The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

Bahamian gym owners were yesterday said to be "in limbo" and facing a "crazy" situation with no word from the Government on when the sector will be allowed to re-open and its long term plans.

Dr Kent Bazard, owner/operator of Empire Fitness, told Tribune Business: “We’re pretty much in limbo as far as we don’t know where we’re going to be by this month’s end. It’s not looking good at all to be 100 percent honest.

"We’re still accumulating debt and nobody is giving any announcement on what’s going to happen. We have been forced into accumulating that debt, and we hear about nobody trying to alleviate it. We have had no communication with anyone on if there is going to be any type of debt forgiveness or relief from it. Nobody is communicating at all and it is just in limbo now.

Gyms have been closed for seven of the past eight months due to the Government's COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. They were allowed to open for a month in July, only be shut down again in August, with this pattern repeated in October just weeks after the sector had been given the all-clear to re-open.

Asked whether Empire Fitness' landlord and other vendors are still providing some forbearance on the sums it owes, Dr Bazard replied: “Leniency varies, and with our landlord an agreement is an agreement. But we are still collecting debt - even if it is discounted or there is some delayed payment it is still debt.

“Utilities is a whole different story. There is no leniency at all. As a matter of fact, the last time we opened for that two-week period in July, Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) showed up on day one to disconnect us. I thought that was kind of strange for them to show up on day one; the day I am opening is the day they are shutting us off. That morning they showed up to shut off the electricity.”

He added: “This is just crazy. There is no communication, and there is no plan for business owners from the highest level of the authority down to these utility companies and these debt collectors. It’s just nothing.

"There should be some communication. The Government should be telling these guys to give these businesses a chance to recoup. Whether that is some delayed payment plan, or whether the Government says partially let us pay off the debt in time, or whatever.

“The main thing is that we are not hearing anything, and that’s the most frustrating thing. We’re hearing about tourists going on the beach, but we’re not hearing about what’s going to happen with the Bahamian business owner and the Bahamian economy. We’re not hearing anything, and that’s very frustrating and disappointing as a business owner and as a Bahamian-born businessman. This is very disappointing.”