NASSAU, Bahamas — The government is continuing to “recalibrate” its COVID-19 travel protocols to give Bahamians “substantial protection without absolutely strangling tourism”, the attorney general said yesterday (July 26), The Tribune reported in an article written by Business Editor Neil Hartnell.
Carl Bethel QC told Tribune Business that internal administration discussions were continuing over “a one-size fits all approach” that would balance The Bahamas’ health and economic needs, with the issue of private aviation among the topics being assessed.
The attorney general, responding to this newspaper’s inquiries, on Friday sent a What’s App message disclosing that clause 26 of the Emergency Powers (COVID-19 Pandemic) (No.2) Order 2020 was set to be amended to require visitors arriving by private aviation – private pilots who disembark, their passengers and charter occupants – to quarantine for 14 days.
“Clause 26 dealing with ‘visitors’ will be extended to capture private jets. Amendment being drafted,” Mr Bethel wrote then. This would have brought visitors entering The Bahamas via private aviation into line with those coming by commercial airlines who, via that same order and clause 26, are required to quarantine for 14 days and then produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result before being released.
However, that position appeared to have changed yesterday. Mr Bethel told Tribune Business that those arriving by private aviation will not have to quarantine, and – as before – must produce a negative COVID-19 negative PCR swab test taken within ten days of travel and an approved Bahamas health visa to enter this nation.
“The order, as framed, was targeting the mass market because when you’re bringing thousands of people it’s impossible to monitor them,” Mr Bethel said of the rationale for the commercial airline quarantine. “We couldn’t monitor a couple of hundred Freeporters who snuck through Nassau to Miami…..
“The order now is that everybody coming into the country, however they come into the country, has to have a negative COVID-19 test and health visa, and if they come by commercial airline they have to go into quarantine because there are too many people and we cannot keep an eye on them.” See full Tribune story at http://www.tribune242.com/news/2020/jul/27/govt-recalibrates-to-avoid-tourism-strangle/
