The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The private sector was caught totally off-guard by the Prime Minister's decision to completely lockdown New Providence for seven days and bring commerce to a near-total halt.

Khrystle Rutherford-Ferguson, the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCEC) chair, speaking before Dr Hubert Minnis reversed course late yesterday afternoon, said: “We had no idea that a full seven-day lockdown was going to be implemented. Nothing was intimated to us in this regard.”

She added that the Chamber's members were questioning how the Government could have gone to a lockdown so swiftly, and without consultation. Their concerns were ultimately addressed by the Prime Minister's rapid u-turn in permitting food stores, pharmacies, water depots, gas stations and hardware stores to open from 6am to 9pm beginning today.

The Chamber, in a statement issued prior to the Prime Minister's announcement, said it was "gravely concerned" by a near-total lockdown of New Providence that may ultimately prove "counterproductive" to the Government's health objective.

The body, which represents the interests of businesses and the private sector, said the lockdown's eventual lifting would likely result in "thousands of persons flooding" food stores, water depots, gas stations and other essential services to restock on critical goods and supplies.

It warned that this would undermine social distancing and other health protocols seen as critical to combating COVID-19's spread, and could even reverse any gains made in stemming the pandemic's rapid spread throughout New Providence.

The Chamber, in a signed statement from Mrs Rutherford-Ferguson, also lamented the lack of warning given by the Government to New Providence businesses and residents over its plans to impose even tighter COVID-19 restrictions.

"Many in the business community, along with the general public, had no notice and were therefore unable to adequately prepare for a complete lockdown of New Providence," the Chamber said. "During this time there will be many without sufficient access to food, water and medication.

"The Chamber urges the Competent Authority [Prime Minister's Office] to reconsider this position, having regard for the likely event that thousands of persons will flood food stores, gas stations and pharmacies immediately following the lifting of the lockdown.

"We believe that large numbers of persons congregating on long lines for hours has been - and will be - counterproductive to reducing the spread of COVID-19, and may have an injurious effect on any possible health gains achieved from such a lockdown."

The Chamber had also called on the Government to extend the August 21 deadline for companies to pay and file their July VAT returns, given that the lockdown means they will be unable to access their offices to go through records and computer systems. Staff payroll would also have been impacted.

Acknowledging that Bahamians must make "a behavioral change" to co-exist with COVID-19, the Chamber urged greater enforcement and harsher penalties for companies and individuals not complying with the health protocols.

It suggested that guilty firms be closed for a period of time, while individuals contravening COVID-19 measures be barred from accessing goods and services.

The Chamber also called for "a phased approach" to returning to full commercial activity, with reduced opening hours initially.

"Panic buying and long lines may be reduced if persons have more predictability and access to goods and services," it added. "This method worked well before the second wave of cases and supports domestic consumption."