And non-essential businesses may be like BPL when they finally get to reopen. Not only will a great decline in the demand for their goods and services due to most of the tourist market/economy being offline, but any persons who are still employed or just returning to work will not be able to afford these goods and services immediately as their funds will have been spent on food and emergency supplies. Then within a few months, they must prepare for hurricane season. And don’t expect the tourist market to come back before years end. A cruise ship with sick and dead passengers is still trying to get permission to dock in Florida.

Is Turnquest overstepping the boundaries of NIB? A self employed person who has become unemployed due to the corona emergency shutdown is entitled to unemployment benefits, regardless of how many employees they have or whether they get the small business emergency loan or not. That is if they are employed in the business. Remember the loan has to be paid back and does not replace lost income. And, in fact, it adds to the cost of doing business if it carries an interest rate.

The facts are the Corona virus will pass over the ENTIRE population ! Eighty percent will get infected. Of that amount some 30% will get sick and thus far the sickness is mild and most will recover. Only after the virus has passed over the entire population, will the numbers peak, then return to zero. According to China, persons who recover become immune. At least in the short term. And that is how China is able to recover and reopen. The concerns though, is persons entering from the outside and bringing new strains of the virus in to an already ‘umm’ population. And so China has essentially locked the world out. No one enters without being tested. Corona infected persons are either hospitalized or turned away. Suspected persons are quarantined or turned away. Mass testing will be of little benefit here. As cases are discovered, random testing of exposed persons or persons who show symptoms may become necessary. But a more important test is for those who had the virus and recovered. This tells the degree of resistance and now immunity to the virus in the population and also those who are most stressed risk’. The biggest challenge will be patrolling the country’s boarders after the shutdown. Persons fleeing from the North are being denied entry into Florida without quarantine. It must be likewise or zero entries here. New York expects their battle with Corona to continue through December. Some US states have not yet seen their surge.

The lockdown and suspension of economic activity on some of the smaller and less populated islands was not necessary for

Break out da candles

Apparently the Corona COVID-19 has already left the station and it will take a number of passengers with it, regardless of what measures are put place. The USA expects some 200,000 people will die in that country ( current toll is 2,600), and April is expected to be that country’s most deadly month, thus far, at least. And they plan to restrict movement even more, restricting and even prohibiting travel bets some states and making air travel undesirable it not impossible. So Bahamians must prepare for the long haul.And government must be prepared to face a situation where maybe less than 20 percent of the population is working. The food store shelves may be stocked but most people’s pockets are running empty. What happens when there’s no money to buy food and medicine?

So six people live in a two room dwelling. And no, it may not always be a two bedroom, just two rooms. And do not only is social distancing impossible, but because of close living quarters, they interact, almost intimately with their neighbors. Some 20- 20 people. Then they get up in the morning and go to work. Some at the gas station, some at the food store, some at the wholesaled food or pharmacy warehouses. Some go to the wash house, the bank or the gas station as customers. Imagine if one or two persons in this chain contracts the virus. How many people can become infected in a matter of hours, days or weeks? Essential workers must eventually be required to wear gloves and masks. And as food and supplies run out, people will venture outside their homes in search of these items. Putting measures in place that is too confining or restraining will result in even more violations. And once the violations become too common, the emergency orders become even more ineffective

Is government making a mistake sending infected persons home to recover?

Prepare for more bad news regarding the number of Corona cases, not just here but worldwide. The greatest beacon of hope so far is all patients have recovered. But some residents still practice close community living and not really educated about social distancing. And some persons who live in these ‘tight’ communities are also essential workers.

Prepare for more bad news regarding the number of Corona cases, not just here but worldwide. The greatest beacon of hope so far is all patients have recovered. But some residents still practice close community living and not really educated about social distancing. And some persons who live in these ‘tight’ communities are also essential workers.