With more than 250 Bahamians stuck in Florida alone, Bahamas Ambassador to the United States Sidney Collie said yesterday he plans to recommend that the government make “an exception” and allow some Bahamians to return home despite the closure of The Bahamas’ border.
“I’m expecting a report from the consul general in Miami, the consul general in Atlanta, the consul general in D.C. and the consul general in New York today because I need to have the total list for an intervention I intend to make with the government,” Collie told The Nassau Guardian.
He said he could not provide the exact number of Bahamians stuck in the United States, however, he noted that “it’s quite a large number”.
Collie said the number for Bahamian students is “quite substantial”.
For this reason, Collie said he has reached out to not only the consul generals but also to honorary consuls throughout the United States “to start the planning for how we are going to either assist them (Bahamians) or to get them back home”.
“That right there is a part of our recommendations,” he said.
“What we are looking at is the cost to the government to have to house and feed a large number of students throughout the United States; paying for hotels and motels and other accommodation versus the cost of making an exception with the border and getting them back home.
“That would be the driving motive behind making that recommendation. So, we have a number of recommendations we want to make but I will leave that until my list of recommendations from consul generals [is] complete.”
He said in 10 days, many Bahamian students will be left with nowhere to go during the pandemic.
“…At the end of the first week of May, the semester will come to an end and many of those students will be forced to find accommodations,” the ambassador told The Guardian.
He added, “The situation is this many of the students were able, in the immediate aftermath of the onset of COVID-19, especially those that are on big campuses, they were able to arrange with the international counselor of most of the universities and colleges to, after spring break, stay on campus even though many of the American counterparts went home.
“So, the universities and the colleges were very good, were excellent. A number of other students were able to arrange to stay with families and friends.”
Collie said students are “top of our list right now”.
He said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allocated additional funding for Bahamians stuck in the U.S. during this time.
Collie declined to say how much was provided.
On March 27, the government announced that the Bahamian border would close to all incoming individuals, including citizens and residents.
The step was taken as an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 in The Bahamas.
There are currently 72 confirmed cases in The Bahamas.
The post Collie wants Bahamians to return home appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/04/24/collie-wants-bahamians-to-return-home/
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