Potter’s Cay vendors have had no choice but to close their businesses after the Competent Authority ordered that they could not operate curbside. The area has become a virtual ghost town, leaving several business owners in financial ruins.
Potters Cay vendors, who were forced to close amid the COVID-19 pandemic, were overjoyed when Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis announced that the restaurants could operate with outdoor seating and curbside take out.
However, vendors have been constantly harassed by police officers who have chased away their customers and instructed them not to serve takeout curbside. This hardline approach has ruined the little business those struggling vendors had after months of forced closures during the pandemic.
Some of those vendors were also stuck with hefty fines for offering curbside pickup, a service the Competent Authority initially gave them permission to offer.
However, disheartened business owners have once again been told to close resulting in the loss of inventory and income.
Meanwhile, over on Mackey Street, vendors selling food and other goods in an open space on the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts compound are allowed to operate with no social distancing protocols being adhered to.
Over on Paradise Island, Anthony’s Bar and Grill is in full operation with crowds of patrons ignoring social distancing protocols. On Sundays, the restaurant’s patio is packed with customers crowding tables that do not appear to be six feet apart.
This demonstrates how the elitist Competent Authority has once again placed the average Bahamian businessman at an economic disadvantage while just one bridge away on Paradise Island, a business is allowed to flourish with no restrictions.
