Declaring that good progress has been made on New Providence and Abaco in the four weeks since tighter restrictions were implemented to slow the spread of COVID-19, Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis announced the relaxation of many of those restrictions, including an end to weekend lockdowns and the resumption of in-store shopping at retail businesses.
During a national address on Sunday, Minnis said a new weekend curfew will be imposed from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The weekday curfew has been extended by an hour and will now begin at 9 p.m. and end at 5 a.m. This curfew will also apply to Grand Bahama on weekdays and weekends.
Retail businesses, including pharmacies, may resume in-store service from Monday to Saturday.
Food stores are also allowed to open to the public on Saturdays and will be permitted to restock on Sundays.
Outdoor dining may resume at restaurants, including those at various fish fry locations, from Monday to Friday.
On Sunday, only drive-thru and take away services will be permitted.
Indoor dining may also resume at hotels.
Beaches and parks will now be open on weekends from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Groups are limited to five people.
Minnis said beaches and parks will be closely monitored.
He added that consultations are ongoing with health officials to determine the appropriate time for the safe reopening of gyms and salons.
Minnis also highlighted the progress in the COVID-19 fight.
“Between October 10 and November 5, new COVID-19 cases decreased by 50 percent,” he said.
“In the last seven days, new COVID-19 cases decreased by eight percent. The national average of the number of new cases each week continues to fall. Hospitalizations have decreased by 68 percent from mid-October to now. The data suggests that transmission is decreasing.
“The most recent data put our national positivity rate at 16 percent, which is a 44.8 percent reduction from the week just before the measures were put in place.
“We have seen good progress on both New Providence and Abaco.”
However, he said the opposite is true of Eleuthera. The prime minister announced a series of restrictions for that island, which has seen a spike in cases in the last few weeks.
Minnis said a 24-hour weekend curfew will be imposed, starting 6 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.
He said a new updated Emergency Order will provide further details as it relates to specific provisions during the 24-hour weekend curfew.
Businesses will not be permitted to operate on the weekend, including grocery stores, restaurants and pharmacies.
A daily curfew will be in effect from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. Commercial businesses are allowed to operate during non-curfew hours.
All bars and restaurants connected to bars are to be closed.
All private and public social gatherings are prohibited.
Indoor church services are prohibited.
In-person classes are not permitted. He said classes and church services are allowed by virtual means only.
Funerals are restricted to gravesides with a maximum of 10 people, excluding officiants.
Weddings are limited to 10 people, excluding officiants.
Receptions and repasts are prohibited.
These restrictions do not apply to Spanish Wells or Harbour Island.
As of Saturday, there were117 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Eleuthera.
Minnis said health officials have reported that Eleuthera residents are not complying with health protocols.
‘The pandemic is not over,” he said.
“Restrictions alone will not work. We each must take personal responsibility and follow the preventative health measures to slow and stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The post PM announces relaxed restrictions for New Providence, Abaco and GB appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
source https://thenassauguardian.com/pm-announces-relaxed-restrictions-for-new-providence-abaco-and-gb/
No comments:
Post a Comment