Bahamas closing its Doors

[MaritimeR&R]

US travel blocked; new curfew for GB

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Fifteen new coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the country today — a record daily count since the onset of the pandemic in mid-March.

During his national address, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the closure of the country’s borders to all incoming international commercial flights, except from Canada, United Kingdom and the European Union as of Wednesday.

He also announced the immediate suspension of Bahamasair flights to the United States, alongside increased restrictions and offenses aimed at curbing the virus’ resurgence.

Outgoing flights will still be permitted to accommodate visitors scheduled to leave after Wednesday, Minnis said.

There have been 49 new cases since the borders reopened on July 1 — 31 in Grand Bahama and 18 in New Providence.

The new infections have pushed the total number of confirmed cases to 153.

In New Providence, the new cases include two men, ages 53 and 29, both of whom had a history of travel, and two women. ages 29 and 58. One of the women had a history of travel.

The remaining 11 cases also stemmed from Grand Bahama and included three women and eight men, ranging in age from 17-year-old to 71.

Details on travel history and condition of those patients were “unable to be confirmed” at the time of the report, and health teams are reportedly investigating and updating records to publish in a later update.

As it relates to Grand Bahama, which has undergone a surge of cases, the prime minister announced a new curfew from 7pm to 5am daily on the island, effective Monday.

He said all private and public beaches on Grand Bahama will be closed until further notice effective, Monday at 5am.

Public parks and beaches in New Providence, Paradise Island, Rose Island, Athol Island and surrounding cays will be also closed until further notice effective Monday at 5am.

Additionally, international and domestic borders will be closed to all incoming and outgoing flights and sea vessels to and from Grand Bahama with exception of emergency transport

A curfew remains in effect on all other islands from 10pm to 5am.

The prime minister also announced restaurants at Arawak Cay and Potter’s Cay will also be closed effective tomorrow.

He said measures will remain until “we are able to ensure better social distancing can be practiced”.

Before the July 1 reopening of the country’s borders to international commercial carriers, The Bahamas observed 104 total cases for over three weeks, and active cases dwindled to as few as four.

Today, the prime minister said progress in some countries can be reversed by how citizens are “following or ignoring” health guidelines.

He said regrettably the situation in the country has “deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.”

“So today, I am announcing a number of measures we are reinstating to address the number of new cases we are seeing here at home,” Minnis said. My government has consulted heavily with health officials.

“We are taking these strong actions to save lives. I understand the frustration and the disappointment of many Bahamians and residents that may ensue as we reimplement certain restrictions, but as a country, we have to do what is right and what is necessary.

“If we do not take these measures now we will pay a higher price and deadlier price at a later date. At the onset, of the COVI19 pandemic, we acted early to prevent widespread sickness and  death. We must do so once again.”

According to the prime minister, The Bahamas is in a marathon that requires endurance and agility to change course where necessary.

He said there is a continued balancing act to get Bahamians back to work, stimulate the economy and mitigate the risks of the potentially deadly virus.

As part of this, Minnis said The Bahamas is reviewing and being guided by the “most effective practices from around the world”.

The prime minister also said The Bahamas must be prepared to adapt and apply decisive action to avoid being “overrun and defeated” by the virus. He said priorities must be balance, but the country cannot afford for its health facilities and healthcare system to be overrun.

He said the first priority is to save lives.

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by MaritimeR&R
additional info

[A&L_Ont]

This has been discussed in a few threads but not it’s own thread specifically.

 

I tend to feel that the Caribbean Islands will make it harder for Americans to visit, while Covid remains at current levels. They will accept tourist dollars from other countries that are not as great a risk to them. 
 

Barbados is taking a stance as well.  You have to arrive with a negative test and undergo the following procedure for a high risk country, to which the US is deemed to be as of now.

 

High-risk countries

Refers to countries with more than 10, 000 new cases in seven prior days and community transmission. Countries that fall under this category include the USA, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, and India. 
 

Passengers arriving in Barbados from high-risk countries with a negative PCR test will be quarantined for seven consecutive days at an approved facility and must undergo a second PCR test at the end of the seven-day tenure. 
 

 

Here is a link to the article. It is light on details for medium and low counties.
 

http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/barbados-lists-high-medium-and-low-risk-countries

 

[MaritimeR&R]

I didn't see a specific heading for this topic and so I posted it. I apologize for it being repetitive.  

 

[d9704011]

This has been discussed in a few threads but not it’s own thread specifically.
 
I tend to feel that the Caribbean Islands will make it harder for Americans to visit, while Covid remains at current levels. They will accept tourist dollars from other countries that are not as great a risk to them. 
 
Barbados is taking a stance as well.  You have to arrive with a negative test and undergo the following procedure for a high risk country, to which the US is deemed to be as of now.
 

High-risk countries

Refers to countries with more than 10, 000 new cases in seven prior days and community transmission. Countries that fall under this category include the USA, Brazil, Peru, Mexico, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia, and India. 
 

Passengers arriving in Barbados from high-risk countries with a negative PCR test will be quarantined for seven consecutive days at an approved facility and must undergo a second PCR test at the end of the seven-day tenure. 
 

 

Here is a link to the article. It is light on details for medium and low counties.
 

http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/barbados-lists-high-medium-and-low-risk-countries

 

I’m a little surprised that they’ve assigned 10,000 cases as High-Risk seemingly without considering the population of the country. The EU metric of so many cases per 100,000 population over a 14 day period seems, to me, a better way of assessing the relative risk level.

[JAMESCC]

Well who didn't see this coming? We aren't gonna be allowed to any country pretty soon with the way things are going. We, or some of this country are not getting a handle on this virus unfortunately. Hopefully that happens soon or we get some really good treatments as I have read about several cheap ones. A steroid medication that is real cheap and a cholesterol drug that may be a real interesting treatment.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[A&L_Ont]

15 minutes ago, MaritimeR&R said:

I didn't see a specific heading for this topic and so I posted it. I apologize for it being repetitive.  

 

There has not been a thread specific, so no worries. It is a interesting discussion.

[A&L_Ont]

11 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

I’m a little surprised that they’ve assigned 10,000 cases as High-Risk seemingly without considering the population of the country. The EU metric of so many cases per 100,000 population over a 14 day period seems, to me, a better way of assessing the relative risk level.

They might have looked at the countries and their approach to the virus and then set an arbitrary number.
 

With over 10,000 cases for over 7 days the US would have been banned since the third week of March had this been enforced from day one. 

[bouhunter]

Since there's little point in planning on cruising from the US next winter we booked a refundable resort in St. Maarten for 2 weeks in January.  I'm thinking a 50% chance they'll let us in from the US by then.  IF we can covid test results that meet their time requirements at the time.  Oh well, if it doesn't work out we only have 380.00 total in airfare at risk.  That's better than dealing with never ending cruise cancellations and refund concerns.

Edited July 20, 2020 by bouhunter

[Lionesss]

When our August cruise was cancelled we contacted the Airlines (Delta) and we have 24 months to use the credit they gave us.  I do not know what other airlines are doing.

 

May I ask bouhunter which airline you booked through? 

 

Stay healthy

[livingonthebeach]

It's beginning to look more and more likely that the only ports we (Americans) will be welcome at are the private islands i.e. Coco Cay, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.  So much for the Caribbean.  We are banned from almost everywhere else in the world so going around the block will become the extent of my travels for a long while. 🤯

[orville99]

Looks like its time to upgrade the hot tub😷

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

It's beginning to look more and more likely that the only ports we (Americans) will be welcome at are the private islands i.e. Coco Cay, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.  So much for the Caribbean.  We are banned from almost everywhere else in the world so going around the block will become the extent of my travels for a long while. 🤯

 

I don't think CoCo Cay would be included, due to Bahamas restrictions.  

[sandebeach]

Atlantis Resort posted early Sunday on their FB page that they were extending their closing indefinitely, must have been aware that the Prime Minister was doing a press conference Sunday afternoon. But I just got an email from Resorts World Bimini announcing their Christmas in July sale! Went to their website and no notice of closing has been announced as of this AM. 

[livingonthebeach]

4 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

I don't think CoCo Cay would be included, due to Bahamas restrictions.  

 

If that's the case, their $250 mil investment in a Perfect Day at CocoCay is not looking so "perfect".   

[livingonthebeach]

2 minutes ago, sandebeach said:

Atlantis Resort posted early Sunday on their FB page that they were extending their closing indefinitely, must have been aware that the Prime Minister was doing a press conference Sunday afternoon. But I just got an email from Resorts World Bimini announcing their Christmas in July sale! Went to their website and no notice of closing has been announced as of this AM. 

 

Wow!  Maybe they mean July 2021 LOL 🤣

[JAMESCC]

 
If that's the case, their $250 mil investment in a Perfect Day at CocoCay is not looking so "perfect".   

It was looking genius, it was a huge money maker. Many people booked cruises just for this but the stupid virus hit us. We booked Oasis for Coco Cay. Hopefully next August we'll get there after 2 tries this year.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[BND]

And, someone from a low risk country could easily bring it in and spread it too.   It "may" lower their risk, but it won't eliminate it.  To eliminate it, just like NZ, you need to ban ALL visitors, not just some.

[boscobeans]

This is the NEWEST OFFICIAL information,

National Address by Prime Minister The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis. JULY 19TH

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGc2BOn9_yU&feature=emb_err_woyt

 

Closure to incoming persons: at the 19 minute mark.

[cured]

So sad that the United States now has travel bans against it by most of the civilized world, seen as a global health threat like some third world country. We used to be the leader in health.

 

In a more positive note, excellent news coming out of Oxford today.  They released their results from their phase 1 trials. Not only were they able to produce double immunity and T-cells, rare for a vaccine, it happened in almost all of the 1077 people trialed.  It is also looking like it is safe based on similar vaccines that have been around for years.

 

Next up, the trial with 30,000 people to see if this immune response actually prevents people from getting Covid-19.

 

However, the predictions that is will be available by the end of the year are overblown.  The difficulty in manufacturing a biologic large scale will come into play.  However, I am now more hopeful that our August 2021 cruise will be a go.  As long as we are not still banned from ports.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2020 by cured

[livingonthebeach]

Sad indeed that we are banned from almost every country.  These are the only countries open to US citizens -- the rest are either closed or open with severe restrictions.  And even these could close anytime.

Edited July 20, 2020 by livingonthebeach

[JAMESCC]

1 hour ago, cured said:

So sad that the United States now has travel bans against it by most of the civilized world, seen as a global health threat like some third world country. We used to be the leader in health.

 

In a more positive note, excellent news coming out of Oxford today.  They released their results from their phase 1 trials. Not only were they able to produce double immunity and T-cells, rare for a vaccine, it happened in almost all of the 1077 people trialed.  It is also looking like it is safe based on similar vaccines that have been around for years.

 

Next up, the trial with 30,000 people to see if this immune response actually prevents people from getting Covid-19.

 

However, the predictions that is will be available by the end of the year are overblown.  The difficulty in manufacturing a biologic large scale will come into play.  However, I am now more hopeful that our August 2021 cruise will be a go.  As long as we are not still banned from ports.

 

 

Here is the story the Oxford University vaccine. Sounds really promising.

 

Oxford coronavirus vaccine induces strong immune response, early trial results suggest

 

 

 

ERIKA EDWARDS, SARA G. MILLER, PATRICK SMITH AND KEIR SIMMONS

Jul 20th 2020 12:09PM

A coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and shows signs of inducing an immune response, according to early clinical trial results published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet.

The trial did not look at whether the vaccine prevents coronavirus infection, however. That's a question that will be answered in trials that are currently ongoing.

The trial results found that it generated two "strong" immune responses: the production of both antibodies and T cells, which find and attack virus cells.

"We’re getting both sides of the immune system stimulated and that is fairly unusual for vaccines," Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, told NBC News.

The T cell response was noted within 14 days of receiving the vaccine. This immune response was detected for at least 56 days after getting the shot, though it's unclear how long it will last.

[sandebeach]

3 hours ago, sandebeach said:

Atlantis Resort posted early Sunday on their FB page that they were extending their closing indefinitely, must have been aware that the Prime Minister was doing a press conference Sunday afternoon. But I just got an email from Resorts World Bimini announcing their Christmas in July sale! Went to their website and no notice of closing has been announced as of this AM. 

Just got another email from Resorts World Bimini saying Sorry, travel plans are now on pause. 

[island lady]

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

Looks like its time to upgrade the hot tub😷

 

I am in the middle of remodeling my bathroom.  

[zalusky]

1 hour ago, JAMESCC said:

Here is the story the Oxford University vaccine. Sounds really promising.

 

Oxford coronavirus vaccine induces strong immune response, early trial results suggest

 

 

 

ERIKA EDWARDS, SARA G. MILLER, PATRICK SMITH AND KEIR SIMMONS

Jul 20th 2020 12:09PM

A coronavirus vaccine being developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and shows signs of inducing an immune response, according to early clinical trial results published Monday in the medical journal The Lancet.

The trial did not look at whether the vaccine prevents coronavirus infection, however. That's a question that will be answered in trials that are currently ongoing.

The trial results found that it generated two "strong" immune responses: the production of both antibodies and T cells, which find and attack virus cells.

"We’re getting both sides of the immune system stimulated and that is fairly unusual for vaccines," Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, told NBC News.

The T cell response was noted within 14 days of receiving the vaccine. This immune response was detected for at least 56 days after getting the shot, though it's unclear how long it will last.

 

What I want to know is if this safe for transplant patients who are on immunosupressant drugs.  Having an immune system rear up can cause RA for some and possible organ rejections for others.

[Dennis#1]

7 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

I am in the middle of remodeling my bathroom.  

If you have the room, get rid of the bathtub and install one of those double walk-in jacuzzi like units.  We did this a few years back in our Virginia residence.