By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

DESPITE a concern about recent crowded events held in New Providence, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said officials are preparing to discontinue the need for the emergency operations centre to approve events.

The minister was asked about concerns related to events this weekend when large numbers of people were present and not adhering to protocols.

“COVID is here,” Dr Darville said in comments to reporters yesterday at the Office of the Prime Minister following an industrial agreement signed with the Bahamas Nurses Union and the Public Hospitals Authority.

“COVID is among us and from time to time we all have loved ones who have been exposed to COVID.

“Fortunately for us the clinical manifestation of the present sub-strain is not as severe and many people are able to deal with it without presenting themselves to hospital.

“We are concerned. We are concerned about events.

“But I want to let you know and I want the Bahamian people to understand that our EOC now is looking at releasing this tight scrutiny for events in the country.

“We expect those who are planning the events and those who attend the events to act responsibly and to ensure that you try your endeavour best to stay healthy and if you do have symptoms the free testing centre is available and to do the necessary protocols to eliminate or prevent the possibility of clusters of spread.”

Asked to explain further, Dr Darville said: “What we are going to do is as it stands right now the EOC leads the charge to determine which events should happen and which events should not happen.

“We are becoming mindful that we are going to release that where people will make the decisions and do things (in their) own orderly fashion that we believe is safe.”

He also responded to the Official Opposition’s calls to modify the approach to the coronavirus with new vaccines and antiviral therapies.

“In our arsenal to deal with COVID we have a wide cross section of new drugs to ensure that we have improved outcomes and we had a committee that moved very swiftly early in the Delta variant to ensure that many of the antivirals and the medications necessary to treat moderate to severe COVID-19 cases are presently in country.”

He also said that the removal of the mask mandate will depend on the country’s vaccination rate.

“The mask mandate is directly tied in with our vaccination rate. We recently brought in country the paediatric doses and so when we speak about those who are vaccinated in the country it is those who are eligible to be vaccinated.

“With the addition of the paediatric population, we used to speak of a percentage of about 53 percent but if you increase the denominator it actually reduces and so we are very concerned.

“We are pleading throughout the country for Bahamians to come in. Particularly those who have not gotten their first and second doses to become vaccinated because the more people vaccinated, the more possibility of us looking very seriously at the mask mandate in order for us to do a better job,” he said.