#NASSAU, Bahamas, Issued on March 31, 2020– The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation is following guidance from the Bahamas Ministry of Health and other government agencies pertaining to the country’s Preparedness and Response Plan for COVID-19.
Please visit the Bahamas Ministry of Health’s website for the latest information on COVID-19 cases in The Bahamas. Current and future patients are to be isolated in quarantine following the guidelines outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Further
to the Emergency Order, “Emergency Powers (COVID 19) (NO. 2) Order, 2020,”
announced by Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis, the Nassau
Airport Development Company (NAD) has closed the Lynden Pindling International
Airport to all flights, as of Friday, March 27. The public is further advised
that, effective March 27, all airports throughout the entire Bahamas shall be
closed to all air traffic.
The
Emergency Order remains in effect until Wednesday, April 8, unless otherwise
stated. Preventative restrictions are being enforced to prevent further spread
of COVID-19, including:
- No
visitor shall be permitted to enter and disembark for any reason including transiting
through The Bahamas.
- All airports throughout
the entire Bahamas, including private airports and fixed-base operations (FBOs),
shall be closed to all flights.
- All
sea ports shall be closed to regional and international seafaring and private
boating.
- Air
and sea restrictions do not apply to: cargo flights or cargo ships, commercial
courier flights, emergency medical flights or emergency flights approved by the
Civil Aviation Authority.
- All
international visitors currently in The Bahamas should be prepared to stay for an indefinite period of time.
- No
person shall offer for hire or seek to travel on any mail boat, sailing inter
island, except for transport of freight; or inter island private commercial sea
transport.
- All
residents will be placed on a 24-hour curfew and are to remain at home to avoid
contact outside of their family, except for those who have been deemed
essential workers, or have special permission from the Commissioner of Police.
- Residents
can leave their homes for essential travel to the doctor, grocery store, bank,
pharmacy or to refuel; as well as for outside exercise, not exceeding an hour
and a half per day between the hours of 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., provided that the
exercise is conducted in one’s yard or one’s immediate neighborhood and no
person shall drive to any place to exercise.
- Proper
social distancing guidelines of at least six feet (6ft.) must be followed at
all times while outside the home.
- All
public beaches, markets and docks will be closed, and no vehicles are permitted
on any public or private roads for any purpose other than stated above.
Full details
of this order and the previous Emergency Order may be found at opmbahamas.com.
The Bahamas is conducting
COVID-19 testing and has been actively employing several measures used globally
to screen visitors and residents and to manage the response to individuals of
concern, in line with international health best practices. Traveller health
questionnaires and a screening protocol have been used at ports, hotels and
rental properties to identify guests who may require surveillance or treatment.
In addition, all Bahamian nationals and residents returning to The Bahamas
through any point of entry from any of the restricted countries or an area where
community infection and spread is present, have been quarantined or placed
under self-isolation upon arrival and are expected to follow the protocols of
the Ministry of Health.
A
destination-wide education campaign continues to remind the public of the basic
hygiene practices that can be used to prevent the spread of the virus including
frequent, proper hand washing, use of hand sanitizers, frequent disinfection of
surfaces and avoiding close contact with those exhibiting signs of respiratory
illness.
All
COVID-19 inquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Health. For questions,
or concerns, please call the COVID-19 hotline: 242-376-9350 (8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
EDT) / 242-376-9387 (8 p.m. – 8 a.m. EDT).