State of emergency ends

After more than 600 days, the state of emergency in The Bahamas has come to an end.

The state of emergency ended at midnight on Saturday and was widely welcomed by many residents and businesses after more than a year and a half with uncertainty regarding COVID-19 restrictions.

“… We felt after we supported the emergency orders or the proclamation for emergency, that 18 months was too long and we need to control and manage this pandemic via a legislative route rather than forming an emergency state,” Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. Michael Darville said during a press conference on Friday. 

“Eighteen months and you talk about increasing it? It’s not acceptable and certainly not viable in order for us to be able to move our economy and begin to get our kids back to school. To be able to get our tourism sector up and going in a safe way and the list goes on and on.”

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will now be managed by Health Services (COVID-19)(Prevention and Management of Community Spread) Rules, 2021, and Health Services (COVID-19)(General) Rules, 2021.

Under the new rules, people who travel from The Bahamas and return within 24 hours will be exempt from having to take a COVID test to re-enter the country.

Travelers entering the country still have to get a travel health visa. Vaccinated applicants for health visas will be required to undergo a COVID test no more than five days before travel. Unvaccinated travelers will be required to undergo an RT-PCR test.

The rules maintain the mandate to wear masks in public, social distancing protocols, sanitizing requirements, entry requirements into the country, and other restrictive measures currently imposed by the emergency order.

Social gatherings are allowed to be hosted at a private residence or at a facility with no more than 20 people, provided that all attendees are fully vaccinated and that all COVID protocols are adhered to.

Social gatherings may be held outdoors provided that all attendees are either fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test.

The government amended the rules — and re-released them on Friday — to remove limits for the number of people allowed to exercise in groups outdoors and to allow businesses a 21-day grace period to operate pending compliance with requirements to introduce COVID-related protocols, among other things.

The new rules do not make provisions for curfew.

When asked if the government expects to introduce a curfew again during the pandemic, Darville replied, “Like I said before, we understand the science. We understand what curfews mean. We are not convinced that curfews [are] a true reflection of the science and the reduction of community spread.

“It has a place because when you have a curfew, you actually can limit that movement of an individual at a particular time. What we are saying is that we are expecting Bahamians to be disciplined. We need to move forward.”

The state of emergency was first declared by Governor General Sir Cornelius A. Smith on March 17, 2020, in response to the confirmation of The Bahamas’ first COVID-19 case.

In the months to follow, it gave then-Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, in his capacity, the power to impose restrictions — including nightly curfews, business closures, borders closures and lockdowns — to curb the spread of the virus.

The restrictions resulted in the permanent closure of some businesses and, at its peak, the unemployment of up to 40 percent of working Bahamians.

In the lead-up to September’s general election, both the Free National Movement and the Progressive Liberal Party vowed to end the state of emergency.

Although the state of emergency has ended, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle on Saturday reminded the public that the pandemic is not over.

“Nothing replaces common sense,” he tweeted.

“Sanitize, social distance, wear a mask. Don’t play smart with COVID. It respects no one. It may kill you.”

The Bahamas has confirmed more than 22,500 COVID-19 cases.

Its official death count stands at 665.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/state-of-emergency-ends/