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VOLUME:118 No.25, DECEMBER 29, 2020

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Mom of seven beaten to death Woman killed in front of baby in suspected domestic dispute

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net A SINGLE mother of seven is dead following a suspected domestic dispute in Abaco.

According to a relative, Angeleta Pritchard was beaten to death in front of her four-month-old child at her home on Boxing Day. Police said they were called to a home in Crown Haven after 1pm on Saturday, December 26, where they found Ms Pritchard’s lifeless body. The Royal Bahamas Police Force said additional inquiries revealed that the woman “had an altercation with a male earlier that day” and was later found lifeless at her home with “injuries to the face”.

AFTER dismal national examination results, President of the Bahamas Union of Teachers Belinda Wilson is recommending that the Ministry of Education repeat the 2020 educational year and stop social

FARES UP AS BAHAMASAIR LOSING $60M

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar yesterday said the government had no choice but to increase Bahamasair’s fares in a bid to contain “skyrocketing” losses that could hit $60m for the airline’s current financial year - and leave taxpayers on the hook.

FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS

FIVE DIE IN HOLIDAY CRASHES

The victim, who had just turned 36 on Christmas Day, was reportedly beaten to death with a blunt object, The Tribune was told. A man is currently in police custody, assisting with the investigation.

When she spoke to The Tribune on Monday, Ms Pritchard’s sister, Kendria “Star” Russell, was distraught. She believes her sister was killed because the suspected assailant could not handle rejection.

Ms Russell said: “This is about jealousy and domestic violence. He didn’t want to leave. I wasn’t there to say exactly what the argument was about, but, knowing my sister, I assume that she said that she didn’t want him around anymore and he wouldn’t take it.”

SEE PAGE THREE

‘REPEAT THE SCHOOL YEAR’ URGES UNION CHIEF AFTER POOR RESULTS

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

HO&USE

THE PEOPLE’S PAPER: $1

promotion in schools.

On Thursday, The Tribune reported that national exam results worsened in 2020 compared to 2019, with fewer students achieving A, B and C grades and more students receiving D, E, F and G grades compared to the year before.

SEE PAGE SEVEN

THE scene of a fatal crash in Grand Bahama in Settlers Way, after a car crashed into the wall of Sir Jack Hayward Junior High School.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net TRIBUTES poured out on social media after the tragic deaths of a married couple who died in a horrific three-car collision on Christmas night.

Brent and Eulona Johnson, owners of “The Sweet Life” ice cream shop in the Mall at Marathon, died on the scene of the accident

which took place at West Bay Street and Blake Road around 6pm Friday. Their children were also said to be injured in the accident.

The Johnsons were among five people who died within three days as a result of four traffic accidents across three islands.

According to police, a black Honda Accord, a burgundy Nissan March and a black Chevy Malibu were the cars involved in

the accident. The Johnsons were driving the Nissan March. Police inspected the vehicles and discovered that six occupants of the various vehicles sustained injuries as a result of the accident.

The Johnsons were pronounced dead at the scene.

Four others involved in the accident were taken to hospital to receive medical attention. Their conditions are not known at this time.

SEE PAGE THREE

JUNKANOOERS ‘DEPRESSED’ BY LACK OF PARADE

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

FOR the first time in more than five decades, the magic of Junkanoo that attracts people near and far to downtown Nassau was gone, due to COVID-19 protocols that require social distancing.

Traditionally around this time, Bahamians would either be celebrating the victories of their favourite Junkanoo groups or

THE VALLEY Boys in action in the New Year parade at the start of this year. lamenting what some would consider undeserved losses.

According to Junkanoo Corporation New Providence Chairman Dion Miller, the collective absence of all things Junkanoo this year was “depressing”.

“This will be the first time in about 56 years there hasn’t been any organised parades on Bay Street, actually since 1953 and it was a bit depressing,” Mr Miller said in an interview with The Tribune.

SEE PAGE FIVE

Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper

A YEAR TO FORGET BUT PEOPLE TO REMEMBER

SEE PAGE EIGHT

WE WISH YOU A MERRY BREXIT?

SEE PAGE NINE

PAGE 2, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

DAYS TO GO PENNY GONE 2020 The Bahamian one-cent coin or penny is being retired from circulation.

From 31st December 2020, pennies will no longer be considered legal tender in The Bahamas.

HOW THE ROUNDING WORKS For cash payments and change owed, retailers must round the total amount to the nearest five-cent increment according to the rounding guidelines proposed by the Central Bank of The Bahamas.

ROUND DOWN

$1.01 or $1.02 $1.00 or $1.06 or $1.07 $1.05

ROUND UP

$1.03 or $1.04 $1.05 $1.08 or $1.09 $1.10

ROUNDING IS APPLIED TO THE FINAL AMOUNT (AFTER TAX) FOR CASH PAYMENTS ONLY. Cheque and electronic payments do not need to be rounded.

For further information visit: centralbankbahamas.com or facebook.com/TheBahamasPennyPage

EXAMPLE OF ROUNDING: Eggs Juice Bananas Subtotal VAT (12%) TOTAL

$2.98 $3.54 $1.98 $8.50 $1.02 $9.52

PAYMENT OPTIONS: CREDIT/DEBIT CARD OR CHEQUE No Rounding/No Change Final Payment of:

$9.52

CASH Rounded Down (-$0.02) Final Payment of:

$9.50

To advertise in The Tribune, contact 502-2394

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, PAGE 3

Mom of seven beaten to death from page one

ANGELETA PRITCHARD

“How she had her last kid, she had cartilage damage so he probably held her down.

“He had to have done that because my sister is a fighter. She would not have gone down without a fight. For him to do something like that, he had her in a vulnerable position.

And, the baby was right there so I know she was thinking she didn’t want anything to happen to her baby.”

Ms Pritchard had been in a relationship with the suspected assailant and

ended it, according to her sister, because of his jealous, obsessive behaviour that often led to violence.

He was not the father of her four-month-old, this newspaper was told.

The victim’s sister continued: “She always said he was short in temper. He always used to go on her job harassing her and coming to her house at 3 o’clock in the morning disturbing her. He wouldn’t let her go.”

Ms Russell said her sister was a hard-working single mother “hustling for her kids, day in and day out”.

“They had the best,” she said. “She did not deserve to go down the way she

went down. She was always a free spirit, loving and fun person to be around.

Ms Russell said that seven children were left behind. She now left the matter in God’s hands. “Whatever God does is well done,” she said.

“I love you my sister and I promise you that your children will have the best possible life and (we will love) the way you would love them.”

Ms Pritchard is a 2002 graduate of SC Bootle High School in Abaco.

She worked as an assistant manager at Cooper’s Town Marine and also worked as a security guard.

FIVE DIE IN HOLIDAY CRASHES from page one

The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association released the following tribute: “The entire tennis community deeply mourns the passing of Eulona and Brent Johnson. Brent was one of our top adult tennis players, winning multiple championship categories over the years in singles and doubles play.

Brent served on numerous administrations in the capacity as treasurer and council member for the BLTA. “Brent was also an ITF level one coach. Brent was affable, loving, sincere, and had a heart of gold. Eulona also had a love for tennis, playing tennis in college.

The couple gave generously and unselfishly to the up-building of tennis in the Bahamas.”

According to initial reports from police, the driver of the March was travelling east on West Bay Street when the driver of the Accord, which was travelling west, overtook a vehicle and crashed into the Nissan March. The driver of the Chevy Malibu, which was also travelling west, also crashed into the Nissan March.

Brent and Eulona Johnson were alumni of St John’s College and St Anne’s School, respectively.

The St Anne’s Class of 1987 posted on Facebook: “Today the class of ‘87 mourns the loss of our sister Eulona Dean Johnson, who died last night in that fatal car crash with her husband, Brent Johnson, our brother from St John’s College. Join the class of ‘87 in expressing condolences to her family members and to offer prayers to the Almighty as Eulona’s children are still in hospital.”

Police also reported an accident which took place on Saturday shortly after midnight on SC Bootle Highway in the Leisure Lee area of Abaco.

This was a head-on collision involving two vehicles – a 2020 Nissan Frontier Truck driven and owned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force with two occupants and a black Honda Fit vehicle with five occupants.

According to a police

report, the occupants of the Nissan truck received non-life threatening injuries while the four occupants of the Honda Fit received serious injuries and were airlifted to New Providence for further medical attention. The other male passenger of the Honda Fit died at the scene.

Boxing Day saw another traffic tragedy with the death of a male, shortly after 9pm on Cathedral Boulevard in the area of Sir Jack Hayward Junior High School in Grand Bahama.

When police officers arrived on the scene, they found a two-door blue 2008 Honda Accord which had crashed into a concrete column at Sir Jack Hayward Junior High School.

The vehicle was on fire.

Officers of the Fire Department were called in and were able to put out the fire and used the Jaws of Life to remove the man from the car.

The man was travelling east along Cathedral Boulevard when his vehicle ran off the northern side of the road and crashed into the concrete column. He died at the scene.

In addition, a 21-yearold resident of Sanderling Circle died at the Rand Memorial Hospital shortly after 7am on Christmas Eve after being involved in an accident on Friday, December 18. He was the driver of the car.

Police reports say shortly after 10pm on December 18, officers were called to the scene of the accident which took place on Queen’s Highway in the area of Hanna Hill, Eight Mile Rock. Two men in a brown Honda Accord were driving east on Queen’s Highway when the driver lost control of his car, collided into a chain link fence, hitting three vehicles and then crashed into a brick wall. Both men were ejected from the vehicle.

The victims suffered serious injuries and were both taken to the Rand Memorial Hospital by EMS personnel.

In response to a spate of fatal traffic accidents, police are urging the general public to always wear a seatbelt and to drive within the speed limit.

THE scene of a fatal crash in Settlers Way, Grand Bahama.

Photo: Vandyke Hepburn

PAGE 4, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Davis condemns order requiring negative test to visit hotel facilities A RECENT amendment to the COVID-19 Emergency Orders requires those who want to patronise hotel amenities to have a negative COVID-19 PCR or rapid antigen test, prompting criticism from the Progressive Liberal Party.

PLP leader Philip “Brave” Davis said it is “heartless” and “meanspirited” to require residents who want to patronise hotel restaurants to have to also pay for a COVID-19 test. He also predicted this could lead to the closure of small hotel restaurants during this tough economic period.

However, last night, the Ministry of Tourism and Aviation said the purpose of this new order “is to safeguard the use of hotels by

all persons and to mitigate any negative impact the coronavirus may have on this critical component of our tourism sector”.

“As such, all persons wishing to stay in a hotel in either New Providence or Grand Bahama must be in possession of a RT-PCR test or a rapid antigen test, with a negative result, prior to check in,” the ministry said.

“Since all travellers entering The Bahamas from another country are required to be in possession of a RT-PCR test prior to arrival, they will, with the presentation of a valid Bahamas health travel visa, automatically fulfil this requirement.

“In addition, since all travellers are required to

complete a rapid antigen test on the fifth day of their return to The Bahamas, that too, will automatically extend their ability to visit hotels and their related facilities.

“For persons wishing to use hotels and their related facilities who have not recently travelled, they must obtain a RT-PCR test or less expensive rapid antigen test to access the property.

“However, if access to a hotel’s outdoor facility, such as a restaurant or the beach or a golf course, can be achieved without entering the hotel, no test is required. In these particular instances, observing the usual health protocols (wear a mask, sanitize your hands and keep six feet

One death and 35 cases over holiday

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

COVID-19 cases have continued to steadily trickle in each day with Ministry of Health officials recording 315 new cases this month.

Over the holiday weekend – Christmas eve to Sunday – 35 new COVID19 cases were recorded.

That is eight new cases on Sunday – four in New Providence, two in Grand Bahama and one each in Eleuthera and Andros.

On Saturday there were nine newly confirmed cases – seven in the capital and two in Grand Bahama.

One additional COVID19 related death was also confirmed. This was an

81-year-old man who died on December 26, pushing the country’s death toll to 170.

On Christmas Day, ten new cases were reported while eight were recorded on Christmas Eve. Early December saw some days record only low single digit case numbers.

During the first week of this month there were 43 cases, but the week that followed saw 118 positive cases recorded, followed by 74 cases. In the remaining days 80 cases were recorded.

Earlier this month, the country’s top infectious diseases expert again urged Bahamians not to be overly confident or come to the

false conclusion that the deadly disease has left the country.

Dr Nikkiah Forbes, director of the National HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Programme at the Ministry of Health, reminded people that the number of confirmed cases everywhere is always less than the actual number of infections, adding 40 percent of cases are in asymptomatic carriers.

As these people are still infectious, following health protocols should remain a focus of all, she said.

In November, 806 COVID-19 cases were recorded. That month, all but two days saw daily double digit positive case numbers.

away from anyone who is not in your party) are expected,” the ministry added.

The statement also said that all COVID-19 tests are valid for seven days until January 4, 2021, and then valid for five days thereafter.

“The Ministry of Tourism and Aviation would like to emphasise, once again, the need for every single Bahamian citizen and resident to do their part to keep community spread of this deadly virus to a minimum.

It will be difficult, it will be hard, but for the economic impact of tourism to be felt by as many Bahamians as possible, it will be necessary,” the statement added.

In an earlier statement, Mr Davis expressed

his displeasure with the amendment.

“The latest order signed by the prime minister, the competent authority, on Christmas Day requires patrons of all hotels and ‘other commercial accommodations’ to present a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test as a condition to stay at or to use any of the facilities and amenities at the hotel or other commercial accommodation,” Mr Davis said.

“I denounce this latest amendment as heartless, redundant and mean spirited. Patrons wanting to enjoy a $5.95 breakfast will have to pay about $150 for that dining experience.

“I note the irony of the signing on Christmas Day – on this festive occasion

TOTAL CASES

marked by celebration, joy and the delivery of gifts – the prime minister delivered a gift of bad news.

“This latest emergency order will have the resulting economic impact and fall out of the unceremonious closure of small hotel restaurants in our islands at a time when many hotel operators are struggling to rebound, remain open and save their small businesses.

“This is a counterproductive gut punch to the tourism and restaurant industries.

“I strongly advise the prime minister, the competent authority, to reverse this order forthwith if he is truly serious about and interested in saving the domestic economy,” the opposition leader said.

TOTAL DEATHS

7,842 170 NEWLY CONFIRMED CASES

SUNDAY

8 CASES

10 CASES

4 2 1 1

NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA

9 CASES

NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA

NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA ELEUTHERA ANDROS

SATURDAY

FRIDAY

NEW PROVIDENCE GRAND BAHAMA

7 2

THURSDAY

10 2

8 CASES 7 1

LATEST DEATHS • 81-year-old woman from New Providence on December 26.

TOTAL TESTS

51,151

HOSPITALISED

15

CASES IN ICU

0

RECOVERED

6,177

‘MISUNDERSTANDING’ AS TICKETS ISSUED TO DINERS - THEN TAKEN BACK

By TANYA SMITHCARTWRIGHT tsmith-cartwright@ tribunemedia.net

COMMISSIONER of Police Paul Rolle reportedly intervened after COVID-19 officers ticketed customers at Latitudes restaurant on Wednesday evening.

The COVID-19 Police Task Force, according to Latitudes, entered the establishment, ticketed

its patrons and made an attempt to ticket the business itself. Management called the establishment’s attorney, Wayne Munroe, QC, to rectify the matter.

Mr Munroe told The Tribune on Friday that he was certain the restaurant was not in contravention of emergency powers orders.

He said: “I was called to Latitudes because they (police) were purporting, I believe, that the restaurant shouldn’t have been doing

indoor dining. And, they were writing up the patrons and were in the process of writing up the business.

I know as a fact that restaurants in hotels can do indoor dining by Regulation 46 of the COVID Emergency Orders. So I went there.

“I think there was a superintendent and an ASP there talking to the manager. I reached out to the commissioner of police and explained to him that they

were making a mistake as Latitudes is in a hotel. He (the commissioner) had to speak to the most senior officer and he gave them instructions and then they recalled the tickets and they left.”

Latitudes is located in the Nassau Harbour Club on East Bay Street.

The restaurant posted a statement on its Facebook page thanking the commissioner for a positive intervention.

The statement read: “The ownership of Latitudes restaurant at the Harbour Club Hotel and

Marina, expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle after he intervened to stop the ticketing of their guests by police officers last night (Wednesday).

“Dozens of patrons were initially issued $300 tickets by police officers assigned to the COVID task force before Latitudes’ attorney, Wayne Munroe, who was also present at the establishment, reached out to the commissioner.

Mr Munroe said the event was a misunderstanding of the emergency orders on

the officers’ part, and even though his clients would have lost business due to this error, Latitudes has determined not to seek any legal action.”

The Tribune also reached out to Commissioner Rolle for his position on the incident, but he declined to “comment further” on the matter.

Mr Munroe explained explained that he reached out to the commissioner because he was aware that there was unnecessary potential liability for the government.

“When I find that, I always try to get the matter resolved. I’ve found that this commissioner of police is very proactive. If something is not going correctly, he addresses it. It saves the public purse a lot of expense.

“Let’s say if this had gone ahead and these people had gone to court, we would represent them and they (police) are bound to lose because this is a hotel. Then we would also sue for malicious prosecution, then you would have monies tabled to them and monies tabled to us, so the commissioner acted very proactively and that was really that. If you can avoid liability you do.”

Mr Munroe said he is not casting blame on the officers who attempted to ticket the establishment as, he said, he does not know if they had proper guidance as to what the law says.

In its statement, the management of Latitudes expressed apologies to its patrons for the incident and told them to feel free to continue safely dining at the establishment. The statement added that it was unfortunate that something like that had to occur, but expressed appreciation for “the quick intervention by the commissioner and his professionalism to resolve this matter swiftly”.

THE TRIBUNE

Junkanooers ‘depressed’ by lack of parade from page one “All of Christmas morning I was talking to hundreds of Junkanooers and reading messages on Facebook and it was a sentiment of shock.

“We still couldn’t believe that it was Christmas Day and we weren’t preparing to go on Bay Street to celebrate our culture as we all know due to COVID-19 and the government mandate, so it was surreal to say the least.

“We all sat in front of our televisions and watched the Junkanoo parade of champions that ZNS played 10pm Christmas night into the wee hours and got to see ourselves parading, but that still didn’t take the taste of Bay Street and celebrating and rushing through the streets.”

Yet, Mr Miller said there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel with officials predicting a vaccine could be available to Bahamians as

early as the spring. However, Junkanoo stakeholders do not yet know when another parade will be held.

“As to a way forward, we’ll begin those talks with our partners in government early next year as to the possibilities of having some parade or parades next year. So, we’re hopeful.

“We are happy that there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of vaccinations and other therapeutics and so we remain hopeful, but we won’t know for sure until next year if there will be any parades on Bay Street or not,” he said.

Despite missing the Junkanoo experience, Mr Miller said participants were grateful to be able to enjoy the festive holidays that would ordinarily be missed to prepare for the showdown on Bay Street.

“To the dismay of a lot of wives and husbands who typically don’t have to deal with us around Christmas time

THREE IN HOSPITAL AFTER TWO SEPARATE SHOOTINGS THREE men, including a Bimini man, are in hospital after two separate shootings over the weekend.

On Sunday shortly before 6pm, police in New Providence received reports of a shooting at Spenser Corner and Key West Street. Officers responded and were told that a group of people were gathered outside a yard when a dark coloured vehicle pulled up and the occupants opened fire on them.

Two men were injured.

They were taken to hospital by private vehicle.

An all-points bulletin was issued and moments later police on Cordeaux Avenue saw a vehicle fitting the description travelling at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle was pursued and stopped on Lincoln Boulevard. Two men got out of the vehicle and as the officers approached them, one of them ran.

A chase followed, police said, and as the suspect was running, one of the

officers saw him throw an object. The officer captured the suspect who was taken back to the area where the object was thrown.

An extensive search was carried out which resulted in the officer finding a black 9mm pistol. A search of the vehicle revealed a 9mm spent casing. Both suspects were arrested.

A day earlier, a man was shot during a fight in Porgy Bay, Bimini.

Police said shortly after 1pm on Saturday, two men were involved in an argument. During the fight, one of the men pulled out a handgun, shooting the other in the chest. The victim was taken to the Bimini clinic and seen by the island’s doctor. He was listed in stable condition.

He was later airlifted to New Providence to seek further medical attention.

The other man fled the area and is now being sought by police.

Investigations are continuing into both incidents.

because we are in the shacks preparing, but it was good to be around family celebrating Christmas and eating the traditional ham and turkey dinner. That is something we don’t typically get to enjoy until after Christmas. So, it was good to be able to enjoy and be like normal Bahamians during the holidays.”

Last week, some Junkanoo groups said they still planned to keep the Junkanoo spirit alive and celebrate through virtual events.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, PAGE 5

THE SAXONS in action in the previous New Year parade.

PAGE 6, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

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

LEON E. H. DUPUCH,

SIR ETIENNE DUPUCH,

jamaaltheartist@gmail.com

Publisher/Editor 1903-1914 Kt., O.B.E., K.M., K.C.S.G., (Hon.) LL.D., D.Litt .

Publisher/Editor 1919-1972 Contributing Editor 1972-1991

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More COVID-19 vaccines in pipeline A HUGE US study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate got underway yesterday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the first shots to a nation anxiously awaiting relief from the catastrophic outbreak.

Public health experts say more options in addition to the two vaccines now being dispensed — one made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, the other by Moderna — are critical to amassing enough shots for the country and the world.

The candidate made by Novavax Inc is the fifth to reach final-stage testing in the United States. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if the shot — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe.

“If you want to have enough vaccine to vaccinate all the people in the US who you’d like to vaccinate — up to 85 percent or more of the population — you’re going to need more than two companies,” Dr Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, told The Associated Press on Monday.

The coronavirus is blamed for about 1.8 million deaths worldwide, including more than 330,000 in the US. This has been the deadliest month of the outbreak in the US yet, with about 65,000 deaths in December so far, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The nation has repeatedly recorded more than 3,000 dead per day over the past few weeks.

And the US could be facing a terrible winter: Despite warnings to stay home and avoid others over Christmastime, nearly 1.3 million people went through the nation’s airports on Sunday, the highest one-day total since the crisis took hold in the US nine months ago.

The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed expects to have shipped 20 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to states by the beginning of January, fewer than originally estimated to the frustration of states and health officials trying to schedule the shots.

There is no real-time tracking of how quickly people are getting the first of the two required doses. As of Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reports of more than 2.1 million vaccinations out of 11.4 million doses shipped — but the agency knows that count is outdated. It can take days for reports from vaccine providers to trickle in and get added to the site.

“Just because a vaccine arrives doesn’t mean we can put an on-the-spot clinic up and running,” said Jenny Barta, a public health official in Carlton County, Minnesota.

But Tuesday, her agency aims to vaccinate 100 people in a drive-thru clinic for emergency medical workers that Barta hopes could become a model for larger attempts at mass vaccination. Nurses will wheel vaccine to cars lined up in a county-owned snowplow garage. Once the drivers get their shots, they will wait in parking spaces to be sure they don’t have an allergic reaction before heading home.

“Vaccinating one individual at a time is how we’re going to work our way out of this pandemic,” she said.

Yet another worry hanging over the vaccine scramble: Will shots block a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in Britain and might spread more easily? Fauci said that data from Britain

indicates the vaccines still will protect against the virus but that National Institutes of Health researchers will be “looking at it very intensively” to be sure.

A look at the frontrunners in the global vaccine race: GENETIC CODE VACCINES The US based its emergency rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and a similar one made by Moderna and the NIH on studies suggesting they are both roughly 95 percent effective. Europe over the weekend began its first vaccinations with the Pfizer shot, and on January 6 will decide whether to add Moderna’s.

These shots are made with a brandnew technology that injects a piece of genetic code for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus. That messenger RNA, or mRNA, induces the body to produce some harmless spike protein, enough to prime the immune system to react if it later encounters the real virus.

Both vaccines must be kept frozen, the Pfizer shot at ultra-low temperatures that complicate its delivery to poor or rural areas. Additional companies are working toward their own mRNA candidates, including Germany’s CureVac, which has begun a large study in Europe.

PROTEIN VACCINES The Novavax candidate is made differently, using what Fauci called a “more tried and true” technology that needs only ordinary refrigeration. The Maryland company grows harmless copies of the coronavirus spike protein in the laboratory and mixes in an immuneboosting chemical. Novavax already has enrolled 15,000 people in a latestage study in Britain and 4,000 in South Africa. The newest and largest study, funded by the US government, will recruit volunteers at more than 115 sites in the US and Mexico and target highrisk older adults along with volunteers from Black and Hispanic communities, which have been hit hard by the virus.

TROJAN HORSE VACCINES The next big vaccine news may come from Johnson & Johnson, which is aiming for a one-dose COVID-19 vaccine. Made in yet another way, it uses a harmless virus – a cold virus called an adenovirus - to carry the spike gene into the body. In mid-December, J&J finished enrolling about 45,000 volunteers in a final-stage study in the US and a halfdozen other countries. Fauci expects early results sometime next month.

In Britain, regulators also are considering clearing a similar vaccine made by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

Tests of the shots in Britain, South Africa and Brazil suggested they are safe and partially protective — about 70 percent. But questions remain about how well the vaccine works in people over 55 and how to interpret results from a small number of people given a different set of doses.

“KILLED” VACCINES Spike-focused vaccines aren’t the only option. Making vaccines by growing a disease-causing virus and then killing it is a still older approach that gives the body a sneak peek at the germ itself rather than just that single spike protein.

China has three such “inactivated” COVID-19 vaccines in final testing in several countries and has allowed emergency use in some people ahead of results. An Indian company is testing its own inactivated candidate.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer

Keep big oil out of The Bahamas EDITOR, The Tribune.

LETTERS

MY HUSBAND and I are US citizens who are honored and excited to be planning a one of many return trips to Andros to bonefish the unique waters of your country.

It is with great grief that we read of your looming tragedy, the arrival of the Stena Ice MAX oil exploration drilling ship.

Why the Bahamas government would gamble your fisheries and your pristine waters and your way of life for the last gasp hope that the dying Big Oil industry holds promise of more than pollution and empty promises seems strange given what we all know.

Big Oil is on the way out.

The world is turning to sustainable power. Big Oil is still powerful enough to grab as much money as they can while they can.

Big Oil is still almost above the law. Big Oil goes where it can suck up the most oil with the least regulations.

The Bahamas has no big funded Department of the Interior to demand that the secretive and speak little Bahamas Petroleum Corporation will run a clean operation.

No one can show you how the pollution that will fill your waters will fill your pockets with money.

letters@tribunemedia.net We do not have to pray and hope there will be no big spill on land or at sea.

The daily operations of drilling are dirty enough.

Drilling fluids are required in rotary drilling to remove sediments, metal shavings and other cuttings, to control pressure, and to cool and lubricate the drill.

Where does all this go?

Your clear waters will have sediments, drilling fluids, lubricants, metal filings, and lethal and sublethal chemicals discharged into them.

Maybe there will be Bahamas oversight to specify recycling of these fluids as much as possible, and maybe deep-sea disposal will be demanded, or not?

Cost of disposal favors on-site disposal.

Your waters will be protected only if there are laws in place to do so.

Since this is the first exploration and neither the oil company nor your government is talking, do you know what will happen to the muds and the chemicals and the sediments of drilling? Will daily drilling wastes just go into the water at the site? And then what?

This all happened so fast that there really is little

do not have the time to go ahead with all these hassles. We are then expected to be on the ground within five days. Why would anyone purchase a ticket for the few current flights to Nassau with all that uncertainty? This is even worse for people having to pay for hotels.

Whoever thought these measures were satisfactory should try to complete the rules themselves. Our

travel agents are recommending clients go to other places as they have lost all confidence in The Bahamas. They describe the rules as ludicrous. Tourists are not going to travel if unwell. Why can they not be tested upon arrival?

So many people have expressed their objections to the rules in The Tribune but nothing has changed as yet. Hopefully when the hotels remain mostly empty

environmental impact study to tell you what science predicts will be left of your Bahamas after the oil drilling.

Why was The Bahamas chosen for this get rich quick project? Do you have suspicions this might be too good to be true? At what cost? There are abandoned oil discoveries everywhere.

Lots of communities have been promised the moon and the stars and were left with nothing. Rich guys are deciding your future for you and saying you will benefit.

Do you believe it?

Are you willing to risk a cloud a sediment choking your conch and your pristine estuaries, your reefs? Is that a fair trade for driving away your environmental tourists and your bone fishermen and your scuba and deep sea divers? The west coast of Andros Island is known throughout the angling world as “The Land of Giants”! Your marine life is your legacy. Are you willing to gamble it all on a Big Oil boom into your waters? It’s still not too late.

I am just one person. You are just one person. You live there. Speak up and save your beautiful Bahamas, please, please, please.

KATHY BECKER, RN CHEF MYRON BECKER USA December 17, 2020.

Misplaced confidence in travel rules EDITOR, The Tribune.

AS A LONG-TIME visitor to Nassau I could not believe the comments published today in your travel story that Tourism Ministry officials “feel confident in the current travel protocols”. I am wondering if they are living on the same planet as the rest of us. What research was ever completed before the harsh tourist unfriendly rules

were introduced?

My wife and myself usually come several times a year and have purchased a small property suitable for short visits. Other family members have also enjoyed regular trips.

Now coming to Nassau has become so ridiculously difficult and time consuming that we have not been able to travel there for months. In the past our travel agent just booked for

the dates we wanted and we were on our way. Now we are faced with going to a health clinic to obtain a COVID-19 PCR test, pay exorbitant sums to get the test, take valuable time from work to go for the test and then pick up the results.

Then we must take further time to scan the results to Nassau for your Health Visa and not be certain when permission will be given. Most working people

Government officials will not feel so confident in their travel protocols. Let us hope so for the sake of prospective visitors and the thousands of hotel employees and the local businesses reliant upon them for their livelihood. The whole situation is a tragedy for The Bahamas.

MALCOLM ALAN Jr Nassau, December 9, 2020.

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, PAGE 7

‘Repeat the school year’ urges union chief after poor results from page one When contacted for comment, Mrs Wilson said the education system has continually failed the children of The Bahamas.

She said: “I strongly recommend that the Ministry of Education stop, review, cancel, pause and consider students having the opportunity to repeat the 2020 school year and that the social promotion practices cease forthwith. It is so sad, but true – the educational system has failed the children of this nation over and over and over.

“The results of the 2020 BJC and BGCSE National Examinations is not a surprise. From the onset I advocated for the sitting of the exams to be cancelled and that the students be awarded predicted grades. If this method was used, as it was used in the United Kingdom and in 160 countries and 10,000 institutions, then 100 percent

BUT president Belinda Wilson. of our students would have received grades.

“Then today, the Ministry of Education would not be lamenting the fact that the number of candidates that sat the exams was

substantially lower than 2019.”

The number of students sitting the exams declined by 5.9 percent. There were 6,073 candidates in 2020 compared to 6,454 in 2019.

Mrs Wilson is not hopeful that next year’s examination results will be any better than this year’s and blames a faulty learning platform, among other things, for the poor results.

She continued: “I contend that 2021 exam results will be even worse and participation even less than 2020, because the students this year have had so many interruptions with an inoperable and inadequate virtual platform, school started mid-October, the content and syllabus for the 2021 examination.

Most schools are behind schedule.”

According to data released by the Ministry of Education, the number of BGCSE candidates that received at least a C grade in five or more subjects

declined by 5.8 percent. The number of students that received a minimum grade of D in at least five subjects declined by nine percent and the number of candidates that received at least a C in mathematics, English language and a science declined by 3.3 percent.

Overall, six percent of candidates received at least a C in five or more subjects, 9.85 percent of students received a minimum grade of D in at least five subjects and 4.2 percent of candidates received at least a C in mathematics, English language and a science subject.

In addition, the total number of BJC grades awarded this year declined by 21.68 percent.

Mrs Wilson continued: “The 30 percent of students, stated by the Ministry of Education, who never accessed the virtual platform, sadly equates to approximately 14,400 students. These are students in the public school

system which means that the education gap has widened yet again. Students disadvantaged and the underachievers and/ or students from the lower socio-economic status again have been disenfranchised.

“So with these dismal results and the acknowledgement of the inadequacies of the virtual platform, I ask the following questions, what changes have been put in place to ensure that the 2021 exams will not be a repeat of 2020? What policies will be adopted based on the data from these exam results?”

Mrs Wilson also took to task the fact that the ministry’s press release said girls continued to outperform boys in the national exams, receiving higher percentages of A-C grades and lower percentages at E-U grades.

She said: “The results show that girls outperformed the boys. So what new programmes will be executed to assist boys?

45 HAITIAN MIGRANTS HELD IN LONG ISLAND FORTY-FIVE Haitian migrants were arrested by law enforcement officers in Long Island on Saturday.

According to a press release from the Department of Immigration, the group of 36 Haitian men and nine women were arrested and detained by officers of the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF) and Bahamas Customs Department after their vessel came ashore

at Clarence Town, Long Island.

Immigration officials have been dispatched to Long Island for investigation and further processing of the migrants who are presently being held at the Community Centre in Clarence Town.

According to the statement, all migrants have received medical attention from local Ministry of Health personnel and reported to be well.

In a statement posted to Facebook, Long Island MP Adrian Gibson said the migrants’ vessel ran aground before dawn on Saturday.

He said the migrants were provided with masks and that a US Coast Guard helicopter was assisting with search and rescue efforts.

The group is expected to appear in Magistrates Court in Clarence Town today.

CHARLES LASHLEY DIES, AGED 68

CHARLES Martin Lashley, 68, of Carriacou, Skyline Heights, died at his home on Thursday.

Mr Lashley, formerly of St George’s, Grenada, is survived by his wife, lawyer Caryl (Toni) Lashley, and their children, Brett, Jody and Ryan Lashley. He was predeceased by his daughter, Lia, and his parents, Samuel and Adeline Lashley.

He is also survived by his siblings, James

CHARLES LASHLEY

and Marise, Ramon and Debra, Deanna and Jacqueline Lashley, Edward and Michele Fields, and Tommy and Shawn Turnquest; his father-in-law Sir Orville Turnquest, and aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews and many other relatives and friends, including generations of the St Augustine’s College and University of the Bahamas families.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.

43-YEAR-OLD FOUND HANGED AT HIS HOME POLICE in Grand Bahama are investigating after a man was found hanged at his house on Friday.

The 43-year-old was

discovered by police at his Raleigh Drive home shortly after 1pm. He was officially pronounced dead by a doctor at the Rand Memorial Hospital. He had last

been seen on Thursday at around 5am.

Foul play is not suspected and a pathologist’s report will determine the exact cause of death.

A BOAT discovered on the shore of Long Island after it ran aground.

Will the Ministry of Education continue with the status quo? The rationale put forward by the Ministry of Education for continuing the sitting of the BJC and BGCSE examinations were the results were needed for jobs, the results were needed for colleges and universities.

“The rationale was flawed then and it’s flawed now. In fact, the students who received E, F and U grades will not get jobs and will not get accepted into colleges and universities with those grades. But I ask again, are there any plans for the students to retake these examinations under more conducive circumstances? I know that there are no plans for students to repeat the 2020 school year.”

She said her prayers and thoughts are with the children of The Bahamas, adding, “Lord deliver them from the hands of the visionless.”

PAGE 8, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

A year to forget but people to remember Face to Face

By FELICITY DARVILLE

THE year 2020 will go down as one of the most devastating years for the Bahamian economy in recent history. The country received a double blow –- Hurricane Dorian followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Collectively, we are stunned and in recovery mode. These traumas will take time to recover from, and most if not all Bahamian households have been impacted in some way.

At least 170 Bahamians have died due to COVID19 to date. At one point, nearly half of the population was jobless. The Government has had to allocate more money over a longer period of time to a feeding network that is assisting tens of thousands of families. So much has gone wrong. But some things have also gone right.

The Earth has had a sabbatical and the atmosphere has had less pollution. It has had a chance to rejuvenate.

Amidst the pandemic, some new businesses have started up, and some have prospered like never before. Others have shut down and their brands have disappeared.

It seems many people were also passing away suddenly this year, and many babies were being born.

On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn were conjunct at zero degrees in the Constellation of Aquarius, signaling the beginning of a new age. Through it all, those of us who are still here to witness the changes remain more humble, more aware... more conscious of our lives and the need to respect, love, and show appreciation to others.

I took the time to get some reactions about this monumental year.

For Charisma SimmonsSchëutz, this year was a difficult one. She lost her grandmother who raised her from birth, and whom she called, “mummy”. Elizabeth Reid was laid to rest after passing away from natural causes on August 28. She was the matriarch of the Reid family, and mother to many as a leader in the Ridgeland Park community.

Elizabeth is the mother of seven children, including Pastor Carlos Reid. Yesterday, her youngest son, Michael J “Scooter” Reid passed away of cancer. His name is being heard in the annals of youth and sports today as people mourn the loss of this nation builder.

Scooter, a father of four, (D’Angelo, D’Andre, Danielle and Mikel) taught and coached basketball. He worked for the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and he was instrumental in securing scores of scholarships for Bahamian youth.

“She was the family matriarch, keeper and fierce defender of the family guard and of its dynasty... the holder of its glue,” Charisma said of Elizabeth Reid.

“She taught Sunday School and mentored young ladies.

Scooter, like his mother, took the word ‘family’ to heart and his reach, too, extended beyond the Reids. Scooter, like his mother, was a community leader. They were not just human beings.

They were positive youth life-changers. Brother and son Carlos Reid is now running with the mantle. They

ANTONIA Adderley and Donnaveo Sherman spoke to The Tribune about the challenges they faced this year.

NICHOLAS RICHARDSON, who died from sickle cell anemia.

ELIZABETH Reid and her son, Michael “Scooter” Reid, who both died this year. were do-golfers now resting internships; visiting local must rely on ourselves. It with the angels in heaven.” farms; conducting research; will be a long and trying “The year 2020 was such and ordering equipment process, but as long as the an eye-opener for me. It from abroad for projects Government gives us the is so important to cherish like aquaponics. Indeed, full opportunity we need people and respect time... schools throughout the to launch our ventures and even good things have an country are adjusting to become business owners, expiration date. When I the new normal with some we can succeed. It has to be say cherish people, I mean, growing pains. an easy and efficient proevery step a person makes The loss and unavailabil- cess that really empowers in your life... you must ity of jobs was a concern people.” respect the moments you for many this year. AntoLanette Sands shared walked together. Scooter nia Adderley, a concierge her reflections: “2020... was cherished of the time tour representative, said wow, what a year! Where spent with family and the pandemic struck just can I start? COVID came friends. He loved to reflect as she was afforded the knocking on my door when and would often tell me life opportunity to start a new my husband presented the stories.” job. That opportunity didn’t news that whilst in the line The community of the come into fruition, but she of duty he tested positive Bahamas Agriculture and has high hopes as she plans for COVID. Immediately, Marine Science Institute is to start her own venture I isolated myself and my also going through shock through the Access Accel- children. Trying to nurse and sadness with the passing erator programme. him back to physical health, of its young and progressive “I am amongst the thou- I decided that I, too should Computer teacher and IT sands of people that aren’t get tested. Nurses were Technician, Nicholas Rich- working,” she said. astonished that I did not get ardson. The 25-year-old “Hurricane Dorian and COVID. I used bush mediteacher was making strides the pandemic was a dou- cine, but really, it was the at the institution and was ble-whammy. You have grace of God that kept me, well-liked by students and so many more now added because He knew that my peers. He was a well-known to the number of families husband would need me to DJ who went by the name that need help... people nurse him back to physical “DJ Flow”. He succumbed who need food, clothes strength. to sickle cell anemia after a and shelter. I, myself have “Meanwhile, we had bout in hospital. not received the help, but family members who also The institute, which thank God for family and tested positive and died in implements a hands-on friends. God is ever faith- the line of duty. We all had approach to learning, had ful and true and through our challenges and experian interesting 2020 as it it all, we must always look ences, but I can look back adjusted to a fully-online for the opportunity to look at this year and say it has platform. It is about to into new ways to be self- truly been a year of tremenenter its second semester. sufficient in all areas. We dous blessing. I had my dad Students have adjusted in must not rely only on soci- and my brother in ICU. My various ways, including ety or the job market. We mom was ill at one point. I performing agricultural assignments at home and presenting video journals of their produce; doing

was the only person standing in the gap for them, experiencing a mental breakdown but getting back up, as the scripture reminds us to be content in whatever situation you find yourself in.

“Through it all, we have lost loved ones, but here we are, alive to testify and be a witness that no matter what we face in life, our challenges are not to break us down, but to build us back up stronger than ever.”

Donnaveo Sherman, intracellular consultant at Essentially Alkaline, said the business managed to stay afloat through a difficult year, as it provides premier plant and herbal-based solutions for maintaining and defending nutritional needs and the immune system, which became vital to stay healthy during the pandemic.

“2020 was a very interesting and challenging year in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

“It caught all of us off guard in terms of the lockdowns and all of these stipulations. But through the weeks and months, and even coming to the end of the year, we still stood strong, unified in terms of maintaining our status at Essentially Alkaline. But, it was a challenge in terms of being home and assisting with home schooling while running the store.”

“Hopefully, 2021 doesn’t meet us doing the same thing, although the forecast looks like we are going to be in kind of the same boat. Hopefully we can get over this and move forward in terms of beating this pandemic that has been very unprecedented. Hopefully, the competent authority has the vision to see the measures that are implemented are doing more harm than good.”

THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, PAGE 9

WE WISH YOU A MERRY BREXIT? The Peter Young column

BRITAIN’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a media briefing in Downing Street, London, on Christmas Eve. Photo: Paul Grover/ Pool Photo via AP WAS it the best Christmas present of all? One would have been forgiven for thinking so while watching Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s exuberant video on Christmas Eve announcing that he had just signed a trade agreement with the European Union. After all the controversy and delay, this is a huge development, covering, as it does, some 450 million consumers.

Stating it was the “right deal for the country” and in Britain’s best interests, he said that such an agreement would finally settle the hitherto fractious and difficult relationship between the EU and Britain and bring about stability as well as giving certainty to businesses, travellers and investors with effect from January 1 – and, most importantly, it provided a mutually beneficial basis for a long-term friendship and partnership between two sovereign equals.

This historic agreement have been a nightmare sets out the future rela- with prices forced up in tionship between the EU some sectors and shortand Britain. For the EU’s ages created in others. part, the President of the Imposition of new tariffs European and customs Commission, checks might It seems to me Ursula von also have creder Leyen, that the naysayers ated chaos at called the opposed to Brexit borders in the deal “fair and short-term. should accept balanced” Superlaand that it that this new tives have was now agreement is a come from “time to turn many quarthe page and compromise. It ters, praising look to the is not a perfect Mr Johnson future”. It is deal because in for a stunning said there was achievement a collective politics perfection after months sigh of relief is always out of of gruelling on both sides reach. But it is a negotiations including, and endfor example, pretty good one less haggling in Germany in many respects which went since the and much better right up to UK is its car the wire, with than a no-deal. manufacturthe transition ers’ biggest period due market. For all concerned, to end on December 31 – trading on World Trade and it was his tough stance Organisation terms as a in refusing to extend that result of a no-deal would timing which may have

been crucial in forcing through an agreement.

The EU chief negotiator briefed ambassadors of the bloc’s 27 member states on Christmas Day; and, in Britain, members of both Houses of Parliament have been called back from their holiday break to vote on the deal on December 30. With the Conservative government’s large majority in the House of Commons and Labour MPs ordered by their leader to vote in favour, passage of the agreement has been virtually secured.

However, there are bound to be dissenting voices from some legislators who have had a chance to study the 1,200-page document during the last few days. As is so often said, the devil is in the detail, and hardline Brexiteers will be trawling the agreement for so-called “landmines”.

This deal has been described as one of the most comprehensive tailormade free trade agreements ever signed. In summary, the UK leaves the EU’s single market and customs union but will still have highly advantageous access to the single market with no tariffs and no quotas in respect of cross-border trade worth more than $700 billion annually. There will be new non-tariff barriers such as extra paperwork and red tape but these are considered by both sides a reasonable price to pay.

So Britain will be out of the EU and not subject to its rules but will have full access to this most

important market that is so close geographically.

Its annual contributions to the EU (some $20bn) will cease, the European Court of Justice will have no role in overseeing the future relationship and freedom of movement will end as the UK draws up its own new, points-based immigration system.

This delivers on the Tory manifesto commitment to take back control of the country’s money, borders and laws. Moreover, the agreement covers areas like security co-operation, aviation and many others including fishing. The latter had been a sticking point, with Britain wanting to take back control of its own waters – and this has been achieved, subject to certain quotas, after a five-year transition period.

The main gap seems to be in services, with a lack of certainty about financial firms and banks selling into the single market. Meanwhile, the UK will not change European human rights laws, and UK holiday makers will be allowed to travel to EU countries visafree for 90 days and also retain their access to free healthcare.

Those who voted to leave in Britain’s 2016 referendum were aware of the risks in extricating the country from four decades of a complicated relationship with the EU, not least in unpicking the huge number of regulations imposed by the EU. But their realisation that so many of the nation’s domestic laws emanated from directives from Brussels without adequate

oversight by their own legislators – and that uncontrolled immigration from the EU was damaging their island-nation – convinced them in favour of Brexit; and, in the end, those who predicted Britain’s economic collapse after the Brexit vote were spectacularly wrong.

It seems to me that the naysayers opposed to Brexit should accept that this new agreement is a compromise. It is not a perfect deal because in politics perfection is always out of reach. But it is a pretty good one in many respects and much better than a no-deal.

Some of Boris Johnson’s critics have been brutal in calling him a buffoon. Many have wondered how such a figure – an ex-journalist with a mixed record as Mayor of London, together with a ramshackle private life and a reputation for unreliability who had his own brush with mortality after suffering from COVID-19 – could aspire to lead the nation through such constitutionally difficult times. But he has surely had the last laugh and deserves much praise. No one should underestimate the extraordinary scale of his achievement in securing an EU trade deal. It should be a unifying moment for the country as well as a time of national renewal as Britain embarks on a new global era that many believe will enable it to flourish as an independent trading nation – and, to the relief of everyone, perhaps we may never have to talk about Brexit again!

NEED FOR EARLY ROLLOUT OF VACCINE THE continuing positive information about COVID-19 vaccines must be music to the ears of all those affected in one way or another by the pandemic as this awful year comes to an end.

The crisis is clearly far from over, not least because of the new variant of the virus which, reportedly, is spreading widely, particularly in Europe. As cases continue to rise in different countries, far from allowing complacency to creep in, preventive measures in the form of vaccines are becoming all the more important.

They are already being rolled out, with Britain the first country to start on December 8 using the US-manufactured Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. Having already inoculated more than 800,000 people, the UK expects to be free of lockdowns by February.

The US followed suit soon after with its own national programme and has already completed some two million vaccinations.

It has also approved for emergency use the

Moderna vaccine which is made in America. The AstraZeneca and Oxford University vaccine manufactured in the UK is expected to be approved soon – and this is a significant development because it is both less expensive to purchase and can be stored in easier conditions than the extreme cold needed for the Pfizer vaccine. It could therefore become a game-changer.

In recent days, there has been much publicity about the start of mass vaccination in countries like Chile, Costa Rica and Argentina (using a Russian vaccine) as well as in Europe, particularly Italy and Spain which were badly hit by the virus.

I have also seen a report that the Cayman Islands, a British overseas territory, will start vaccinations in January. So it is clear that there is a widespread recognition that the answer to the global pandemic is mass vaccination – and the vaccines are now readily available.

Concerns have been expressed about the speed

of development of the coronavirus vaccines and that safety has been compromised in the face of political pressure. However, the manufacturers and regulators, who are under intense scrutiny, have provided assurances that the production process has been as rigorous as for any other vaccine and they are said to be willing to publish their data. It is also interesting that a number of high profile people have received the vaccine in a blaze of publicity in order, no doubt, to put the lie to safety worries; for example, US Vice President Mike Pence and President-elect Joe Biden together with an array of other world leaders. There will always be some residual opposition to vaccinations generally. But, against this background, it is hard to see how anyone could reasonably refuse to take this vaccine because of safety reasons. That said, objection on ethical or religious grounds is another matter, and, in a democracy, coercion should be avoided.

Since this a global

pandemic there is no reason why any country should be left behind in organising mass vaccinations – either because of cost or availability. It may, therefore, be troubling to some to read remarks attributed to the PAHO representative and reported in The Tribune several weeks ago that The Bahamas ‘can have access to the COVID-19 vaccine between March and April of 2021’ – and, according to more recent reports, the government has not yet identified a vaccine of choice. That begs the question, why the wait? Is it really credible for The Bahamas to try to second guess the best scientists in the US, Britain and Europe and do its own independent investigation of the vaccines, as has been suggested?

It occurs to me that, if in the coming months most of the rest of the world is doing mass inoculations and we are not, this might affect our tourism sector insofar as visits to The Bahamas – as a country still suffering from coronavirus

QUEEN’S UPLIFTING CHRISTMAS MESSAGE IN BRITAIN, the traditional family Christmas Day usually involves people gathering in front of the television at 3pm to watch the pre-recorded Queen’s Speech. This time-honoured ritual follows the earlier opening of presents and then a long festive lunch, with those concerned eagerly anticipating what is invariably an inspiring message of peace, hope and goodwill.

According to BBC statistics, this year it was the most watched broadcast on Christmas Day with more than eight million tuning in.

Her Majesty has been delivering these speeches since 1952, and many – particularly those who are lonely or in distress – derive comfort from her carefully chosen words.

Always setting the right tone, the wording is said to be deeply personal to her and is normally in the context of the events of the past year. So this time around there was

speculation about how she would approach what, by common consent, has been a terrible year for just about everybody. It would be a tall order to sum up the worst year in living memory without depressing the whole country.

Such fears, however, turned out to be unfounded. I think it was a fine and appropriate speech – inclusive, genuine and warm – which accentuated the positive in an exceptionally upbeat message of optimism and enduring hope for a better future.

There was no specific reference to the virus, but everyone surely knew what The Queen meant when she praised people for “rising magnificently” to the challenges of 2020.

She spoke of the selflessness of what she termed the “kindness of “trangers’ and that this was reflected in the way in which people from all walks of life – and not least young

people – showed the same “quiet and indomitable spirit”. Furthermore, by stressing that “we’re all in this together”, her central message was, in essence, a timeless one; namely, that, in a period of extreme adversity and sadness for many, they are not alone – and, as long as people look out for one another, they’ll all get through it.

Inevitably, there are those in the country who, for one reason or another, criticise such thoughts as meaningless platitudes and they pour scorn on them. But such people misjudge the power of words. Judging from feedback in the UK press, the vast majority of Britons welcome and greatly appreciate such sentiments coming from The Queen and find them uplifting and full of hope for the future. Long may the tradition of the Queen’s Speech on Christmas Day continue.

but declining to vaccinate its population – might be banned, and vice versa so that Bahamians would be prevented from travelling. This is, of course, a worst-case scenario and far

be it from me to preach to others. But many will surely wonder whether consideration of this whole issue ought not to be given the utmost priority in a situation that is rapidly evolving.

PAGE 10, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

Bail is denied for man who had his double murder conviction overturned

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net A MAN whose double murder conviction was overturned by the Court of Appeal earlier this year was denied bail until the panel determines whether they

will order a retrial for his case.

In July, Justices Jon Isaacs, Maureen CraneScott and Milton Evans quashed the sentence of Zintworn Duncombe, one of the men who was found guilty of kidnapping and murdering a senior

immigration officer and his girlfriend in 2013.

At the time, the decomposed remains of senior immigration officer Shane Gardiner and his girlfriend Tishka Braynen were found on the grounds of Newbold Farms in Fresh Creek, Andros. Both victims had

been killed execution style, each receiving a gunshot wound to the head.

When Duncombe and his co-accused Cordero Saunders appealed their sentences, the appellate court quashed their convictions after ruling the trial judge’s failure to thoroughly

investigate an altercation that had occurred between the forewoman and an alternate juror of the accused men’s trial created a “material irregularity” over the course of the proceedings.

Although the former sentence no longer stands, Justice Isaacs, Justice Evans and Justice Roy Jones said they are “not minded” to grant bail to Duncombe until they determine whether a retrial is necessary.

In his judgement, Justice Isaacs noted the evidence in this case was “thoroughly ventilated” and the panel’s decision to quash the appellant’s conviction was based on an “error made by the judge on a technical matter”.

“The court has considered the application of the appellant for bail pending appeal,” he stated. “We

hold the view that, inasmuch as the decision in the matter of the retrial is imminent, we, in keeping with our decision in Anthon Meadows, are not minded to grant bail to the appellant at this time.”

He continued: “We recognise that most of the issues raised by Mr (Patrick) Sweeting related to matters in 2016; however, as indicated, the court is in the midst of determining whether or not there ought to be a retrial in this matter.

We are, therefore, not minded to grant bail and the appellant/applicant will remain in custody until such time as the decision is made in respect of the retrial.”

Duncombe is represented

by Wayne Munroe, QC, and Ryszard Humes while Patrick Sweeting represents the Office of the Attorney General in the matter.

MAN WHO SLAPPED HIS CO-WORKER ORDERED TO KEEP THE PEACE FOR A YEAR

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

AN ABACO man who slapped his coworker during an argument on the job has been ordered to keep the peace for one year.

Ashton Forbes, 31, was arrested after he assaulted his co-worker on December 22.

He admitted to the offence during a hearing before Magistrate Samuel McKinney on Thursday.

The court was told that the incident took place around 4.30pm at Margarita Villas where Rolle and the complainant are employed. The prosecution said at the time, both men got into an argument and Rolle slapped the complainant in his face during the verbal altercation.

Rolle’s actions prompted his co-worker to file an official complaint with police.

Officers investigating the matter arrested the accused later that afternoon. In an interview with police, he admitted assaulting the man on the day in question.

During the hearing, Rolle was represented by attorney Lennox Colby. He told the magistrate his client is from Abaco, but was forced to relocate to New Providence after Hurricane Dorian. He claimed Rolle only slapped his co-worker after he was “harassed, pushed and provoked”.

Mr Colby also noted how Rolle’s employers only suspended him because they considered the fact that he was provoked on the job.

As a result, after listening to Mr Colby’s plea in mitigation, Magistrate McKinney bound Rolle over to keep the peace for one year. He warned the accused that if he didn’t, he would be fined $500 or risk spending one month in jail.

62-YEAR-OLD IS FINED $700 FOR MARIJUANA POSSESSION

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A 62-YEAR-OLD man who was found with several packages filled with marijuana was fined $700 in the Magistrates Court.

Police arrested Paul Collins after they found Indian hemp in his pocket and shoes on December 20.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous drug possession with the intent to supply and a single count of simple possession during a recent hearing before Magistrate Samuel McKinney.

The court was told that officers on patrol near Cedar Lane observed Collins appearing to look in their direction before acting in a suspicious manner. As a result, they approached the defendant and informed him he would be searched in

reference to dangerous drugs and firearms.

During their investigation, officers discovered a marijuana joint in Collins’ pants pocket. When they checked the area where he was standing, they also found a clear plastic bag with 18 mini Ziploc bags all containing marijuana.

Collins was subsequently arrested and taken to the Northeastern Police Station. When officers conducted a secondary search there, they discovered a quantity of loose marijuana in his shoes. He was then taken to the Drug Enforcement Unit where he told police he had the drugs for “smoking purposes”.

During the hearing, Collins told the magistrate he had a psychosis diagnosis and smoked marijuana to keep himself calm.

Magistrate McKinney fined him $700 or four months in prison.

BAIL GRANTED IN FIREARM TRIAL

By FARRAH JOHNSON Tribune Staff Reporter fjohnson@tribunemedia.net

A MAN and two teenagers who denied being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and illegal ammunition were granted bail before their trial.

Dominique Rolle, 24, Rayvaughn Pinder, 18, and Dion Exelant, 18, appeared before Magistrate Samuel

McKinney on Thursday after police alleged they found them with a black Glock 43 pistol and eight rounds of unfired 9mm ammunition on December 21.

During the arraignment, all of the accused denied the allegation and the case was adjourned to February 1, 2021 for trial.

In the meantime, Pinder, Rolle and Exelant were granted $8,000 bail.

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THE TRIBUNE

Tuesday, December 29, 2020, PAGE 11

Sides differ on oil hearing

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net AN OIL explorer and its opponents have given sharply different versions of the Christmas Eve legal battle that set up today’s hearing on the Judicial Review challenge to halt its exploratory drilling.

Fred Smith QC, the Callender’s & Co attorney and partner, yesterday argued that Bahamas Petroleum Company’s (BPC) description of the December 24, 2020, hearing before Justice Petra Hanna-Adderley was “deceptive and misleading” because his clients’ case was not rejected by the judge.

BPC, in two statements on the court hearings issued over the Christmas holidays, asserted that Justice Hanna-Adderley refused to give their environmental activist opponents permission to proceed with an action that aims to halt their activities in Bahamian waters.

The oil explorer, which is listed on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM), said in releases yesterday and on Christmas Eve that the judge had also declined to grant Waterkeepers Bahamas and the Coalition to Protect Clifton Bay (Save the Bays) a “stay” that would have halted oil drilling operations that are now into their ninth day in waters 90 miles west of Andros.

“As indicated in BPC’s announcement of Thursday, 24 December, 2020, on that day, at a hearing of the court, Justice Petra Hanna-Weekes, following her consideration of the relevant documents, refused the applicants leave to apply for Judicial Review of the decision by the Government of The Bahamas in February 2020 to grant BPC Environmental Authorisation (EA) to proceed with the drilling of Perseverance No 1,” BPC said of its exploratory well.

“This ruling was made ‘on the papers’. That is solely on the basis of written materials provided by parties to the court,

THE STENA IceMAX drillship. without any parties making oral submissions. Following that ruling, the court also refused the applicants’ request for a stay order (halt) to BPC’s drilling activities.”

However, Mr Smith countered by arguing that Justice Hanna-Adderley had made no ruling either way on whether to give or reject permission for the Judicial Review action to proceed. “We live to fight another day,” he said.

And he also denied BPC’s assertion in yesterday’s release that he and his clients “have made a renewed application for Judicial Review in respect of the Environmental Authorisation (EA)” that was granted for the project by the Government in February 2020.

While acknowledging that Justice Hanna-Adderley had “initially refused permission” for his clients to challenge both the EA and the Government’s April 2020 decision to extend BPC’s licences to March 2021 due to COVID-19’s impact, as they had failed to launch the Judicial Review within the timeframe allowed, Mr Smith said she ultimately relented.

This occurred, he added, after he argued that the Supreme Court’s rules require an oral hearing to be held if a judge is minded to refuse permission for a Judicial Review action to proceed.

As a result, Justice Hanna-Adderley has ordered that she will hear

ACTIVISTS NOT GIVING UP ON COURT HOPES

By KHRISNA RUSSELL Tribune Chief Reporter krussell@tribunemedia.net

ACTIVISTS are holding out hope that oil drilling can be halted as the Supreme Court is set to hear arguments today over a renewed application for judicial review regarding the government’s recent decisions to give Bahamas Petroleum Company environmental authorisation for its exploratory oil well.

Drilling of this well has continued unimpeded for the past week.

Activists told The Tribune yesterday they continue to remain hopeful that BPC’s drilling can be stopped, despite an attorney for the company, Clare Montgomery, QC, just several days ago telling the Supreme Court this was virtually impossible to do.

“We are looking forward to seeing what will happen,” said Casuarina McKinney Lambert, Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) executive director, yesterday.

“We are extremely concerned particularly given they’ve said they are not able to shut down the drilling. That seems to be standard procedure to be able to shut it down so that’s something that doesn’t seem to be correct.”

“We still are very positive that this can be stopped,” she said, when asked if there were concerns that the action in court could be protracted. “It absolutely must be stopped given the risk that it poses both to The Bahamas and our neighbours so this is something that is truly worth fighting for.

“Our environment is what so many people in The Bahamas depend on

for their livelihood and to put that at risk is wrong.

The Bahamas is known around the world as the most spectacular pristine healthy environment and to allow a foreign company to jeopardise. That is deeply concerning.”

This follows a Christmas Eve hearing in the Supreme Court where Justice Petra Hanna-Weekes, following her consideration of the relevant documents, refused the environmentalists’ application for leave to apply for judicial review of the decision by the government of The Bahamas in February 2020 to grant BPC environmental authorisation to proceed with the drilling of Perseverance #1.

This ruling was made “on the papers” – that is, solely on the basis of written materials provided by parties to the court, without any parties making oral submissions.

Following that ruling, the court also refused their request for a stay order (halt) to BPC’s drilling activities, according to a statement from BPC. The question of whether BPC’s request to be added as an interested party to the proceedings was adjourned, as was the activists’ application for judicial review of more recent decisions by the government of The Bahamas.

The lawyer acting for the environmental groups indicated that they would renew their application for leave following the refusal.

Justice Hanna-Weekes is expected to provide written reasons for her ruling and the court will convene today to hear oral arguments from the parties.

BPC’s application to be added as a party will be addressed at a further court hearing on January 6, 2021.

arguments from both Mr Smith and the Government today on whether the environmentalists’ challenge to BPC’s permits – and the process for issuing them – should proceed or not.

“Both the BPC statements are misleading because the judge did not refuse or grant leave,” Mr Smith told Tribune Business.

“They are misleading because the judge is having a full hearing on whether to grant leave and/or a stay.

“She made no decision, and we do not have to ‘renew’ our approval as suggested by BPC. That

was very wrong, deceptive and misleading.”

BPC yesterday said Justice Hanna-Adderley had made no decision on whether it should be added to the court proceedings as “an affected party”, or whether to give the activists’ Judicial Review permission to challenge more recent approvals and permits issued by the Government.

These were the August 2020 move to extend BPC’s licences to end-June 2021, as well as the decision that no new EA or public consultation was required due to the switch to the Stena

IceMAX drill ship.

Mr Smith, though, argued that BPC and its attorneys, Clare Montgomery QC and Graham, Thompson & Company, were seeking to “string out” the court proceedings such that BPC’s drilling activities would be completed within the 45-60 timeframe it needs before a decision is made.

“Despite the rules providing BPC with an opportunity to be heard if it is affected, and me confirming we would have no objection to them being heard, BPC insists on becoming a party so it can now bedevil the process with applications for security for costs, strikes outs and challenges on all kinds of procedural tactics to delay this and drag it out until they finish drilling,” Mr Smith said.

“They want to string this out and make it take as long as possible so they can say to the judge this case is now a complete waste of time. “ BPC, meanwhile, pointing out that exploratory drilling was continuing, confirmed that today’s hearing between the activists and the Government will address only those arguments contained in

documents already filed with the Supreme Court.

Should the Judicial Review challenge be given the go-ahead, BPC said its bid to be added as a party to the action will be heard on January 6, 2020.

The Government, meanwhile, has also brought in a foreign attorney to lead its case in the form of Aiden Casey QC. Mr Smith said he had requested more time to assemble the necessary evidence for a full hearing on the action’s merits even though the Government had known a Judicial Review action was likely since mid-November.

“Judicial Review is supposed to happen speedily to assist in good governance,” Mr Smith said. “Either there was consultation or not. Does the Planning and Subdivision Act apply or not? If it does, do they have the permits or not?

“The Government should co-operate in having a speedy trial so it can be guided by the court. It’s not factually complicated, and because the drilling is time sensitive and already going on, it’s a matter that should be treated with urgency.”

PAGE 12, Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THE TRIBUNE

THIS combination of satellite images provided by the National Hurricane Center shows 30 hurricanes which occurred during the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Photo: National Hurricane Center via AP

THE STORMY, FIERY YEAR WHEN CLIMATE DISASTERS WOULDN’T STOP

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer

NATURE struck relentlessly in 2020 with record-breaking and deadly weatherand climaterelated disasters.

With the most named storms in the Atlantic, the largest-ever area of California burned by wildfires, killer floods in Asia and Africa and a hot, melting Arctic, 2020 was more than a disastrous year with the pandemic. It was a year of disasters — and climate change from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas was a big factor, scientists said.

The United States didn’t just set a record for the most disasters costing at least $1 billion — adjusted for inflation — the nation obliterated the record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

By September, 2020 had tied the old record of 16 billion-dollar disasters and when the count is completed in early January, officials figure it will be 20, likely more. Only three states weren’t part of a billion-dollar weather disaster (Alaska, Hawaii and North Dakota) — and all the coastline from Texas to Maine, except for a tiny part of Florida, was under a watch or warning for a hurricane, tropical storm or storm surge from those systems in 2020, according to US weather officials.

With 30 named storms,

the Atlantic hurricane season surpassed the mark set in 2005, ran out of storm names and went deep into the Greek alphabet, making meteorologists reconsider how they name future storms, officials said. Ten of those storms rapidly intensified, making them more dangerous. A dozen made landfall in the US, easily smashing the old record of nine. And Louisiana got hit five times. At one point, the American Red Cross had 60 New Orleans hotels filled with refugees.

With a devastating 20-year megadrought and near-record heat, California had at least 6,528 square miles (16,907 square kilometers) burned by wildfire, doubling the previous record area burned. Five of the six l argest wildfires in California history have been in 2020. Oregon and Colorado had immense fire damage, too. More than 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed and at least 41 people killed.

Between fires and hurricanes, the American Red Cross provided a record 1.3 million nights of shelter for disaster-struck Americans — four times the annual average for the previous decade.

“Since April, we’ve seen a large disaster occur somewhere in the country every five days,” said Trevor Riggen, the Red Cross vice president in charge of disasters. “It’s really been a non-stop pace, and not all

IN this August 21 photo, firefighters watch flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in the Berryessa Estates neighborhood of unincorporated Napa County, California. The blaze, the fifth largest in California history, forced thousands to flee and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and other structures.

Photo: Noah Berger/AP those disasters make the news.”

It was such a busy and crazy a year that a derecho that savaged the Midwest somehow flew under the radar, despite damage nearing $10 billion, and is barely remembered. Other billiondollar severe storms, often with tornadoes and hail, struck the US in January, February, twice in March,

IN this November 6 photo, a resident walking through a flooded street looks back at storm damage caused by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras. As Eta moved back over Caribbean waters, governments in Central America worked to tally the displaced and dead, and recover bodies from landslides and flooding that claimed dozens of lives from Guatemala to Panama.

Photo: Delmer Martinez/AP

three times in April and another three times in May. All these US disasters have “really added up to create a catastrophic year,” said Adam Smith, a NOAA applied climatologist. “Climate change has its fingerprints on many of these different extremes and disasters.”

“Nature is sending us a message. We better hear it,” United Nations Environment Programme Director Inger Andersen told The Associated Press in an interview. “Wherever you go, whatever continent, we see Nature socking it at us.

The warmest three-year period we’ve ever seen. The Arctic temperatures, the wildfires, etc. etc.”

Worldwide, more than 220 climate- and weatherrelated disasters hurt more than 70 million people and caused more than $69 billion in damage. Over 7,500 people were killed, according to preliminary figures from the international disaster database kept at the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Of the disasters the group tracks, including earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides, 85% to 90% are climate and weather related, said Director Debarati Guha-Sapir.

Unlike the United States, which saw a rare break

in 2020 from increasing non-hurricane flooding, worldwide “floods is your biggest problem,” GuhaSapir said. “It’s a huge mistake to underestimate floods.”

Floods killed more than 1,900 people in India in June and affected 17 million people, according to the center’s data. Other flooding and associated landslides in Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan and again in India killed at least another 1,250 people. African floods killed nearly 600 people. And flooding along Y angtze River and the Three Gorges Dam in China killed at least 279 people in the summer and caused economic losses of more than $15 billion, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Hue, Vietnam had a record 103 inches (261 centimeters) of rain in October, according to the WMO. Extremes, including heat waves and droughts, hit all over the world. Siberia reached a record 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius) as much of the Arctic was 9 degrees (5 degrees Celsius) warmer than average and had an exceptionally bad wildfire season.

Arctic sea ice shrank to the second lowest level on record and set a few monthly records for melt.

Death Valley saw the

warmest temperature recorded, 129.9 degrees (54.4 degrees Celsius), on Earth in at least 80 years.

The pace of disasters is noticeably increasing, said disaster experts and climate scientists. The international database in Belgium calculated that from 1980 to 1999, the world had 4,212 disasters affecting 3.25 billion people and costing $1.63 trillion, adjusted for inflation. From 2000 to 2019 those figures jumped to 7,348 disasters, 4.03 billion people affected and $2.97 trillion in damage.

“Disasters are very much becoming a chronic condition in this country,” said Riggen, who has noticed the change since 2006 when he joined the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina.

Climate change figures in the growth of disasters, especially wildfires worsened by drought and heat, said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann.

“I didn’t expect to see a season with 30 named storms in my lifetime,” Mann said, noting that hurricanes were fueled by a natural La Nina cooling of parts of the central Pacific combined with humancaused warming of water temperatures.

National Hurricane Center Deputy Director Ed Rappaport said: “It was an exhausting year.”