By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

BAKER’S Bay will today begin charging unvaccinated staff for mandatory COVID-19 testing while inoculated employees will be given test frees of charge until the Club hits its target of 70 percen of the workforce having received a jab.

In a letter to staff seen by The Tribune Baker’s Bay Golf & Ocean Club’s human resources director, Anne Lightbourn said the Club will close on August 23 to October 6.

The letter stated: “Vaccinated Personnel will pod-test once a week, at no charge. Our Human Resources Team will conduct the notification process;” and “Unvaccinated Personnel are mandated to test weekly, at a charge of $15 (payroll deducted on the current pay cycle). This will continue until a significant amount of Club personnel are vaccinated (i.e. 70 percent).”

Also beginning today, “Vaccinated and Unvaccinated personnel will ride separate ferries. This programme will continue until a significant number of Club personnel are vaccinated.”

Last year the Club was a hotspot for COVID-19 infections when it was hit with 30 cases in July, causing widespread panic and a halt to Hurricane Dorian reconstruction efforts as many of the construction workers at the Club had to enter quarantine for fear of island wide spread.

The letter also said: “The COVAX Authority will continue their scheduled return to Guana Cay in the next few weeks. Human Resources will continue to communicate the process and schedule. The Club will continue regular updates to all personnel aggressively urging vaccination as the way forward to a safer work and home environment.

In addition Bakers’ Bay is also offering an extra day’s pay for fully vaccinated personnel and also will offer a second additional day of pay for vaccinated personnel if their department reaches the 70 percent target vaccination rate.

“Personnel who would have worked between August 23 and the original planned closure date of September 8 will be paid straight time. After September 8, all departments had planned personnel to take holiday leave or voluntary unpaid leave. Essential Service personnel will be paid a premium rate,” the letter read.

The Club also wishes to let staff members know that the “will accelerate the planned Limited Club closure that was originally scheduled for September 8 and now close the Club Operations (limited closure) on August 23. As of now, the Club will plan to reopen all operations on Wednesday, October 6. Further revisions are possible to operating schedules depending on Covid case counts.

“As the COVID-19 case counts continue to rise in the Abaco’s, on Guana Cay, and most alarming with Baker’s Bay personnel, we must increase our efforts to reduce potential exposure in the workplace. To that end, the combined actions below have been carefully considered and determined to be the way forward to a safer and healthier work environment now and over the next several weeks.”