By FARRAH JOHNSON
Tribune Staff Reporter
fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THE people responsible for hosting a beach party near Sweeting’s Cay over the weekend will be brought to court for organising a large public gathering in breach of the COVID-19 emergency orders, police said.
On Saturday, police on Grand Bahama reported that they received information of a beach party happening on a nearby cay.
According to initial reports, shortly after 3pm officers of the Northeastern Division, Marine Section and Mobile Unit, proceeded by boat to an area opposite Sweeting’s Cay. There they observed a large gathering engaged in a beach party. Police said upon their arrival, the party’s facilitators were warned of prosecution under the emergency orders while the crowd was ordered to disperse.
After news of the incident hit social media, many people asked why the partygoers were allowed to “disperse” instead of being arrested.
When contacted yesterday, Superintendent Terecita Pinder assured the public the people responsible for the party will be brought to court.
“A lot of people got it wrong,” she said. “If you notice, the report said they were warned of prosecution. That means they will be summoned to go to court and they are going to court. Bear in mind we had one boat and that was a lot of persons who attended the beach party, so it made more sense for us to summon them to go to court.
“We got all of the particulars and we found out who the perpetrators were and who was hosting the party and they will be taken before the courts at a later date.”
Supt Pinder said according to the information police gathered, the beach party started around noon. She said as soon as officials were tipped off, they got “their boat and people together and headed to the cay as quickly as possible”.
She said while she could not say exactly how many people were at the party, “quite a large amount of persons were there”.
“When they saw the police vessel approaching the cay, a lot of people ran to their vessels and headed out quickly,” Supt Pinder explained. “There were a lot of persons out there. It was obviously a planned event.”
Asked if police on Grand Bahama were noticing a rise in large public gatherings following the relaxation of some of the emergency regulations, she said: “No, the party was an isolated incident. There is no rise in matters of that nature happening. None at all.
“The majority of people are still taking the protocols seriously, but we are not out of the woods as yet. My advice is for people to adhere to all laws pertaining to COVID-19. So we have to protect ourselves, do what is mandatory like wearing masks, practice social distancing and follow all the laws pertaining to business places and social gatherings that the prime minister put in place and then we’ll be okay.”
She added: “Once we adhere to all those laws and we are mindful that we’re our neighbour’s keepers and that we are here to protect ourselves and our neighbours, then we’ll be fine.”
When asked to comment on the beach party which took place in his constituency, Finance Minister Peter Turnquest said he only wanted to remind the public to follow the rules that have been put in place for their own protection as well as the greater good of the country.
“I want to remind residents to observe the orders put in place for their safety,” the East Grand Bahama MP told this newspaper. “If we all do our part we can beat this virus, but if we insist on resisting the rules, it will be a long slow recovery for all of us.”
Comments
mandela 3 years, 7 months ago
Please, please, please charge these people because they are the very ones that are causing the going on the beaches during regular hours to remain prohibited. How inconsiderate of them knowing quite well that the incompetent authority only needs to get wind of something like this happening on beaches just to keep the beaches closed during regular hours indefinitely.
tribanon 3 years, 7 months ago
Someone needs to remind Minnis that beach goers who practice safe distancing are not the problem becuase UV radiation from the sun instantly kills the Covid-19 virus, even better than 90%+ rubbing alcohol. It's the bars and restaurants at or near the beaches that are the real problem. Frankly, one of the safest places to be is outdoors on a beach provided you wear an effective sun block and stay 6 feet or more away from others.
Screen_Name 3 years, 7 months ago
This is complete and utter hogwash.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 7 months ago
Man, where do you get your info? That is total horse$hit
themessenger 3 years, 7 months ago
Agreed, complete and utter hogwash!
Sunlight contains three types of UV. First there is UVA, which makes up the vast majority of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the Earth’s surface. It’s capable of penetrating deep into the skin and is thought to be responsible for up to 80% of skin ageing, from wrinkles to age spots.
Next there’s UVB, which can damage the DNA in our skin, leading to sunburn and eventually skin cancer (recently scientists have discovered that UVA can also do this). Both are reasonably well known, and can be blocked out by most good sun screens.
Both UVA and UVB damage the skin — but nothing is as damaging as UVC which is the type of UV required to kill viruses.
3rd UVC. This relatively obscure part of the spectrum consists of a shorter, more energetic wavelength of light. It is particularly good at destroying genetic material – whether in humans or viral particles. Luckily, most of us are unlikely to have ever encountered any. That’s because it’s filtered out by ozone in the atmosphere long before it reaches our fragile skin.
So go on out there and fry yourself on the beach thinking you can't be infected by your neighbors, you probably believe that Preparation H is good for wrinkles too.
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