian tax breaks, but said: “The proof is in the pudding.”

Ken Hutton, speaking to Tribune Business just prior to K Peter Turnquest’s announcement of his resignation as deputy prime minister and minister of finance, said the Monday meeting between the latter’s Ministry of Finance team and Abaco’s private sector had been “very productive”.

Whether Mr Turnquest’s departure delays or changes the outcome remains to be seen, with Mr Hutton declining to give specifics on the grounds that he wanted the Government to announce any details first.

“The minister was very candid in his remarks on what was going on in the country and the financial situation, and the people who attended on this side were equally candid in our opinions and what should be done. We put our case forward,” he said. “There certainly was no acrimony.

Everyone said their piece.

“The proof is in the pudding. We’ll wait and see what happens. Those in attendance made the case very strongly.

“We made some very specific requests, and they came back with some counter arguments. I think we may have come to a good compromise on a couple of the major issues, but we will see if what we were negotiating for comes to pass,” he added.

The Economic Recovery Zones, implemented in late 2019 in Dorian’s aftermath, provide businesses and homeowners in stormravaged Abaco and Grand Bahama with a variety of tax breaks and concessions.

VAT, import duty and Excise Tax has been eliminated on construction materials and all other physical goods sold and brought into the zones, while discounts have also been provided on real property tax and other real estate-related taxes provided certain conditions are met.

The Government also removed VAT from construction services, and has already extended the zones’ life once beyond their initial end-June expiry to year-end 2020.

And the tax exemptions related to building

materials, as well as the elimination of VAT on construction services, do not expire until end-June 2021 to coincide with the close of the fiscal year.

However, Abaco residents and businesses, as well as their counterparts in Grand Bahama, have been pushing for all the expiring tax breaks to be extended beyond December 31, 2020, on the basis that nine months of reconstruction has either been lost or slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They are arguing that the various lockdowns, curfews and other restrictions have prevented Abaconians and second homeowners from returning to start the rebuilding, with many now delaying their efforts until the Government clarifies the ‘rules of the game’ and provides certainty on whether the concessions will be extended beyond year-end.

They are particular eager that the VAT and import duty exemptions on appliances, furniture and fixtures for the office be maintained after December 31, but Mr Turnquest had previously said this was an issue that the Ministry of Finance had yet to determine.

Whether this stance alters has yet to be seen.

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Marlon Johnson, the Ministry of Finance’s acting financial secretary, told Tribune Business that the Government “is taking their feedback very much under advisement”. He added: “They went over

the issues around the tax policies, and a whole range of policy suggestions and ideas they believe will help further solidify and cement the recovery effort. They pointed out that there will be even more opportunities

for Bahamian contractors to fill.

“The outcome was positive, and they provided a number of useful ideas and suggestions that can help to accelerate the growth and recovery in Abaco.”

PAGE 6, Thursday, November 26, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Investigators: Get Sky’s records for fate of $28m FROM PAGE 1 grapples with the worst fiscal and economic crisis in

Bahamian history. Branding the allegations “unfounded and untrue”, Mr Turnquest said: “To protect my family,

and in the best interest of my constituency and my party, I have offered my resignation as deputy prime minister and minister of finance to the Prime Minister with immediate effect.

“When I met with the Prime Minister today, I informed him that while I am confident my reputation of transparency and accountability will be vindicated once the allegations against me have been fully ventilated through the courts, I did not want a private business dispute, which occurred prior to my taking public office, to become a distraction to the Government, or to the important national work that lies ahead.

“Our nation is undergoing an unprecedented time in its history. We are fighting a global pandemic, resulting in unprecedented economic challenges and a difficult road ahead to maintain stability and recovery. We must all continue to commit to doing our part.”

Mr Turnquest added that he had acted with “total fidelity” while holding ministerial office, and said: “I look forward to putting this matter behind me and continuing to encourage modernisation and reform in our country, to which I remain so grateful for

allowing me to serve. “At an appropriate time, I will have more formal comments to make in regards to the circumstances of the allegations made against me and the actors that have perpetuated it.”

There was much speculation yesterday that Dr Hubert Minnis would appoint former Central Bank governor, Wendy Craigg, who is currently a senior adviser at the Ministry of Finance, as minister of state for finance while he retains the “minister of finance” portfolio.

Such a move would require that Mrs Craigg be named to the Senate, necessitating a change in the Government’s line-up there. Several sources said the only likely alternative to this was to shift Dionisio D’Aguilar, minister of tourism and aviation, who has an accounting and business background, to the Ministry of Finance.

BDO, meanwhile, said it needed “access to Sky Bahamas’ financial records” to determine whether the advances from Mr Kaiser’s two companies were used for the intended purpose.

“The loan payable to Alpha

Aviation from Sky Bahamas was in the amount of $22.556m as at December 31, 2018. The loan payable to Advanced Aviation from Sky Bahamas was in the amount of $5.917m as at December 31, 2018,” the BDO report states.

“As a result of the aforementioned loans, we suggest that Mr Kaiser petition the court to have Sky Bahamas’ books and records subpoenaed and turned over for forensic review. This forensic review will identify the use of funds transferred to Sky Bahamas from the companies.”

The forensic accountants said they were unable to reconcile Sky Bahamas loan liabilities to Alpha Aviation and Advanced Aviation from the records they studied.

BDO said it also required the financial records for AOG Maintenance, the company that owned Sky Bahamas’ hangar at Lynden Pindling International Airport, be subpoenaed as loans and advances were also made from Mr Kaiser’s firms to this entity.

And it added that it needed to take a closer examination of Aviation

Oversight Group (AOG), one of the defendants named in the “statement of claim” by Mr Kaiser and his firm. “Aviation Oversight’s purpose needs to be examined in more detail,” BDO said.

Captain Butler, when contacted by Tribune Business last night, voiced surprise at BDO’s suggestion Mr Kaiser subpoena Sky Bahamas’ financial records on the basis that the Canadian businessman already possessed them.

The former Sky Bahamas chief said Mr Kaiser and his agents “took everything with them, record and computers”, and had them for seven to eight months after he took over AOG Maintenance and subsequently tried to block the airline from accessing its airport hangar.

Captain Butler also alleged that Advanced Aviation, which owned Sky Bahamas’ planes and engines, leasing them to the airline, effectively made the aircraft “stateless” and failed to inform the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority when it redomiciled to the Cayman Islands.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 26, 2020, PAGE 7

Stocks mostly fall - even as tech gains push Nasdaq STOCKS gave back some of their recent gains yesterday as a batch of discouraging economic data prompted investors to take a pause a day after the market’s record-setting climb.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.2% a day after setting an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped below 30,000, a day after crossing that milestone for the first time. Industrial, energy and health care companies accounted for much of the decline. Technology companies rose, driving the Nasdaq composite to a record high.

The selling followed reports showing the number of Americans seeking unemployment aid jumped last week to the highest level in more than a month. A separate report showed consumer spending posted the weakest gain since April.

Despite the pullback, Wall Street closed up shop for the Thanksgiving holiday with the benchmark S&P 500 is still up 11% this month.

“The market overall has reached by most standards what we call overbought conditions, and that typically suggests that the market would need to digest the gains, perhaps pause a bit, and consolidate,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial.

The S&P 500 fell 5.76 points to 3,629.65. The Dow gave up 173.77 points, or 0.6%, to 29,872.47. The tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 57.62 points, or 0.5%, to 12,094.40. The index, which is on a three-day winning

streak, last hit an all-time high on Sept. 2. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 8.51 points, or 0.5%, to 1,845.02.

Stocks have been pushing higher this month as investors have grown more hopeful that the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments will help pave the way for the economy to recover next year.

This week, traders have also been encouraged by signs that the transition of power in the US to President-elect Joe Biden has begun. Wall Street is also welcoming Biden’s selection of former Fed chair Janet Yellen as treasury secretary.

Encouraging study results this month from drugmakers working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments have tempered lingering concerns over rising virus cases in the US, as well as in Asia and other parts of the world, and new government restrictions on businesses aimed at limiting the spread.

“The general themes are still intact, the hope for a vaccine that will herald a return to normalcy at some point in 2021,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

Still, signs that the pandemic continues to weigh on the economy remain in the forefront. On Wednesday, the government said the number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 778,000, the highest level in five weeks.

Other data painted a similarly discouraging

economic picture. The Commerce Department said US consumer spending, the primary driver of the economy, rose by a sluggish 0.5% in October, the weakest gain since April when the pandemic first erupted. At the same time, the government said that income, which provides the fuel for consumer spending, fell 0.7% in October.

Though financial markets continue making gains, hardship from the economic slump is still growing, McBride said, and both small businesses and consumers are “sorely in need” of additional financial stimulus.

The downbeat economic reports spurred the rally in technology stocks, which traders have consistently bet on this year. Big Tech names like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon have been favored because the companies tend to have strong balance sheets and are expected to continue doing well once the pandemic subsides.

“This is a recurring theme in the market whenever there’s a concern about growth expectations,” Krosby said.

Treasury yields were mixed after mostly moving lower in the early going, a sign of caution in the market. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury rose to 0.88% from 0.87% late Tuesday.

Gap led the way lower in the S&P 500, falling 19.6%, after the clothing retailer’s third-quarter results fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts.

Nordstrom jumped

11.6% after the department store chain’s earnings improved in the third quarter, even as sales missed analysts’ forecasts.

Traders bid HP shares 2.3% higher after the company delivered a solid quarterly report card.

US markets will be closed

Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday. They will be open for half the day on Friday, closing at 1pm Eastern.

PAGE 8, Thursday, November 26, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DENIES MINE NEAR FISHERY ANCHORAGE, Alaka Associated Press

THE Trump administration yesterday effectively killed a contentious proposed mine in Alaska, a gold and copper prospect once envisioned to be nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon and could produce enough waste to fill an NFL stadium nearly 3,900 times — all near the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

The Army Corps of Engineers “concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest” and denied a permit to build the Pebble Mine under both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, the agency said in a statement.

The rejection was a surprise. It’s at odds with President Donald Trump’s efforts to encourage energy development in Alaska, including opening up part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, and other moves nationwide to roll back environmental protections that would benefit oil and gas and other industries.

The Corps of Engineers also seemed to signal just a few months ago that

IN this July 13, 2007, file photo, workers with the Pebble Mine project test drill in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, near the village of Iliamma. after almost two decades the administration changed “clearly describes those of political wrangling, course again. benefits, and now a politiPebble Mine was on a fast The CEO of the Pebble cally driven decision has track to approval, a rever- Limited Partnership, the taken away the hope that sal from what many had mine’s developers, said he many had for a better life. expected under the Obama was dismayed by the deci- This is also a lost opportuadministration. sion, especially after the nity for the state’s future But unlike drilling else- corps had indicated in an economy.” where in Alaska, the mine environmental impact stateHe said they are considproposed for the south- ment in July that the mine ering their next steps, which western Bristol Bay region and fishery could coexist. could include an appeal of could have negatively “One of the real trag- the corps’ decision. affected the state’s billion- edies of this decision is the “Today Bristol Bay’s dollar fishing industry. loss of economic oppor- residents and fishermen Conservationists and even tunities for people living celebrate the news that Trump’s eldest son, Donald in the area,” CEO John Pebble’s permit has been Trump Jr, sounded the Shively said in a statement. denied; tomorrow we get alarm on the project before The environmental review back to work,” said Katherine Carscallen, executive director of the group Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay.

The group wants Congress to pass laws protecting the region. “We’ve learned the hard way over the last decade that Pebble is not truly dead until protections are finalised,” Carscallen said.

In July, the Corps of Engineers released an environmental review that the mine developer saw as laying the groundwork for key federal approvals. The review said that under normal operations, Pebble Mine “would not be expected to have a measurable effect on fish numbers and result in long-term changes to the health of the commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay.” However, in August, the corps said it had determined that discharges at the mine site would cause “unavoidable adverse impacts to aquatic resources” and laid out required steps to reduce those effects.

Canada-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., which owns Pebble Limited Partnership, said it had submitted a mitigation plan on Nov 16.

Even if the corps had approved the project, there was still no guarantee it would have been built. It would have needed state approval, and President-elect Joe Biden has expressed opposition to the project.

NOTICE NOTICE is hereby given that SHANA JOSEPH of Coconut Grove, Nassau, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of Novemver 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

Critics saw Pebble Mine as getting a lifeline under the Trump administration.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency withdrew restrictions on development that were proposed — but never finalised — under the Obama administration and said it planned to work with the corps to address concerns.

However, Trump’s eldest son was among those who voiced opposition earlier this year. After senior Trump campaign adviser Nick Ayers tweeted in August that he hoped the president would direct the EPA to block Pebble Mine, Trump Jr. responded: “As a sportsman who has spent plenty of time in the area I agree 100%. The headwaters of Bristol Bay and the surrounding fishery are too unique and fragile to take any chances with.”

The president later said he would “listen to both sides.”

“The credit for this victory belongs not to any politician but to Alaskans and Bristol Bay’s Indigenous peoples, as well as to hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts from all across the country who spoke out in opposition to this dangerous and ill-conceived project,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League.

Alaska’s two Republican U.S. senators, who support oil and gas development and mining, hailed the rejection of the Pebble Mine permit.

Sen Lisa Murkowski said the decision affirmed her position that it’s the wrong mine in the wrong place.

“It will help ensure the continued protection of an irreplaceable resource — Bristol Bay’s world-class salmon fishery,” she said.

Sen Dan Sullivan said he would remain an advocate for good-paying jobs derived from resource development.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 26, 2020, PAGE 9

Legal Notice

NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows: (a) WHITEWATER FUND LIMITED is in dissolution under the provisions of the International Business Companies Act 2000. (b) The Dissolution of said Company commenced on November 25, 2020 when its Articles of Dissolution were submitted and registered by the Registrar General. (c) The Liquidator of the said company is Zakrit Services Ltd. of 2nd Terrace West, Centreville, Nassau, Bahamas. (d) All persons having Claims against the above-named Company are required on or before December 25, 2020 to send their names and addresses and particulars of their debts or claims to the Liquidator of the company or, in default thereof, they may be excluded from the benefit of any distribution made before such debts are proved.

November 25, 2020

ZAKRIT SERVICES LTD.

LIQUIDATOR OF THE ABOVE-NAMED COMPANY

LEGAL NOTICE

Abel Group Limited (In Voluntary Liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company is in dissolution, commencing on the 16th day of November, 2020. Articles of Dissolution have been duly registered by the Registrar. The liquidator is (Amicorp Bahamas Management Limited) whose address is Bahamas Financial Centre, 3rd Floor, Shirley & Charlotte Street, P.O. Box N-4865, Nassau, Bahamas.

Dated this 23rd day of November, 2020 (AMICORP BAHAMAS MANAGEMENT LIMITED) LIQUIDATOR

LEGAL NOTICE

Azores Holdings Inc. (In Voluntary Liquidation)

Notice is hereby given that the above-named Company is in dissolution, commencing on the 16th day of November, 2020. Articles of Dissolution have been duly registered by the Registrar. The liquidator is (Amicorp Bahamas Management Limited) whose address is Bahamas Financial Centre, 3rd Floor, Shirley & Charlotte Street, P.O. Box N-4865, Nassau, Bahamas.

Dated this 23rd day of November, 2020 (AMICORP BAHAMAS MANAGEMENT LIMITED) LIQUIDATOR

NOTICE

NOTICE

NOTICE is hereby given that LIVINSON JOSUE of Marsh Harbor, P.O.Box General Delivery Abaco, Bahamas is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of November 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

NOTICE is hereby given that LACEWANNE AUGUSTIN of Beufort Road, Nassau, Bahamas, is applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 19th day of Novemver 2020 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

THE TRIBUNE

Thursday, November 26, 2020, PAGE 11

BRAZIL CLEARS GROUNDED BOEING PLANE TO FLY AGAIN BRAZIL’S aviation regulator has lifted its order that grounded the Boeing 737 Max, clearing the way for the plane to fly again in Latin America’s biggest country.

The move yesterday by the Brazilian regulator, ANAC, followed similar actions in recent days by US and European officials.

ANAC said it agreed with the US Federal Aviation Administration that all necessary technical changes to address safety issues raised by two deadly crashes have been made. The FAA is requiring the planes to get updated flight-control software, that some wiring be

rerouted, and that Boeing 737 pilots get additional training in Max flight simulators before flying the Max. ANAC said Gol Linhas Aereas is the only Brazilian airline with Max planes in its fleet, and it is making the required fixes under supervision to resume flights with the planes.

The airline said it will operate test flights on each of its seven Max jets without passengers but with personnel from ANAC and Boeing on board. Commercial flights will start gradually over the next few weeks, Gol said.

In a statement, Boeing CEO David Calhoun said

that every day the company’s employees “rededicate ourselves to ensuring accidents like the ones that led to the decision to suspend operations never happen again.”

The Max has been grounded worldwide since March 2019, shortly after the second crash, in Ethiopia. The first crash occurred in October 2018 in Indonesia. In all, 346 people died.

American Airlines plans to resume Max flights — one round trip a day at the beginning — on Dec 29.

Other US and European airlines are aiming for early 2021 to put the plane back in their fleets.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 63° F/17° C

TAMPA

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

A morning shower; partly sunny

Partly cloudy

Partly sunny with a shower in spots

Sunshine, a few clouds; nice

Mostly sunny and pleasant

Clouds and sun with a brief shower

High: 81°

Low: 72°

High: 81° Low: 72°

High: 81° Low: 72°

High: 81° Low: 72°

High: 83° Low: 71°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

85° F

74° F

88°-77° F

89°-76° F

87°-75° F

86°-67° F

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 66° F/19° C

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

7-14 knots

S

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 70° F/21° C

7-14 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

MIAMI

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 71° F/22° C

6-12 knots

KEY WEST

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 74° F/23° C

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 72° F/22° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 70° F/21° C

N

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

4:58 a.m.

5:08 p.m.

2.7 2.4

11:16 a.m. 0.6 11:20 p.m. 0.2

Friday

5:38 a.m.

5:49 p.m.

2.8 2.4

12:00 p.m. 0.4 11:57 p.m. 0.1

Saturday

6:17 a.m.

6:28 p.m.

2.9 2.4

12:41 p.m. 0.3 ---------

Sunday

6:54 a.m.

7:07 p.m.

3.0 2.3

12:33 a.m. 0.1 1:20 p.m. 0.2

Monday

7:31 a.m.

7:45 p.m.

3.0 2.3

1:09 a.m.

1:59 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Tuesday

8:08 a.m.

8:23 p.m.

3.0 2.3

1:46 a.m.

2:38 p.m.

0.0 0.1

Wednesday 8:46 a.m.

9:03 p.m.

3.0 2.2

2:23 a.m.

3:18 p.m.

0.1 0.2

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:35 a.m.

5:20 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

3:17 p.m.

3:16 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Nov. 30

Dec. 7

Dec. 14

Dec. 21

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 80° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

N

S

E

W

7-14 knots

S

7-14 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 1 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 75° F/24° C Normal high ....................................... 80° F/27° C Normal low ........................................ 69° F/21° C Last year’s high ................................. 82° F/28° C Last year’s low ................................... 69° F/21° C Precipitation As of 1 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.01” Year to date ............................................... 66.84” Normal year to date ................................... 38.16”

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

High: 81° F/27° C Low: 71° F/22° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

tracking map

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 72° F/22° C

7-14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 82° F/28° C Low: 73° F/23° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 74° F/23° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 73° F/23° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 84° F/29° C Low: 74° F/23° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8-16 knots

10-20 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday: Today: Friday:

WINDS E at 7-14 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 4-8 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots E at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NE at 4-8 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 7-14 Knots ENE at 6-12 Knots E at 4-8 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots E at 6-12 Knots

WAVES 4-8 Feet 4-7 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-2 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-7 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-7 Feet 2-4 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-6 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 6-10 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-3 Feet 1-3 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-5 Feet 2-4 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 80° F 77° F 77° F 78° F 78° F 82° F 82° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 78° F 79° F 79° F 83° F 83° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 78° F 78° F

PAGE 12, Thursday, November 26, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

PEOPLE sit in an outdoor dining area on Market Street amid the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco on Tuesday.

Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP

California sets record for virus LOS ANGELES Associated Press

CALIFORNIA reported a record number of coronavirus cases yesterday as Los Angeles restaurants prepared to close for three weeks and firefighters in Silicon Valley were being enlisted to enforce public health rules to try to halt

the spread of infections.

Cases of COVID-19 have been climbing at an alarming rate for weeks and hit a new high of 18,350 recorded on Tuesday, surpassing a previous record of more than 15,000 cases announced Saturday, state officials said.

The seven-day average of positive tests has gone

from 5.3% to 6.5% in the past week. The 14-day average has gone from 4.8% to 5.9%.

Officials have been discussing the rise in cases with increasing alarm in recent days and urging people to stay home and reconsider Thanksgiving gatherings with people from outside their homes.

“We are really, really concerned,” said Dr Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing Officer for Santa Clara County. “All of the metrics that we have been following, that have done well in previous months, are now going up very steeply.

Our positivity rate in our county is rising and especially in our most affected

communities.”

Nearly all of the state is now under a 10pm to 5am curfew and subject to the strictest regulations for businesses to operate, including a ban on indoor dining and limited capacity in stores.

But Los Angeles has gone even further. As cases spiked in the past week, it ordered restaurants to stop serving meals after Wednesday night and has been mulling another stay-home order.

On Tuesday, Santa Clara and Sacramento counties both recorded their highest daily case counts.

Sacramento reported nearly 1,000 new infections, triple the level of just a month ago. Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley, had more than 500 cases, a third higher than its previous record in the summer.

Los Angeles public health director Barbara Ferrer outlined a future stay-home order on Tuesday to county supervisors and said there was no time to wait to take action.

But on Wednesday, other county health officials said they were still waiting to issue the order and wouldn’t discuss a timeline for the first such order since March that would likely rankle residents on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Los Angeles County has had about a third of all COVID-19 cases in California and 40% of the deaths.

Latino and Black people have been disproportionately affected.

Despite its reputation for sprawl, Los Angeles has some of the

densest neighborhoods in the US. Many of those areas have multi-generational households where workers who don’t have the luxury to telecommute are exposed to the virus at work or on public transportation then spread it to family members.

With infections out of control, the options beyond a new stay-home order to get the virus under control are more onerous and unlikely to be enacted in the US, said Dr George Rutherford, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco.

China, for example, tested millions of people and enforced quarantines.

Italy brought in the military to police a shutdown.

“It’s hard to imagine how much further you can go in a society like we have,” he said. “It’s a balancing act, right? You want people to obey it but you don’t want to make it so draconian that people are trying to figure out ways around it all the time.”

One element that has been a challenge for public health officials is enforcement. Some county sheriffs have said they won’t enforce mask rules or curfews.

Santa Clara County officials, however, said they will ramp up enforcement.

With Thanksgiving kicking off the holiday shopping season, compliance officers will fan out throughout the county starting Thursday and at least through Sunday to make sure businesses follow capacity rules and that employees and customers wear masks and stay distanced.