The Tribune

ANOTHER 375 cases to add to the soaring COVID count yesterday and if you were confused about where we are heading, we’re not surprised.

In a rapid about-face on the mandatory requirement for an RT-PCR test for all vaccinated people to enter the country has now been suspended.

The test requirement was to have begun tomorrow but, with an eye almost certainly on the risk of bringing the tourism numbers to a screeching halt, now it seems the simple and much cheaper Rapid Antigen Test will suffice for now.

In addition visitors remaining in The Bahamas for longer than 48 hours will be required to undergo a Rapid Antigen Test, regardless of vaccination status.

Health Minister Michael Darville cited the difficulty of obtaining a PCR test overseas as a driving factor in suspending the move. He also conceded “millions of dollars” of hotel bookings are at stake.

We appreciate the pandemic is a challenge which presents new problems every other day but surely once the health officials have decided on a course of action - having explored all available data and studied different scenarios of ‘what if’ they should themselves be convinced of the requirement for a new measure before they announce it.

In this case to remove the RT-PCR rule before it was even due to commence doesn’t add much to the public’s confidence that we really do have a grip on this. Anyone who has travelled overseas since the US and UK reopened knows it’s not that easy to obtain an PCR test and get the results back within the timeframe our protocols demand.

Mr Darville said the PCR rule will be implemented - when the Omicron surge calms down. Seems a bit odd to us to be tightening things up when the situation is improving. We’d advise keeping on eye on what the UK government announced yesterday which was that PCR tests pre-arrival in the UK were now no longer required at all.

Another example of the speed with which things change was seen – unsurprisingly given the massive leap in positive cases – was the US decision to raise The Bahamas alert status back to Level 3.

Remember it was only a few weeks ago we were dropped to Level 2 and the government was shouting from the rooftops what a great signal this was and that we’re “open for business”.

Sadly all this chopping and changing seems to have little effect on ordinary people and their attitude to catching the virus.

We used to talk about vaccine hesitancy. Well, now it seems to have been replace by COVID lethargy.

Talk to anyone now and while the case numbers are beyond anything we’ve seen since all began and the reality is people don’t seem to care.

They’re looking at the numbers being admitted to hospital which is only slowly rising in comparison with the infection - and test positivity rates. What they’re taking from this is the omicron variant - which is clearly responsible for the cases explosion - gives you nothing more than a few days of pretty much a normal heavy cold or flu.

That may be true - and we should give a small thanks for that - but there are still those who are going to end up in the PMH or Doctor’s Hospital. Some of those will die.

That’s why the message we’ve had hammered home for months shouldn’t now just be ignored.

Large gatherings should be avoided, mask wearing - which we’re actually pretty good at - should continue, hand washing, sanitising surfaces all should continue.

You don’t want to be one of the “seemingly few” who needs that bed in hospital.

They’re filling up and unfortunately the health workers who care for patients are, in greater numbers, also falling to the virus themselves.

Why take a chance? It’s something each of us - and the government - should have in mind every time we make a decision.

• This article has been corrected to say Michael Darville is the Minister of Health.