Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced over the weekend that the country will block the entry of US tourists as the number of US coronaviruses continues to rise.
He also announced that flights to the United States would be suspended.
The state of the pandemic in the Bahamas, Minnis said, has worsened “at an exponential rate” since the reopening of international borders, adding that its total cases amount to 153, including 49 new cases since the total reopening of borders. 1st of July.
“International commercial flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers will not be allowed to enter our borders, except for commercial flights from Canada, the United Kingdom and the European Union,” Minnis said in his speech on Sunday. “This will take effect on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 at midnight. Bahamasair will cease outbound flights to the United States of America, with immediate effect. “
Today I announced changes in international travel during my national speech. Read my full comments here: https://t.co/xBC7n9Os5G pic.twitter.com/fG8mi3wYSX
– Dr. Hubert Minnis (@minnis_dr) July 19, 2020
The Prime Minister warned that without aggressive border controls, the Bahamas’ progress in the virus could be undone “because of how citizens and residents within countries are following or ignoring health guidelines.”
Located about 50 miles northwest of the islands, Florida represents one of the Bahamas’ largest tourism markets and has become a major epicenter of the virus in the United States in recent weeks, reporting 12,478 new cases on Sunday. .
“[A]In a country we have to do what is right and necessary. If we don’t take these steps now, we will pay a higher and more deadly price later, “Minnis said in her speech. “At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we acted early to prevent widespread illness and death. We must do it one more time. “
The announcement comes after the European Union banned American travelers due to the country’s growing cases of coronavirus earlier this summer.
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