It is January of 2021, a little less than a year since The Bahamas was unceremoniously locked down and essentially cut off from its economic bloodline. We all know that this was done out of necessity for our very survival and there is little debate as to whether it was necessary, as countries large and small on every continent have gone through the same process. Even the countries that decided against lockdowns eventually caved and placed these same restrictions in place.
Ten months later we have learned a number of lessons and are currently riding a wave of good news, but the question many are asking is, “Are we there yet?”. Are we at the point where we can breathe a collective sigh of relief and declare COVID-19 essentially over, and get back to our normal lives? Unfortunately, the answer is we are closer than before, but we are not there yet.
A few times in the past week The Bahamas recorded less than 10 cases with zero deaths and only a few hospitalizations. This seems remarkable because I remember just a few months earlier getting a call from Samaritan’s Purse executives asking about logistical assistance to bring in and set up a field hospital because at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) it was essentially no room in the in for patients. How did things turn so quickly, and does this mean we should forget about restrictions and return to pre-COVID-19 life?
Of course, the answer is there are too many uncertainties to return to normal. It would be difficult for us to return to normal until the world returns to normal, and more specifically our neighbor to the north. Whatever is happening in the United States (U.S.) will in most cases eventually happen in The Bahamas, so we are at times at the mercy of their decisions. They are not there yet; in fact, they are much worse than we are. While we rejoice over record low numbers, they are just concluding a record nationwide surge that is just beginning to recede. They are not close to being there so even though we are closer, we are in such a precarious position that we must continue to be vigilant or risk a return to where we were a few months ago.
We should celebrate our success in fighting back the virus, but also remember that one or two mistakes can cause a resurgence. We are not there yet, but we are closer than before, and in the process, we would have learned some lessons that can help us continue the battle.
When will we get there? That is the multimillion-dollar question. We have seen some tourists return. We have implemented protocols in hotels and airports to make them as safe as possible while protecting ourselves – but without herd immunity the risk is ever present. Will natural herd immunity happen or will herd immunity through vaccine happen? The answer is we do not know for sure but normal progression based upon previous pandemics indicate that herd immunity ends pandemics.
What I do believe is that The Bahamas has demonstrated the resolve and will needed to win the war against the pandemic. I have spoken to people in many countries abroad and they are having so many issues of non-compliance, rebellion and civil unrest. In the U.S. we have seen a discordant reaction along political lines in some cases and open conflict of those for and against restrictions. Their results seem to indicate that they have taken the wrong path and a little country like The Bahamas has shown the giants what is possible if we work together despite the immediate pain.
This experience has been brutal and painful, but if we are close to being there, then in some ways the pain was worth the gain. My hope and prayer is that we do get there soon, and that our neighbor gets there soon, because we are inexorably tied to them and our economy needs our neighbors. Hopefully we would have learned other lessons along the way and are putting plans in place to shift the way we look at life to insure that in the event of a similar future we are better prepared.
• Pastor Dave Burrows is senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Feel free to email comments, whether you agree or disagree, to pastordaveburrows@hotmail.com. I appreciate your input and dialogue. We become better when we discuss, examine and exchange.
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