The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Arawak Cay vendors were yesterday said to still be waiting on the “green light” to reopen following the COVID-19 enforced shutdown.

Rodney Russell, the Arawak Cay Association’s president, told Tribune Business: “The Arawak Cay family has no authority in deciding when we open up. But when we do open up, we hope that it would be in agreement with the government.

“The Arawak Cay Association is willing to work with the government because it has information that we, as business persons, do not have. So we will rely on the government to ensure that all is clear when we do get the green light to open up, and when we do we will have to appreciate the fact that we are able to open up and to try to build our businesses back to where they were.

“We know that some persons on Arawak Cay are going to take much longer because some of the vendors cater more to tourists than Bahamians. But those persons who cater to the locals, I don’t think there will be any problem with them bouncing back.”

Mr Russell added that most of the vendors who cater to locals are already cleaning up their stalls, and “making different arrangements and remodeling” to be prepared to receive customers in accordance with the developing COVID-19 health and safety measures.

“What is happening is that the government has required us to send information on ways to open up,” Mr Russell explained. “But, in consultation with some of my executives, Arawak Cay is diverse with some of us being basically restaurants. With the government’s social distancing we would not have been able to invite customers into our place to eat with a mask on or to drink with a mask on. That is impossible.

“Some of us who could have done take away, because of the unruliness of some of the patrons, it was best to stay closed until the government would have the clearance to do this all over again. Everyone is just lying low and waiting to see what happens in order to re-establish their business.”