Baha Mar President Graeme Davis said yesterday the resort cannot reopen until COVID-19 numbers in The Bahamas are lowered and urged Bahamians to do their part in making that happen.
Asked if he anticipates that the resort will open this year, Davis said, “I certainly hope so. It really depends on everyone doing their job in The Bahamas to get COVID out and get us down to a very low level that’s manageable.
“And there are statistics that show it can be done. There are countries around the world that have kicked it out completely, much larger countries than we are. So, I know it’s possible and I encourage everyone to do their part.”
Davis added, “Let’s take it seriously. We’re currently right now on the State Department’s, we’re on a level four warning [that says] do not travel to The Bahamas.
“…Right now in the state of New York’s state of emergency orders, The Bahamas is listed as a country where you need to quarantine [for] 14 days upon return from a vacation.
“All of these are impediments to travel.
“And so, we need to make sure that we get our levels very low here in The Bahamas and we can control the virus so we can get to a state that we are ready to open. And that will certainly help our economy.
“And I don’t stand alone. Our other lodging partners are with us in this in making sure that everyone does their part and we can open as soon as possible. We are just waiting for everyone here in The Bahamas to kick the virus out, get it to a low level that we can be proud and safe for visiting travelers from around the globe to come back and visit us as soon as possible.”
As of Thursday, there were over 4,800 COVID cases in The Bahamas, giving it one of the highest per capita rates in the region and the world. Of the cases, over 2,000 were active.
As he announced new restrictions on Abaco and New Providence to help slow the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis noted on Wednesday that healthcare facilities are overwhelmed and the country has been averaging one death per day.
With the anticipated ramping up of the tourism industry expected to take place on November 1, the government has announced new travel protocols, which eliminate the need for visitors to quarantine upon arrival.
Instead, they will have to have a negative RT-PCR test within seven days of travel. They will also receive rapid antigen tests upon arrival, and again four days after arrival.
Davis said Baha Mar is working closely with the government, but noted that there are still some unanswered questions about how new travel protocols will work. He said there must be the assurance of a smooth arrival process and fewer impediments to travel.
“We are working very closely and in collaboration with the government, with the Ministry of Tourism and certainly the prime minister’s office, Ministry of Health,” he said.
“We want to ensure that we open safely. We want to also ensure that impediments are not blocking the demand for people to travel to The Bahamas, testing at the airport. We just need to have assurances that it’s properly handled, that it can run smoothly through the airport.
“What happens if people test positive? What happens next? These are still really unanswered questions that we need to work through with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Tourism and the prime minister’s office. And certainly, the more that we can remove those impediments and just get testing prior to arrival or testing at the airport prior to arrival, these things will help ease up and we can stay competitive with our other countries that are currently relaxing those restrictions of testing.”
Davis noted that competitive destinations, like Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, have reduced the amount of testing required for visitors as The Bahamas has just increased it. But he said in-country numbers are still the primary concern.
“We need to make sure that we’re in a safe environment before those things happen,” Davis said.
“So, that all gets back to every citizen here in New Providence and certainly throughout The Bahamas to stay safe, wear your mask, sanitize, wash your hands, physical distancing.
“I’m confident that once we can kick this coronavirus and get it out of The Bahamas and create a safe environment for people to travel to, and we reopen the property, that the demand is very strong.”
Baha Mar suspended all operations in March, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe and cases were confirmed in The Bahamas.
The resort indicated in June that although tourism would resume on July 1, it would push its reopening to October.
Davis said resort executives thought at the time that the spread of COVID-19 would have been contained by then. However, last month, he announced that the reopening would be delayed again as he noted that COVID had not been adequately contained in The Bahamas and also in key US markets.
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Graeme Davis: Let’s take this seriously
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/baha-mar-waiting-on-bahamians-to-kick-virus/
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