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U.S. steps up Bahamas’ alert level over COVID

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE United States has moved its travel advisory for The Bahamas to level four: Do not travel.

A US Embassy press notice yesterday said: “The Department of State has no greater responsibility than the safety and security of US citizens overseas. We are committed to providing US citizens with the most up-to-date information to keep US citizens informed when they are abroad.

“As travellers face ongoing risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Department Travel Advisory system closely reflects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) science-based travel health notices that outline current health issues affecting travellers’ health.

“The CDC updated its travel health notice for The Bahamas to level four on August 23, 2021 based on its data-based analysis and monitoring of case numbers from around the globe; the CDC update was a significant factor in the State Department also updating its travel advisory for The Bahamas to a level four.

“In general, the CDC recommends that US citizens not travel internationally until they are fully vaccinated. Moreover, even fully vaccinated travellers might be at increased risk for getting and possibly spreading some COVID-19 variants, and we recommend US citizens delay travel unless absolutely necessary. If US citizens do travel, we urge them to follow all CDC recommendations before, during, and after travel.”

A level four travel notice means Americans are advised to avoid travelling to this country.

Haiti, Kosovo, Lebanon, Morocco and Saint Maarten were other countries whose travel advisory levels were increased yesterday.

The Bahamas’ travel advisory was last increased to level four in April.

Darrin Woods, Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president, said at the time that the advisory could not have come at a worse time as industry workers were looking forward to an uptick in visitor arrivals at this time of year.

The CDC lowered The Bahamas to a less serious level three travel health notice in June.

Comments

themessenger 3 years, 3 months ago

The antivaxxer chickens have come home to roost both here and in the US and have laid their eggs in profusion. "Darrin Woods, Bahamas Hotel Catering and Allied Workers Union president, said at the time that the advisory could not have come at a worse time as industry workers were looking forward to an uptick in visitor arrivals at this time of year." Really?? Now you can beat on the government some more and jump on the general strike bandwagon with all your fellow union patriots & flog that dead horse all the way to the grave. Maybe you, Kimsley & Obie Ferguson, Dwayne Woods, Amancha Williams & Stephen McPhee can form the new government with that genius and shit stirrer extraordinaire Tribanon as PM. Throw in John & Carlton with a few more of their rabid conspiracy theorists & antivaxxers as back benchers and we got it made in the shade. Tribanon will be the first to reassure us, who the hell needs Adolph Minnis or the Brave Guinea pig? Expulsis Piratis Restituta Commercia!!

tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago

Wow! You've really gone off the deep end, haven't you?

John 3 years, 3 months ago

How long will you continue to post then pat yourself on the back under a different name? Split personality or a double attempt to deceive?

tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz........

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 3 months ago

This has nothing to do with antivaxxers and everything to do with extremely poor decisions from Dr Minnis and Renward Wells. Remember it was Dr Minnis as Health Minister who caused the first spike with ill thought out protections and a rushed border opening last July. He hastily handed Health off to Wells after that no more glory in it apparently. We keep repeating the same mistakes

Topdude 3 years, 3 months ago

I cannot wait to read what the Know It All Tribanon has to barf. I am sure it will be the same bunch of distorted, convoluted and stupid statements. If ever there was a misbegotten son of a lop headed idiot then here is one. A man whose envy of our Prime Minister is so patent.

tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago

Don't let your infatuation with me drive you crazy. lol

ScubaSteve 3 years, 3 months ago

HA! Now that was truly funny. Well played Tribanon. Well played.

John 3 years, 3 months ago

THE USA CONTINUES TO RECORD ONE QUARTER of the total world cases of corona and Witt its borders thrown wide open to its neighbors to the north, The Bahamas continues to reflect what is happening in America in terms of Covid-19. In fact most countries around the world have managed to bend their curves and see declining numbers of new corona cases. That is with the exception of countries like The United Statt, Israel, Cuba and The Bahamas, which continues to mirror what happens in the United States, in terms of Covid-19. And as long as the borders remain widely open between these two countries, there is relatively little The Bahamas can do, including mass vaccinations, that will affect its numbers of nee cases independently of America. For social and economic reasons the border remains open but officials on both sides of the divide (Bahamas and US) continue to tongue lash Bahamians for not getting vaccinated. The Bahamas and Bahamians have proven n, not once but TWICE that they can bring their Covid numbers under control and the major reason the country is seeing its worst surge in new cases, hospitalizations and deaths is because of its unhealthy courtship with the US. Bahamians want to and do travel to the YS just as much as Americans want to come to tRhe Bahamas and bringing the Covid numbers under control will be mutually beneficial to both countries. Likewise the continuing surge is not healthy to either country. And it would be interesting for Bahamians to know how many Americans who try to enter this country on a daily basis and test POSITIVE for COVID.

John 3 years, 3 months ago

Regardless of how much Minnis and his administration continue to beat up on Bahamians about not getting vaccinated, nothing, nothing Bahamians do will affect their Corona numbers until the problem is fixed in America. The numbers bear that out. The Bahamian islands with the highest numbers of tourists also have the highest numbers of Corona. And the majority of cases in The Bahamas have a recent history of travel.

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 3 months ago

All due to bad decisions. What did we gain by bending over backwards to let untested tourists in?

100+ dead in a month and a fresh travel advisory. Oh and 80% of 2019 tourism numbers. 100+ dead.

carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago

Opinions we have spread Covid. Is that scientific? There is only one Autocratic leader leader responsible for thousands of workers seeing gloom. If he had done something strategically correct in 526 days many of those Minnis pandering tantrum crybabies have circled the wagons for war and weoponized ignorance as an excuse for rise in cases. Global truth science data revealed that each country that saw massive vaccination massive infections followed. Minnis ignored four months of lead information.

carltonr61 3 years, 3 months ago

Now our competent one with full eyes open walked in the dog poo despite CDC evidence to claim fame from the foul odor on his shoes. Starting with Seychelles 100% vaccinated followed by 200% infections. They did not blame the unvaccinated because all received the shot. But the vaxomaniacs know this, there is something stuck on their shoes. That is why the Nurses unions asked for dialogue to share data. Massive vaccination of the workforce has proven to not prevent spread as CDC warns those vaccinated are spreaders and getting sick. How can medical logic explain in Denmark fully vaccinated persons isolated in far outposts being hospitalized? They are confused. Our proffessional hard working nurses and doctors were begging for a meeting to explore real world data but got one response that is to get vaccinated end of discussion. There are many fronts the virus damages from the economy, mental health, despair and hopelessness, personal finance with many persons as in Australia opting to simply die.

Bahamaslover 3 years, 3 months ago

Dear Carlton, It is people like you that are the cause of so many in the Bahamas dying from the coronavirus. You are spreading lies. You are spreading information that is not based on facts and people are swallowing it hook, line and sinker. Stop it. These lies are killing people. Bahamians are not taking time to do the research needed and are just listening to people like you whom are spouting information without backups. The 'professional hardworking nurses and doctors' whom you referenced does not need to beg for a meeting to explore real world data. Real world data exists on the internet. They merely have to READ. How sad that these professionals in the medical field cannot take the time to read the medical information that is readily available. It's sad and embarrassing, frankly. Their intelligence is supposed to be above the rest of us as one would need some kind of smarts and ability to decipher information to pass nursing school and medical school. The information - that you, too, obviously have not read - is on the internet on TRUSTED sites. READ IT.

Bahamaslover 3 years, 3 months ago

Dear Carlton, It is people like you that are the cause of so many in the Bahamas dying from the coronavirus. You are spreading lies. You are spreading information that is not based on facts and people are swallowing it hook, line and sinker. Stop it. These lies are killing people. Bahamians are not taking time to do the research needed and are just listening to people like you whom are spouting information without backups. The 'professional hardworking nurses and doctors' whom you referenced does not need to beg for a meeting to explore real world data. Real world data exists on the internet. They merely have to READ. How sad that these professionals in the medical field cannot take the time to read the medical information that is readily available. It's sad and embarrassing, frankly. Their intelligence is supposed to be above the rest of us as one would need some kind of smarts and ability to decipher information to pass nursing school and medical school. The information - that you, too, obviously have not read - is on the internet on TRUSTED sites. READ IT.

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