In light of the Minnis Administration’s policy which requires persons traveling domestically to present a negative COVID-19 test and quarantine for 14 days, Bahamians have questioned whether Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis took a covid test before traveling to Grand Bahama on Monday and will he enter quarantine for 14 days upon his return to New Providence.
Minnis, who announced that inter-island will resume on Wednesday, said individuals traveling from the islands including Grand Bahama, will continue to be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at their destination.
Negative COVID results are also required for persons traveling from New Providence.
In response to rabid FNM supporters who questioned if he should’ve been in quarantine during his visit to Grand Bahama this week, PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell said, “One hopes that the same FNM trolls and propaganda folks will ask the Prime Minister the same questions about his visit here today with a staff of people and whether or not it is his intention to quarantine here for 14 days.”
“Further, the question for the PLP is whether or not the Prime Minister will concede that the Leader of the Opposition has now the right to do the exact same travel patterns that he, the Prime Minister, now does when it is time for the Leader of the PLP to come here,” Mitchell said in a statement from the island.
He insisted that what is sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander.
“It is clear that the Prime Minister believes that he is free to travel the country with his entourage. Yet our MPs - the Leader who represents Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador; the Deputy Leader who represents the Exuma mainland, the Cays and Ragged Island; the Leader of Opposition Business Picewell Forbes who represents South Andros, Mangrove Cay and Central Andros - are all by these Covid regulations stuck in Nassau and unable to visit their constituencies, if these regulations are to be followed,” Mitchell added.
“It is unreasonable to ask these MPs to quarantine in their islands for 14 days to carry out their responsibilities.”
Mitchell said the Prime Minister’s visit to Grand Bahama makes the point that he has stayed there for a little over three hours and no one expects that he will put himself in quarantine as the rules require.