Donald Trump was also testing and the results? And more of his staff are and persons exposed to him are testing positive. So now they pondering how long was he positive. And if you test without rapid results, the tests are useless because of the potential spread between the time of the tests and the results.

And if likened to The Spanis Flu: "There were 3 different waves of illness during the pandemic, starting in March 1918 and subsiding by summer of 1919. The pandemic peaked in the U.S. during the second wave, in the fall of 1918. This highly fatal second wave was responsible for most of the U.S. deaths attributed to the pandemic. A third wave of illness occurred during the winter and spring of 1919, adding to the pandemic death toll. The third wave of the pandemic subsided during the summer of 1919. An estimated 1/3 of the world’s population was infected with the 1918 flu virus – resulting in at least 50 million deaths worldwide." So despite the infection rate, The Bahamas is faring well when it comes to deaths and hopefully, this pandemic will be gone by the middle of next year as the third wave (Spanish flu) was short-lived and less deadly because of the safety measures (masks, social distancing, etc.).

The second wave of these types of viruses is always more aggressive (contiguous) and the spread is usually more rapid. And while deaths have increased, the increase is not as great as the increase in infections And hospitalizations are also somewhat constant. But the silver lining is that the recovery period for those infected seems to be shorter. And as more of those who are infected recover, they are supposed to provide herd immunity for the rest of the population. But will this happen if the borders are swung open widely and foreigners continue to bring different strains of the COVID-19 virus into the country? Will there eventually be a vaccine? Some experts don't think so. The problem with viruses such as Covid-19 and even AIDS is they continue to mutate. So by the time a vaccine is developed, tested properly, and released into the general population, the disease has changed and so the vaccine is no longer effective or less effective. And so the route may be to take medications that suppress the disease (like is done with AIDS and the virus no longer is harmful or detectable.

Don’t expect any Covid -19 vaccine soon! They have never been able to develop vaccines for the corona group of viruses because they tend to mutate rapidly And by the time a vaccine is developed, tested and approved, it is obsolete because the virus has mutated a number of times. The strain being experienced in The Bahamas now is definitely more contagious than the first, but also more less deadly. And the third wave will be short lived based on trends.

Rather than restricting the beaches , Minnis should encourage Bahamians (and residents) to get outside, get sunlight, get exercise. Delay going directly from the workplace to the home but still practice wearing of masks, social distancing and other safer protocols.

> The workplace is now a hotspot

’
Truth of the matter is the workplace has alway been a hotspot. Humans (and Bahamians in particular) are interactive creatures and regardless of what measures are put in place, they will violate social distancing rules and safety measures sharing lunch off the same plate, using each other’s phones or chargers or having ‘’mask less’ conversations. Then they go home in clothing that had been exposed to dozens of ‘unknowns’, hug their children or prepare meals, interact with next door neighbors and on and on. The blessings are the warm weather and direct sunlight but what will happen when the weather changes?

The travel numbers will be cut by at least 70% until at least March of 2021

This is a simple fix: with less flights and departures. Several of the departure lounges can be easily converted to receive incoming passengers, at least in New Providence and some Family Islands. And the alternatives are to test pre-boarding, and or test inflight to reduce the waiting time once the flight has landed.

This must be viewed in front of the backdrop that airline passenger loads are down by 70% and even more for international travel. So basically you are looking at a 25-30 percent market. And these people are not even to the point to be concerned about corona test requirements. They are just refusing to travel. And those who are traveling are doing so mostly by private craft. And so US airlines have their hands out and their fingers crossed that Congress approves a $20 Billion rescue package that will keep them afloat and operating and allow them to keep their staff employed. So in the interim this government needs to see how it can promote and benefit more from small resorts, private vacations

Don’t expect an unconventional surge of tourists coming to The Bahamas any time soon. Airline travel is down by 70% under last year. Airlines are seeking to furlough over 40,000 workers and even attractions, like Disney, are laying off workers because they just can’t draw the numbers with the surging Corona numbers. And while it is a good idea to try turn the lights on in some of the major resorts, the country must not lose focus on the small, private and somewhat secluded vacation draw. To tthe family islands to the small resorts and Air Bob, the sports fishing and other fishing. The dream vacation at small resorts. At least, when properly managed can keep the tourism wheels greased until the ‘new normal’ arrives.