The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WHILE some Bahamians who have returned home on government repatriation flights on Friday have issues with being quarantined at Breezes resort, one legally blind woman is looking on the bright side.

Nathalie Russell, a legally blind Eleuthera resident, was among 183 people who returned to the country on Friday after weeks stuck in the United States.

Tested for the virus on April 30, Ms Russell said the length of time between that test and her departure to The Bahamas “was scary,” but she did not venture out much in the US and stayed in a home with just two other people who were often separated by rooms.

She and 58 others are now quarantining at a government designated facility — in her case, the Breezes resort in Cable Beach.

Returning to the country to quarantine in a foreign place could be a difficult prospect for a 36-year-old wheelchair-assisted person, but Ms Russell said the government could not have been more accommodating to her needs since the COVID-19 crisis began, a hospitality that has continued since arriving in the country.

“When I found out I was staying in a government facility, I thought to myself, what if I can’t find the shower or the bathroom,” she said yesterday. “And then listening to people puts me in a panic. But the airport agents and flight attendants welcomed us and did not show any bias toward us. We cleared immigration at Freeport on Friday and they were ready for us in Nassau. Everyone was friendly. I went to bed and I slept like I was in my own bed.”

Whether returnees are allowed to quarantine in their homes depends, at least in part, on how many people live in their homes. Ms Russell said when she stays in New Providence, her household includes her mother, father, sister and niece, in addition to herself. Her father, she said, is undergoing radiation therapy for cancer.

“We didn’t want to take the chance and be there even though I know I don’t have COVID-19,” she added.

Ms Russell, who also suffers from diabetes and hypertension, said she encountered problems with her insulin medication in the US and the Bahamian consulate office in Miami spent $500 to take care of her medication needs. “I was nervous. My friend said I’m proud and I didn’t want to ask for assistance but they didn’t give me a hard time at all,” she said.

She said she is not worried about Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ revelation that a COVID-19 positive man flew on the flight that brought her to the Bahamas on Friday, saying Grand Bahama residents were separated from New Providence residents on the flight.

When she arrived at Breezes, she said people ensured she was given a room on the bottom floor and was shown where the bathroom is.

“I got something to eat, which was really good,” she said. “They checked our temperatures and vitals. The rooms aren’t dirty. Everything is in order. The nurses, the staff, everybody has been really nice. They are organised and were ready for us when we came. It was simply delightful.”