PM Minnis to announce full seven-day lockdown tonight

Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis will announce a full one-week lockdown when he addresses the nation tonight at 8pm.

Some sources suggest the lockdown could take effect either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Insiders say the government has no choice but to lock the country down completely, prohibiting movement even to the food store, gas station and pharmacy to get the coronavirus crisis under control.

On Saturday, the country recorded a new daily high with 133 COVID-19 cases confirmed in one day. More than 100 of those cases were on New Providence where cases have been skyrocketing at an alarming level.

Health officials are concerned that many Bahamians are using trips to the few essential businesses open as an excuse to get out of the house and go joyriding and visit family members and friends.

They say some people still clearly aren’t taking the virus seriously even though it has infected over 1,300 people and killed 18 people, including a 37-year-old man in New Providence over the weekend.

On Friday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan said senior health officials were not ruling out a full lockdown in response to the frightening increase in cases.

“We need to have an actual functional lockdown where people aren’t actually moving around,” said Deputy CMO Dr. Delon Brennen.

“There’s no real reason for us to see what appears to be the same amount of movement and traffic that you would on a day when school is open,” he added.