We are in totally uncharted waters, better not be stupid enough to try being the first country to experiment with reopening, until COVID19 is totally eradicated!
Although painful and inconvenient, reopening later rather than sooner is the best course of action, rather than risk an even larger second wave of infections.
Taiwan, Austria, Italy, and Spain have reopened segments of their economy to some degree. The Bahamas would do well to wait and see the results of what happens to them first, rather than taking questionable steps that might further damage the countries reputation.
After biting the bullet and paying business license fees, the automated system does not generate a printable certificate, and I have found "Reaching out" to Inland Revenue" 100% impossible because no one answers the phone!
We are dammed if we do and dammed if don't!
Additionally, as a small business owner, there is no government financial assistance available. How are we supposed to survive?
Funny you should mention the banks. Just a few short weeks ago RBC was adamantly encouraging me with phone calls and emails to come in and borrow $80,000.00+ for a new luxury car. Now the same bank wouldn't loan me $10,000.00 when I need it most for survival!
Many people have had no other choice than carefully budgeting for quite some time!
With tourism dead in the water, 50%+ of the economy will grind to a halt negatively impacting 10's of 1000's of people across every sector, who will have nothing to budget with.
The elephant in the room is most Bahamians and lots of businesses have never recovered from the 2008 recession which was drastically deepened by hurricane Dorian just last year.
Covid19 pandemic is the icing on the cake that will finish destroying many businesses and countless families simultaneously that was literally barely hanging on month-to-month by the shoestrings!
As a self-employed small business owner and someone that also somehow fell through cracks, this is one instance where I must agree with Brave Davis!
For whatever reason, many people have been left without any resources for survival. Granted, the government has tried to reach out to a lot of people, but I for one have not benefited 0.1c to date and cannot see any hope of help on the horizon.
There must be some very desperately hurting people out there!!
@ Clamshell....Obviously, you either did not take the time to read the provided linked article or did not comprehend what was published.
Regardless, we all need to stop the normal doom and gloom whining and accept the PM's invitation to throw out our collective ideas and see what possibly works best for benefit of all of the country.
Complaining and bitching have never solved any problems and won't now.
Given that the Bahamas is a busy tourism destination, the biggest surprise is that more people in the tourism industry were not infected.
The infections popping up now are most likely caused by community spread, not from tourism-related causes, which should have been manifested 2 weeks into lock-down exercises.
Dr. Sands predicted 90 cases as of last Sunday which has not materialized. This is great news!
However, I expect to see a spike in infections by the 23rd of the month caused by missteps and delays of the government implementing mandatory wearing of masks in food stores and other essential services providers.
How will they determine the people did not get it standing in a line outside or shopping in a grocery store? Chances are they DID get it at the grocery store or other "essential" location!
@ TalRussell....Good point! for once I tempted possible brain damage to read and try to comprehend what you say, and I totally agree that someone should be responsible for looking after the swimming pigs and any other such excursion where animals are dependant on human interaction for survival.
SP says...
We are in totally uncharted waters, better not be stupid enough to try being the first country to experiment with reopening, until COVID19 is totally eradicated!
Although painful and inconvenient, reopening later rather than sooner is the best course of action, rather than risk an even larger second wave of infections.
Taiwan, Austria, Italy, and Spain have reopened segments of their economy to some degree. The Bahamas would do well to wait and see the results of what happens to them first, rather than taking questionable steps that might further damage the countries reputation.
On Expanded testing to begin
Posted 17 April 2020, 5:28 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
After biting the bullet and paying business license fees, the automated system does not generate a printable certificate, and I have found "Reaching out" to Inland Revenue" 100% impossible because no one answers the phone!
We are dammed if we do and dammed if don't!
Additionally, as a small business owner, there is no government financial assistance available. How are we supposed to survive?
On Govt ‘taking from Peter to pay Paul’
Posted 17 April 2020, 4:48 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
At Supervalue the prices of eggs have literally gone up 95% over the last 4 weeks, and food prices, in general, have also increased.
With no income, and prices skyrocketing every week, how are we supposed to survive? What are we supposed to do?
The government needs to immediately remove duty and VAT on food. Canada has no VAT on food.
On Price regulator in egg shortage fear
Posted 17 April 2020, 4:28 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
Funny you should mention the banks. Just a few short weeks ago RBC was adamantly encouraging me with phone calls and emails to come in and borrow $80,000.00+ for a new luxury car. Now the same bank wouldn't loan me $10,000.00 when I need it most for survival!
On ‘Govt is not responding to struggling Bahamians’
Posted 16 April 2020, 10:05 a.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
Many people have had no other choice than carefully budgeting for quite some time!
With tourism dead in the water, 50%+ of the economy will grind to a halt negatively impacting 10's of 1000's of people across every sector, who will have nothing to budget with.
The elephant in the room is most Bahamians and lots of businesses have never recovered from the 2008 recession which was drastically deepened by hurricane Dorian just last year.
Covid19 pandemic is the icing on the cake that will finish destroying many businesses and countless families simultaneously that was literally barely hanging on month-to-month by the shoestrings!
On 'Budgeting so important in tough times'
Posted 16 April 2020, 8:03 a.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
As a self-employed small business owner and someone that also somehow fell through cracks, this is one instance where I must agree with Brave Davis!
For whatever reason, many people have been left without any resources for survival. Granted, the government has tried to reach out to a lot of people, but I for one have not benefited 0.1c to date and cannot see any hope of help on the horizon.
There must be some very desperately hurting people out there!!
On ‘Govt is not responding to struggling Bahamians’
Posted 15 April 2020, 9:33 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
@ Clamshell....Obviously, you either did not take the time to read the provided linked article or did not comprehend what was published.
Regardless, we all need to stop the normal doom and gloom whining and accept the PM's invitation to throw out our collective ideas and see what possibly works best for benefit of all of the country.
Complaining and bitching have never solved any problems and won't now.
On Tourism grapples with 'new normal'
Posted 15 April 2020, 8:59 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
Given that the Bahamas is a busy tourism destination, the biggest surprise is that more people in the tourism industry were not infected.
The infections popping up now are most likely caused by community spread, not from tourism-related causes, which should have been manifested 2 weeks into lock-down exercises.
Dr. Sands predicted 90 cases as of last Sunday which has not materialized. This is great news!
However, I expect to see a spike in infections by the 23rd of the month caused by missteps and delays of the government implementing mandatory wearing of masks in food stores and other essential services providers.
On Four new confirmed cases of COVID-19
Posted 15 April 2020, 7:30 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
How will they determine the people did not get it standing in a line outside or shopping in a grocery store? Chances are they DID get it at the grocery store or other "essential" location!
On Four new confirmed cases of COVID-19
Posted 15 April 2020, 7:16 p.m. Suggest removal
SP says...
@ TalRussell....Good point! for once I tempted possible brain damage to read and try to comprehend what you say, and I totally agree that someone should be responsible for looking after the swimming pigs and any other such excursion where animals are dependant on human interaction for survival.
On Tourism grapples with 'new normal'
Posted 15 April 2020, 7:08 p.m. Suggest removal