Bahamas, Jamaica tighten lockdowns – News – The Backyard Town Telegram
A surge in COVID-19 situations implies tighter lockdowns in the Bahamas and Jamaica
MIAMI – The Bahamas has shut down all general public offices in its money, banned all global flights apart from for emergencies, limited motels to vital staff only and purchased journalists to very first speak to the law enforcement if they need to have to be out on the road.
They are all section of new controls the nation commenced Tuesday to attempt and regulate the unfold of COVID-19 in New Providence.
With additional than 1,100 active COVID-19 circumstances and its health treatment procedure on the verge of collapse, New Providence has to go less than stricture steps for the future seven times, Key Minister Hubert Minnis warned late Monday. The measures, he explained, were being to choose influence quickly.
“The info on New Providence and the suggestions of overall health officials is really very clear. Extra restrictive actions are certainly required in order to convey the virus less than manage on New Providence,” Minnis mentioned. “If additional restrictive actions are not taken to regulate and to gradual the unfold of COVID-19 on New Providence at this time, it will consider a incredibly long time to carry the virus less than manage.”
A lockdown of the place introduced on April 3 was set to expire at 5 a.m. Wednesday. Minnis introduced the seven-day lockdown of New Providence, exactly where Nassau is found, and a further seven-day lockdown of Grand Bahama when confirming that opposition chief, Philip Brave Davis, had examined good for the deadly sickness and is amongst those people hospitalized immediately after contracting the virus.
“He and I may possibly lead distinctive political parties. But we are Bahamian brothers and we both equally have crucial constitutional roles,” Minnis reported. “The info on New Providence and the tips of overall health officers is incredibly distinct. Extra restrictive measures are completely required in order to deliver the virus beneath manage on New Providence.”
The Bahamas, which has now confirmed 1,329 instances of COVID-19, was in an unexpected emergency, Minnis said, with 731 confirmed cased in New Providence and 461 in Grand Bahama. “The surge in circumstances has place extraordinary strain on our well being care procedure. We must act now, and aggressively to avert our wellbeing treatment technique from collapsing. If our hospitals collapse, we will have a lot of a lot more fatalities.”
Minnis’ decision, which is staying criticized by Bahamians due to its quick discover, came just several hours immediately after Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness also sounded the alarm in his Caribbean country soon after the country’s health ministry declared instances had been surging.
But instead than putting all of Jamaica below a lockdown, Holness announced in an crisis on-line press briefing that the parish of St. Thomas will come beneath tighter steps commencing Tuesday. A 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will be in result for the subsequent 14 times, he explained. In addition, a group quarantine in effect for the Church Corner region in the parish was prolonged for one more 14 days and will now end Sept. 2 rather of Aug. 20.
“We are looking at cases popping up generally within just the parish of St. Thomas even outside of the communities under quarantine. This indicates that the general movement in the parish could result in outbreaks, and of course, people today are not adhering to the an infection prevention and command steps,” Holness pointed out.
General, there are approximately 89 instances in the parish, 45 of which are inside of the quarantine communities. In addition, extra symptomatic persons have been identified, who have been tested and are awaiting benefits.
The govt put Church Corner and the adjoining communities of Reduced Summit and Bamboo River less than a 14-working day quarantine on Aug. 6, just after 28 good instances were being registered over 4 days, including 13 from the communities beneath quarantine.
Holness also reported there will be no funeral services, civic products and services, weddings or leisure activities in the parish for the next 14 days.
Jamaica has registered 1,129 COVID-19 conditions and 14 fatalities since the pandemic initial appeared on its shores. The Bahamas has recorded 1,329 and 18 fatalities. Following controlling the virus for months, both of those nations around the world are amid a handful of Caribbean nations that are viewing a worrying spike in COVID-19 bacterial infections after reopening borders to intercontinental readers in June and July.
The surge has led to the U.S. State Section to challenge a Degree 3 traveling warning for numerous Caribbean islands, in which it is inquiring U.S. citizens to reconsider journey.
On Sunday, Jamaica’s health and fitness ministry explained that as of Thursday, all website visitors age 12 and more mature from the United States, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Mexico, which have been selected significant-danger for COVID-19, will be demanded to get a destructive COVID-19 PCR exam prior to arriving. The test should be performed inside of 10 times of arrival. The need was previously in impact for guests from Florida, Arizona, New York and Texas but was expanded in light-weight of the enhance in constructive situations.
The govt has also backtracked on a July 31 determination that would have allowed people to the island go off hotel homes to pay a visit to accredited sights. Tourists will now have to keep in what the govt calls the Resilient Corridor, wherever a collection of resorts and organizations authorized for operation amid the international pandemic, are located.