By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MICHAEL Pintard says the Davis administration continues to leave the Free National Movement out of meetings with top health officials about COVID-19.

His comment yesterday came after Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said the government will remove the requirement for antigen tests for visitors five days after arrival in the country.

Mr Pintard did not express a view on the change, saying the FNM is not privy to the guidance behind the decision.

“This administration is refusing to involve the opposition in the briefing by the EOC,” he said. “They have an obligation in our estimation. We certainly provided it (to them). It wasn’t a courtesy, it was the sensible thing for a government to do, to involve the official opposition when they are having discussions with the health professionals so that we can all be privy to the data that is being made available to us and this government has failed to do so, so when I hear pronouncements by this government in terms of what they intend to do as it relates to the management of COVID, we are not armed with the information and they are deliberately excluding us from being included in the briefings so we could know what the facts are.”

He added: “We were aware that in times past, that they were unwilling to explain the extent to which we were having a challenge which is why we’ve said let us go with the PCR test results as well as the antigen because it gives us a more holistic picture of what we are facing. They later came out and took the advice we gave onboard.”

Mr Cooper said on Wednesday the requirement for a test to enter The Bahamas will continue. He told reporters tourism stakeholders are encouraging the government to further relax COVID-19 protocols, including removing the mask mandate.

Yesterday, Mr Cooper said the Ministry of Health is considering that recommendation and will express a view to Cabinet next week.