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VOLUME:117 No.112, MAY 6TH, 2020
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GOING ALONE
PM takes over ‘interim’ Health role in wake of Sands standing down By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will temporarily serve as Minister of Health, Cabinet Office announced yesterday in a terse press statement. The revelation of who will succeed Dr Duane Sands as health minister came much later in the day than expected. It was not until late in the evening following a lengthy cabinet session that the Cabinet Office released two sentences on the matter. After announcing his acceptance of Dr Sands’ resignation letter on Monday, Dr Minnis said he would “make a further statement on this matter (on Tuesday), including on who will serve as Minister of Health.”
However, outside of the announcement about the new health minister, there was no other comment about the controversy that led to Dr Sands’ ouster from Cabinet. Dr Minnis served as health minister in the last Ingraham administration from 2007 to 2012. Dr Sands laid low yesterday and did not answer The Tribune’s calls. However, on his Facebook page he posted a five-minute video featuring film and photographs from his time as health minister. Pointedly, the video began with footage of him during a radio interview in which he said: “In each of those events, you learn a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more but that doesn’t mean that
PROGESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip “Brave” Davis called for explanations from the ministers of aviation, immigration and finance, saying former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands did not act alone in allowing Americans to disembark in the county. At the party’s monthly press conference yesterday, Mr Davis said there are still many questions to answer regarding the six American permanent
TEENAGER DIES IN DAY OF DOUBLE MURDER
SEE PAGE FIVE
By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
residents bringing COVID19 test kits and being able to quarantine at home last week, which Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis called a breach in protocol. The debacle resulted in Dr Sands leaving his post. The incident infuriated many Bahamians as the border was closed to citizens abroad until Dr Minnis recently announced efforts for them to come back home. Still, individuals would need to test negative for COVID-19 before
SEE PAGE FOUR
THE number of confirmed COVID-19 cases jumped by five to 89 yesterday, health officials said. Three of the new cases are in Bimini with one each in New Providence and Grand Bahama. The latest cases came days after West Grand Bahama and Bimini MP Pakeisa Parker-Edgecombe called for a two-week lockdown of Bimini to stop the spread of the disease. Bimini now has 11 confirmed cases, New Providence has 69, Grand Bahama has eight while there is one case in Cat Cay. The newest cases include: Case #85, a 60-year-old New Providence woman; Case #86, a 25-year-old Bimini man; Case #87, a SEE PAGE THREE
DAVIS: FORMER MINISTER DID NOT ACT ON HIS OWN By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
SETBACK AS FIVE MORE CASES TEST POSITIVE
JUMPIN’ JACK (DANIEL’S)
PEOPLE were yesterday celebrating the fact they could buy alcohol.
Photo: Foots The Rapper
TWO people were killed in separate incidents yesterday, including a 17-year-old boy in Fox Hill. The first incident occurred around 8am when, according to Chief Superintendent Shanta Knowles, police received reports of gunshots being fired on Rahming Street, Fox Hill. She said police who arrived on scene found a young man who had been shot multiple times. Paramedics were called and pronounced the victim dead. CSP Knowles said police were told that the victim had been approached by a lone gunman who SEE PAGE TWO
EU BLACKLISTS OVER MONEY LAUNDERING By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
ATTORNEY General Carl Bethel yesterday said it was “especially distressing” that Europe appears to have ignored The Bahamas’ “herculean efforts” in preparing to again blacklist this nation. He said it was “especially questionable” that the European Commission is targeting the country for alleged deficiencies in its anti-financial crime regime
AG Carl Bethel when the global standardsetter on these issues had earlier this year placed
The Bahamas on the path to “exit” its own oversight process. Speaking after reports emerged that the European Commission intends to blacklist The Bahamas this Thursday, Mr Bethel said the bloc seemed to be ignoring its own guidelines that a country’s standing with the Financial Action Task Force would weigh heavily in determining whether it is included on the list.
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
ALICIA WALLACE
MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS ON RESIGNATION SEE PAGE EIGHT
PAGE 2, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
FIRST MURDER SCENE
LEFT: CHARITE JOSEPH, father of the deceased, speaking following the death of his son, Jason Joseph, pictured right. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
Teenager dies in day of double murder from page one
opened fire on him “before running towards Cox Street and getting into a small Nissan vehicle” and escaping. The victim’s family identified him as 17-year-old Jason Joseph. CSP Knowles appealed for members of the “tightknight” community to assist in the investigation by providing information. The murder occurred while the country is currently under a 24-hour curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19. Asked if
there is a concern crime will increase when the curfew is relaxed, CSP Knowles said the fear is always there, but police will continue to beef up patrols. “We have our patrols on the street,” said CSP Knowles, who was recently promoted to head of the Central Detective Unit. “We have numerous officers and we will continue to beef up our patrols in all areas. Not just the Fox Hill (area), but in every area so that we can prevent if possible anything from happening.” When The Tribune
arrived on the scene, the victim was in a body bag in front of a house as residents stood around in disbelief. The victim’s father, Charité Joseph 61, was visibly affected by the tragedy. He said he last spoke with his son about 20 minutes before hearing he had been shot dead. “I say why my son dead? I just talk to him,” he said. “I don’t know why Jason dead just like that. I work hard for my son…..I spend money, $200, every month for Jason. He have 17 years, he dead just like that!” Jason was a student at
Doris Johnson High School, but was kicked out in the 11th grade his father said. Asked if he thought his son would still be alive if he had not been kicked out, his father said he is unsure if Jason would have focused on his education. Still his father said he was confused about why someone would want to murder his son. About ten hours later, a man was stabbed to death off Nassau Street. Police said shortly before 6pm, three men were at McQuay Street when they got into a fight. The fight
escalated, resulting in one man being stabbed. He was pronounced dead by paramedics on scene. His cousin, Charlotte Williams, identified him as Jeffrey Fowler, a janitor in his 40s. She said she was shocked by the killing, describing the victim as a family man who did not bother with anyone. “I just spoke to him two days ago, just two days ago,” she told reporters. “It’s going to be hard, it’s really going to be hard. You could understand if someone was a
troublemaker who deserve what they get because they say you live by the sword you die by the sword, but if a person they don’t live by the sword and die by the sword, you have a problem with (that). He ain’t even a fighting person, he don’t fight.” The killings brought the homicide count to 23 for the year, according to The Tribune’s records. Anyone with information should call police at 5029991 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS (8477). . Editorial View - Page 6
SECOND MURDER SCENE
THE SCENE at McQuay Street off Nassau Street yesterday evening where a man was stabbed to death. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 3
Setback as five more cases test NETWORK positive OF FOOD
from page one
BAHAMAS Feeding Network distributed a large amount of grocery bags yesterday. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
36-year-old Bimini man; Case #88, a 15-year-old Bimini girl and Case #89, a 50-year-old woman from Grand Bahama. All of the cases have no history of travel and are in isolation at home. The rise in cases came days after Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the relaxation of some COVID-19 measures. Phase 1B of reopening the economy, which began Monday, allowed businesses, including liquor stores, to provide goods
and services through delivery and curbside pickup during weekdays while construction will be allowed Monday through Friday. Home and hardware stores, nurseries and auto part stores — which can allow customers in stores on specified days — are now allowed to expand their services by offering curbside pick-up and delivery throughout the week. Additionally, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay resumed normal commercial activity
Monday, however, Dr Minnis stressed that curfew and lockdown measures in these areas, like all Family Islands, remain in effect. Meanwhile, health officials said they are following the condition of the other current COVID-19 positive cases. The Ministry of Health also reminded people who have been told to quarantine at home not to leave their residence until the isolation period is over. Failure to remain in quarantine could lead to a $20,000 fine or up to five years imprisonment.
PPE SUPPLIER COMPLAINS ABOUT ‘UNFAIR’ TREATMENT
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net
A LOCAL supplier of personal protective equipment is appealing to the Office of the Prime Minister to be given the same consideration and treatment they believes is given to larger companies in clearing PPE shipments. Eduardo Collie, partner of Bahari and Odav & Co, said for the past six weeks his company has tried to clear a shipment of PPE but to no avail. “It’s unfair that small
businesses don’t get the same treatment as the big businesses in this country,” Mr Collie said. “Other big companies have been importing these medical supplies and have not been going through this. Bahari is the most patriotic business in this country. We are Bahamian born, Bahamian educated and this is our right. We have thousands of PPEs on the island ready to be released and thousands more on the way and we can’t get them.” Mr Collie said his company went to collect the shipment and customs
officers advised that the company had to get authorisation from the Office of the Prime Minister to clear it. “We have sent countless emails to the Office of the Prime Minister, the Public Hospitals Authority and the Customs Department and no one has responded. So we decided to go in person. We went to the Office of the Prime Minister, we were then directed to go to the Public (Hospitals) Authority who told us we have to go to (Department of) Customs. We went to (Department of) Customs and were redirected to
where we started which is the Office of the Prime Minister.” Mr Collie said the sooner his company can get this authorisation, they can move on with their business. “In the emergency order there are no restrictions on import on PPEs,” Mr Collie continued. “The only restriction is that the supplies have to be sold to medical personnel and that is who we plan on selling them to. So I cannot understand why we have to get approval from the Office of the Prime Minister and why the six week hold up. Customs seem
to be operating out of its scope. No one is communicating with us. In the meantime the shipment is sitting there and we cannot do business.” When contacted, a communications official at OPM said Mr Collie’ should contact the Department of Cutoms. The Bahari partner continued: “We have about six storefronts and only one is open. We have to pay rent for all of these places. It’s already a struggling time so why do this to us? We need to do business.” The PPE shipment contains surgical masks, gowns,
face shields and gloves, he said. Mr Collie said that there was an order of reusable masks he graciously cancelled because the prime minister prohibited the import of the item because of manufacturing of the same by local artisans. Mr Collie said this has disrupted his company’s business and “brought chaos to an already bad situation”. He released a statement about the matter on social media recently, with the hope of it getting attention and bringing some relief to the situation.
MAN CHARGED WITH CURFEW VIOLATION
By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A 38-YEAR-OLD-MAN was yesterday charged with violating the lockdown and being in possession of instruments for burglary . Elliot Smith appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence Rolle-Davis after officers found him in the Yellow Elder Elder area with a hammer and knife on the night of May 3. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was fined $500
or three months in prison for being outdoors during the lockdown and another $100 or 15 days in prison for being in possession of housebreaking instruments at night. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court on the night in question, officers arrested Smith after finding him with the weapons near Government High School (GHS). During an interview under caution with police the next day, Smith admitted to violating
the lockdown and told the officers he had only done so because he just wanted to get out of the house. Still, he said he only carried the weapons with him for “protection” and had no plans to use them to commit a crime. During the hearing, Smith told Magistrate Rolle-Davis that he acted out of frustration because his “family thought that he was crazy” and needed to be admitted to Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC). He said he only left the house that
night because his family didn’t want him around and insisted that he only took the knife and hammer with him for self-defence. Smith also told the magistrate that he was in a “tough situation” because he was not working. As a result, Smith was given until July 7 to pay the fines. Still, Magistrate Rolle-Davis said if he failed to do so within the allotted time, he would spend three months and 15 days in prison.
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PAGE 4, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
FLIGHT FIASCO
Sands didn’t act on his own - Davis from page one
arrival and be in a quarantine facility guarded by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, officials have said. The PLP leader said it was imperative for the prime minister and his ministers to “fully account to the Bahamian people and answer truthfully these questions.” “What I’m saying is it is very difficult to believe that Dr Sands acted alone and the mere fact of all the ministries that had to be involved for the end result of the matter,” he said. “It gives me comfort... that others ought to have known or should have known and if they don’t know they were negligent in their own duties.” He explained: “We believe that there are other ministers who have to explain and account for what happened in this matter. “The persons who entered had to get the permission of the Civil Aviation Authority, the Immigration Department and the Customs Department. This means that the ministers of aviation, immigration and finance have explanations to give to the country for their conduct or for the conduct of their departments.” According to the Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador MP, the attorney general must say whether or not the law was broken in the circumstances. He questioned what export laws of another country were violated by transporting the COVID-19 tests into The Bahamas. The Tribune previously reported that former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe connected Dr Sands with donors who supplied 2,500 test swabs that cost $11,250, prompting an effort by the health minister to get the swabs here. Dr Sands got approval from Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for a N-578GC aircraft to deliver
PROGESSIVE Liberal Party leader Philip Davis the supplies to the country. He then got the go ahead from Immigration Director Clarence Russell for the passengers. Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands officials had been insisting that people coming to the country provide a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry. The Freetown MP deferred to the health minister to make the call and Dr Sands allowed the passengers entry without testing them. The residents were not tested until last Thursday, a day after they arrived in the country. They have tested negative for the virus, the prime minister has said. With this knowledge, there are some asking for Mr D’Aguilar to step down as well. In regards to Mr Wilchcombe’s part in the matter, Mr Davis had little to say about his PLP colleague. “If Mr Wilchcombe, as a citizen, provided Dr Sands with information, I don’t know if that goes any further than that. I don’t know the context they spoke from what I’ve seen. It appears that Mr Wilchcombe would’ve made the introduction and that was about it,” he said. In the wake of this controversy, some have questioned if it was appropriate for Dr Sands to resign during a pandemic. Despite Dr Sands’
capabilities, Mr Davis said one must face the consequences. He explained: “….For him to continue in the post of minister of health would not be the message they’re sending to the country as a whole. So we have to balance what we think about his worth with the balance of what I call the overall common good which relates to good governance and I think good governance trumps the belief of what he could have done for the country.” While he was minister of works during the last Christie administration, Mr Davis was accused of misleading Parliament over a Bahamas Agriculture and Marine Science (BAMSI) matter in which he made two conflicting statements in the House of Assembly. The Free National Movement, the opposition party then, demanded his immediate resignation. When this was brought up, Mr Davis defended himself, saying he did not mislead Parliament, adding that the score was settled by the 2017 general election. “What general elections are for - to settle all scores,” he said. “They would’ve brought all those issues up during the course of the election campaign and perhaps I’m here. So at least my constituents understood and accepted my view of the situation.”
‘TIME FOR A NON-MEDICAL PERSON TO RUN HEALTH’
AFTER Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis accepted the resignation of his Minister of Health, Dr Duane Sands, readers posted their views on tribune242.com. Joeblow had this to say: “It may be time for a non-medical person (a businessman probably) to fill the Minister of Health position. Specialists in that position generally do not do a good job, and certainly have not in this current crisis and it’s really the Chief Medical Officer and staff that deal with the kind of medical situations we have at present anyway. The PM should not attempt to fill this position since his incompetence has already been shown with the multiple gaffes he made issuing ‘emergency’ orders!” Proguing said: “Not the best idea to let go the minister of health in the middle of a pandemic. Several ministers from previous governments did a lot worse and remained at their post until they were removed in a general election.” Fletcher935 posted this comment: “So a good man with stellar academic and leadership credentials is being forced to give up his portfolio because he tried to do the right thing for the country? Sound judgment should always
trump protocol. A visionary and a true patriot such as this Minister should be applauded. Hopefully, this unfortunate episode does not sour this good physician on public service because he has so much to offer. I am sure that he will land on his feet, but I think we as a nation are worse off today than we were yesterday.” There was this from Lovingbahamas: “I am afraid that Dr Sands needing these swabs shows what a dire situation the Bahamas is in for testing and tracing. Not that anybody is admitting that since there is no transparency. They can’t even test health care workers. Dr Sands knew it was a risk but a risk he had to take to possibly save lives. But, if you want to talk about REALLY dire situations, just imagine another hurricane wiping out another island like Abaco and everyone forced to go to Nassau during a fall COVID outbreak. That would be a real disaster. And, seeing the lack of government response in Abaco, the future is very dark. And, with COVID,
there won’t be any NGOs around to help. A disaster in the making.” BONEFISH said: “Dr Sands did the honourable thing. He resigned to take responsibility for the breech in protocol. He is just following the Westminster model of governance. In a way, he is a scapegoat. Other persons were aware of this breach. The media here just don’t do investigative journalism, they just print press statements. “His resignation does not prevent him from serving as a cabinet minister in the future. I know he will serve as cabinet minister again in the future. There is a precedent in this. Sir Winston Churchill resigned as a cabinet minister being held as a scapegoat. He came back as a minister in several ministries, ultimately becoming party leader of the Conservatives and serving as prime minister.” And in The Tribune’s online poll, we’re asking readers if they agree with Dr Duane Sands’ decision to offer his resignation. At the time of going to press, the majority of those voting – 80 percent – said they did NOT agree with Dr Sands’ decision. The poll is still open so don’t miss your chance to vote and join the conversation on tribune242.com.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 5
FLIGHT FIASCO By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd said yesterday he was saddened to learn about the resignation of former Minister of Health Dr Duane Sands, saying the country will forever be indebted to him for his great contributions to Bahamian society. Calling the Elizabeth MP a man whom he’ll always love and respect, Mr Lloyd said he wished Dr Sands and his family nothing but the best. He said: “Well, of course, I’m very sad that such a tremendously gifted, talented and servant of the people who has contributed so much to the country over this lifetime (has resigned from Cabinet). And as a member of this Cabinet, at these turn of events, I’m extraordinarily grateful to Duane Sands who is my brother and friend whom I love and respect and admire tremendously for his commitment to this country. I’m grateful and
I’m sad - our country’s lost a gifted servant, says Lloyd the country is indebted to him for his contributions so there’s no question about that. Naturally, in these certain circumstances, there is an understandable and palatable grief, certainly in my heart and he has been a stalwart of a contributor in this land.” He added that he did not know all the details leading to Dr Sands’ resignation aside from what has been published in the media. “I don’t know the circumstances except that which has been shared and I can only say to him and his family, (I wish them) the absolute best,” he told reporters ahead of a Cabinet meeting. Mr Lloyd was the only Cabinet minister who spoke
MINISTER: Jeff Lloyd to reporters yesterday in depth concerning the controversial issue, which made headlines this week. The controversy has shocked some observers, with many calling Dr Sands’ resignation “a major blow” to the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, when asked by
reporters for their thoughts about the issue, many Cabinet ministers refused to comment. Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Lanisha Rolle would only say she was “hurt” by the ordeal. Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Ellsworth Johnson said: “I have nothing to say, but Dr Sands is a decent and good man.” Mr Johnson also declined to address the Director of Immigration’s role in the episode. The Tribune understands Immigration Director Clarence Russell approved the passengers’ arrival after Dr Sands reached out to him, saying the country needed the supplies badly. Asked if he would have
accepted Dr Sands’ resignation if he were prime minister, the education minister replied: “I am not in the PM’s position and I cannot act as if I am in the PM’s position so I cannot say anything to that degree. “I can only speak to my own personal and I presume the members of our team as to how we this morning would’ve awakened and now negotiate what we now know to be the facts of life.” However, Mr Lloyd pledged that the government is still committed to serving the Bahamian people. He said: “Of course, as government, we will continue to serve the Bahamian people and I’ve said many numbers of times
that any decision that we make, every decision that we make is made with one objective because we have one client and that is for the highest good of the Bahamian people, every decision. “And we’ve been honest, we’ve been transparent, we’ve been sincere and as you can see, we have also been accountable and I can say without any fear of contradiction that not a single political organisation in this country can say the same except the Free National Movement.” Dr Sands is the second Cabinet minister to resign this term, after former Immigration Minister Brent Symonette resigned last year.
PM takes over ‘interim’ Health role in wake of Sands standing down PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis served as health minister in the last Ingraham administration
from page one you know everything…As long as when you go to bed at night you can say you know I have honestly done the best that I could do to acknowledge the things that you did wrong and attempt to correct them, you can’t do no better than that and you got to be willing to let the chips fall where they may.” Sources close to him told The Tribune he is determined not to let the COVID-19 flight fiasco signal the end to his political career and is expected to focus on the Elizabeth constituency. The Elizabeth MP offered his resignation to Dr Minnis for his actions related to six permanent residents who landed in the country last week with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before they produced a negative COVID-19 test result. Former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe connected Dr Sands with donors who supplied 2,500 test swabs that cost $11,250, prompting an effort by the health minister to get
FORMER MINISTER PUTS ON A VIDEO SHOW
the swabs here. Dr Sands got approval from Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for a N-578GC aircraft to deliver the supplies to the country. He then contacted Immigration Director Clarence Russell who arranged his requests for the passengers. The controversial episode is not the first time people have been allowed to disembark in the country since Dr Minnis implemented a lockdown several weeks ago, though officials have resisted telling this newspaper exactly how many have been granted entry since the lockdown began. Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands officials had been insisting that people coming to the country provide a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry. The Freetown MP deferred to the health minister to make the call and Dr Sands allowed the passengers entry without testing them. During his national address on Sunday, Dr Minnis suggested this was at least part of the breach––the residents were allowed entry without being tested.
DR Sands yesterday posted a five-minute video on his Facebook page featuring film and photographs from his time as health minist. Here are some grabs of what you can see...
Editorial View - Page 6
WE SUPPORT OUR MP 110%, SAYS BRANCH CHAIR
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
PAMELA Hart, chairman of the Free National Movement’s Elizabeth constituency branch, reacted with sadness to Dr Duane Sands’ resignation from Cabinet and vowed the group will continue to support him as its MP. Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis’ acceptance of Dr Sands’ resignation on Monday shocked many FNM supporters, sparking fears of disunity and turbulence ahead. Many prominent FNM figures have declined to discuss the matter but Ms Hart said she supports Dr Sands “110 percent.” “At the end of the day whatever decision our member of Parliament
decides to do we will support him 110 percent,” she said. “We have his back no matter what. He was doing an awesome job. He goes beyond the call of duty. I am saddened.” Ms Hart declined to say if she believes Dr Sands should remain a robust supporter of the FNM. “At this point I would not answer that, honestly,” she said when asked. Xavier Knowles, a young FNM supporter and former youth officer for the Elizabeth branch, said he is unhappy Dr Minnis accepted Dr Sands’ resignation. “I am truly saddened by what has transpired because Dr Sands was a really good minister of health,” he said. “As a constituent I am pleased with his performance on
the constituency level and national level and I’m sure there are many others who will agree in saying he has served his constituency well and will continue doing so and that he has a bright future ahead. “I wasn’t happy that (Dr Minnis) accepted the resignation but I know that the prime minister has a job to do and a country to run and hopefully the work of the Ministry of Health will be placed in capable hands to continue the fight against COVID and to transform the healthcare sector of the country.” Mr Knowles said in his view “FNMs and Bahamians in general are quite disturbed” by what has happened. “They are saddened by what has transpired because they know that Dr Sands
was performing at the best of his ability to ensure that we as a country win this fight against COVID-19 but they understand that that’s just how things work. The prime minister is the prime minister.” The Elizabeth MP offered his resignation to Dr Minnis for his actions related to six permanent residents who landed in the country last week with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before they produced a negative COVID-19 test result. Former Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe connected Dr Sands with donors who supplied 2,500 test swabs that cost $11,250, prompting an effort by the health minister to get the swabs here.
Dr Sands got approval from Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar for a N-578GC aircraft to deliver the supplies to the country. He then got approval from Immigration Director Clarence Russell for the passengers. Mr D’Aguilar told Dr Sands officials had been insisting that people coming to the country provide a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry. The Freetown MP deferred to the health minister to make the call and Dr Sands allowed the passengers entry without testing them. During his national address on Sunday, Dr Minnis suggested this was at least part of the protocol breach––the residents were allowed entry without being tested. Dr Sands initially said
only two people had been allowed to disembark in the country. Dr Minnis later revealed it was six. He said they have tested negative for the virus. Even up to Sunday evening, Dr Sands was defiant about the controversy. At that time, he told this newspaper he was shocked at “how far to the left” the conversation over the matter had gone. “When you’re trying to solve problems for the public, sometimes it requires to dig deep, to beg and we’ve done a lot of begging based on relationships that you have established over the years with individuals and institutions and universities and countries. It’s called networking. Failing that, you cannot mount a response,” he said Sunday.
PAGE 6, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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Are the borders open to some but not to all? AFTER a long day of waiting to find out who the new Minister of Health would be, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis revealed there was only one man for the job – himself! It’s not quite what we imagined when he announced he would make a statement on “who will serve as Minister of Health”. If anything, it adds to the sense that there hasn’t been a clear plan of action since the now-departed Minister of Health, Dr Duane Sands, said last week that he took responsibility for the decision to allow two Americans – that he later discovered to be a family of six – into the country along with a donation to COVID-19 supplies. Dr Minnis knew that position before he made his national address on Sunday – when he said Dr Sands would make an announcement the following day. The whole process since then – a reportedly false letter saying Dr Minnis was not going to accept the resignation, Dr Sands then offering his resignation and it being accepted, all conducted in short statements without greater explanation – leaves more questions in the air than answers. In looking at what led to Dr Sands’ departure, what stands out is the lack of questions asked before the flight – even to not knowing how many people were on the plane and wanting to come into the country. It’s a lack of dotting the i’s and crossing
the t’s, a lack of making sure that things were done the right way. In the time between Dr Minnis speaking on Sunday and his appointment of himself as interim minister last night, the public has been left to wonder precisely what has gone on. The two statements from the Prime Minister were 50 words or less each but even within the second of those statements, they had the coat of arms on backwards! In addition to the six Americans in the flight fiasco, suggestions are being raised that others have come in despite the boundaries reportedly being shut. The names that have been suggested include famous or wealthy individuals. It adds to the concern that if you have the right phone number or the right contact, you can get in while other Bahamians are left waiting in the US to be allowed back. If the reason for accepting Dr Sands’ resignation was because he breached the protocol for allowing people into the country, it must be made very clear whether any other flights met that protocol – and if not, who arranged them and what the consequences are for those individuals. In warning about COVID-19, Dr Sands warned last month that it could kill “rich or poor”. If the virus can treat people alike, then why can’t we? So far, 11 people have died and a minister has resigned. Surely that’s enough.
Two lives were lost yesterday. One 17-year-old boy shot dead. One man in his 40s stabbed. It is a grim reminder that while the country wrestles with COVID-19, the underlying issues have not gone away. We do not know the reasons yet for these crimes, but we know the problems the country faces with crime, poverty and homicides.
Each crime took place despite a 24-hour curfew monitored by police. Each served as a warning of the problems that will return. Some of those issues will be magnified – poverty will only have increased. As much as the focus remains on defeating this virus, we must be very conscious not to forget the other problems our country faces.
A deadly reminder
Saddened to see Dr Sands resign EDITOR, The Tribune KINDLY allow me space in your valuable paper to express my opinion on learning about the resignation of Dr Duane Sands, the Honourable Minister of Health. I was saddened when I tuned in to the evening news broadcast last night (May 4, 2020) and heard that Health Minister, Dr Duane Sands had resigned his position as Minister of Health. According to the Minister this was necessary because of a decision he had made to allow two of our citizens into the country with some twenty five hundred (2,500) needed tests kits. However, six members of this family landed in New Providence. They were tested negative and then sent into quarantine. He claimed to have apologized to the Prime Minister for breaching the law. Let us now take a look at St. John 8:3 where the woman was caught in the act of adultery and brought to the temple where Jesus was by the Scribes and Pharisees. They reminded Him of Moses Law which
gave a penalty of being stoned to death if one was caught in the act. Thank God for Grace. Our Lord did not even look up at them but simply wrote on the ground, ‘He who is without sin among you let him throw the first stone’. His statement sent all of them away leaving Jesus and the woman. This remark made the Scribes and Pharisees examine themselves causing them to have a conscience. We all have flaws and from my observation you, along with the COVID19 team, was an excellent one and I believe you and Doctor Sands were both selected by God to serve at this time. Prime Minister I am persuaded that this matter could be reconciled in a better way other than a resignation of the Minister. I believe you are a complement to each other since he would have had more time to not only listen to what is going on around the world but to also research to see which plan he believes is better and why, for the Bahamian people before he passes it on to
you so we can stop or curtail the covid-19 pandemic. Sir, the issue at hand does not appear to be the nonclearance of arrival of the additional four persons. It appears to be more than meets the eye. The story stated above seems to be teaching us that human beings are more important than laws. Let us step back and take a look at ourselves. We should and must practice forgiveness, which is a good seed to sow. In conclusion, with the help of almighty God you are all giving COVID-19 a black eye which angers satan. Keep going with your team. We are all praying for you that our God will give you supernatural wisdom so that yourself with Dr Sands will continue your passion to save our people’s lives. May the God who brought us this far allow you and your team to continue to work together and bring Dr. Sands back. I pray for our God continued guidance and protection. ASK FANCI LILLIAN DEAN Nassau, May 6, 2020.
Set a plan in motion EDITOR, The Tribune
THE time is upon us to rise up from this state of paralysis caused by the Covid 19 pandemic and set a plan of action in motion to restore the health of the economy of our glorious Bahamas. Here are some ideas the government should consider: • Businesses need to get back to normal as soon as possible. If mass testing is considered the answer, then determine how corporate citizens can participate in the exercise to purchase necessary equipment and supplies to have their employees tested, so that they can open their doors as soon as possible. If the cost of testing is within reach, each company can cover the cost of testing employees. If the cost is substantial, then the employees could share in the cost and reimburse the company over a period of time, for example, a 12-month period. Employees consider it just as important for them to return to their jobs as their bosses consider it vital to save their businesses. • Employ a number of our citizens in a massive cleanup of our country, particularly New Providence. It would be good if we are able to emancipate New Providence from the filth that exists by August 2, 2021. The goal is to make The Bahamas the cleanest country on God’s green earth! Redo the airport landscaping with a “wonder-of-the-world” transformation. We could use the 75 species of bougainvillea to create an array of colours. These plants don’t need a lot of water to be maintained, and we have an abundance of fresh ground water at the airport. Repeat similar exercises at all Government facilities. The slogan may read: “For the Enjoyment of our Visitors, The Pride of our People, and the Glory of GOD”. Restore and re-occupy all dilapidated Government buildings, resulting in reduced rent bill. • With modern woodwork machines we can, particularly in the Family Islands, build furniture. Materials can be sourced from local wood such as madeira, horse flesh, lignum vitae, etc. In many
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net of the southern islands we have many school buildings and teachers’ quarters sitting idle that can be used. For example, in Long Island, there are at least six. • With modern masonry equipment, we can produce high quality stone tiles. The southern islands have an excellent quality of stones. These islands have an abundance of stones that can be utilized in the construction of residences. We need to get our structural engineers to focus on what we have naturally. • Modern garment equipment - clothing making and straw work, including sisal, can also be vital, in family southern islands in particular. Implement an annual straw work expo where retailers from the straw market could go to purchase products wholesale - no need to import from China. Food security - we must move post haste to feed ourselves to the furthest extent possible. We have done this before! – Seafood – there is no challenge, except for poachers. • Andros, Grand Bahama and Abaco can produce the fruits and vegetables. Southern islands can produce enough mutton for local consumption, but land reform is required. (There is an abundance of animal feed growing naturally). • Land reform – We must solve the generation land situation. Land is generally considered the basis of all wealth, so that we must see that the generations are able to divide their land amongst their members. In the southern islands in particular, there exists vast acreage sitting idle. • The islands can be zoned - where there is fresh water-bearing land, it should be, for the most part, for the farming of fruits and vegetables. • Regularize and legalize the production of alcoholic drinks. Alcohol can be produced from corn, watermelon, sea grapes, pigeon plums, etc. (It would be immensely enjoyed by tourists and natives alike, but standards need to be in place).
• We have many salt water ponds. With necessary science, we can explore aquaculture in these pristine locations. • We can improve our soil by mulching and composting. Gardening should be part of school curriculums. There are some schools with small gardening programmes, but in light of the pandemic, they must become a vital part of the curriculum to ensure the future of self sufficiency for the country. We can then set a timetable for us to get up to speed in our food production and then to gradually close the door on imported food supplies, especially considering that billions are spent on imports each year. Let’s introduce a “We Eat What We Produce” regime. • Develop a national diet programme, and all fast food operators must be guided by it. The idea here is an effort to get all our citizens to a state of good health. Additionally, each island could have a specialty dish, which helps with defining its identity and that of the island’s inhabitants. • The time is nigh that we start the process of preparing our people for greater autonomy in the Family Islands leading to Island States within The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The first steps in this regard would be to create a master layout of each Family Island so that development can take place in an orderly fashion. Some action can start now - such as beautification, planting trees along the roadside. • The Local Government in each Family Island to develop an agenda with a timetable of its forward movement. This agenda may be tweaked and adjusted as the circumstances dictate, but would remain constant in its principal objective, regardless of the political make up of the Local Government body. We are faced with no choice but to lean on the tenets which we believe as a people – to move “Forward, Upward and Onward, Together”. A VOICE FROM FOLLY BAY, LONG ISLAND May 4, 2029
THE TRIBUNE By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net HUMAN Rights and Environmental activist Joseph Darville says “ample hurricane shelters built on high ground” are needed to avoid the catastrophic deaths that occurred with Huirricane Dorian, warning “we better get prepared” as even stronger storms are forecasted. “I don’t see any preparation in place in terms of refuge for migrants or even residents of the Bahamas,” said Mr Darville, an executive of the Grand Bahama Human Rights Association and chairman of Save the Bays. “You know if we have another storm similar to Dorian, in light of the tidal surge, we are going to suffer an even more catastrophic situation with deaths and injuries than we did in Dorian,” he warned. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has warned The Bahamas is not ready for the 2020 hurricane season, after completing a comprehensive assessment of official and unofficial emergency shelters in Abaco and Grand Bahama found that most were unusable. The IOM determined that emergency shelter capacity is one major weakness, and “found that currently 13 of the 25 official shelters are usable, providing capacity for just over 1,500 people, or two percent of the population of Abaco and Grand Bahama.” The organisation also cited that “many of the shelters on both islands are built in vulnerable locations.” Mr Darville – who agrees with the IOM - said: “At this particular point in time there should be ample shelters constructed on high ground.” “I have been reiterating this every time I go on radio and television the fact that we must prepare and make sure there are hurricane proof up to category five plus shelters built on high ground to make sure
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 7
Darville: We need to build more hurricane shelters on high ground
PEOPLE displaced from homes destroyed by Hurricane Dorian rest in a church shelter in Abaco last year. Inset: Joseph Darville we evacuate all persons in low-lying areas. And to this particular date in time, unless it is unseen or unless it is something invisible, I cannot see any progress in that particular regard. And I think that’s probably what IOM is reflecting on,” he said. “And I would at this particular point in time agree with them that there is visibly no strategic plan in place for the protection of our people against a Category Five or stronger hurricane.”
When contacted, Iram Lewis, Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management, and Reconstruction, said government was structuring its Hurricane Preparedness Plan, based on needs assessments and bearing the effects of Hurricane Dorian in mind. “We must now adjust due to COVID-19 protocols. As soon as completed, we will advise the media and general public of the intended roll-out,” he said. Mr Darville believes that
regardless of Dorian and COVID-19, the government should have made sure there are plans put in place. “I have forgiven government on many issues, one to do with the oil spillage in East End of some 558,000 barrels of oil that were spilled in the ground and in the forest, and literally nothing has been done on the part of our government in order to alleviate the damage done from that or to make sure that this thing is cleaned up.”
“They started to clean up; they had six months to clean up, but now again in that situation, we are on the doorstep for another hurricane season and they had to suspend the cleaning, and they had one percent done and they supposed to have six months to clean so we going straight into another hurricane season. So, I excused that situation and Dorian, and generally on the basis of the preoccupation of the COVID-19. “But the fact is there
should be enough strategies within the government to make sure there are plans put in place irrespective of Dorian and irrespective of COVID-19 for the protection of our people,” he stressed. “And how that is going happen? The government is supposed to have the resources and the wherewithal and manpower in order to orchestrate this. “Now, I have a lot of regard and respect for Iram Lewis who is in charge of that particular area, but I am not sure he has been given the resources and the manpower to construct expeditiously the type of shelters we need on high ground,” said Mr Darville. “Right now, like the Chinese, you could build and elevate buildings in 10 or 15 days if you get the right amount of instruments and people involved. And so, I would say that of course, I give the government leeway because of Dorian and because of COVID-19, but the fact is we are on the doorstep of another hurricane season and they are forecast to be as strong as or even stronger, so we better get prepared,” he said.
MAN ADMITS THREATENING TO KILL NEIGHBOUR WITH CUTLASS
By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
THREE men were charged yesterday with assaulting people with dangerous instruments in three separate incidents. Kemuel Stuart, 30, appeared in Magistrate’ Court charged with assaulting his neighbour with a cutlass and threatening to take his life as well as violating the lockdown on May 2. He pleaded guilty to all three charges and was remanded to prison. Sgt Thompson said
Stewart’s neighbour, Cornell Forbes, said around 11am that day Stewart approached him with a cutlass and threatened to “chap and murder him”. As a result, Stewart was arrested and taken to the East Street South Police Station. During an interview under caution the next day, Sgt Thompson said Stewart admitted to being in an argument with the complainant and a woman over parking on his lawn. During the hearing, Stewart told the magistrate he
was a hardworking young man who had recently lost his mother in February. He also said the argument happened because his neighbours didn’t think he was going to amount to anything. As a result, Stewart was remanded into custody. Senior Magistrate Derence said he would send a note for the defendant to be evaluated while there. The case was adjourned to July 23. Another man - William Major, 66 - appeared before Magistrate Rolle-Davis
charged with assaulting two security officers with his 2002 Chevrolet truck on April 28. He pleaded guilty but was discharged after the magistrate discovered the statements given by the two complainants contradicted each other. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court around 8.05am on the day in question, Jullian Farrington told officers that a male in a truck had tried to knock him and Kieto Kerr down near Tonique Williams Darling Highway. Sgt
TWO CHARGED WITH SEPARATE DRUG OFFENCES By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
TWO men were charged with drug possession in separate incidents in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. James McCartney, 23, appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis after officers seized two ounces of Indian hemp from him around 6.20pm on April 28. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was ordered to attend an outpatient programme at the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre (SRC). Prosecutor Kenny Thompson told the court on the day in question, officers
were on mobile patrol in the Coral Lakes area when they observed two vehicles at a nearby park. The officers approached one of the vehicles and asked three male occupants to exit the car. They then informed them that they would be searching them in reference to dangerous drugs and firearms. Sgt Thompon said while searching one of the males, officers found suspected marijuana in his waistband. The suspect was identified as James McCartney. When interviewed at the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), he admitted to the offence and said that he had bought the drugs from a male in Gambier for $150.
During the hearing, McCartney was represented by attorney Tonique Lewis. She told Magistrate RolleDavis that her client was a young male with a clean record. She also noted that he was remorseful for his actions and asked the court to exercise leniency when imposing a penalty. Meanwhile, Marcellus Pratt, 28, was also charged after officers seized two clear Ziploc bags containing suspected marijuana from his pants pockets on April 22. He also pleaded guilty and was ordered to attend an outpatient programme at SRC. Sgt Thompson said around 4.10pm that afternoon, officers were on
mobile patrol near Grenada Crescent when they observed a male riding a motorcycle. They beckoned for the cyclist to stop and searched him. Once the drugs were found, Pratt was arrested and taken to the DEU where he admitted to buying the drugs through a corner off Baillou Hill Road. Pratt was represented by attorney Ian Cargill. He told Magistrate Rolle-Davis that his client cooperated at the police station and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. He also said that Pratt was making plans to attend university abroad and asked the magistrate to consider counselling instead of a custodial sentence.
WOMAN ADMITS DAMAGING EX-BOYFRIEND’S CAR By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A WOMAN was charged yesterday with damaging her ex-boyfriend’s car after she found him at home with two naked women. Malanda Francois, 21, appeared before Senior Magistrate Derence RolleDavis charged with one count of damage after she broke the front windshield of Chino Dean’s 2002 Ford Focus coupe on September
9, 2019. She pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay Mr Dean $376.88 to compensate for his broken windshield. Prosecutor Kenny Thompson said on the day in question, Mr Dean came to the station to report that his ex-girlfriend had come to his residence on foot and vandalised his car with a large stone, causing his windshield to shatter. Sgt Thompson said Mr Dean
also claimed Francois kicked his right mirror and stabbed all of his tyres. As a result, Francois was arrested and taken to the Grove Police Station. During an interview with police, she admitted to damaging Mr Dean’s windshield. During the hearing, Francois denied kicking Mr Dean’s mirror and slashing his tyres. Instead, she told Magistrate Rolle-Davis she had only broken his
windshield because the two had been dating for three years and she had come home that day and met him in the house with two naked women. After ordering Francois to repay Mr Dean for the car damage, Magistrate Rolle-Davis also urged the defendant to “keep the peace” with her ex-boyfriend. He told her if she happened to see Mr Dean on the left, she should turn and go right.
Thompson said both men requested police action, which resulted in Major’s arrest. When taken to a nearby police station to be interviewed, Major denied the allegations. During the hearing, Major was represented by attorney Ian Cargill, who told Magistrate Rolle-Davis that the incident had come out of a misunderstanding. Mr Cargill explained his client was given some tyres by a friend at the city dump. He said at the time, the security guards had tried to take the tyres
away from Major so he “pulled off and left”. Mr Cargill insisted Major was extremely remorseful for his actions and asked the magistrate to refrain from imposing a custodial sentence. As a result, the case was dismissed. Leroy Sweeting, 26, was also charged with assaulting a woman with a cutlass on May 3. He denied the allegation and the matter was adjourned to June 30 for trial. He was denied bail and remanded to prison in the interim.
PAGE 8, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
WE’RE NOT ALL IN THE SAME BOAT - SOME DON’T EVEN HAVE A BOAT
EVEN when urged to make appropriate plans, the government has failed to effectively make provisions for vulnerable people. This has resulted in people breaking the curfew to get food. We can look down on people and pretend to be superior, saying these people should have planned better, or we could face the facts. Many of us recently saw a video of Speaker of the House and Member of Parliament for Nassau Village Halson Moultrie demonstrating the use of a newly installed water pump in his constituency. He seemed to marvel at the idea that constituents would be able to access clean water by visiting this pump. If people are still using these pumps, do you not
think some people do not have the means to store food, or even safely prepare it? Contrary to what common slogans say, we are not all in the same boat. We are in the same storm and everyone does not even have a boat. Some have been tossed from a boat without a raft or life jacket. It is not that these lifesaving supplies do not exist, but the crew could not be bothered to furnish them and other passengers are far too concerned with their own affairs. Those who cannot swim and find nothing to cling to will drown. Numerous people have been arrested, taken to court and punished for “breaking curfew” when they have nowhere to go. Equality Bahamas has been calling
The
Alicia Wallace column NO ONE was pleased when news broke that two permanent residents were allowed to enter Nassau early last week while the borders were closed. It was said these people brought 2500 COVID-19 testing swabs – not testing kits – which were donations. We do not know why the swabs had to be accompanied or how the situation turned into an all-or-nothing deal where the passengers on the cargo plane had to be allowed to remain in the country or the government would not get the muchneeded swabs. It also remains unclear why the Minister of Health was the person to make the decision on whether or not the country would accept the people and the swabs. Days later, the Prime Minister said it came to his attention that six people came on the flight and were allowed to remain and the Minister of Health would make a statement on the following day. What we received on Monday was notification of Sands’ resignation and, hours later, Minnis’ acceptance of that resignation. There are still questions that need to be answered, among them: 1. How did the plane get to Nassau without the competent authority and other appointed actors knowing exactly who and what was on board? 2. What role did the Ministries of Tourism & Aviation and Immigration play? 3. How did Sands become
the decision-maker on this issue? 4. Who decided that Sands was responsible for making this decision? 5. Was it assumed the swabs would not be donated if the people on the plane were not allowed to disembark, or did the passengers make the swabs a bargaining chip at best, a bribe at worst? Why was this behaviour rewarded? 6. Why didn’t Sands know how many people were on the plane? Who had this information and why was it withheld? It is unfortunate that it has come to this. It is undeniable Sands made a bad call. Bahamians were told for weeks they would not be allowed to enter the country. When it was finally announced that arrangements were being made for people to return to The Bahamas, there were stipulations including COVID-19 testing before being allowed to board a flight and quarantining in a government facility guarded by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. It is insulting – and an issue of class – that six unexpected permanent residents, under the guise of making a donation, were allowed to disembark a cargo plane, remain in The Bahamas and quarantine at home. It was later announced that returning Bahamians would have the same option. This does not solve the issue. It is not impressive that the legal restrictions can be adjusted after being
for the government to focus on the vulnerable in its COVID-19 response to ensure they would not be left out or, worse, further disadvantaged. It was good to see that Bishop Walter Hanchell of Great Commission Ministries called on the government to release unhoused people who were imprisoned for breaking the curfew. Non-governmental organizations, Members of Parliament, religious organizations and the general public need to give this as much attention as the Sands swab saga and reopening of liquor stores. People should not be locked up or fined for not having a home or enough food. The response of the Minister of Social Services, as always, left
much to be desired. He called on unhoused people to try and reunite with their families – quite similar to his message to abusers – or to go to Social Services to request assistance. It would have made sense for him to call on law enforcement officers to contact the Department when picking up unhoused people so that appropriate arrangements could be made. It would have been sensible for him to have a conversation with the Minister of National Security and the “competent authority” about the impact the emergency order is having on vulnerable people and to, with their participation, develop a plan to ensure that people experiencing poverty or homelessness are not
criminalized because of their current situation. Equality Bahamas specifically noted this pressing issue in letters to the Prime Minister, Attorney General, Minister of Social Services and Director of Gender and Family Affairs weeks ago. It cannot be said they did not know, that no one said anything, or that they did not know what to do about it. It was plainly stated in the guidelines for feminist policy in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The issue seems to be, as in many situations that do not directly affect government officials, they just do not care. It is on advocates, community leaders and members of the public to speak up. Please, say something.
More questions than answers which Sands’ resignation does not make go away
IT is undeniable that former Health Minister Duane Sands made a bad call
broken to accommodate permanent residents. There are more questions than answers here and the resignation does not make it all go away. We have lost an effective Minister of Health who, in his view, stood by his oath when he chose to do what needed to be done to access the swabs we needed. If he had not done that, he likely would have come under fire. There was no way for him to win and we have to wonder who set it up this way? Too many people have gotten away with their part in this. Why is Sands the only one to pay? When will we care as much about the Bahamian people as we do about partisanship and punishment? At least Sands can afford to accept his penalty. Perhaps we can turn our attention, with the same energy, to the people who cannot afford to pay the cost of not having enough.
HARD TO DETERMINE WHO IS - OR ISN’T BREAKING THE CURFEW THE economy is being reopened. The decision to move into Phase 1B is interesting particularly as the Ministry of Health, while showing graphs and casually stating it seems as though we have been successful in flattening the curve, has not indicated we are in a position to relax restrictions. Recently, we had a statement from the Ministry of Health which advised us that community spread was still occurring, too many people were moving about as normal and we may need to increase restrictions. In the next address from the prime minister, he expressed disappointment at the number of cars still on the road. In the same address, he announced that home, hardware and plant stores would be allowed to open on certain days. Those who wanted to be on the road continued to find excuses to be out, among those who truly had essential tasks to do. Now more businesses are able to operate. It remains to be seen how compliance with the emergency order will be affected. It was already apparent that people were determined to be on the road. How much more traffic will there be now? With nonessential businesses open, it is more difficult to determine who is or is not breaking the “curfew”. We are out more
frequently and in higher numbers. What does this mean for the way forward? How long will we be required to practice social distancing, wear masks and refrain from mixing households? We have not been given a timeline. We need to remember that however we move through the phases, it is always possible we will have to go back to Phase 1A. Whether or not that happens and when depends on our ability to govern ourselves as much as it depends on the government to put appropriate measures in place. The government is obviously not capable of enforcing the emergency order at all times and in all places. We have personal and community responsibility to keep ourselves and one another safe. This means only going out when necessary, wearing a mask to cover nose and mouth (and keeping it on the entire time we are off our own property), moving as quickly as possible through grocery store aisles, getting out of the way when someone needs to pass and is waiting because there is no way to do so while maintaining the necessary six-foot distance and refraining from visiting other people’s homes. This means, whenever possible, using delivery services instead of leaving home.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 9
TECHTALK
NASA GOING PRIVATE FOR THE FIRST ASTRONAUT LUNAR LANDERS IN DECADES
INTEL BUYS MOOVIT APP FOR $900M TO BOOST BET ON ROBOTIC CARS
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is turning to private industry for the first lunar landers for astronauts in a half-century, with three competing, quite contrasting versions. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced last week the three companies that will develop, build and fly lunar landers, with the goal of returning astronauts to the moon in 2024 and ultimately on to Mars. The companies are SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, led by Elon Musk; Blue Origin in Kent, Washington, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; and Dynetics, a Huntsville, Alabama, subsidiary of Leidos. Altogether, the contracts for the initial 10-month period total $967 million. “This is the last piece that we need in order to get to the moon” by 2024, Bridenstine said. He noted it will be the first lunar lander since the last Apollo moon mission in 1972. Over the next 10 months, each company will refine its concept and NASA will decide which lander to test first. Bridenstine said NASA will go with the company that has the highest probability of success by 2024. NASA will rely on its own Orion capsules and Space Launch System megarockets — still under
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer
THIS illustration made available by NASA depicts Artemis astronauts on the Moon. Last week, NASA announced the three companies that will develop, build and fly lunar landers, with the goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2024. The companies are SpaceX, led by Elon Musk; Blue Origin, founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos; and Dynetics, a Huntsville, Ala., subsidiary of Leidos. (NASA via AP) development — to launch astronauts to the moon. The two other companies, Boeing and Vivace, put in bids but were eliminated early on, leaving the three awarded contracts. Blue Origin got more than half the total amount— $579 million — more than four times more than SpaceX’s $135 million. Dynetics was in between, with $253 million. SpaceX’s proposed Starship lander is so tall that astronauts will use an elevator to get to and from the lunar surface. Blue Origin’s version comes with a big ladder, according to artistic renderings. The Dynetics lander is so low
to the ground that only a few steps are needed, like a front porch, a feature that NASA gave high marks for safety and efficiency. SpaceX is using its own Starship spacecraft — still under development in Texas — and its own rockets. Blue Origin and Dynetics are partnering with numerous subcontractors, including commercial launch companies. Going commercial, Bridenstine said, will drive down costs while increasing access. It builds off of NASA’s commercial cargo and crew programmes for the International Space Station. Just last
November, SpaceX and Blue Origin were among the companies that won contracts to make cargo deliveries to the moon. NASA wants the new Artemis moon-landing programme to be sustainable, unlike Apollo, with multiple missions and multiple locations on the lunar surface. While only one company will carry the first woman and next man to the lunar surface, all three will participate over the long haul, officials noted. By learning how to live and work on another world — the moon — NASA will be better equipped to eventually send astronauts to
Mars, Bridenstine said. In a teleconference with reporters, Musk embraced this “potential for an incredibly exciting future in space with a base on the moon and ultimately sending people and having a self-sustaining city on Mars.” Dynetics’ vice president of space systems, Kim Doering said her team is excited not just about 2024 but the long-term lunar economy. And Blue Origin chief executive Bob Smith was among those calling it a historic day. “Going to the moon is the reason why we got into this business,” he said.
CAR TECH TO GUARD AGAINST DISTRACTED DRIVING
y REESE COUNTS B of Edmunds
DISTRACTED driving puts not only drivers on the road at risk but also passengers, cyclists and pedestrians. In 2018, it led to the deaths of 2,841 people in the US, according to the most current data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Holding a phone and texting are two of the most common causes, but eating, changing the radio, or anything else that causes you to lose focus on the task of driving can also be considered a distraction. The problem is so widespread that NHTSA and the Centers for Disease Control have addressed the issue on their websites. Automakers and technology companies are coming out with features aimed at reducing injuries and deaths related to distracted driving. Edmunds experts have selected five new car technologies designed to reduce distraction and help make you a safer driver. DRIVER MONITORING SYSTEMS This is one of the latest technologies to start appearing in cars. BMW, Subaru and other automakers have installed cameras and sensors inside vehicles that use facial recognition technology to identify signs of driver distraction or fatigue. Some can measure head and eye movements to make sure your eyes are up and on the road ahead. The car will then notify you to pay more attention if necessary.
For cars with advanced cruise control systems, there are sensors to make sure your hands are still on the steering wheel and cameras watching your face. Some systems will put the control back in your hands if you start to look down at your phone or don’t keep your hands on the wheel. A slightly older variation of this tech are the drowsiness metres found on vehicles from Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo. These systems use steering inputs to determine whether a driver is getting sleepy. Notifications often take the form of a coffee cup in the in-dash digital display to suggest the driver stop for a break. These systems won’t steer the car or lock out controls, but they can serve as a reminder to pay more attention. More advanced systems can link to a car’s navigation and suggest rest stops along the route. L ANE DEPARTURE WARNINGS As any driving instructor will tell you, our hands tend to follow our eyes, and if you’re looking at the scenery or down at your phone, it can be easy to wander out of your
lane without noticing. That’s why lane-departure warning systems are becoming more common in new vehicles. Essentially, these systems use sensors to keep track of where the vehicle is within its lane. If a system detects that the vehicle is straying across lane lines, it will issue a warning to the driver. The functionality varies from vehicle to vehicle, but common alerts are lights in the instrument cluster, a pop-up notification in a gauge cluster display, or even a rumble in your seat. LANE KEEPING ASSIST Often used as a companion to lane departure warning, lane keeping assist takes the extra step of recentering the vehicle by applying light steering correction, though it’s not what you should consider selfdriving. You may feel a light tug as the wheel turns slightly in your hand, recentering the car in its lane. If you have cruise control activated, lane keeping assist may deactivate cruise, forcing you to take more control of the car. These systems are found in late-model vehicles from BMW, Cadillac, Honda and more.
NDROID AUTO AND A APPLE CARPLAY These two smartphone integration systems come in nearly every new vehicle on sale today. When you connect your Android or Apple phone to the vehicle, the system will display many of your smartphone’s apps in your car’s infotainment system. While these systems may seem like another distraction, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay can be beneficial. They provide a reliable voice control that can read out and reply to text messages, use navigation apps on your phone, and allow you to communicate without looking at your phone. They can also prevent the phone from being used by locking out certain functions, including the on-screen keyboard on Android phones. LOCKING OUT CONTROLS Many vehicles from Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen still use this older anti-distraction method today. These cars will partially lock out controls for an on-screen keyboard while the car is moving so you can’t type in an address, for example. But these functions can still be accessed by using voice commands. All this is done to prevent you from looking away from the road and down at a screen for an extended time. EDMUNDS SAYS: Having more tech in your car might sound like a cause for distraction, but purchasing a vehicle with one or more of these features can help you be a more focused driver.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Intel is buying transportation-planning service Moovit for $900 million as the world’s largest computer chip maker moves further down the road in its effort to build self-driving cars. The deal announced Monday gives Intel another tool to use in its push to become a major player in the race to create the technology needed to build fleets of taxis that will be able to transport passengers without a human driver behind the wheel. Moovit, an 8-year-old company based in Israel, makes an app that compiles data from public transit systems, ride-hailing services and other resources to help its 800 million users plan the best ways to get around. Intel plans to combine Moovit with Mobileye, a self-driving car specialist that Intel bought for about $15 billion in 2017. Since that deal, Mobileye’s revenue has ballooned from $210 million in 2017 to $879 million last year. That’s a reflection of the big bets being placed on automated driving by both major technology companies, such as Google spinoff Waymo and Apple, and automakers such as General Motors and Toyota. “Intel’s purpose is to create world-changing technology that enriches the lives of every person on earth,” said the company’s CEO Bob Swan. Despite its rapid growth, Mobileye still only accounts for a sliver of Intel’s annual revenue of $72 billion. Intel, which is based in Santa Clara, California, is upping its ante on self-driving cars at a time when many other companies are bracing for an extended economic downturn that already has thrust more than 30 million people into the unemployment lines. But the stay-at-home orders imposed as part of the global pandemic have only made people more aware of how dependent they are on technology, including the Intel Corp. chips inside personal computers and a wide range of other devices. While the recession will take a bite out of the technology industry too, the long-term picture for the biggest companies still looks bright. Deep-pocketed companies such as Intel, which is sitting on $11.4 billion cash, are expected to forge ahead with their investments in fields they believe will turn into gold mines. Intel already acquired a stake in Moovit in 2018 when it was among a group of investors who injected $50 million into the startup. Since its inception, Moovit had raised more than $130 million from venture capitalists and other investors. After Intel invested in Moovit, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua joined the startup’s board of directors as an observer. Shashau will now oversee Moovit’s roughly 200 employees including its cofounder and CEO Nir Erez, who will become an executive vice president within the Mobileye group.
PAGE 10, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
UK OVERTAKES ITALY WITH MOST COVID-19 DEATHS IN EUROPE LONDON Associated Press
BRITAIN now has Europe’s highest official coronavirus death toll after the latest round of daily figures showed it overtaking Italy. Only the United States has recorded more virus-related deaths. The British government said another 693 people died in hospitals, nursing homes and other settings after testing positive for COVID-19, taking the total to 29,427 — above Italy’s 29,315.
Though the UK’s coronavirusrelated death toll, when measured on a seven-day rolling basis, has been falling consistently for the past three to four weeks, the country is around two weeks behind Italy in terms of the pandemic. The tallies are likely underestimates because they do not include suspected coronavirus deaths. Taking into account countries’ populations, the U.K.’s per capita death rate is below those in Italy, Spain and Belgium. And the U.S. is below them all even though it has the highest number
of registered COVID-19 deaths with more than 70,000. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the number of deaths was a “massive tragedy,” but added that it was too soon to make reliable international comparisons, partly because of apparent differences in the way countries report deaths. “I don’t think we’ll get a real verdict on how well countries have done until the pandemic is over and particularly until we’ve got comprehensive international data on all-cause mortality,” he said.
There is a growing consensus among scientists and statisticians that the best way to assess deaths eventually will be to measure how many more people died than would normally have been expected to die in any particular year. Professor David Spiegelhalter, a leading statistician at the University of Cambridge, said one certain thing is that all the official death numbers are “substantial underestimates” of those dying directly from the virus and those who died as a result of the
epidemic and the measures taken in response. “I think we can safely say that none of these countries are doing well, but this is not (the) Eurovision (Song Contest) and it is pointless to try and rank them,” he said. “I believe the only sensible comparison is by looking at excess all-cause mortality, adjusted for the age distribution of the country,” he said. “And even then it will be very difficult to ascribe the reasons for any differences.”
MACRON MAKES WEARING A FACE MASK AN ACT OF PRIDE PARIS Associated Press
LEFT: staff care for a patient with coronavirus in the intensive care unit at the Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England yesterday; above: Residents in Queens, New York line up for free face mask; below: Members of the Georgia National Guard gather to clean and disinfect hallways at a care home in Smyrna
US virus infection rate rising as states open up NEW YORK Associated Press TAKE the New York metropolitan area’s progress against the coronavirus out of the equation and the numbers show the rest of the US is moving in the wrong direction, with the known infection rate rising even as states move to lift their lockdowns. New confirmed infections per day in the US exceed 20,000, and deaths per day are well over 1,000, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University. And public health officials warn that the failure to flatten the curve and drive down the infection rate in places could lead to many more deaths — perhaps tens of thousands — as people are allowed to venture out and businesses reopen. “Make no mistakes: This virus is still circulating in our community,
perhaps even more now than in previous weeks” said Linda Ochs, director of the Health Department in hard-hit Shawnee County, Kansas. The New York metropolitan area, consisting of about 20 million people across a region that encompasses the city’s northern suburbs, Long Island and northern New Jersey, has been the hardest-hit corner of the country, accounting for at least onethird of the nation’s 70,000 deaths. People across the densely packed region live practically on top of each other in apartment buildings and ride together on subways, buses and trains. When the still locked-down metropolitan area is included, new infections in the US appear to be declining. The five-day rolling average for new cases has decreased from 9.3 per 100,000 people three weeks ago on April 13 to 8.6 on Monday. But subtracting the New
York metropolitan area from the analysis changes the story. Without it, the rate of new cases in the US increased over the same period from 6.2 per 100,000 people to 7.5. Pockets of America far from New York City are seeing ominous trends. Deaths in Iowa surged to a new daily high of 19, and 730 workers at a single Tyson Foods pork plant tested positive. On Monday, Shawnee County, Kansas, reported a doubling of cases from last week on the same day that business restrictions began to ease. Gallup, New Mexico, is under a strict lockdown until Thursday because of an outbreak, with guarded roadblocks to prevent travel in and out the town and a ban on more than two people in a vehicle. Hospital space is running short, and a school gym has been converted into a recuperation center with 60 oxygen-supplied beds.
• PRESIDENT Donald Trump visited an Arizona face mask factory yesterday, using the trip to demonstrate his determination to see the country reopen even as the coronavirus remains a dire threat. At the same time, the White House said it hopes to wind down its virus task force in the coming month as Trump’s focus shifts. “The people of our country should think of themselves as warriors. We have to open,” Trump declared as he left Washington on a trip that was more about the journey than the destination. In Arizona, Trump acknowledged the human cost of returning to normalcy. “I’m not saying anything is perfect, and yes, will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon,” he said.
WITH a face mask 100% made in France, President Emmanuel Macron yesterday showed the famously fashionable French people that civic responsibility and style are not mutually exclusive. He used a visit to a primary school to promote the type of cloth masks that will be de rigueur on public transportation and other locations when France starts emerging from its coronavirus lockdown next week. The dark blue version Macron wore while visiting the school west of Paris complemented his tie and blue suit, and came embellished on one side with ribbon detail in red, white and blue, the colors of the French flag. The French presidency said the mask, designed specifically to protect the public from the virus, was produced by knitwear manufacturer Chanteclair and retails for $5.34. The French military tested the garment’s breathability and effectiveness in filtering out small particles, the presidency said. While some world leaders have been worried about the optics of being seen while masked, Macron previously appeared at public events in surgical masks, both thin ones and heavier strength models. At the primary school, a child asked “Who is it?” when the president entered a classroom. Macron briefly lifted his cloth mask to reveal his face, then pulled the covering back into place.
PRESIDENT MACRON
TRUMP DENIES TIES TO VENEZUELAN ATTACK WITH TWO US MEN JAILED
CARACAS Associated Press
PRESIDENT Donald Trump yesterday said that the United States had nothing to do with an alleged incursion into Venezuela that landed two US citizens behind bars in the crisisstricken South American nation. Trump said he had just learned of the detention of the pair, accused by Venezuela of being mercenaries. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said they were part of an operation to kill him that was backed by neighboring Colombia and the United States. “Whatever it is, we’ll let you know,” Trump told reporters in Washington. “But it has nothing to do with our government.” Authorities in Venezuela identified the two men as Luke Denman and Airan Berry, both former U.S. special forces soldiers associated with the Floridabased private security firm Silvercorp USA. A third US exGreen Beret and Silvercorp founder, Jordan Goudreau, claimed responsibility for leading “Operation Gideon,” which was launched with an attempted beach landing before dawn on
Sunday. Officials said yesterday that six suspected attackers were killed, giving a revised figure from the eight previously reported. The two ex-US soldiers were detained on Monday dozens of miles from the first attempted beach landing in the fishing village of Chuao. Authorities say they’ve confiscated equipment. Goudreau said the operation was designed to capture — and not kill Maduro. He said he carried it out on a “shoestring budget” after signing an agreement with US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who Goudreau accuses of failing to pay him. Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez presented more details of the plot that he said resembled a “Hollywood script” fuelled by the “white supremacist” ideas of its alleged American organisers. “They thought that because we’re black, because we’re Indians, that they were going to easily control us,” said Rodriguez, showing images of what he said were boats and training camps inside Colombia from where the insurrection was organised.
THE TRIBUNE
Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 11
FIFA EXPECTS TO GET EVIDENCE IN MAY OF RUSSIAN DOPING CASES
LEONARDO Bonucci arrives at Juventus sports center to resume training in Turin, Italy, yesterday. No soccer balls. No contact with teammates. And no entering the locker room. One by one, Serie A players are returning to the training field this week under a strict set of guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Fabio Ferrari/ LaPresse via AP)
No soccer balls in sight: Serie A teams train individually By ANDREW DAMPF AP Sports Writer ROME (AP) — No soccer balls. No contact with teammates. And no entering the locker room. One by one, Serie A players are returning to the training field this week under a strict set of guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ten Sassuolo players were the first ones back Monday, with each player working out on their own at the club’s training facility. Players were spread out over several fields — some had an entire field to themselves — and performed only light running exercises without any balls involved. Another 10 Sassuolo players were due for workouts yesterday, when league-leader Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna and Udinese were also restarting. Most of the other Italian league clubs were also expected to resume training on an individual basis this week before full
team training is slated to restart on May 18. “There’s a big desire to resume playing and the return to training, even individually, was definitely positive because little by little the players are returning to their jobs — whether or not the season resumes,” said Damiano Tommasi, the president of the Italian soccer players’ association. Having already been tested for the virus, cleared players are showing up at training centres already dressed for practice then leave immediately afterward to shower at home. Cristiano Ronaldo arrived back in Turin late Monday after spending most of the lockdown at home in Madeira, Portugal, meaning he’ll now have to spend 14 days in isolation before reporting to Juventus for training. AC Milan has been the only major holdout so far, seeking more clarification from health and government officials before calling their players back to train.
While soccer officials hope to resume the season in June without fans, the Italian government has not given the go-ahead yet for the remaining 124 games. The government is waiting for soccer officials to revise their protocol for what to do if a player or team member gets infected after returning to training: quarantine the entire team — which could quite possibly result in the season being suspended again — or only the positive player or team member. “Team training will resume May 18 if the protocol is approved,” said Vincenzo Spadafora, Italy’s sports minister. “We should have a response by the end of the week.” The Italian government is likely watching to see what Germany decides today on restarting the Bundesliga. “I’ll do everything I can so Serie A can resume safely,” Spadafora said. “At the same time, however, I can’t tell you now if it can restart a month from now or in mid-June.”
At least 15 Serie A players have tested positive for the virus since the league was suspended March 9, when the government ordered a nationwide lockdown. Juventus standout Paulo Dybala and Atalanta reserve goalkeeper Marco Sportiello were reportedly still positive after several weeks of tests. About 4.4 million Italians were allowed to go back to work Monday and more people ventured out after restrictions on movement eased for the first time in nearly two months. There are 12 rounds remaining in Serie A, plus four matches that were postponed from the 25th round. Also, the Italian Cup semifinals were interrupted after the first-leg matches. “The only certain thing is that nobody has answers,” Tommasi said, “and therefore it’s even more complicated to make decisions and know what the right thing to do is.”
ZURICH (AP) — FIFA expects to get evidence from Moscow laboratory data this month that could expose doping by soccer players in Russia. FIFA said yesterday it was among sports governing bodies which received updates last week in a World Anti-Doping Agency video conference call about fresh evidence in the long-running Russian scandal. WADA is sharing data — of samples tested up to 2015, and tampering that continued into 2019 — retrieved from the Moscow testing lab at the heart of a state-backed doping programme. The anti-doping watchdog said last week its investigations of 298 athletes under suspicion were being handed over to 27 international federations and one events organiser. “FIFA participated in WADA’s explanatory webinar on April 30 and was informed that they will receive the full case packages by the end of May,” soccer’s world body said. It is unclear how many soccer cases are among the 298. FIFA and WADA agreed ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia that the host nation’s 23-player roster was not implicated in the yearsold scandal. “FIFA works closely with WADA to conclude the investigation as soon as possible,” FIFA said, noting it would prepare potential disciplinary cases “as soon as we receive the full case packages.” WADA investigators retrieved evidence from the Moscow lab database last year as a key step to resolving a scandal that tainted several Olympic Games, including the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. They found data had been manipulated, potentially opening up a fresh wave of disciplinary cases in multiple sports. Russian authorities deny any state involvement, and have blamed WADA’s whistleblower witness, former lab director Grigory Rodchenkov, for running a doping programme.
Analysis: EPL restart mired in health risks, self-interest By ROB HARRIS AP Global Soccer Writer AS so often happens in the Premier League, selfinterest and money could come out on top even in the midst of a health crisis. The rush to restart soccer during the coronavirus pandemic has been framed as a national purpose. “It would lift the spirits of the nation,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said at the daily Downing Street coronavirus news conference yesterday, where he deputised for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish was more explicit about the wider motivations when there are $1 billion worth of games yet to be televised this season. “Yes, it is partly about the money,” Parish said. “And we should all care about the money.” At some point a decision will have to be made on whether financial obligations outweigh the risk of playing sport during a pandemic where Britain now has the world’s secondhighest announced death toll. The Premier League insists it will only restart when it is “safe and appropriate to do so,” but the vague aspiration obscures the reality that lives are at risk as long as there is no COVID-19 vaccine. Squads have yet to resume group training. When they do it will require players, coaches and support staff to be subjected to regular COVID-19 testing to prove they don’t have the virus. Tests aren’t even freely available in the rest of England and there are still shortages of the protective equipment the football medics will need. Fresh doubts about the wisdom of staging matches soon surfaced this week when testing across Germany’s top two divisions uncovered 10 new cases of the coronavirus. And unless players are isolated
from their families until the season is complete, there is the danger of infections spreading among squads and their families. “There’s a certain risk attached to the return to training for all players,” Aston Villa manager Dean Smith told Sky Sports TV. “We’ve got a player who is asthmatic. We’ve got a player whose mother-in-law is in remission and living with the family. You have to be very careful, certainly the transmission knows no boundaries.” Even if the national lockdown that has been in place since March is eased, social distancing will remain. That is why fans will be banned from stadiums for the foreseeable future. Players, however, cannot be separated by two metres in training, let alone in a match when Premier League places are on the line. In Spain, players and coaches at Eibar are wary of going along with La Liga’s push for them to return to training. “We are afraid of starting an activity in which we won’t be able to comply with the first recommendation of all health experts, physical distancing,” they said in a statement. “We are concerned that by doing what we love the most we could get infected and infect our family members and friends.” Disinfecting balls and goalposts won’t prevent virus transmission when there is close player-toplayer contact. “For me it would be crazy for the Premier League to resume until there is a vaccine to protect you,” West Ham striker Manuel Lanzini told Argentine station Radio Continental. Fellow Argentine Sergio Aguero, the Manchester City striker, claimed the “majority of players are scared” — especially when the coronavirus can be spread by asymptomatic carriers. Yet the Premier League wants to resume by
June after being suspended since March, even if that means the remaining 92 fixtures are contested in vast empty stadiums. It could be a soulless experience for players and fans alike. Clubs can’t even agree on the venues for games. Based on advice from place and safety experts, the league told clubs they won’t be able to play at home and half of the teams’ regular stadiums cannot be used. It’s not just that stadiums like those belonging to Brighton and Tottenham
have been turned into medical facilities, the concern is fans would still try to congregate outside. But the 20 clubs are not all willing to accept the league’s proposals. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the public opponents to the plan are teams facing relegation -- Brighton and West Ham -- rather than a side like Liverpool on the verge of ending the 30-year title drought. The sporting integrity and fairness of the competition would be harmed, dissenters argue, if teams
can’t play in familiar surroundings. But if preventing the season from being completed is an attempt to avoid relegation, it could be at a severe financial cost to the competition overall. “I genuinely don’t feel people are thinking clearly about the ramifications if we don’t play,” said Parish, whose Palace side sits comfortably in mid-table. “We would be in a position where fundamentally we are airlines from August.” That is the doomsday scenario — the world’s richest
football league is left with a deficit it says could exceed 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion). The financial ramifications could scare teams and their squads into accepting any plan to complete the season. Money can only go some way toward paying to mitigate health risks in a country where the coronavirus death toll now exceeds 30,000 and still rising. The government that was slow to shut down sports now seems hasty in helping the Premier League restart.
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Lesson learned: Around Jordan, teammates saw price of fame By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer THERE were obvious perks to being teammates with Michael Jordan. Plenty of his Chicago teammates own multiple championship rings, they appear in some of the most-replayed NBA highlight clips of all time and they’ve got a lifetime of stories to tell about one of the best to ever take the court. B.J. Armstrong also learned to move quickly — off the court, that is. Whether it was during his rookie season when his stall in the Bulls locker room was adjacent to Jordan’s locker, or at a dinner with the six-time NBA champion and Kobe Bryant about a quarter-century later, Armstrong often found himself with a front-row seat to witness the true cost of fame for arguably the world’s most recognisable athlete. “I remember as a young player I had this dream of playing in the NBA,” Armstrong, the longtime NBA guard and three-time NBA champion with the Bulls who is now a Californiabased sports agent, told The Associated Press. “And I vividly remember when I got to Chicago thinking, ‘You better be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.’ Michael was the first person to show me what it meant to be a star ... but you cannot be that star and not accept all the things that came with it.” The strain of Jordan’s practically unprecedented level of stardom was one of the dominant themes in the latest installments of the ESPN and Netflix documentary “The Last Dance,” a 10-part series that showed episodes five and six on Sunday night.
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FORMER NBA player Michael Jordan cries while speaking during a celebration of life for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday, February 24 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) Every story about Jordan the 1993 Eastern Confer“I don’t wish stardom that. “I always say, to this always seemed to become ence finals. “We understood on anyone. When I hear day, that the Air Jordan a big story, and Jordan felt his pressures, he under- people say, ‘this guy’s a star,’ guy was great and God some things were over- stood what we needed I always say, ‘good luck.’ bless him. But I’ll always blown such as his infamous and that was just a special What it takes to be a star at just remember Michael, the stances on not wanting to group of people who got that level is beyond. Always guy.” endorse political candidates together,” said Armstrong, having security around, Knowing that there would publicly or going with his who was a Jordan team- dealing with tickets, he always be an enormous father to Atlantic City for a mate for the 1991, 1992 and always had to be turned on. media horde at Jordan’s quick gambling trip during 1993 championships. There’s no preparation for locker, Armstrong found
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himself getting dressed and out of the way quickly because otherwise his shoes would get stomped on and his space would be invaded. If he forgot how that exercise went, he got a reminder in 2014. Jordan was in Los Angeles and dinner with Armstrong was arranged. Armstrong got to the restaurant and found a third seat at the table, asked Jordan if a guest was coming and was told that Bryant would be joining them for the meal. Armstrong and Bryant knew each other; they shared an agent, Arn Tellem, at one time. Bryant arrived and before long, he and Jordan were dissecting every nuance of each other’s game. In the end, they decided that Jordan would have a slight edge because his hands were bigger than Bryant’s. “They were playing a virtual game of 1-on-1 at dinner,” Armstrong said. “I just sat there and listened to them talk about the love they had for the game. They were so sophisticated; they were talking about footwork, how they conditioned themselves, how they would box out. “The detail that they had, the respect that they had for the game ... I wish I could have seen them play in their prime.” Word got out over the course of the evening that Jordan and Bryant were in the restaurant. “Eventually, one got out through a back door, another through a side door and Armstrong was left to fight off a crowd. “It was chaos,” Armstrong said. “And they were in basketball heaven.” The seventh and eighth episodes of the documentary will air May 10.
PLANNING NORMAL SEASON, NFL STILL FORMS TICKET REFUND POLICY By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer WHILE planning to play a full regularseason schedule, the NFL has formulated a ticket refund plan for cancelled games or those held without fans. In a memo sent to the 32 teams by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained by The Associated Press yesterday, a uniform baseline for full refunds on any tickets purchased directly from the clubs was prepared. Goodell wrote that “all clubs will have in place a policy under which, if a game is cancelled, or is played under conditions that prohibit fans from attending, anyone purchasing a ticket directly from the club (i.e., season tickets, group sales and/or partial season plans) will have the option of either receiving a full refund or applying the amount paid toward a future ticket purchase directly from the club.” As for the secondary market, the league received pledges from Ticketmaster and SeatGeek to make full refunds available for all ticket sales within no more than 30 days of cancellation. StubHub, however, will do so only where required by state law. The NFL will reveal its 2020 regular-season schedule on Thursday night. While it is discussing contingencies for alterations to the schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, it currently is planning for a normal season. “In preparing for all elements of the 2020 season, including the schedule release, we have considered the unique circumstances facing us this year,” Goodell wrote, “and have been clear that all of our decisions will be guided by medical and public health advice and will comply with government regulations. We will be prepared to make necessary adjustments just as we have in other contexts, such as the offseason program and the draft. “I believe the policies that clubs have in place will serve the league and all member clubs in a variety of ways and will allow us to continue preparing for the 2020 season while also protecting the interests of our fans.” Each team will communicate directly with its fans over the next few days with specific details on potential refunds. Although contingency plans hardly are a regular procedure for the NFL, the specter of significant changes to the season, from delays to a shortened schedule, have to be considered this year. Each season, NFL teams and the league office re-examine what they term “fan friendly” ticket refund policies. The 2020 season is set to kick off on September 10, with the first full weekend of games on September 13-14.
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Wednesday, May 6, 2020, PAGE 13
Korean baseball league begins in empty stadiums By KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The new baseball season began in South Korea yesterday with the crack of the bat and the sound of the ball smacking into the catcher’s mitt echoing around empty stadiums. After a weeks-long delay because of the coronavirus pandemic, umpires wore protective masks and cheerleaders danced beneath rows of unoccupied seats as professional baseball got back on the field. There were many faces in the stands in at least one stadium, but they were pictures instead of real people because fans aren’t allowed into the venues — at least for now. Instead, it was easy to hear players cheering and shouting from the dugouts. And it was a relief to fans watching from home in a country that is now attempting to slowly return to pre-COVID-19 normalcy amid a waning caseload. The country’s professional soccer leagues will kick off Friday, also without spectators in the stadiums. As one of the world’s first major professional sports competitions to return to action amid the pandemic, the Korea Baseball Organisation has employed various preventative measures aimed at creating safe playing environments. Players and coaches will go through fever screenings before entering stadiums, while umpires and first- and third-base coaches must wear masks during games. Players are prohibited from signing autographs or
high-fiving teammates with bare hands. Also, chewing tobacco was banned to prevent spitting, while masks and latex gloves will be required at training facilities. Fans will be barred from games until the KBO is convinced the risk of infection has been minimised. If any member of a team tests positive for the coronavirus at any point of the season, the league will be shut down for at least three weeks. “I feel great,” said Cho Ki-hyun, a 65-year-old SK Wyverns fan who shared a mattress with three other fans outside the walls of the team’s stadium in Incheon, watching the game against the Daejeonbased Hanwha Eagles with a tablet computer. “I am delighted just to hear the sounds of a baseball game from outside,” he said. The teams tried to create a festive atmosphere in the empty stadiums. In a game in the capital, LG Twins defeated crosstown rival and defending champion Doosan Bears 8-2 at Jamsil Stadium, where the outfield seats were decked with huge banners of the Twins’ cheering slogans. Twins outfielder Kim Hyun-soo, who spent some time with the Baltimore Orioles, hit the league’s first home run of the season in the third inning, a tworun shot off Bears starter Raul Alcantara. As he rounded the bases, Kim extended a hand toward third-base coach Kim Jea-gul, who raised his arm but stayed out of contact. “The players just really wanted to play baseball, and we are delighted to do
AP STUDY: MLB AVERAGE AT AROUND $4.4M FOR 5TH YEAR IN ROW By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
SPECTATORS’ seats are covered with pictures of fans yesterday before the start of a regular season baseball game between Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns in Incheon, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) just that,” Kim Hyun-soo said. The Wyverns imitated a home crowd in Incheon by covering their outfield seats with rows of horizontal banners showing faces of fans wearing the team’s hats and masks. They still lost 3-0 to the Eagles, who won their first season opener in 11 years with former Detroit Tigers pitcher Warwick Saupold hurling a two-hit, complete game shutout. In Daegu, the city worst hit by the virus, the Samsung Lions used their huge scoreboard to play video messages from players, celebrities and fans thanking doctors and medical staff fighting the outbreak, which overwhelmed the city’s hospitals in late February and March before slowing in recent weeks. The Lions fell to the Changwon-based NC Dinos 4-0 in a game that was broadcast on ESPN. “It would have been better if they could be with us, but I am glad that we delivered something good
to fans watching TV,” said Dinos outfielder Na Sungbum, who went 2 for 3. Considered one of the best players in the KBO, the 30-year-old Na is a client of American superagent Scott Boras and has aspirations for Major League Baseball. Also, the Seoul-based Kiwoom Heroes routed the host Kia Tigers 11-2 in Gwangju, handing former San Francisco Giants slugger Matt Williams his first loss as a manager in the KBO. Park Byung-ho, who had a short stint with the Minnesota Twins, smacked a two-run shot for the Heroes in the eighth and used his gloved right hand to slap the hands of his first- and third-base coaches before switching to fist bumps and elbow dabs in the dugout. The Busan-based Lotte Giants defeated the KT Wiz 7-2 on the road in Suwon. A full season of baseball seemed doubtful in early March when South Korea was reporting about 500
new virus infections a day, forcing the KBO to postpone its March 28 season openers. But South Korea reported only three new cases yesterday, its lowest daily jump since infections surged in late February. Experts credit the downward trend to tightened border controls and active efforts to test and isolate virus carriers and trace their contacts using medical, banking and immigration records and location information provided by police and telecommunications companies. Officials have started relaxing social distancing guidelines and are preparing to reopen schools, starting with high school seniors on May 13. Barring any virus-related suspension, the KBO plans to maintain a 144-game regular season schedule. But it decided to scrap its all-star game and shorten the first round of the playoffs from best-of-five to a best-of-three series.
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball’s average salary ahead of a postponed opening day remained at around $4.4 million for the fifth straight season, according to a study of contracts by The Associated Press. Following an offseason when Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon and Christian Yelich all agreed to $200 million-plus deals, the flattened salary curve is evidence of a shrinking portion of the pie for baseball’s middle class. The stagnant stretch is unprecedented since the free-agent era dawned in 1976. And that is before taking into account any decrease caused by a shortened season in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a throwback, the New York Yankees top payrolls for the first time since 2013 and tower over the Pittsburgh Pirates at $54 million -- the lowest of any big league team in six years. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred remains confident there will be a season but is unsure when health conditions will allow training to resume. MLB’s average when rosters were frozen on March 28 was $4,432,530, up 1.3 per cent from $4,375,486 in the AP’s opening-day survey last year. The average remains below its record $4.45 million at the start of the 2017 season and has plateaued since stiffer luxury tax rates began for high-payroll teams.
SPORTS
SECTION E
SERIE A, PAGE 11
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020
NPBA to distribute care packages to its members By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@trivbunemedia.net he New Providence Basketball Association, one of the most flourishing sporting organisations in the country, will be making a valuable contribution to its players amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday between the hours of 1-6pm at Pastor Arthur Duncombe’s City of Praise Church on Cowpen Road, opposite Island Luck, the NPBA will be distributing care packages to its players, coaches, managers, referees and table officials. The NPBA must be commended as it’s the first sporting body to host such an initiative in which they can give back to their membership at large.
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LAMAR WATKINS TO JOIN MUSTANGS IN PUTNAM THIS FALL By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net LAMAR Watkins will have the opportunity to further his athletic career with one of the top prep basketball programmes in America. Watkins will join the incoming class of the Putnam Science Academy Mustangs in Putnam, Connecticut, this fall. The former St Augustine’s College Big Red Machine guard will become the first Bahamian student athlete at the nationally renowned programme which has captured a share of two Prep National Championships in the last three years.
WATKINS The coronavirus pandemic brought a premature end to the 2020 Prep National Championship tournament this season but the Mustangs won their semi-final and would eventually earn a share of the title with Brewster Academy. Watkins led the Big Red Machine to a runners-up finish in the BAISS Championship series. The Mustangs’ connection to the Bahamas has included consecutive appearances at the Caribbean Tip-Off Classic. In the most recent edition, they finished 3-0 with wins over BC Christian Academy, Ridley Prep, NBA Basketball Academy of Latin America. Putnam has placed more than 100 players into men’s college programmes since 2010, including more than 50 into Division I programmes. With regards to its varsity and postgrad programme - “It presents the perfect vehicle for student-athletes to keep playing and get the exposure they are missing this recruiting season in order to take the next step to the college level.” Oklahoma City Thunder guard Hamidou Diallo (Kentucky) has been the latest Mustangs alumni to advance to the NBA.
NPBA secretary Rochelle Henfield, in a press release yesterday, said they realise that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many persons are hurting because of the loss of their jobs. NPBA president James Price said in economic times such as this, every little is a help and that is why they are supporting their membership in this manner. “We know that we had some people who went through some hard times when we didn’t have this economic hard time,” he said. “This time, we have players, coaches and officials who are in need. We know that everybody doesn’t have money, so we decided to give back. This is one of the ideas that we decided to give back to our players, coaches and officials.”
It is estimated that during the course of the day, the NPBA will distribute more than 300 care packages, an initiative that is being done solely by the NPBA. “I was watching the news in the United States and I saw how the people responded,” Price said. “I passed the idea on to some of our executives and they felt it was a good idea.” With all of the parks and the gymnasiums closed to the public by the Bahamas government to avoid large gatherings as we practice social distancing to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, Price said they decided to use the City of Praise parking lot because it could be easily accessed as a drive-through to distribute the care packages. “Our executive team will be there to assist our
players, coaches and officials,” Price said. “We have gotten the approval from the coaches from their chat group. So we are looking forward to making this contribution to them.” Henfield, who also serves as a table official, revealed that they will be serving teams every hour on the hour, while the referees and officials can stop in at any time of the day. The projected schedule for the give-aways: 1-2pm - Abaco Strong, Asphalt Maintenance Pirates, BIBT Great Whites and Breezes High Flyers. 2-3pm - CB Giants, Discount Rockets, Fort Charlotte Defenders and Island Dimension Wolverines. 3-4pm - JD’s Seafood Shockers, Leno Regulators 1 and II and the Patmor Rebels.
4-5pm - Sports Center Elites, Sun Oil Rockets, TMT Giants and the Triple K Stampers. 5-6pm - University of the Bahamas Mingoes, Uptown Cuts Specialists and Your Essential Stores (YES) Giants. Price said while the executive board is fully aware of all of its players, coaches, managers and officials, they are kindly asking that they bring along their league identifications to help speed up the process. The NPBA had to halt their postseason in March like all of the other sporting bodies after the Bahamas government decided to ban all sporting activities with large gatherings just as the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the Bahamas.
Gardiner: ‘We’re still training’ By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net EVERYBODY is coping with the coronavirus differently from each other, including Bahamian quarter-miler Steven Gardiner, who is still in a full-fledged training camp in the United States of America. Gardiner, who lowered his national record in the men’s 400 metres to an astonishing 43.48 seconds to win the World Championships title last year in Doha, Qatar, said everything is as normal as it was prior to the shutdown of all major international competition in March after the National Basketball Association was first to take a break in activities after Utah Jazz centre Rudy Gobert became the first athlete to be tested positive for the virus. “We’re still training. We had to push our schedule back because we didn’t know what will take place for the rest of the year,” said Gardiner from Clermont, Florida, where he’s training under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Evans. “We’re just trying to stay healthy.” Gardiner, 24, said there’s really no curfew where he’s located because the city has not recorded any death from the spread of the virus, but they are advised to continue to practice social distancing. Gardiner, who is in a training camp that includes Bahamian Kenard Rolle, said the track and field facilities are still closed to the public, but they are utilising an open field facility to stay in shape. “We also do bike riding on Saturdays as a training group,” Gardiner said. “So we still have our working sessions.” With all of his original plans changed, including the postponement of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan until 2021, Gardiner said he’s not allowing it to get to his mind. “I still want to go out there and prepare for the season. Everything is out of our control, as far as what’s happening around the world,” he stated. “Meets have been cancelled and we’re not sure when the first outdoor meet for the year will take place. “I’m still working hard and training. That isn’t going to change. We just don’t know when things will start up again, so we have to be in some shape so that when it goes, you will be ready to compete.” With the International Olympic Committee forced to postpone the Olympics until next year, Gardiner said it will work in his favour because it will give his body more than enough time to be fully recuperated
BAHAMIAN quarter-miler Steven Gardiner is still in a full-fledged training camp under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Evans in Clermont, Florida. from last season. “We had a short break last year before we went back to work,” said Gardiner of the time between the World Championships in August and the start of the offseason in November, 2020. “We now have a little more time to prepare for the Olympics.” Gardiner was hoping to add the Olympic title to his World Championship crown in his projected two years span before his season was interrupted just as he was preparing to get it started. “Training is important, but rest is more
important at this level,” Gardiner said. “Our training is out of our control, so we just have to work with whatever time we have. “I haven’t had any track meet so far this year so I just have to keep on working and hope for the best as we wait to see what happens with this coronavirus.” The 6-foot, 5-inch native from Murphy Town, Abaco, encouraged the Bahamian public to follow all of the necessary rules and regulations given by the Bahamas government to help the country get
through the pandemic as quickly as possible. “I want everybody to stay prayed up and stay at home and stay safe. That’s most important,” Gardiner stressed. While he reaches out to his family, including his parents Theresa and Steven Gardiner, his brothers, sisters and grandparents, just about every day, Gardiner said he’s happy to know that they are all following the guidelines. Although he knows that at some point he will return home, once the
virus has passed, one of the first things Gardiner said he intends to do is take a vacation. “Staying at home and just training is kind of boring,” he said. “I think a nice break for me would be to take a vacation because I actually didn’t have one last year.” When asked if he has any particular place he would like to visit, Gardiner said he hasn’t given it any thought, although there are a few destinations that he would like to consider. Gardiner deserves the trip after he completed last season, winning his second consecutive medal at the World Championships. His gold in Doha improved on the silver he claimed at the 2017 championships in London, England, behind world record holder Wayde van Niekerk. The South African, who also won the Olympic gold medal in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in a world record breaking time of 43.03, was expected to make his return to the international scene after suffering an injury playing rugby in October, 2017. Gardiner, who didn’t make the final in the 400m in Rio, ran the third leg on the men’s 4 x 400m relay that included Alonzo Russell, Michael Mathieu and Chris ‘Fireman’ Brown that picked up the bronze behind the United States and Jamaica. When the final IAAF World Relays was held in the Bahamas at the Thomas A Robinson National Stadium in 2017, Gardiner ran on the mixed gender 4 x 400m team that comprised of Shaunae Miller-Uibo, Anthonique Strachan and Mathieu that clinched the much anticipated gold for the Bahamas. At the 2015 World Relays, Gardiner helped the Bahamas to earn the silver medal in the men’s 4 x 400m relay on the team of Ramon Miller, Mathieu and Brown. However, when the World Relays went to Yokohama, Japan in 2019 after the Bahamas government decided that it was unable to host the event again, the Bahamas didn’t compete after Gardiner suffered an injury that prevented him from competing. Gardiner doubles as the Bahamian national record holder in the 200m in 19.75 that was set in 2018 in Miami, Florida. He was a former volleyball player who was introduced to track and field by his Moore’s Island coach Anthony Williams before he moved to New Providence and was coached by George Cleare where his career started to flourish on the international scene.