Another Bahamas COVID Update

And note how they list Long Cay and Long Island. Long cay is a small cay the Acklins...why list Long Cay but not Crooked and Acklins.

I’d rather go to Crooked than Long, too.

Another update

https://bahamasmarinas.com/procedur...V_hToEz-PX3A4ppe2j2yv5CL0h42tgjVIOKQtROadzLCQ

Requirement to get permission to enter or move between islands has been removed

PM announced they will soon remove the 14 days quarantine but no date yet

https://bahamasmarinas.com/procedures-and-protocols

They also provide excellent information on Florida (and other) labs and testing.

https://blog.bahamasmarinas.com/2020/08/30/covid-19-rt-pcr-testing-sites

We look forward to going there even though we'll still be careful, but much safer than Florida. I also note that they are serious about masks and social distancing and I heard of one family that returned to Florida yesterday and was furious as they were arrested and only the two adults were fined, $250 each. Their other choice was a month in jail. So, for anyone thinking they're not serious, think again. Now it is my understanding they were warned and the man went a bit political on rights and things before the arrests were made. He's now back in the US and saying why he'll never go to the Bahamas again. The local marina dockmaster said he wished he could be so lucky that he wouldn't return there.

Why he'll never go to the Bahamas again may well be that he's banned from returning with a local arrest, especially over a public health issue. An entitled attitude won't help either. Too bad they gave him the option of a fine. A month in jail (where he'd probably catch Covid 19) would be a good lesson. With cases currently on the rise throughout the U.S. and elsewhere I wouldn't put much faith in the Bahamas opening for long. It's going to be a very long winter everywhere.

Now that Florida has stopped all Covid-19 protocols that may inspire more thinking on the Bahama's part.

When will people realize the Bahamas are another country and as visitors, are subject to an environment of different rules, laws, customs and enforcement.
He had no rights over there.

Traveling to the Bahamas from Florida is like me going to NYC or Philadelphia, and they're dependent on U.S. tourism. So many, especially from Florida think of it as just an extension of their own cruising grounds. It's a sovereign nation. Go there and you are nothing more than a visitor, subject to their rules, laws and customs. They've been devastated in recent years by storms. They don't need our pandemic, and we don't have the right to force it on them.

It's not "OUR" pandemic. It's a worldwide pandemic and many Chinese were visiting the Bahamas December-April and bringing it over there prior to them or us shutting anything down. I saw tons of Chinese tourists in the Exumas in November, some wearing masks and we all thought it was strange but didn't know why. I know a lot of people around Staniel Cay that got really sick back then.

We can debate whose it is someplace else. They don't want us to force it becoming "their" pandemic, and that's their right.

OUR PANDEMIC??? You got to be kidding... The origin of the Chinese Flu is proven: China.

As CaptJ said, back in December, the locals in Staniel were wondering why all the Chinese tourists were wearing masks. I ve talked to a number of Staniel employees who got sick in January, a mystery flu like illness like none of them had ever felt. Why were the Chinese wearing masks? They knew something was brewing, their government knew this was a highly contagious disease but did nothing to prevent it from spreading

so please spare us the “our” pandemic

This is exactly what I saw in November. Tons of Chinese coming down to the Staniel Cay area (from cruise ships) on the center consoles with 50 people each on them (day excursions). I saw about 1000 Chinese people in the 4 days I was there. Half of them were walking around everywhere with masks on, and about 1/2 of those with latex gloves. I was even talking about it with the dockmaster at Staniel......and we were wondering why.......A lot of the guys at SCYC and around that area, that I know, got REALLY sick with a flu-like illness DEC-March.

NYCAP- let's get the facts correct. It DID origionate in China. People traveling from China then brought it to Europe. People from Europe brought it here. It's a worldwide pandemic/virus. We are dealing with it because other countries brought it here. At this point, people from all over the world (China, Canada, Europe, South America, etc. )could bring the virus with them to the Bahamas.

I do agree that opening everything up in Florida 100% is probably a mistake. Last weekend the bars on the strip on Ft. Laud Beach, were all elbow to elbow with people, no masks anywhere, etc. as I drove by. Are we any worse off than the other countries that have faced it, NO when you compare the amount of people to the population (% of infected), we just have A LOT more population than Italy (for example). And, nobody in America is going to stand by while the government surrounds their city and locks it down 100%, or welds their front doors shut (like in China).

BACK TO THE BAHAMAS.

Fatality rates by age group updated a few days ago by CDC.

0-19 years: 0.00003
20-49 years: 0.0002
50-69 years: 0.005
70+ years: 0.054

I don’t think anyone can reasonably argue that a country like the Bahamas can afford to keep their primary industry shut down

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html

OK, since you insist, let's get another thread locked down.
The virus was probably released in China by a lab working for the U.S. government under contract with Texas A&M University. China tried to downplay it just as our president did. Now WE, the United States have more cases and more deaths from it than any other country (more than 207,000 deaths and more than 7,000,000 confirmed cases). Florida's governor has announced that the state will prevent its businesses and schools from doing anything about it beside burying their dead. The Bahamas doesn't want US to bring it there, and that's their right.

This post has been edited and the thread locked.