The Tribune

THE Americans are coming.

IN today’s Tribune, we report on the expectation that US pre-clearance expects to be processing around three-quarters of the passenger volumes we reached before COVID hit the world. Not next year or the year after, but “by the end of summer”.

After the past year and a half, people are longing to travel again, it seems. Some will have suffered financial struggles with the economic impact of COVID-19, but for those able to do so, many are wanting to pack their bags and get away from a life of lockdowns.

The US has one of the highest rates of vaccinations in the world now, and those who are vaccinated are ready to make the most of their ability to travel again safely.

About 45 percent of the US population is now fully vaccinated, with that number climbing every day.

Jeff Mara, the area port director for US Customs and Border Protection, said: “Our seat recovery numbers, we’ve estimated by the end of this summer, will be at 70-75 percent of pre-COVID levels… If that forecast is achieved, it would place The Bahamas on track to achieve a rate of around one million US departures on an annual basis by the time the summer travel season ends in September.”

These aren’t predictions by hopeful officials in The Bahamas, but rather from passenger demand data from the airlines that will be bringing people to our shores.

Further, Mr Mara acknowledges how big a result that is, given the record levels of tourism before COVID. We’re not just trying to get back to normal, we’re trying to get back to our best year.

What does that mean for us? Economically, it is huge, of course. Those visitors will need places to stay, and will want to spend their money. That means income for businesses across the country, and staff being brought back to work.

If you wanted to see the light at the end of the tunnel, this is it.

We still have to do our part, but with talk of the government trying to end restrictions by August, you can see how that matches up with the surge in interest in travel.

We need to be ready for that number of people arriving – with no repeat of scenes at the airport when cruise passengers had to wait for hours for processing.

The US is relocating staff to meet the demand from other countries that have not opened up as much yet, and we need to match that capacity with our own airline staffing.

And then there’s the virus itself – we need to keep doing our part to keep that in check. We know the routine when it comes to social distancing, wearing masks and so on – but what has opened this door is vaccination. The more of us that can get vaccinated, the more it will help the economy. More than that, it will also save lives. A report yesterday showed that nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the US are now among people who weren’t vaccinated. If you don’t take the vaccine, you take that chance.

So let’s welcome back these visitors – and be ready for them.

Missing Adriana

The story of Adriana Caro is a disturbing one. The Cuban woman was said to be on a boat that capsized in Bahamian waters. A number of people from that incident were picked up. Local immigration officials now say that Mrs Caro was not one of them and that she is thought to have died.

However, there is another story. First, one relative says she was told Mrs Caro was in the emergency room at hospital, then when she contacted the detention facility, she was told Mrs Caro was there “safe, in good health”. When she rang back, she was told it was a mistake and the wrong information had been given.

It doesn’t end there. Relatives say two women saw Mrs Caro at the detention centre and were willing to testify.

And in today’s Tribune, we report on testimony from a Cameroon woman who says she spoke to Mrs Caro in a safe house, who she described as being a beautiful woman “of light complexion” with “prominent dimples”.

She said Mrs Caro “stood out to me” and that they spoke a few times, with Adriana telling her about the boat accident and about her husband, who she said officers denied her the chance to call.

The family’s fear is that Mrs Caro has been taken for a black market in prostitution.

There are clearly questions that remain about Mrs Caro and where she might be – and we need a full account. Every log must be checked, every video recording reviewed. If Mrs Caro really never made it to shore, why are there such inconsistencies, and why do people remember her so clearly?

That detail about her dimples stand out – it is one of the first things you notice when you look at a picture of Adriana. Why would anyone make that up?

We need to know more.