Bahamas News
Extreme Week for Caribbean – Coronavirus scare, Quake, Twister & Quarantine!
#CARIBBEAN, January 31, 2020 — A week of extremities experienced across the Caribbean and for Caribbean students resident in Wuhan, China, which is the epicenter of the now global health emergency and deadly Coronavirus.
Emerica Robinson is one of those students and has told The Bahamas Tribune newspaper that she has been quarantined in the neighbouring city, Nanjing; visited by the police and doctors at her residence and is under watch for the next 14 days to monitor whether she shows any sign of having the virus.
Robinson is a Bahamian student attending university in Wuhan and says she has no plans to return home to The Bahamas, will stay put and will do as doctors have prescribed, which is to check her temperature twice a day and to report each test result to the hospital.
The Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed there are five Bahamian students at university in Wuhan. Bahamas Health Minister, Dr. Duane Sands, yesterday reported that two of them are quarantined and as of Thursday, The Bahamas will quarantine anyone who has been to mainland China in the past 20 days.
At least two critical press conferences have been held in the Caribbean – the first was in Jamaica where the University Hospital of the University of the West Indies was on lock down following the transfer of a patient to the facility.
Word got out that the person, who had recently returned from Asia, was suspected of having coronavirus.
Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaica’s Health Minister led a press conference to explain the action taken out of ‘the abundance of caution’ and eventually informed that there was no coronavirus case in Jamaica.
Mere minutes after this press conference wrapped up on Monday, there was a 7.7 magnitude earthquake recorded – it struck at 2:10pm in waters off Jamaica. The USGS said the earthquake affected Jamaica, Cuba, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, Haiti and Honduras.
The tremors caused The Bahamas to close government offices along Shirley Street in Nassau.
Lots of cell phone video of the moments during and after the earthquake was shared on social media by residents of Cayman. Some people captured the actual shaking, others recorded the gaping sink holes left behind on main thoroughfares, golf course, beach, in backyards and neighbourhoods, proving that the monster quake was anything but imagined.
By Thursday, a line of squally, stormy showers moving off South Florida and over the Abacos resulted in a tornado, confirmed The Bahamas Department of Meteorology.
A mangled mobile home, which was unoccupied at the time of the tornado seemed to be the main victim of the twister which moved through Marsh Harbour, “like a freight train” in the early hours of Thursday.
It appeared the tornado lifted and crashed the vehicle to the ground; it was completely destroyed.
Marsh Harbour, which is the capital of Great Abaco, is still trying to recover from deadly and disastrous Hurricane Dorian.
Rashaed Esson
Staff Writer
#TheBahamas, September 29, 2023 – With moves to deepen ties, governments of The Bahamas and Qatar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to solidify agreements in principle surrounding the development of aviation and other related services.
This is according to Chester Cooper, The Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investment and Aviation in a Facebook post.
This comes after The Bahamas Government in a press release on September 24th, revealed that Cooper, was set to meet with the head of Qatar Airways to have talks regarding “multiple mutually beneficial aviation opportunities for both countries.”
The release also said the deputy prime minister and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investment and Aviation are working on “forging strategic partnerships with several Middle Eastern countries to strengthen ties to The Bahamas and the Caribbean,” and this new signing is indicative of such efforts.
Following the September 25th signing, on September 27th, Kenneth Romer, Deputy Director General of Tourism for The Bahamas informed via Facebook some details of the agreement saying, “we have now established a framework for cooperation and formed strategic partnerships with Qatar Airways, Qatar’s Transport, Aviation and Investment Agencies and The Qatar Aeronautical Academy, that will benefit our country.”
Regarding further efforts for the improvement of The Bahamas, Cooper announced on Facebook again on Tuesday September 26th that both countries are working to make Nassau a passenger hub for Latin America and the Caribbean adding that talks are being held for Grand Bahama as a cargo hub.
Additionally, as the press release informed, Cooper is preparing for an on ground visit of Bahamasair domestic operations by Qatar Airways Technical team sometime in October.
Defence Headquarters 28 SEP ’23: HMBS P-45 under the command of Chief Petty Officer Acadia Smith
detained a group of Cuban migrants in Cistern Cay, Exuma on September 27, 2023, due to information received from a Good Samaritan vessel in the area that handed them over to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
Members of HMBS P-45 retrieved twenty-eight (28) Cuban nationals and transported them to HMBS Coral Harbour in New Providence. All individuals appeared to be in good health and will undergo further processing and assessment by Immigration officials.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force remains dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in guarding our heritage and
appreciates the sharing of information and intelligence provided by the boating community to affect migrants and other unlawful interdictions at sea.
(For additional information, contact the RBDF Public Relations Department or visit our official website at www.rbdf.gov.bs. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and explore our engaging content on our YouTube channel).
RBDF
#BARBADOS (September 26, 2023) – The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) deeply mourns the loss of distinguished Bahamian leader and former chairman of the inter-regional body, Obediah Wilchcombe.
At the time of his passing, Mr. Wilchcombe was serving as Minister of Social Services, Information and Broadcasting
and Leader of Government Business in the House of Assembly of the Bahamas.
“We extend our heartfelt prayers and condolences to Minister Wilchcombe’s family, as well as the government and people of the Bahamas. He was a true champion for the people of the Bahamas and the wider Caribbean region,” remarked Kenneth Bryan, CTO Chairman and Minister of Tourism and Ports of the Cayman Islands.
Chairman Bryan recalled Minister Wilchcombe held the position of CTO Chairman twice (2002-2004 and 2016-2017) while serving as Minister of Tourism for the Bahamas, and contributed significantly to the advancement of sustainable tourism development in the Caribbean.
Chairman Bryan noted that the CTO plans to honor the life and legacy of “this eminent Bahamian leader” at the organization’s upcoming business meetings and the State of the Industry Conference (SOTIC) in Turks and Caicos next month.
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