By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis says he is not considering a serious shutdown of economic activity in the country despite record increases of COVID-19 cases.

“As I’ve said, many Bahamians are earning their first steady pay cheques in a long time, many fragile small Bahamian-owned businesses are just starting to recover, and as a country we are taking important steps to economic recovery,” he said during a press conference at his office yesterday.

 “So blunt instruments like shutting our borders or prolonged, nationwide lockdowns are off the table. Instead, our COVID policy is focused on giving Bahamians support to reduce their risks and on expanding our hospital capacity to accommodate any increase in hospitalisations.”

 Mr Davis’ comments came a day after acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Philip Swann said the country recorded its highest number of positive cases last week, 970 cases.

 Despite the high infection rates, health officials are pleased that hospitalisation rates are remaining relatively low in line with global trends suggesting the Omicron variant manifests more mildly than earlier strains of the virus.

 The government announced restrictions on gatherings and sizes of crowds last week. Some have since complained about double standards, noting that hotels are not affected by the rules.

 “A lot of Bahamians have asked why the big hotel properties are allowed to have outdoor New Year’s Eve events,” Mr Davis said.

 “These questions are more than fair, and indeed, I share the frustrations and concerns. Our health protocols are designed to reduce transmission risk while still supporting economic activity. Often, those twin goals are in contradiction with each other. It’s not an easy balancing act, and you may think we get some of these decisions wrong. But the primary health goal is to slow transmission among Bahamians, to protect our people, and to protect our hospitals from the coming onslaught of cases.

 “With that in mind, we are asking the hotels to take steps to protect Bahamian staff, and we are asking Bahamians to reconsider attending these events. These hotels are full – and their guests are going to socialise on New Year’s Eve. It may be safer to be outside at a concert instead of inside at bars, nightclubs, and the casino. I hope that is the case – I don’t want anyone to get sick in The Bahamas. This is the world we live in now; full hotels are fantastic news for our economy, but bringing people together increases risks.

 Mr Davis also said the National Emergency Management Agency began distributing medical grade masks yesterday to clinics and vaccine sites. Wider distribution will continue in the days ahead, he said.

 He also spoke of the importance of being vaccinated.

“If you’ve had COVID-19 in the past but you are not vaccinated, please know that prior infection is not protection against the Omicron variant, you can become reinfected and you can transmit the virus.

 “. . .Omicron is so transmissible that nearly all of us are likely to be exposed to the virus in the coming weeks and months. And the question is – how ready will your body be to fight off the virus? If you are vaccinated and especially if you are vaccinated and boosted, you have given yourself an excellent chance at experiencing the virus as an inconvenience instead of as a severe disease.”

 Mr Davis said US Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky recently said that people who are not vaccinated are 10 times more likely to contract the virus and 20 times more likely to die from COVID-19.