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VOLUME:117 No.113, MAY 7, 2020
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CLASSIFIED TRADER: CARS, CARS, CARS & MORE CARS
Health worker sisters struck by COVID-19 battle illness together LIFE has not been easy for Dr George Charite since his two daughters tested positive for COVID19 last month. The Abaco resident says his daughters - who he chose not to name - have been aiding in the fight against the virus and have been battling the potentially deadly disease since midApril. “My two daughters are in the nursing field,” he
told The Tribune yesterday. “They contracted the virus the second week in April. One of them is still in hospital. She’s doing much better now. At the beginning, it was really touchy, but she’s doing much better now. “The other one is coming along. She’s in isolation and we’re having a few little challenges, but she’s coming along.” While noting the situation has taken its toll on the family, Dr Charite says
MINISTER of Works Desmond Bannister yesterday said he will be “smiling from ear to ear” if his wish for a $500m capital works budget to improve decaying infrastructure and boost the economy is granted, telling Tribune Business that the collapse of the bridge
FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
By TANYA SMITH-CARTWRIGHT ts-cartwright @tribunemedia.net ABACO residents, still grappling with life after Hurricane Dorian, feel the island is in no way ready for the start of hurricane season next month and fear the worst is to come. In a recent report, the International Organization for Migration said Abaco is not prepared for the 2020 hurricane season in terms of adequate shelters. The report noted that many shelters are still damaged from Dorian and that more people in Abaco will be more likely to seek refuge in official shelters because of the destruction of homes during the monster storm. Abaco resident Gaylord Taylor shares a similar view. “In Abaco most persons are still without reliable shelter, running water or electricity,” Mr Taylor said,
FORECASTS FAILURE TO SPOT DORIAN ‘THE MONSTER’
SEE PAGE FIVE
linking Spanish Wells and Russell Island was “a stark warning” about the decaying state of many key infrastructure assets. Mr Bannister said the government needs to initiate major capital works “in the Family Islands” as well as New Providence to stimulate jobs and economic activity post-COVID-19.
ABACONIAN FEARS OVER HURRICANE READINESS
SEE PAGE TWO
BANNISTER AIMING FOR $500M WORKS BUDGET By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
L SOUR CE
INSIDE
Doctor’s girls fighting virus By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
$1
BRIDGE TOO FAR THE bridge connecting Spanish Wells and Russell Island collapsed yesterday affecting water supply and travel between the two islands. Full report - Page 3
HURRICANE Dorian’s detonation to a 185-mph storm and calamitous idle over the northeastern Bahamas were missed by forecast models that underestimated the synergy building between the ocean and atmosphere. A 75-page report released by the National Hurricane Centre chronicles the evolution of the deadly Cat 5 cyclone and critiques its forecast, noting that Dorian’s sidestep of rugged Hispaniola accounted for larger than normal errors in predicting the storm’s ultimate power. SEE PAGE TWO
‘STRANDED 200’ FLY HOME TOMORROW FRONT By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
NEARLY 200 Bahamians stuck abroad amid the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to return to the country tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. This came as government officials continued their silence in the face of questions over why some residents were allowed
NASSAU’S LPIA entry to the country during the lockdown and others were not.
Betsy Dingman, a Bahamian philanthropist and Lyford Cay resident, returned last week after being stuck in the United States for five weeks, according to Eyewitness News. Yet several other Bahamian residents stuck abroad have told The Tribune even though they secured charter flights to bring them home and were willing to be tested before SEE PAGE FOUR
PORCH BY SIMON SEE PAGE EIGHT
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PAGE 2, Thursday, May 7, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
Abaconian fears over hurricane readiness
from page one
painting the grim reality. “Since the lockdown of the island due to the virus outbreak, labour has been affected and places that might have had repairs done didn’t get fixed and most of the NGOs who were a subsidised labour force have left. It’s a bleak outlook should the island be threatened with an early season storm or a strong end of season one as well.” Mr Taylor said a lot of Abaconians are in fact still living in tents since the island was devastated by Hurricane Dorian which landed on Abaco
September 1 with winds of up to 220mph. “With limited availability of jobs most persons rely heavily on handouts and part-time work that lends to a feeling of desperation,” Mr Taylor continued. “If you ride around Marsh Harbour and see the amount of destruction still visible even eight months later it’s depressing. “Most construction companies have been hampered by lack of skilled craftsmen with some of their workforce stuck in Nassau due to travel restrictions. Persons are sheltering in abandoned buildings as the owners of those buildings have not returned to the island as yet. People are
taking advantage of this for shelter.” Mr Taylor said there is also a lack of adequate healthcare with the departure of the medical NGOs due to COVID-19 transmission fears. The IOM report gave several recommendations to reduce disaster risk for the 2020 hurricane season. The report said instead of preparing for the new hurricane season, the focus is still recovering from Dorian. The report admonishes the government to prioritise the full repair of Central Abaco Primary School, adding the capacity of 1,200 people. “I am very disappointed with the slow movement
of this government when it comes to fixing Abaco,” said Antoinette Fox, another resident of Abaco. “Now there is the excuse of the coronavirus lockdown so everything is at a standstill. We have a little over a month for another hurricane season to start and we have very little to show to say we are in full recovery mode. In some areas we look like an atomic bomb was dropped. This is not the Abaco I know. The experience alone of seeing people die in the front of you and fly through the air like missiles was devastating enough.” Ms Fox said she spends most of her time in Nassau as she cannot bear to look
ABACO resident Gaylord Taylor at what used to be her family home. When in Abaco she lives in a small part of the house that is still habitable.
“If a storm of that magnitude was to hit Abaco now, there would be no coming back from it based on our current state,” Ms Fox said. “We would not survive it. World meteorologists are predicting that the 2020 hurricane season is going to be very active. That’s not good news for us. Abaco is in a vulnerable state right now and we can only hope and pray that God has mercy on us and we are passed by this time.” About 45 percent of the homes on Abaco were severely damaged or destroyed and 60 people on the island died from the Category Five storm. Editorial View - Page 6
THE DEVASTATION caused by Dorian.
Forecasts failure to spot Dorian ‘the monster’ from page one
Also, while models and forecasts called for a slowdown in forward speed near the northern Bahamas, “none of them indicated that Dorian was going to stall there.” “The longer range
forecasts had the storm moving across the Bahamas at a steadier pace, and then, even as the forecast shifted, the full degree of the slowdown wasn’t anticipated,” said Michael Brennan, the National Hurricane Centre’s hurricane specialist branch chief. “A lot of it was the evolution of the steering flow.” Dorian was the strongest hurricane in modern records to make landfall in the Bahamas when it bullied ashore at Elbow Cay, Great Abaco on Sept. 1, 2019 with 185-mph winds. The island was raked by at least tropical storm force winds for three days, according to the report. The NHC performs a post-mortem analysis on each storm it forecasts. Among the challenges in Dorian’s forecast were also triumphs. Hurricane forecasters correctly predicted Dorian’s northerly turn that caused it to miss South Florida — a forecast that many models contradicted but one that kept Broward and Miami-Dade counties from having to issue hurricane watches and warnings. “The models are free to go where they want,” Brennan said. “Part of the role of the human is to maintain continuity so the official forecast doesn’t just jump around.” Dorian was the fourth named storm of the busy 2019 season, which had 18 named systems, including six hurricanes. Three of the hurricanes — Dorian, Humberto and Lorenzo — were Category 3 or higher. Dorian was born out of a tropical wave that moved off the west coast of Africa on Aug. 19. It grew to a tropical storm five days later. Dorian reached the Windward Islands on Aug. 27 as a raggedy system choking on dry air before it would make a move that upended forecasts. The storm’s centre passed over the high mountains of St. Lucia, which jostled its circulation and jogged the system north where it strengthened to a hurricane.
Instead of going over Hispaniola, it threaded east of Puerto Rico. Brennan said he was in the forecast office when Dorian underwent the rapid intensification that took it to 185 mph before landfall in the northern Bahamas. He called the moment “sobering.” “It’s scary, because you know what is going to happen on the ground,” he said. “Dorian just took advantage of the environment — low shear, very warm water, very high moisture.” When the high pressure system north of Dorian weakened, the steering winds collapsed and the storm slowed “pounding Great Abaco for several hours with its greatest fury,” the report says. A second landfall happened near South Riding Point on Grand Bahama. It wasn’t until a trough over the U.S. swung east that Dorian began shifting north-northwest on Sept. 3. Although six Category 5 hurricanes have formed since 2016, reaching that echelon is historically rare, which is one reason why forecast models can stumble in their predictions of the strongest storms. John Cangialosi, a NHC senior hurricane specialist, said the error rate on Dorian’s track was about average. “The problem is, those numbers make a big difference sometimes,” said Cangialosi, noting Dorian’s avoidance of island speed bumps that could have changed its future. “A little miss can have everything to do with what happens later.” Dorian also made landfall in North Carolina near Cape Hatteras as a Category 1 hurricane on Sept. 6. It reached Nova Scotia a day later as a strong posttropical cyclone. The NHC’s report estimates Dorian’s damage in the northeastern Bahamas at $3.4 billion. Report from: Kimberley Miller, Palm Beach Post
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 3
THE bridge connecting Spanish Wells and Russell Island collapsed yesterday
A bridge too far By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net THE bridge connecting Spanish Wells and Russell Island collapsed yesterday affecting water supply and travel between the two islands. Pictures and video on social media showed a heavy-duty truck and a golf cart on the collapsed bridge. The island’s chief counselor, Robert Roberts, told The Tribune he got the call about the incident at 1.10pm. He said several people were in the truck that was crossing the bridge. No one was injured during the ordeal, he said. “Nobody got injured and we managed to get the truck off of the bridge and that’s about where we are right now. Trying to put together a plan for temporary water and passage back and forth to Spanish Wells and Russell Island,” he said. In a statement, Senator Clay Sweeting reported the water main that was attached to the bridge that serviced the community on Russell Island has also been destroyed, leaving residents without potable water. “It would also be remiss of me if I didn’t note the red water that is quite evident in the photo which poses another issue for the residents in North Eleuthera,” according to the statement. “There is no way now for vehicular traffic to traverse from Spanish Wells, the commercial and business centre, and Russell Island which is largely residential. “I would recommend that the government work with haste to replace the bridge and ensure that the residents of this community once again have safe potable water.” Mr Russell drew attention to the fact that the dump where garbage for both islands is disposed is on Russell Island as well. Works Minister Desmond Bannister explained to The Tribune his ministry is in the process of building a new bridge as the government signed a contract in July 2019 for the installation. He said the current bridge was only supposed to be there for a few more weeks. “The new bridge is a kit bridge that only needs to be installed. The entire bridge is in Spanish Wells in nine containers,” he told The Tribune. “The works were delayed by losses incurred to the contractor’s equipment during Hurricane Dorian. The plan has always been to use a barge to transport residents from one side to the next whilst the old bridge is being dismantled and the new one erected.” Mr Bannister also stressed that officials have warned residents that heavy-duty vehicles should not cross the bridge. “We have been to Spanish Wells on several occasions, and residents are aware that no heavy vehicles such as the concrete truck that apparently
Collapse causes huge problems in Spanish Wells and Russell Island caused the collapse should be on the bridge,” Mr Bannister said. However, Mr Roberts pointed out that the power company located on Russell Island uses heavy equipment and cannot provide service without it. Not to mention, the garbage cannot be picked up without it either. Mr Roberts revealed the truck on the bridge was from Island Block and Concrete. According to Mr Roberts, the bridge was installed in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew and was intended to be temporary and had been a concern for the community and the district council for the past eight years.
He added: “This community has continued to grow as fast as any I know in the Bahamas. Now, we had outgrown that bridge and besides that the fact that the bridge had some wear and tear on it. Saltwater had affected a good portion of it. You know that type of stuff and everybody was aware of it. “We knew the bridge was weak. We were hoping of course it would’ve been installed prior to anything happening but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. This is nothing new.” With a weekend lockdown coming, Mr Roberts hopes water service will be restored by today or tomorrow.
To see a video of the incident, go to tribune242.com
PAGE 4, Thursday, May 7, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
BUS DRIVERS MAY LIMIT PASSENGERS WHEN THEY RUN AGAIN
Ministry: ‘Stranded 200’ set to fly in tomorrow from page one entry, their attempts to return failed. One woman, eager to be with family after her mother died at Doctors Hospital last month, said her mourning process was significantly affected after she was denied the chance to return despite securing a charter flight. Tourism Minister Dionisio D’Aguilar, who has responsibility for aviation, could not be reached for comment yesterday. Officials have not said how many residents have been allowed entry to the country during the lockdown period. Asked about this yesterday, Charles Beneby, director general of civil aviation, said: “I have no comment on the matter.” Nonetheless, officials said yesterday repatriation exercises will be conducted in phases, with 190 Bahamians from New Providence and Grand Bahama expected to return to the country in the first phase. In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The ministry, through its embassies and consulates, has registered hundreds of Bahamians and residents outside the country globally. The majority are in South Florida. “The immediate focus of the ministry was to organise the return of those in Florida, more specifically South Florida, West Palm Beach and Miami.” According to the ministry, residents will be transported to the country via Bahamasair, which has agreed to adhere to strict protocols established by the Ministry of Health. Upon arrival, officials said government facilities will be made available for quarantine. “Though these persons would have been tested negative for COVID-19, protocols have been put in place to ensure that anti COVID-19 spreading measures are practiced while they proceed to their eventual destinations,” the statement continued. “Plans are in place to
execute the first phase of this strategy this Friday, 8 May, 2020. “Bahamian citizens and residents outside New Providence should be reminded that repatriation exercises will be done in a phased and orderly manner, depending on registration data received from embassies and consulates abroad.” The announcement comes amid controversy surrounding six permanent residents who landed in the country last week with COVID-19 testing supplies and were allowed to quarantine at home before being tested for the virus. The episode sparked public outrage, with many condemning the government for giving “special privilege” to certain residents and allowing them entry in the country as hundreds of Bahamians remain stuck abroad. In the wake of the controversy, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said returning Bahamians will now have the option to selfquarantine at home or in a government facility for a two-week period. Dr Minnis had initially said all returning residents would have to be quarantined at the guarded facility. Last week, he said that some 200 Bahamians were seeking to return home. However, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have already said that number has increased exponentially. In an effort to expedite the application process for those wanting to return home, officials noted that work is being done to launch a new webpage. “Going forward the ministry will create a new web page on the current MOFA website that will support the online repatriation registration process,” officials said. “… We expect this new online facility to be available soon.” In the meantime, members of the public are urged to visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website for important notes and updates regarding this ongoing exercise.
By EARYEL BOWLEG ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas has recently averaged 36 COVID-19 tests per day, with the country recording three additional cases of the disease yesterday. News of the increase in cases comes as the Pan-American Health Organisation called on countries to analyse trends before relaxing social distancing measures. The three new COVID19 cases, all New Providence residents, include a 36-year-old man, a 26-year-old woman and a 54-year-old woman, all isolating at home. On April 30, the Ministry of Health began disclosing in its daily dashboard the total number of tests performed since the outbreak began. Since April 20, 216 additional tests have been performed for a daily average of 36. In that time frame, yesterday’s increase of 15 completed tests represented the smallest growth. The highest increase day-over-day since the information has been released is 55.
THREE NEW CASES AS BAHAMAS AVERAGES 36 VIRUS TESTS A DAY For her part, PAHO Director Carissa Etienne called on countries to analyse specific trends within their unique contexts, warning that reducing social distancing measures too soon could “accelerate the spread of the virus and open the door for a dramatic upsurge or for spread to adjacent areas.” Yesterday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Delon Brennen said he agreed with her. Dr Etienne expressed her concern for Haiti in particular and noted that in many areas around the region, the number of cases is doubling every few days, including in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Mexico. “This is a concerning indicator that tells us that transmission is still very high in those countries,
and they should implement the full range of public health measures available – extensive testing, contact tracing, isolating cases and, of course, social distancing,” she stressed. On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced phase 1B of reopening the economy would begin the next day. This allowed businesses with capacity to do online orders and kerbside pickup or delivery to resume operations. He stressed that social distancing and proper hygiene measures must be adhered to at all times. Dr Minnis also allowed normal commercial activity to resume in the southern islands. These areas have no confirmed cases. However the 24-hour curfew and weekend lockdown remains in effect for the entire country.
PM Dr Hubert Minnis, on temporarily assuming the portfolio of Minister of Health, yesterday met with health officials Photo: Yontalay Bowe/BIS
BUS drivers may limit the number of passengers allowed on their vehicles amid other precautions once the government gives them the green light to resume routes. In March, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis prohibited public transportation among other restrictions outlined in a series of emergency orders meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. Last week, he revealed his five-phase plan for reopening the economy, with public transport to resume in stage five with “safety protocols”. Yesterday, the Bahamas Unified Bus Drivers Union’s president revealed there may be a limit of passengers allowed on buses when public transportation resumes. “It may limit the amount persons that are in the bus so to speak…..as for the limit we can’t say,” Rudolph Taylor said. “As well for the fact that sanitary conditions will be heightened. So persons would have to wear face masks. . .” He noted that bus drivers around the world have increased risks of catching COVID-19 due to the nature of their profession, which highlights the need for Bahamian jitney drivers to take precautions once their routes resume. In April, the UK Guardian revealed that nearly 100 American transit workers have died from the coronavirus “as basic measures to keep employees safe have lagged in cities across the United States”. In light of these findings, Mr Taylor said: “... (Safety measures) would have to be strictly enforced because as you know bus drivers around the world (are) really dying from this (disease) because they are dealing with so many different persons within the public.” While the sector is shut down, he said bus drivers are encouraging each other not to give up hope and wait until the economy is fully reopened. He said: “So some of us are just holding tight and other drivers are just being their brother’s keeper in terms of keeping our drivers afloat. So that is what we’re doing now in the industry to the best of our ability and as well as encouraging one another not to give up hope but just to wait patiently because at this time we know that we’ll be the last to open.”
BIMINI RESIDENTS DIVIDED ON NUMBER OF STUDENTS NOW HOW TO DEAL WITH INFECTIONS WORKING ONLINE UP TO 45,000 By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
AS the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Bimini, residents are split on whether the small community needs a more stringent lockdown to stop the spread of infections. “The lockdown is needed before this thing gets any worse,” said a concerned resident, who did not wish to be named. “I am 66-years-old and I don’t go out, except in my backyard - it is scary.” The elderly woman believes that everyone should be concerned about the situation because the island is small. Up to Tuesday, there were 92 cases in the country. Of the five new cases confirmed Tuesday, three were from Bimini, including two men ages 25 and 36 years old, and a 15-year-old girl. The country’s first recorded COVID-19 death was Bimini resident Kim Johnson-Rolle who died in
late March after being airlifted to New Providence for treatment. Rolle was the owner of a local restaurant on that island. “I think they need a lockdown for a month because people are not adhering to the orders,” stressed the concerned resident. “I see people out playing on the basketball court not exercising social distancing, and then some people are also out after curfew.” Another resident, who gave her name as Ms Cash, was sad after hearing news of the three new confirmed cases in Bimini. “We all feel bad; when I heard about the three new cases yesterday, I was depressed,” she said. “We believe it is going to get better as those who are affected are persons in one group. It is going to be alright as long as people do what the prime minister says by practicing social distancing and wearing masks.” However, Ms Cash, who operates Brown Food Supply, does not think that a two-week lockdown
would be the best thing at this time for residents of the island. “If it was during the Easter week when people had money it would be better, but two weeks right now is not good because people do not have any money,” she said. “Bimini relies on tourism and there are no tourists here so nothing happening, and the hotels are closed. We are praying for the best and we believe it is going to be alright,” Ms Cash said. Percy Duncombe, of Sue and Joy’s Variety Store, does not think that the current situation is bad enough to require a lockdown. He says that only a certain related group of persons on the island are affected. “If it was a worse situation, but it seems as though the situation happening in Bimini is only affecting a particular group of people. I think the people involved with the situation are all related to one group. “They are in seclusion and I don’t think a two-week lockdown is necessary,” he said.
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
ABOUT 45,000 students have now registered for the Ministry for Education’s virtual learning programme, according to Education Minister Jeff Lloyd. Last month, it was revealed around 40,000 students had enrolled. Noting officials are pleased that more students are registering with the learning programme, Mr Lloyd said his ministry was also excited to finally launch the live educational broadcasts on cable for primary school students. “We’re very, very excited about that so that means all of our students are able to access live instructions every single day and now we have about 45,000 students registered on the virtual school — big time, wonderful day.” The virtual learning programme was established to allow students to continue their studies at home after
the government announced the closure of schools due to COVID-19 pandemic. However, recognising that many students in the country do not have access to the internet, the Ministry of Education launched live educational broadcasts on cable tv, allowing students to continue their studies at home. To further assist vulnerable students in the community, the government also gave out meal vouchers. Speaking in the House of Assembly in March, Mr Lloyd revealed that there were some 4,200 students who depended on schools for their meals. “As a consequence of school closure, those students are at significant risk,” he said. “Therefore… the Ministry of Education will provide meal vouchers for students and invite parents to call and come to the school to collect such vouchers for their children.” Last week, the South Beach MP said tablets will
be issued to students on the ministry’s meal programme so they can have access to the virtual learning platform. Those tablets, he told reporters on Tuesday, are expected to be distributed next week. “Tablets are going to be in town and they’re going to be distributed the middle to the end of next week,” he noted. “We already have in house a half of the tablets, but we want to make sure that we have them all and that ALIV loads them as they ought to with the hotspot you all know with that means as well as the app for the access to the virtual school.” It is still not clear when national examinations such as BJC and BGCSE will be held in the country. However, during his national address on Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis assured that those exams will occur “whenever the opportunities arises to conduct them safely.”
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 5
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS from page one their trust in God has given them hope that they will overcome the challenges of COVID-19. He says he expects both of his daughters to make a full recovery from the virus. “You have your moments, but I’ve been able to work through them and it’s not affecting me tremendously because (as a medical doctor) I know how it affects people,” he said. “But, the one who’s in hospital, it’s been quite challenging because it’s really affected her. For a moment, it was a ‘let’s see what’s going to happen’. You didn’t feel comfortable. It’s challenging.” He continued: “But, God has taken me through Dorian, and I had my moments in Dorian so I’m sure he’s going to help me through this one as well. “It’s not easy, but you
Health worker sisters battle virus together have to work through it and support the family and friends. A lot of people have been calling and checking on me and that’s been quite encouraging as well.” After losing his clinic to Hurricane Dorian in early September, the medical doctor relocated to New Providence to continue providing care for his patients. “Since the hurricane, I’ve been working between Nassau and Abaco and since we got the clinic open back up again, I started
going back to Abaco to see the patients there,” he added. “…I work at Doctors (Hospital) here in Nassau.” However, after being exposed to the virus from a patient he had treated earlier, Dr Charite said he had to be taken out of the healthcare system, despite testing negative for the virus. His time in quarantine was prolonged when his daughters tested positive for the virus, he said. “I’ve been in quarantine for over a month now. I had
a patient that I was in contact with that passed away and then my two daughters who lived me who are in the nursing field as well, they got infected.” “I just came out on Monday.” Asked yesterday how he spent his time in self-isolation, Dr Charite said he kept himself busy by cleaning, cooking and watching television. “I don’t normally watch TV except for sports, but I’ve been able to watch movies and things since then.”
POLICE ON PATROL
POLICE officers were out and about at the roundabout at Poinciana Drive yesterday, prompting drivers to wear their masks. Photos: Shawn Hanna/Tribune Staff
The father-of-five said when he was not doing those activities, he would be tending to his patients virtually. He said: “Well because of tele-medicine, I’ve still been able to take care of my patients through telephone and the telemedicine system that we’re using so even though I can communicate with some people they don’t even know what’s going on with me. “But, I’m still able to treat people but it’s just that face-to-face contact is not
right there right now. But, I’m still able to continue patient care but just not for the emergencies.” Dr Charite noted he hopes to return to Abaco once the COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. However, in the meantime, he said: “I’ll be right here working in Nassau. “…Right now, we have patients all over the place in various islands. So, I’m able to see my patients from Abaco in Nassau too while I’m here.”
By DENISE MAYCOCK Tribune Freeport Reporter dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
allowed businesses that can do online orders and kerbside pickup or delivery to resume operations. Mr Thompson is urging businesses to stay in those guidelines and not to breach protocols. He noted that only businesses that can operate online, by telephone, and using kerbside and delivery services are allowed to operate. In the meantime, he is appealing to the public to remain cautious. “We want to send a clear message to residents to stay vigilant, abide by the rules and ensure that we continue to keep the fight clear in our mind that as we go about doing our business, to ensure we remember this disease is still here, it is still in the fight, and GB must still remain vigilant with respect to COVID-19,” said the minister. When asked by The Tribune whether testing is being done and whether the new case had any link to any of the prior cases, Mr Thompson said he would leave the latter to health professionals to address. However, he did report that contact tracing and testing is being conducted now by health professionals. “There is additional testing being done by health professionals in GB. They are conducting normal contact tracing that is being done with respect to this additional case. And so the health professionals continue to do all the necessary things with respect to contact tracing and ensure all the persons who would have had contact with that person are notified and they are kept abreast…” The Grand Bahama patient is at home in self-isolation.
Editorial View - Page 6
WE’RE STILL IN THE THICK OF IT, WARNS KWASI MINISTER of State for Grand Bahama Kwasi Thompson yesterday warned Grand Bahama is still in the thick of the fight against COVID-19 after one new case was confirmed on the island on Tuesday. This latest confirmed case brings the total to eight on Grand Bahama, where health officials are now conducting contact tracing and testing of people who may have been in contact with the 50-year-old woman who tested positive with the disease. Before Tuesday, no new cases had been recorded in Grand Bahama for the past three weeks. Mr Thompson said that it means the disease is still in Grand Bahama. “Yesterday, we learned that there was one additional case of COVID-19 for GB,” he said. “I think we had gone three weeks without having an additional case. This is disappointing, but it sends a clear message to GB that we cannot let our guard down with this disease and the fight that we are in,” he stressed. “It is clear that the disease is still in GB, and that we still must keep all precautions we were doing; we must continue those precautions and we must ensure that everyone wears a mask – it is mandated and I want to continue to press on people to wear their mask and continue to keep social distancing in GB.” On Sunday, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis announced the country had moved into phase 1B of his five-phase plan for reopening the economy. This
FINED $500 FOR GOING OUT TO CHARGE CELLPHONE By FARRAH JOHNSON fjohnson@tribunemedia.net
A MAN who claimed he violated the lockdown to charge his cellphone at a friend’s house because he had no electricity at home was fined $500 yesterday. He and three other men appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt for curfew and lockdown infractions. They all admitted to being aware of the emergency protocol when they were found outside their homes. Joland Nesbitt, 41, was charged after officers found him on Fourth Street around 10.25pm on Sunday May 3. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or six weeks at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services. According to the facts read by prosecutor Lincoln McKenzie, on the night in question, officers observed
a man walking north on Fourth Street. When stopped and questioned, the man identified himself as Joland Nesbitt. Sgt McKenzie said he told officers he was outside because he had just come from a friend’s house and was headed home. He was subsequently arrested and in an interview with police, admitted to violating the lockdown. During the hearing, Nesbitt told Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt that he had just come out of jail and had no electricity in his home, so he would go to his friend’s house across the street to charge his phone. Nesbitt also said that his mother had a stroke recently, so he didn’t usually leave the house on the weekends. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt told the defendant he was going to have to find a better way to get his phone charged because he needed to stay
at home during the weekend lockdown. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Pelecanos, 41, was charged after he was found on First Street around 10.20pm on May 5. He also pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or six weeks in prison. Prosecutor McKenzie said on the night of Pelecanos’ arrest, officers stopped him while he was walking. When questioned, Pelecanos told them he had just come from buying cigarettes. As a result, he was arrested and charged. When given an opportunity to speak, Pelecanos told the magistrate that he was a fisherman from Long Island who had been stuck in Nassau since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were enforced. He claimed that he hadn’t seen his family since January because he had been in Ragged Island fishing and had come to Nassau right
before the prime minister imposed restrictions on domestic and international travel. Nesbitt explained that his circumstances were stressing him out and that was the reason he was outside smoking after 10pm that night. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt told Pelecanos that she could not condone his actions as a judicial officer. She also told him that the emergency regulations have been put in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and that the country’s health professionals and the government were doing their best to contain the deadly virus so it was important for him to follow the rules. Officers found 24-yearold Jadre Evans on Market Street and School Lane around 8.39pm on April 30. He pleaded guilty and was given a $350 fine or six weeks at the BDCS.
Prosecutor McKenzie told the court on the night in question, officers observed the defendant driving a grey Honda vehicle and beckoned for him to stop. When questioned, Evans told officers he had just dropped his mother at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) for work. He was then taken to a nearby station where he admitted to violating the curfew in an interview with police. Evans was represented by attorney Ian Cargil, who told the magistrate to consider the fact that Evans was taking his mother, who was an essential worker, to work. In response, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt said while that was a “mitigating” factor, Evans had a duty to follow protocol and call the COVID-19 hotline to inform the authorities of his plans to assist his mother. Jermaine Ferguson, 42,
was charged after he was found on Palmetto Avenue around 3.10am on April 29. He pleaded guilty and was fined $500 or six weeks in prison. Prosecutor McKenzie said that morning, officers observed Ferguson walking west on Palmetto Avenue. When he was approached and questioned, he told officers he was outdoors because he had just come from his girlfriend’s home. As a result he was arrested and taken to a nearby station. There, he admitted to the offence in an interview with police and was subsequently charged. During the arraignment, Magistrate Ferguson-Pratt urged Ferguson to follow the emergency regulations. “This is a serious fight,” she said. “Not with weapons or ammunition, but for the health of the country, (therefore) you must stay home.”
PAGE 6, Thursday, May 7, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
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Fighting on the front line WHEN we talk about healthcare workers on the front line of the battle against COVID-19, it’s people such as Dr George Charite and his daughters that we are talking about. Two of Dr Charite’s daughters tested positive for the virus last month – and both are nurses. One is still in hospital, while the other remains in isolation and is, in Dr Charite’s words, “coming along”. Dr Charite himself, meanwhile, had to be taken out of the healthcare system, having been exposed to the virus from a patient he had treated earlier. His quarantine was extended after his daughters tested positive – meaning he has been in quarantine for more than a month. These are the people most affected by the virus. These are the people put most at risk by having to be on the front
line tending to those who have caught COVID-19, these are the people having to battle for their own health having stepped up to look after ours. This is also the second national disaster in succession that has affected Dr Charite’s family – he lost his clinic to Hurricane Dorian when it blasted through Abaco. He wants to go back to Abaco once travel restrictions are lifted. But in the meantime? He’s just keeping on working in Nassau, dealing with patients remotely and monitoring the progress of his daughters’ recovery. We really don’t deserve people as dedicated as the Charite family. So when you think about whether you need to go out? Whether you need to wear a mask? Think about them, and play your part in keeping them safe.
Are we ready for another Dorian? WE might not want to think about it as we wrestle with the pandemic currently affecting us – but hurricane season is on its way. What have we learned since Hurricane Dorian hit? On Monday, we reported an assessment from the International Organisation for Migration which warned that most of the shelters in Abaco and Grand Bahama are unusable. There was also a shortage of emergency shelter managers, the organisation found. But what of Dorian itself? All the forecasts failed to predict its strength and path across the northern Bahamas, not one expecting the storm to stall and sit churning over Abaco and Grand Bahama. One meteorologist called the moment when Dorian rapidly intensified before making landfall “sobering” and “scary”. When a forecast misses the mark as it
did with Dorian, it raises concern about how accurately we can predict the next storm, and the next. There is rightly concern over how the northern islands could take another hit – especially as we look at the prospect of a more active hurricane season this year. But what about New Providence? How well could we take a hit of that magnitude? What preparations have we made for a Dorian-size storm hitting the capital? What have we learned? Dorian ought to have taught us to fundamentally rethink our hurricane preparations – and our response if one does hit. The financial impact of the storm and then COVID-19 makes that an incredibly difficult task – but a storm hitting us without the right preparation would be even worse. Storm season is less than a month away. Time is ticking.
Should Dr Sands have got the job in the first place? EDITOR, The Tribune DR Duane Sands (FNMElizabeth) has been obliged to pick up his marbles and to demit office as Minister of Health. Years ago, I held a brief for him and a few other then candidates. I had high hopes for Dr. Sands but within a year of being elected to parliament and being appointed to the cabinet, I saw the handwriting on the proverbial wall. He has proven to be a political disaster. That being the case should the PM have appointed himself to this vital position as Minister of Health? The Bahamas is still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Dorian which ravaged Abaco and Grand Bahama in particular. To this very day, almost a year later, there are some 50 odd deceased bodies stored in a trailer in Abaco. The hurricane season for this year is fast approaching and it is commonly accepted that we are not prepared for the same. The proposed National Health Initiative was one of
LETTERS letters@tribunemedia.net the many unfulfilled planks in the FNM electoral campaign. It is clear that unless a miracle occurs that Bahamians will not be seeing this any time soon. The economic dislocation caused by the Corona virus and the abrupt shut down of the economy by Minnis and his administration has resulted in massive unemployment and loss of revenue for many. The economy, to put it mildly, is in shambles and is unlikely to bounce back anytime in the near future. The PM is regarded by many as a good medical and businessman. He is, however, only human and I fear that he might over tax himself as he takes on the health portfolio. Is it not possible that he could have simply appointed Senator Mildred Watson, a medical doctor with all of the necessary political pedigree? The outcome of the
next general elections will depend heavily on two items, in my view: the economy and the delivery of the National Health Initiative. If Minnis and his regime fail at these, they could kiss the elections goodbye. The Progressive Liberal Party will be returned to high office as simple as 1 + 1 = 2 If the PM were a really smart man, he would hold on to the post of Minister of Health for the shortest time possible. Senator Watson should be appointed Minister of Health while continuing to serve in the Senate. The Hon. Shannedon Cartwright (FNM-St. Barnabas) could be appointed as Minister of State for Health and represent that ministry in the House for the duration. The ball, however, is in the PM’s court. Musical chairs or the inevitable implosion of the FNM ? To God then, in all things, be the glory. ORTLAND H. BODIE, JR. Nassau, May 6, 2020
Hurricanes and virus - a deadly double act in troubling times HURRICANE season is only weeks away, and many communities are only now considering how to handle a large-scale disaster on top of the coronavirus pandemic. Forecasters are warning of a more active than usual Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1, with one forecast calling for 16 named tropical storms, eight of them hurricanes, and a high likelihood that at least one major hurricane will strike the US. In New Jersey, where Hurricane Sandy is still fresh in many minds and coronavirus infections are now widespread, social distancing will be important, but it’s not simple to do during a disaster. Emergency shelters have little room for personal distance, and storm preparations and cleanup often involve close contact with others. Tom Hester, a spokesman for New Jersey’s Department of Human Services, said officials would be working with the Red Cross and other partners to provide sheltering under social distancing guidelines “as best as possible.” State emergency management officials, who have been busy with the pandemic, said they were holding regular conference calls with county officials about disaster response, though no public updates had yet been issued. When national Hurricane Preparedness Week started on May 3, New Jersey and other states were still working on updating their online hurricane advice to reflect the pandemic. FEMA updated its advice only at the end of April, adding a few sentences recommending that anyone headed to a storm shelter should wear a cloth face covering, take cleaning items like hand sanitiser and keep six feet away from others. Hurricanes are only part of the disaster risk facing the US this year. The Southeast has seen deadly tornadoes, and the West expects significant droughts this summer, a recipe for wildfires. Each could leave thousands of people homeless and many in need of
rescue and emergency care, and the coronavirus will make them more difficult and dangerous to manage. Dealing with response and recovery from a disaster in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic raises new and unsettling questions. Who is available to respond? What medical assistance can be provided if hospitals are treating COVID-19 patients and there is already a shortage of supplies? Where do we shelter and house evacuees, given the need to keep large numbers of evacuees socially distant from one another? Moreover, the time frame for dealing with this dual challenge may not be measured in days or even weeks, but rather months and possibly years. As a civil engineer specialising in risk management, I work with governments and businesses to assess enterprise risks, including extreme weather. There are no silver bullets to solving these dilemmas, but there are simple concepts and questions that planners should be addressing right now. With the coronavirus pandemic adding a new layer of challenges and risks, community leaders should be planning in a structured way for how they will deal with worst-case scenarios. That means asking: What can go wrong? How likely is it? What are the consequences? And what resources do we need to mitigate the risk? Before this year, few communities seriously considered the need to deal with a pandemic on top of a natural disaster. Their playbooks for responding to a tornado or a hurricane likely didn’t include the need to consider social distancing in emergency shelters or how to get help from other states when a widespread health crisis is underway. Officials should be asking the key questions again, casting the net wide enough to consider any plausible scenario. Importantly, they should be addressing
where personnel, equipment, facilities and supplies can be found and how those resources should be allocated. With the likelihood that resources normally available from federal agencies and mutual aid agreements won’t be accessible this year, some local communities have started banding together to fill the void. In New Orleans, Evacuteer, a nonprofit normally focused on helping residents evacuate during a hurricane, has shifted its operations to stockpiling food and supplies, recognising that the pandemic response has depleted many of these resources. Inventory management is perhaps the most difficult challenge. In our global economy, companies have been overwhelmingly focused on cutting costs to remain competitive. Businesses respond by keeping inventory as low as possible, relying on the supply chain to make just-in-time deliveries to meet production and service needs. There is little to no adaptive capacity in the system – the excess resources they could draw upon when a disaster strikes. Creating this adaptive capacity will require a sea change in how businesses operate, with the strategy of cutting costs to the max replaced with a more reasoned approach of being cost-conscious while maintaining a sufficient inventory to meet societal needs. Now is the time to recognise how to become resilient when confronting multiple disasters simultaneously. There is a famous oil filter commercial in which an auto mechanic, discussing the cost of replacing an oil filter as opposed to the cost of engine repair by deferring that decision, declares: “You can pay me now….or you can pay me later.” Later is no longer an option. By Mark Abkowitz, Vanderbilt University theconversation.com
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 7
New water plant brings 10,000 gallons of water a day to Abaco
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net A PORTABLE water plant has been installed on Abaco, bringing 10,000 gallons of potable water a day to residents. The salt water reverse osmosis plant was donated by several non-profit organisations in the country. Rotary Clubs of The Bahamas, in partnership with PureH2O and their Critical Path Foundation, had the water system installed in Treasure Cay in an effort to provide free clean water for anyone who needs it on the island. The project valued at more than $110,000, can produce about 10,000 gallons of water a day. “It also has a 20kw generator for power and sits on its own chassis for easy transportation,” officials said. “Once the need in Abaco is satisfied (however long that takes), the plan is to ship the unit back to Nassau to be stored and regularly maintained by Pure H2O at their facility and then deploy wherever in The Bahamas it is needed following any future disaster that befalls the country.” Speaking to The Tribune, Rotary past assistant governor Lindsey Cancino said the initiative was inspired by a similar project conducted in Grand Bahama after Hurricane Jeanne and Francis hit the island several years ago. He said: “We had successfully created a reverse osmosis emergency water plant in Grand Bahama 12 years ago after hurricanes Jeanne and Francis did so much damage there and created a shortage of water. “That project has been exceptionally successful. It was a $217,000 effort and sort of half and half between Rotary and the TK foundation and it still operates to this day.”
He added: “Having had that very successful experience, when the issue came up in Abaco we thought well how do we reproduce that there but in a much less permanent scale and less expensive and so we partnered with a local producer who came to us with a similar idea, not realising we both wanted to do the same thing. “In PureH20, they are a local water system manufacturer and so they build (reverse osmosis plants) for a living and they wanted to do the same thing to help Abaco and basically we have agreed to split the costs and they provided the actual RO system. “We provided the container, the generator, the chassis, the stuff that
goes along with making it operate.” After several months of working on the system, Mr Cancino said they were happy to have it finally completed and installed in Treasure Cay, its distribution location. If the system proves successful, he said the organisations will seek to duplicate the plant and have it installed in Marsh Harbour. “Assuming that it continues to work well, we may try to duplicate it for the north if need be up in Marsh Harbour but we’ll see how that goes because finding a secure place was a bit of a challenge and you have to make sure that once you create the thing, things don’t start walking away,” he said.
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PAGE 8, Thursday, May 7, 2020
THE TRIBUNE
LEFT: Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis: above: Sir Lynden Pindling; right: George W Bush, 43rd president of the United States
Collective responsibility & cabinet government IT IS unfortunate many in the media as well as many academics do not understand the basic tenets of our system of government. Correspondingly, we often get our language and our thinking muddled and just plain wrong in constitutional matters. Proper language and terminology communicate concepts and principles. In medicine and science getting concepts and language wrong may be a matter of life and death as we are seeing during the COVID19 pandemic. Getting the same wrong in constitutional matters may help to weaken the vitality of our parliamentary system within the body politic. Since independence the
FRONT PORCH
BY SIMON Prime Minister of The Bahamas has been frequently and incorrectly
referred to in the media, by some commentators and even by various politicians as the nation’s chief executive. The constitution confers no such title on a prime minister. Some often glibly and inaccurately refer to the prime minister as “the nation’s chief”. Much of this is due to our relatively recent and limited history of cabinet government and as an independent country. With the cult of personality and strongman politics of Sir Lynden Pindling we inflated in our political consciousness the actual powers of a prime minister, whose power, in significant ways, is considerably less than those of a US president. Sir Lynden was often called “Chief”.
Our proximity to the US and ignorance about our constitution has resulted in a misunderstanding of our parliamentary system and cabinet government and in the repeated regurgitation of factual errors. We borrow promiscuously from the American political lexicon expressions which are quite misleading when we try to understand and discuss our own constitution which is vastly different from that of the US. Enamoured with the drama of the American presidential system, quite a number of Bahamians are more aware of American civics than we are of our own. Often mesmerized by the US media’s reporting on the American government and the trappings of the US presidency, we sometimes erroneously compare that system with parliamentary democracy absent a deeper appreciation of the origins, history, strengths and potential weaknesses of either system. AUTHORITY In our system, the Prime Minister is the most important member of cabinet and that is why we call him or her prime (or first), and he or she has important constitutional powers including certain powers of appointment. Still, executive authority under our constitution is vested in the British monarch (Article 71) and is exercised by her representative the Governor General. That is why no legislation by parliament becomes law until it is signed by the Governor General. Further, the constitution gives responsibility for the general direction and control of the government to the cabinet (Article 72), not the prime minister. That is what collective responsibility means. In the U.S. cabinet secretaries are only advisers to the president, who alone
will make a final decision on a given matter. In The Bahamas, the cabinet reaches a consensus on matters of policy and the programmes of the government. In our system the prime minister is not, as President George W Bush put it, “the decider”. The cabinet collectively are “the deciders”. Article 72 of our constitution provides that the cabinet “shall have the general direction and control of the government of The Bahamas and shall be collectively responsible to Parliament”. This is very different from systems with an executive president, such as the United States. All important decisions of The Bahamas Government must be made collectively by the cabinet. The American president individually enjoys extensive executive authority, authority that has grown dramatically since the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. The repeated assertion that The Bahamas prime minister inherently has too much power is a red herring. The US president may engage in certain military actions without the need to get approval from his or her cabinet or from the Congress, though the president would be wise to consult both. There continues a historic debate about presidential war powers. RESPONSIBILITY In our system the prime minister must get approval for military action from the cabinet and for extended military action from parliament. The prime minister’s chief responsibility is the coordination and discipline of the cabinet where he or she is primus inter pares (first among equals). A prime minister is expected to provide leadership for his or her colleagues; is responsible for the agenda and
conduct of the proceedings of the cabinet as well as discipline; is responsible for the overall coordination of the government; and is the chief spokesperson for the government. The Constitution also gives him or her the authority to make or advise certain appointments, including the appointment of ministers. A minister, including the prime minister, may bring a paper to cabinet proposing a certain course of action or policy or project or legislation. A minister may also in certain circumstances raise a matter orally at the table. Cabinet debates the issue and comes to a conclusion or conclusions which are then binding on the relevant minister and all of his or her colleagues as well as other relevant agencies of the government. Once a cabinet conclusion is arrived at, neither the prime minister nor any other individual minister can legally overturn, reverse or vary such decision. However, the cabinet can collectively revisit any previous conclusion. We elect a party to office. There is no direct election of a prime minister. Again, he or she is not an elected chief executive. He or she is a part of cabinet, in which general direction and control of the country is vested and which is collectively responsible. A commentary published by the FNM described cabinet government: “The heart of cabinet government is the ability of ministers to reach a consensus on critical matters and collaborate on and direct government policy.” The commentary further noted: “Ministers who cannot in principle accept a particular policy are honour-bound to resign. Ministers should not publicly promote independent agendas at the expense of colleagues. Ministers should advise their colleagues in advance about actions which may affect their ministries.”
‘CHANCE FOR MINNIS TO TAKE CHARGE’
READERS have been posting their views on the stories making the news this week on tribune242. com. The announcement that Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis will temporarily serve as Minister of Health prompted this comment from Joeblow: “Minnis’ inability to clearly articulate will make him appear more incompetent when he is compared to Sands. In truth nothing will change but the optics of the situation! “While this is an opportunity for Minnis to really take command of the situation and solidify his position as leader in the eyes of the masses, I doubt he has what it takes to pull it off. Let’s see what happens!” John had this to say: “Minnis should not compromise the health and safety of this nation by becoming the all powerful,
all controlling . . . even if not by his intention. Put a competent person to be in charge of Ministry of Health and to be answerable to a higher authority and to the people of The Bahamas.” And in The Tribune’s online poll, we are asking readers if they agree with Dr Duane Sands’ decision to offer his resignation. At the time of going to press, 77 percent of those voting said they did NOT agree. The news that the European Commission intends to formally blacklist The Bahamas this week led to this comment from Proguing: “The Bahamas needs to put an additional 25%
import tariffs on all EU goods to compensate for the loss of business this will create.” Concerned799 said: “The goal posts will only just keep moving no matter what you do, at a certain point you are no longer a sovereign state if all you do is follow the EU’s rules. “Everything done in the past to please the EU should be reversed, if you are going to be on a blacklist anyway, what’s the point to following through on anything done in a failed attempt to avoid such an outcome anyway?” And Realitycheck242 had this to say: “The EU is trying to stay relevant. To continue to pick on smaller countries like The Bahamas by blacklisting them shows that they are beginning to grasp at the little economic straws they can get their hands on.”
THE TRIBUNE
Y
OU have to give Donald Trump credit. The American President, who has been caught in nearly 20,000 public lies by what he calls the “lamestream” press, spoke with disarming candour the other day. Someone asked Trump about allegations by Tara Reade, a former staffer in Joe Biden’s Senate office. Reade has charged that Biden inappropriately touched her nearly 30 years ago. Trump, appearing to shoot from the hip as usual, said he thought Biden “should fight back”. The President sided with the man who hopes to throw him out of office in six months in dismissing Reade’s complaint with a literal and figurative wave of his hand. Well, this was honest at least. Trump, more than any public figure in memory, certainly knows what it is like to face politically inconvenient charges of sexual misconduct from women in his past. We can be certain he spoke from the heart in this case. Meanwhile, Biden aspires to be a champion for women. He has pledged to select a female running mate. She would certainly not be the first major party V-P candidate: Sarah Palin shared the 2008 GOP ticket with John McCain just a dozen years ago, while Geraldine Ferraro was Walter Mondale’s Democratic running mate in 1984. Since Biden will be 78-years-old two weeks after the November election, there seems to be the possibility of a oneterm presidency and hand-off to his V-P to run on her own for the White House in 2024. Biden’s own expressed desire to represent a “bridge to the next generation of political leaders” is designed to encourage such speculation and to distract from his occasional senescence. Democrats are trying to repair this unwelcome Tara Reade pothole on Biden’s path to the presidency. Republicans watch
Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 9
A bitter pill to swallow for the greater good STATESIDE
with Charlie Harper
with eager anticipation, hoping for a destructive conflagration. One of the most interesting reactions from either side comes from Linda Hirshman, a controversial feminist lawyer, philosopher and polemicist. Writing in the New York Times the other day, Hirshman declared that after some soul-searching, she would cast her vote for Biden in the fall. This feminist stalwart is the author of “Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World” and “Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World.” Here is part of her justification for supporting Biden, and, in effect, throwing Tara Reade and her allegations under the bus in the process. “What is the greatest good or the greatest harm? Mr. Biden, and the Democrats he may carry with him into government, are likely to do more for women and the nation than his competition, the worst President in the history of the Republic. “The Trump
administration, and the Republican Party that he represents, are unassailably the political equivalent of a shipwreck. Offering only hatred, rejecting facts, refusing accountability, they represent the wreckage of the American ship of state. We knew that before thousands of Americans died of COVID-19 in a spectacle of villainy and incompetence, but when you are faced with a distasteful moral choice, it can be useful to be reminded of the immensity of the stakes in making that choice.” Hirshman is nothing if not clear in the reasons for her choice. As the prominent Democratic women reported to be on Biden’s short V-P list tap dance around the Tara Reade issue and earnestly hope it goes away, there are echoes of past and current public Democratic hand-wringing over difficult moral choices. Trump and the shared passion for dismissing him makes it much less difficult to accept the distasteful moral compromise to which Hirshman refers. Republicans hoping for a crippling moral wrench in the Democratic party works may be disappointed this time.
PRESIDENT Donald Trump arriving in Phoenix on Tuesday
SEPTUAGENARIANS COMPETING FOR THE SOUL OF THE US
THE COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed over 70,000 American lives and an unpublished American government study is reportedly circulating which asserts that by June the death toll in the US will soar to 3,000 victims each day before the carnage subsides – if it even subsides by then. What a scary, disastrous outcome that would be. Many of America’s principal health experts report that in most US states, the grisly total of coronavirus cases and tragic deaths is rising. Nonetheless, officials in 41 states are authorising or planning the imminent, partial reopening of their economies. The intensity and thrust of this activity vary by state and, in many cases such as in Florida, by county. But the evidence is clear that despite official federal warnings from Washington that resuming economic and social activities too quickly can lead to devastating results, governors and others find irresistible the pressure to relax restrictions. Just as there have been numerous commentaries and reports in The Tribune warning of the dangers of economic reopening here before the virus is contained, the mainstream US press is similarly full of caution. Enter the man under whose name the federal warnings of premature reopening are issued. Donald Trump, who will not or perhaps just simply cannot discipline himself to
JOE BIDEN
cut his losses on this issue and be quiet for a change, is often heard leading the cheers for those governors and other officials who are unshuttering restaurants, movie theatres, nail salons and other economic entities. Trump makes no secret of his urgent desire to restore the American economic furnace to its earlier white-hot intensity. In the process, he will of course stimulate his own re-election prospects. But of course, the political downside of encouraging a premature economic opening if the death toll continues to mount is pretty obvious. On Tuesday, declaring himself fed up with isolation in the White House, Trump flew out to Arizona on a mission whose political purpose he hardly tried to disguise. He appeared unmasked with others also without masks in a state where there is mounting evidence he may have some troubles in November. A key group which may be turning against the President is the significant number of senior Americans who reside in Arizona, whose ranks have been particularly hard-hit by the virus’ virulence in nursing homes. It’s no accident that politically astute Trump travelled to Arizona. The President knows maintaining Republican control of the US Senate is essential to his future success in office. The GOP now has a 53-47 edge in the American upper house. Democrat Doug Jones, a long-shot upstart winner over a reprobate former judge in Alabama two years ago, is largely written off by both parties. That means that if Biden wins the presidency in November, his Democratic colleagues must unhorse at least four GOP incumbents. (The American Vice-President breaks Senate tie votes.)
Arizona’s Martha McSally, an Air Force academy graduate and former congresswoman, lost a Senate bid two years ago but was then appointed to John McCain’s seat when he died, is running to retain the seat this year. McSally, haunted by various missteps, looks vulnerable to the challenge of former astronaut Mark Kelly. Trump’s second trip to Arizona in three months was
designed largely to help McSally remain in office. There are several other Republican Senators on an electoral scorecard that features far more GOP seats to defend than Democratic ones. The upcoming contests most talked about are in Maine, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa, Georgia and Montana. There is even a credible opponent in the race against Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell in Kentucky. There is an abundance of questions and uncertainties about the upcoming election. Nothing is certain in politics. It’s early in the electoral campaign. Who knows what effect the pandemic will have on the election? Blah, blah. What is certain is both major political parties have swallowed their misgivings about their standard-bearers and rallied around their
candidates. This will not be an American election fight waged between two candidates whose differences are blurred and hard to discern except on relatively minor issues. The forthcoming months will see a political campaign that should be notable for the clarity of its distinctions between two septuagenarian candidates competing for the elusive soul of the United States.
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PAGE 10, Thursday, May 7, 2020 William M Rodgers III Professor of Public Policy and Chief Economist, Rutgers University AS the COVID-19 pandemic worsened in April, many Americans were shocked by the extent that black Americans were being disproportionately impacted: higher infection rates, more deaths and greater job loss. But many black Americans were not surprised. This is not new. The same dynamic has been going on at times of crisis for decades and generations. As a labour economist and former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labour under the Clinton administration, I know history has shown black Americans consistently bear the brunt of recessions and natural disasters.
Economic history repeating itself Prior to this pandemic, the worst economic downturns in post-World War II America were the 1981-82 recession and the Great Recession that followed the 2007-2008 financial crisis. During those downturns, the jobless rate of black Americans peaked at 20.2 percent and 14.8 percent respectively, according to my calculations. From each downturn’s onset, it took 16 and 18 months to hit those levels.
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Don’t be surprised when black Americans bear the brunt of COVID recession This pandemic has eclipsed those figures in just one month. My estimate – based on the historic link between the unemployment rate and initial claims, and April’s data – has the black American unemployment rate already exceeding 20 percent, compared with a white unemployment rate of 13 percenet. Black Americans have higher likelihoods of losing their jobs because those jobs are concentrated in the hardest-hit sectors of the economy, such as hotels, restaurants, bars and other food services, and department stores. Many who have kept their jobs face higher risks of infection because they work in “high touch” jobs such as transit workers and grocery clerks. Further, because they tend to live in more densely populated communities, they also have a harder time practicing physical distancing.
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This, along with the longstanding chronic health challenges of many black Americans, puts them at greater risks of infection, illness and death.
Fewer resources Only when the public protested did they finally pass legislation that targeted additional resources to the neediest hospitals. It took until the second instalment of the Paycheque Protection Programme for many minority and womenowned businesses to get access to funds. Black Americans also tend to have access to fewer resources, making it harder for them to be more resilient when faced with a challenge like a pandemic, recession or natural disaster. This has been their experience during past economic recessions, but even during “normal” times, it is harder for black Americans to compete on a level playing field. Lower wealth and smaller savings form part of a patchwork of longstanding structural barriers that mean that in times of economic hardship, black Americans tend to get hit hardest. Fewer education opportunities, lower rates of work experience, discrimination in hiring and pay and having to live further away from where jobs are located all contribute to higher unemployment rates, lower earnings, greater part-time employment and more underemployment. So too does the high rates
of incarceration. Economists have found that when the incarcerated population is factored in, black Americans are in no better an economic position than they were back in 1950. As a result of these barriers to well-paying, sustainable jobs, the budgets of black American families tend to be more vulnerable to economic shocks.
A false economy? The figures also undercut pre-coronavirus claims by the Trump administration that in terms of jobs, black Americans have never had it so good. Although the headline unemployment rate suggests black Americans over the last three years have experienced their best economy ever, when carefully examined this is not true. My analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that the share of black high school graduates that were employed just before the coronavirus crisis took hold is still well below its pre-Great Recession level. This is also true for black college graduates. And it has taken over 10 years for the incomes of black Americans to return to its pre-Great Recession level. This all factors in to why the economic hit of the pandemic has been so hard for black Americans. Trump likes to compare the economy during his tenure to President Obama’s economy, but such analysis doesn’t make sense. Trump inherited a strong economy, while President Obama inherited an economy that was reeling from the Great Recession. Trump should compare the economy under his administration to the first three years of President Bill Clinton’s second term, another peak in the economy’s expansion. Under this comparison, the Trump economy looks less favourable for black
WHAT happens when the shuttered economy reopens? Americans. Although the unemployment rate is lower, a comparison of the employment-population ratios – a measure that includes people not looking for work and is generally favoured as a snapshot of labor market conditions – reveals that black Americans did better during the Clinton administration. But when compared with past recessions, so too were many other Americans unprepared – even before the current crisis around 40 percent of American households could not pay an unexpected bill of US$400. Globalization and technological change have weakened institutions such as unions. The Trump administration has undermined policies put in place to help create safe and fair workplaces. Meanwhile, tax cuts that favour corporations and wealthy individuals and actions such as stock buybacks have further muted the impact of economic growth on Main Street. The bottom line I see is that the U.S.‘s failure to maintain its investments in human priorities such as education, unemployment insurance, housing and community services, and health and recreation services, is threatening the ability of all Americans to bounce back from economic adversity.
Restoring resilience So what next? As a member of the New Jersey
commission advising the governor on how and when to reopen, I’m looking at immediate economic concerns. But a long-term federal plan will reach more people. Instead of another rehash of what typically happens, I think many black Americans – along with many Americans of all backgrounds – want a new and different response to addressing racial inequality. Polling from before the current crisis found that a majority of people acknowledge that being black hurts a person’s chance of getting ahead. Black Americans have historically borne the brunt of economic downturns, so they will need a disproportionate share of resources to create and sustain their resiliency, including policies that improve opportunity, lessen overall inequality and fight discrimination. I suspect many will say the country can’t afford that kind of investment. Past surveys have indicated a lack of general support for increased federal spending on needy Americans and it is not known if COVID-19 will have changed minds. But I believe we can’t afford not to invest in better, sustainable communities. Failing to do so will condemn those left vulnerable – both black, and non-black Americans alike – to suffer from future economic shocks. theconversation.com
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Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 11
PANDEMIC ESPECIALLY TOUGH ON PEOPLE OF COLOUR
DETROIT Associated Press
PEOPLE of colour have not only been hit harder by the deadly coronavirus than have Americans overall, but they’re also bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s financial impact, according to a recent survey from the The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The financial picture is especially grim for Hispanic Americans, while some African Americans face the dual burden of being disproportionately affected by the virus itself while also struggling to pay bills due to the economic fallout. The poll found that 61% of Hispanic Americans say they’ve experienced some kind
of household income loss as a result of the outbreak, including job losses, unpaid leave, pay cuts and fewer scheduled hours. That’s compared with 46% of Americans overall. Thirty-seven percent of Latinos and 27% of black Americans say they’ve been unable to pay at least one type of bill as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Only 17% of white Americans say the same. “If our policies do not adequately address these shortfalls and the racial disparities in income, wealth, employment and wages, then we’re going to see the same pattern that we have seen historically,” said Valerie Wilson, director of the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute’s program on race, ethnicity and the economy. “It’s going to take
much longer for these families to recover — if they ever recover economically.” The survey, conducted in mid-April, found that 21% of Hispanics have been unable to make a rent or mortgage payment as a result of the outbreak, while 23% have been unable to pay a credit card bill. That compares with 8% of white Americans in both cases. Black Americans are also slightly more likely than white Americans to have been unable to pay a credit card bill, at 15%. New Mexico resident Denise Abraham, a retired teacher and librarian, said her 34-year-old son has experienced a loss of income after he quit his restaurant job because he didn’t want to potentially expose his family to the virus.
BROOKLYN’S Sunset Park yesterday, an area with one of the city’s largest Mexican and Hispanic community “As a community, I don’t see a lot of anger, just a lot of sadness and worry about what’s to come,” Abraham, a Hispanic woman, said, adding that she’s worried about the Navajo Nation and people who are in the country illegally becoming infected. “But what this shows now is who we really need and who’s really doing
the labor to carry our economy. It’s always been on the shoulders of poor people.” While income losses have hit Americans across the board, layoffs have been especially concentrated among lower income and less educated people. Twenty-eight percent of Americans without college degrees say they’ve had a layoff in their household, compared with 19% of those with degrees. Along with the financial impact, people of colour are also more likely to know someone close to them who has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The poll found that 12% of Americans say they or a close friend or relative has been diagnosed. Among black Americans, 21% say they or someone close to them has been diagnosed.
FEARS FOR SECOND WAVE OF INFECTIONS WASHINGTON Associated Press
TOP: Medical workers take a break in Jakarta, Indonesia; left: Valentina Bacchin tends to Wilfy, a westie dog needing a haircut, in Rome; above: Army soldiers prepare to disinfect a medical unit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
21m US jobs likely to go in a month WASHINGTON Associated Press
THE economic catastrophe caused by the viral outbreak likely sent the US unemployment rate in April to its highest level since the Great Depression and caused a record-shattering loss of jobs. With the economy paralyzed by business closures, the unemployment rate likely jumped to at least 16% — from just 4.4% in March — and employers cut a stunning 21 million or more jobs in April, economists have forecast, according to data provider FactSet. If so, it would mean that nearly all the job growth in the 11 years since the Great Recession had vanished in a single month. Yet even those breathtaking figures won’t fully capture the magnitude of the damage the coronavirus has inflicted on the job market. Many people still employed have
had their hours reduced. Others have suffered pay cuts. Some who’ve lost jobs won’t have been able to look for work amid widespread shutdowns and won’t even be counted as unemployed. A broader measure — the proportion of adults with jobs — could plunge to a record low. “What we’re talking about here is pretty stunning,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Grant Thornton. “The shock is unique because the cause is unique. It’s such a different animal from anything that we’ve ever seen.” The government will issue the April jobs report tomorrow morning. Today, it will release the latest weekly report on applications for unemployment benefits. It will likely show that about 3.5 million people sought jobless aid last week. That would bring the total number of layoffs to nearly 34 million since the shutdowns began seven weeks ago. That figure is much larger than
the expected April job loss because the two are measured differently: The government calculates job losses by surveying businesses and households. It’s a net figure that also counts the hiring that some companies, like Amazon and many grocery stores, have done despite the widespread layoffs. By contrast, the total jobless claims is a cumulative figure that includes aid applications that began in March. Still, the job loss for April may be much larger than expected, with most economists acknowledging that their usual models might not work as well in a collapsing job market. Swonk notes that several million unauthorized immigrants who weren’t able to file for unemployment benefits were nevertheless probably laid off last month. Those jobs losses would be counted, though, in the government’s surveys. Swonk estimates that April’s job loss could total as high as 34 million.
Companies are still cutting jobs in the midst of a severe downturn, with the economy possibly shrinking at an unheard-of 40% annual rate in the April-June quarter. GE Aviation said it is cutting up to 13,000 jobs. Uber will shed 3,700 positions. Even as the unemployment rate reaches dizzying heights, it will likely be held down by several factors. The Labor Department counts people as unemployed only if they’re actively searching for work. Yet many laid-off workers may be discouraged from looking for a new job given that so many non-essential businesses are closed. Others may stay home to protect their health. Still others may feel they have to stay with children who are home from school. In addition, some workers on temporary layoff might be incorrectly classified as what the government calls “employed, but absent from work.”
AS Europe and the US loosen their lockdowns against the coronavirus, health experts are expressing growing dread over what they say is an all-butcertain second wave of deaths and infections that could force governments to clamp back down. “We’re risking a backslide that will be intolerable,” said Dr. Ian Lipkin of Columbia University’s Center for Infection and Immunity. Around the world, German authorities began drawing up plans in case of a resurgence of the virus. Experts in Italy urged intensified efforts to identify new victims and trace their contacts. And France, which hasn’t yet eased its lockdown, has already worked up a “reconfinement plan” in the event of a new wave. “There will be a second wave, but the problem is to which extent. Is it a small wave or a big wave? It’s too early to say,” said Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus unit at France’s Pasteur Institute. In the US, with about half of the states easing their shutdowns to get their economies restarted and cellphone data showing that people are becoming restless and increasingly leaving home, public health authorities are worried. Many states have not put in place the robust testing that experts believe is necessary to detect and contain new outbreaks. And many governors have pressed ahead before their states met one of the key benchmarks in the Trump administration’s guidelines for reopening -- a 14-day downward trajectory in new illnesses and infections. “If we relax these measures without having the proper public health safeguards in place, we can expect many more cases and more deaths,” said Josh Michaud, associate director of global health policy with the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington. Cases have continued to rise in places such as Iowa and Missouri since the governors began reopening, while new infections have yo-yoed in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
PAGE 12, Thursday, May 7, 2020
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NFL TO RELEASE 2020 SCHEDULE TONIGHT NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL will release its regular-season schedule tonight, the league announced Monday, as it continues conducting business mostly as usual amid the coronavirus pandemic. The schedule will be revealed in a 3-hour telecast on NFL Network starting at 8pm Eastern. Thus far, the league has not announced any major changes to its schedule as a result of the pandemic, which has brought most organised sports around the globe to a halt. NFL training facilities are closed because of the pandemic, leading to the league’s first-ever “virtual offseason,” but the league still plans to start the season on time while playing in teams’ home stadiums. Opening day for the 2020 season is September 10, with the season set to conclude with Super Bowl 55 on February 7, 2021. The NFL also held last month’s draft on time while cancelling all inperson events. The draft had been set for Las Vegas; instead, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced picks from his home. Should the pandemic force major changes to the season, the league is considering alternatives including empty stadiums, neutral sites and getting rid of bye weeks, league executive Troy Vincent told The Associated Press last week. Any such changes would have to be approved by the players union.
FANS arrive at Wembley Stadium before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions in London on October 26, 2014. The NFL is moving its five games scheduled for London and Mexico City this season back to US stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic. All five regular-season games will now be played at the stadiums of the host teams. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
NFL moving London, Mexico City games back to American stadiums By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer THE NFL is moving its five games scheduled for London and Mexico City this season back to United States stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic. All five regular-season games will be played at the stadiums of the host teams. Scheduled were two home games for the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London and two at Tottenham’s new facility, with the
Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins as hosts. The Arizona Cardinals were to be the home team for the game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. Opponents had not been announced. The NFL said in a statement Monday that “in order for the entire season to be played in NFL teams’ stadia under consistent protocols focused on the well-being of players, personnel and fans ... Commissioner Roger Goodell made this decision after consultation with our clubs, national
and local governments, the NFL Players Association, medical authorities and international stadium partners.” The NFL has staged regular-season games in London every year since 2007. Since 2013, the Jaguars have hosted one game there each season. “While the NFL’s many fans in London, the UK and Europe will obviously be disappointed by this news, it is absolutely the right decision to ensure the safety of everyone involved
in the sport,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said. “I know that the NFL remains fully committed to London and I look forward to welcoming NFL teams back to the capital in 2021.” Mexico City has had a regular-season game in 2016, 2017 and 2019. “After considerable analysis, we believe the decision to play all our games domestically this season is the right one for our players, our clubs, and all our fans in the US, Mexico and UK,” said Christopher
Halpin, an NFL executive vice president. “We greatly appreciate the support of our governmental and stadium partners in Mexico and the United Kingdom, who all agree with this decision, and we look forward to returning for games in both countries in the 2021 season.” The league is set to release the full schedule tonight and is planning on adhering to it, though contingencies are being discussed as a safeguard against the pandemic.
NFL SETS PROTOCOLS FOR REOPENING OF TEAM FACILITIES By BARRY WILNER AP Pro Football Writer THE NFL has set protocols for reopening team facilities and has told the 32 teams to have them in place by May 15. In a memo sent by Commissioner Roger Goodell and obtained last night by The Associated Press, several phases of the protocols were laid out. The first phase to deal with the coronavirus pandemic would involve a limited number of nonplayer personnel, initially 50 per cent of the nonplayer employees (up to a total of 75) on any single
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day, being approved to be at the facility. But state or local regulations could require a lower number. The individual clubs would decide which employees could return to the facility and when once facilities reopen. No players would be permitted in the facility except to continue therapy and rehabilitation for injuries that was underway when facilities were ordered closed in late March by Goodell. “While these protocols have been carefully developed and reflect best practices,” Goodell wrote, “they can also be adapted
and supplemented to ensure compliance with any state and local public health requirements.” Goodell noted that the league is actively working on the next phase of reopening, which will involve both more staffers, and players. He said the players’ union is also being consulted on these steps. Those protocols are not yet fully developed. Dr Allen Sills, the NFL’s medical director, will speak with each team physician and the infection control officer to discuss implementation and medical aspects of the protocols.
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The step-by-step requirements are: -- Local and state government officials must consent to reopening. -- The team must implement all operational guidelines set by the league to minimize the risk of virus transmission among employees. -- Each club must acquire adequate amounts of needed supplies as prescribed by the league. -- An Infection Response Team with a written plan for newly diagnosed coronavirus cases. --An Infection Control Officer to oversee all aspects of
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the implementation of the listed guidelines. -- Each employee who returns to work at the club facility must receive COVID-19 safety and hygiene training prior to using the facility, and agree to report health information to the ICO. — The response team must consist of a local physician with expertise in common infectious disease principles; the team physician can fill that role. Also on the response team will be the infection control officer, the team’s head athletic trainer; the team physician, if he or she is not serving as the local physician; the human resources director; the team’s chief of security; its mental health clinician or someone with equivalent clinical expertise; and a member of the club’s operations staff such as the facility manager. The league also is establishing workplace protocols that require face coverings unless a person is in a closed office. The orders also stress minimum contact, sufficient distancing, the gradual and
phased return to in-person work, and continued “telework” and remote meetings to reduce the number of people at the facility. That includes adjusted hours and even shifts across all employees. Business travel is discouraged unless essential. Visitors and service providers on site will be limited and there will be no direct contact with fans — no retail activity or in- person ticket sales. Employees, including players, of course, will be encouraged to take their temperature routinely at home before heading to the team facility and to remain at home if their temperature is elevated. There will be daily screenings for all employees reporting to work, as well as visitors, contractors, and service providers who enter the club facility. “We will continue to work in a deliberate and thoughtful way to plan for the 2020 season, including with (tonight’s) schedule release,” Goodell said, “and we will be prepared to address any contingencies as they arise.”
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Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 13
Fighters see UFC 249 as chance to spread hope and inspiration By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer WHEN the UFC leads North America’s major sports back into action Saturday night with a payper-view show in Florida, Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje know they can’t do anything tentatively. “We’ve got to go out there and keep sports alive,” Ferguson said Tuesday after he flew into Jacksonville and was quickly tested for COVID-19. The 24 fighters at UFC 249 all realise they added another risk to their already hazardous professions when they agreed to compete amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. While the UFC has strict safety protocols in place, no one can be certain of the dangers involved when the mixed martial arts promotion returns from an eight-week break with three shows in eight days in Jacksonville. Ferguson and Gaethje both believe their risks are outweighed by the sporting rewards they will reap and the example they will provide when they fight for the interim UFC lightweight title in a fan-free arena. “We’re going to bring a sense of normalcy to people,” Gaethje said in a phone interview. “I’m proud to be a part of it. It’s the opportunity to inspire. People need to be inspired right now. “They need to not let themselves become depressed (or) emotional because they can’t control what’s going on right now. We’ve got to ride it through. They need to be inspired, and we can do that.” “I honestly had no reservations,” Ferguson added. “Fighting is very
TONY Ferguson poses during a ceremonial weigh-in for a UFC 229 mixed martial arts fight in Las Vegas on October 5, 2018. UFC 249 scheduled for May 9 at Jacksonville Arena will be headlined by lightweight title contenders Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje, top right. dangerous, so I think we’ll be just fine.” The UFC never wanted to stop competition while the pandemic grew, and president Dana White was never short of fighters willing to compete while he scrambled desperately to keep holding fight cards amid the unprecedented public health crisis. Now that White has found a state and an athletic commission willing to host him, UFC 249 will be followed by additional shows on May 13, May 16 and probably May 23 from Jacksonville. “There’s not very often you’re going to get to fight for a world title, much less during a pandemic when there’s zero sports going on and you’re going to be the only one on TV,” Gaethje said. “You have to face your fears. You’ve got to go out there and take the chances when they’re presented. ... We get to put paycheques in our own pocket, and we get to put a paycheque in every UFC employee’s
pocket that’s going to work this event, and we get to inspire people to not give up right now.”” While many athletes around the world have voiced concerns about being compelled to play their sports in such uncertain times, the UFC’s fighters — who typically don’t get paid unless they compete — have been almost unanimously eager to return. Even seasoned veterans like ex-champion Dominick Cruz have jumped at the opportunity despite being well aware of the health risks involved. Like Gaethje, Cruz sees UFC 249 as an opportunity to overcome fear. “Realistically, anybody can contract this virus,” said Cruz, who will return from a three-year cage absence to fight bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo on Saturday. “I think that’s partially the point, is understanding that anybody out there can get this, but you can’t just freeze up when you
LIGHTWEIGHT fighter Justin Gaethje poses at a UFC Fight Night Vancouver official weigh-in in Richmond, British Columbia, on September 13, 2019. (AP Photos) see something that’s scary. You’ve got to take the precautions, be as safe as possible, but live your life. That’s what I’m doing.” Some MMA fighters prefer to train in busy gyms with several teammates, while others work out with only their coaches and sparring partners. The necessary changes over the past two months haven’t bothered Cejudo, an Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler and champion of two UFC divisions. “I really don’t know the difference between the COVID-19 quarantine and me in my training camp,” Cejudo said. “I’m a professional. I train each and every day. I try to do everything right. This whole quarantine, I think by the time the US comes back together, I’m just not going to know the difference.” Cruz feels particularly strongly about the symbolic importance of the UFC’s return to competition. The former 135-pound champion wants to reclaim the belt to use
it as an instrument for social change, even citing Muhammad Ali’s activism against the Vietnam War as his inspiration. “What’s the value of championship belts or Olympic gold medals when there’s 33 million Americans that just filed for unemployment benefits, that can’t see their families since mid-March?” Cruz said. “There’s no vaccine for COVID-19 coming, probably no end in sight. So I’ve been (contemplating) the question of what’s the value of belts or even Olympic gold medals unless you use it to make a difference in the lives and the service of humanity?” But after listening to Cruz’s passionate thoughts about the state of the world during their joint phone interview, Cejudo brought the discussion back to usual MMA levels of discourse. “You’d better sign up for those unemployment cheques, because I’m taking you out,” Cejudo said. “Dominick, you sound like Miss Universe.”
THE ‘SWEET SCIENCE’ OF BOXING LOOKING INTO SPIT SCIENCE By KEN MAGUIRE Associated Press THE “sweet science” may adopt a bit of spit science under a plan to protect itself from the coronavirus when boxing resumes in Britain, possibly in July. The head of the British Boxing Board of Control said yesterday the body was working on an “apparatus” that would allow fighters to safely spit out water as they catch their breath between rounds. It’s among dozens of protective measures under discussion. Fighters would have to wear a face mask until inside the ring, while trainers and the referee would wear masks throughout bouts. No fans would be allowed. Testing protocols would be in place. The five-page plan distributed to British promoters drew immediate attention for one line in particular: “No spitting from Boxers when in corners.” However, BBBofC general secretary Robert W Smith told The Associated Press that it’s more nuanced. “We’re working on apparatus in the corner where a boxer can refresh themselves in a safe and clean-as-possible way,” Smith said. “They’ll be able to refresh themselves with water and obviously gargle ... and dispense with that water in as clean-aspossible way. An apparatus to do that will hopefully be in place. We’ll have to have something that’s closed.” The apparatus could include a version of the traditional spit bucket, he said, but one that is fully enclosed. The coronavirus pandemic stopped sports around the world in March and has been responsible for more than 29,000 deaths in Britain. Restarting won’t be easy, as soccer’s Premier League is learning.
Government restrictions will also dictate how and when sporting events can resume. Smith referred to the plan as a “consultation document” and said it is flexible. Initially, there would be no championship bouts, Smith said, because they require more personnel. “If procedures are working well, we bring in the championships,” he said. “The whole thing is up for discussion.” Smith said he had conversations yesterday with prominent promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren. “We’re all positive that we can get it done. Couple of things were discussed. We seem to be singing from the same song sheet,” Smith said. Hearn and Warren did not return messages seeking comment. Anthony Joshua’s fight against Kubrat Pulev scheduled for June 20 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was postponed and is awaiting a new date. WBC interim heavyweight champion Dillian Whyte is scheduled to fight Alexander Povetkin on July 4 at Manchester Arena. The BBBofC plan would also prohibit from events anyone with a fever or flulike symptoms, those with serious medical conditions, pregnant women, anyone who is “seriously overweight,” as well as anyone over 70, regardless of health. Everyone entering events will have been tested, and will be required to bring their test result to the venue. Steve Wraith, a promoter in northeastern England, said he supports the plan in general but thinks they can reduce a few measures. “I don’t see the reason for wearing the mask coming into the ring,” Wraith said. “Some of these measures
will be more visual for the watching (television) crowds rather than being practical.” The July timetable is definitely flexible, Smith said. “It depends what is said on Sunday from the government, if we’re on lockdown a further period of time,”
Smith said. “It may end up in August, it may end up in September. We’re not over this crisis yet.” Smith said he will “fully respect” if boxers choose not to participate, whether because of lower potential winnings or for health concerns.
UFC ANNOUNCES MATCHUPS FOR 2 UPCOMING SHOWS IN JACKSONVILLE By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer THE UFC has announced the full fight lineups for its shows scheduled for May 13 and May 16 as the mixed martial arts promotion moves closer to resuming competition amid the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC plans to stage several shows without fans at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, this month. The first event is the pay-perview UFC 249 on May 9. Many of the bouts announced Friday are matchups initially made for shows that were cancelled in recent weeks. The shows on May 13 and May 16 are expected to be broadcast on ESPN Plus. The nine-bout show on May 13 will be headlined by former light heavyweight title contenders Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira. The May 13 show is coheadlined by Ovince Saint Preux’s heavyweight debut against Ben Rothwell. Other matchups on the card include lightweights Alexander Hernandez and Drew Dober, bantamweights Ray Borg and Ricky Simon, and heavyweights Andrei Arlovski and Philipe Lins. The main event of the nine-bout show on May 16 is Dutch heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem against Walt Harris. Harris (13-7) will fight for the first time since his 19-year-old stepdaughter, Aniah Blanchard, went missing and was later found dead last November in Alabama. The May 16 show also includes featherweights Edson Barboza and Dan Ige, middleweights Eryk Anders and Krzysztof Jotko, bantamweights Song Yadong and Marlon Vera, and strawweights Claudia Gadelha and Angela Hill.
FLOYD Mayweather Jr is doused with water in his corner between rounds during a WBA super welterweight title fight against Miguel Cotto, in Las Vegas, on Saturday, May 5, 2012. (AP)
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SPANISH SOCCER PLAYERS RETURN TO TRAINING CAMPS, GET TESTED TURKISH By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) — Soccer players in Spain returned to their team’s training camps yesterday for the first time since the country entered a lockdown nearly two months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic. Players for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and other clubs started preparing for the return to training this week. They were all expected to be tested for COVID-19 and should be cleared to practice once the results are back. Most clubs are expected to resume practicing by the end of the week. The majority of players did not wear masks or gloves when they arrived, according to Spanish media. Lionel Messi, Gerard Piqué and Luis Suárez were among those seen without masks when they drove into Barcelona’s training centre. Antoine Griezmann, Arturo Vidal and Ivan Rakitic did wear masks. Sergi Roberto arrived without a mask but had one on when he left. Real Madrid players Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema arrived without masks, as did most of their teammates. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid later released videos
TWO women wearing face masks pass by a giant poster of Atletico Madrid soccer players at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Paul White) showing the players with gloves and masks inside their training centres. Atlético Madrid had already posted some photos of its players arriving for tests wearing gloves and masks. Atlético striker Álvaro Morata said it wasn’t the same to be at the training camp without being able to interact with his teammates, but it felt “special” just to be there at this point. Atlético midfielder Marcos Llorente said the club had been sending drills adapted to each player so they could keep training at home. “I think we are very prepared to come back,” Llorente said. “It has been a very rare period for us. We had never been away from a ball
for so long. We are excited about coming back.” In general, players didn’t stay long at the club facilities, usually less than 30 minutes. Coaches also went to training camps and were tested. Barcelona coach Quique Setién was wearing gloves and a mask when he arrived, as was Atlético coach Diego Simeone. Real Madrid showed images of coach Zinedine Zidane, who was also wearing protective gear, talking to some of his players. The training centres of all clubs were disinfected over the last couple of days. In addition to the players, all members of the coaching staff and other employees involved in training have to
be tested for COVID-19 before the practice sessions can resume. The league wants the clubs to test all players daily after they start training. Players will initially practice individually. Smaller group sessions and full squad sessions will be allowed in upcoming weeks. The league sent clubs a protocol with safety guidelines on how to return to practice, detailing all measures that the players and the clubs must adopt. The league wants a training period of about a month before it can restart. It hopes to resume sometime in June with games without fans. Spain this week began easing some of the lockdown measures that were put in place in midMarch. Soccer players have been among the few athletes allowed to return to training facilities. However, players and coaches of Spanish club Eibar released a statement on Tuesday saying they were concerned about playing again amid the pandemic. The Spanish soccer federation yesterday proposed an end to this season’s women’s league, a decision that is expected to be approved by the end of the week. Barcelona was leading the competition at the time it was suspended in March and will be declared champion.
GERMAN SOCCER’S BUNDESLIGA GIVEN OK TO RESUME IN MAY By CIARÁN FAHEY AP Sports Writer BERLIN (AP) — The Bundesliga can resume playing this month, ending a two-month suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a loosening of a range of containment measures after meeting with the country’s 16 state governors yesterday. Pressure to relax the rules had been growing as the rate of daily infections in the country has dropped. Soccer in the top two divisions will resume without spectators and with a range of other conditions designed to prevent another outbreak, including the continuous monitoring and testing of players. Teams will also have to spend
time in quarantine before games can restart. “Today’s decision is good news for the Bundesliga and second division,” German soccer league president Christian Seibert said. “It comes with great responsibility for the clubs and their employees to implement the medical and organisational requirements in a disciplined manner. “Games without spectators are not ideal for anyone. In a crisis threatening the very existence of some clubs, however, it is the only way to keep the leagues in their current form.” The decision to allow play to resume came despite three positive tests for the virus at Cologne last weekend. The league said there were 10 positive cases from all 36 clubs in the top two divisions. Hertha Berlin forward Salomon Kalou also broadcast a livestream
showing social distancing measures being flouted at the club on Monday. Bavaria governor Markus Söder called it a “spectacular own-goal” yesterday. “I can only appeal for players who behave unreasonably to face consequences,” Söder said. Hertha has suspended Kalou and blamed the player for the mishap, but there were also infringements that were the club’s responsibility, such as closed doors between rooms. While the league and clubs had been pressuring the government for permission to resume, other prominent athletes criticised what they saw as favouritism in soccer. “If it really comes to it, then the state will be selling the health of the people and people who are suffering to soccer. It’s perverse,”
javelin thrower Johannes Vetter said. Sprint canoeist Ronald Rauhe told the Märkische Allgemeine newspaper that soccer “seems to have a different priority in Germany to schools and kindergartens, as I’m finding out as a father.” Olympic rowing champion Karl Schulze called for everyone to be treated the same. “Either everyone takes part in sport again or no one at all,” Schulze said. The earliest the leagues can resume is May 16. Soccer authorities are to hold a general meeting with the clubs via video link today to discuss how to proceed. The Bundesliga was suspended with nine rounds remaining on March 13. The clubs have committed to finishing the season by the end of June.
SOCCER LEAGUE PLANS TO RESUME PLAYING ON JUNE 12 ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish soccer league plans to resume on June 12, a month and-ahalf after it was suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak. Turkish soccer federation president Nihat Ozdemir said yesterday he hopes to finish the season by the end of July and host the Champions League final in Istanbul in August. The games will be played without spectators and the Turkish health ministry and its scientific advisory council will determine the conditions and guidelines under which the games will go ahead, Ozdemir said in a teleconference. “We will finish the league games in July. In August, will host the Champions League,” Ozdemir said. “We are aiming to end the season on July 26 by playing seven weekends and one weekday game.” Turkey suspended its soccer, basketball and volleyball leagues because of the coronavirus outbreak on March 20, days after the country reported its first COVID-19 death. Before that, the soccer games were being played without spectators even after most other leagues in Europe had stopped. The decision had caused tensions with some players and coaches who had voiced health concerns. Turkey has reported a 129,491 COVID-19 infections and 3,520 deaths. The country ranks eighth in the number of confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University, but experts believe the tally around the world is higher than reported.
THE TRIBUNE
Thursday, May 7, 2020, PAGE 15
WORLD ANTI-DOPING AGENCY SEEKS MORE FUNDING IN PANDEMIC By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer DÜSSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Even with sports shut down and little testing going on, World Anti-Doping Agency President Witold Banka is trying to convince governments to stump up extra funding in the fight against drug cheats. Drug testing around the world has nearly ground to a halt due to lockdown restrictions, leaving antidoping officials looking to other methods to catch cheats. That means more focus on investigations and longer-term analysis of athletes’ data. “With a budget around $36 million (in 2019), less than a small football club, it sounds ridiculous,” Banka told The Associated Press. “We need to do everything to increase the budget for anti-doping policy and of course I try to convince the governments also to make an additional contribution to investigations, to science, to our education projects.” Banka, who is also Poland’s sports and tourism minister, said he also wants to ask sports sponsors and the International Olympic Committee for extra funding following the coronavirus pandemic. “Taking into account WADA’s budget, we have a very stable situation. (The pandemic) has not affected us, it’s a really good situation, our current budget. But I’m thinking about the future, I want WADA to be stronger than today,” he said. “We have great experts and I’m sure that with a bigger budget we can do a good job in other areas and be stronger.” WADA and other antidoping bodies have used
the pandemic to focus on new technology. WADA is working on using artificial intelligence to analyse athletes’ performances and to start testing dried blood spots from athletes. Taking samples of blood in its dried form, rather than as a fast-decaying liquid, could be cheaper and less invasive. Agencies in the United States and Germany have used the pandemic to trial the method on a voluntary basis. It can’t be used to ban athletes until WADA has laid down new rules to make it watertight against legal challenges. That will hopefully be in time for the postponed Tokyo Olympics next year, Banka said. “I’m afraid that if we do it too fast some of the cheats can undermine this method,” he said. “When we detect them, when we catch them, they will undermine this method and we will lose it. That’s why it requires a lot of thought.” In the meantime, Banka warned dopers that a lack of testing doesn’t mean they’re immune from being caught. “COVID-19 is not a space for cheats,” he said. “If some cheats are thinking that this is time and space for them, I would like to warn them that we will catch you and we will use all the available tools.”
SPORTS
SECTION E
THURSDAY, MAY 7TH, 2020
Giving Tuesday: Suns’ Ayton joins philanthropic effort By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
MALIK JOSEPH SIGNS WITH THE WOLVES By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
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hoenix Suns centre Deandre Ayton joined a philanthropic effort to feed employees of the Talking Stick Resort Arena while it remains inactive due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ayton collaborated with local Phoenix restaurant, Ocean 44, to donate dinner to the essential staff of the Suns’ home arena as they have continued to work through the pandemic. “I’m happy to support Ocean 44, one of my favourite restaurants, while sending a small token of appreciation to all the staff who are taking care of the arena until we can get back on the court,” Ayton said in a press release. Giving Tuesday is a community development initiative that began in 2012 and concentrated its recent efforts on assisting those in need during the pandemic. “We believe that generosity leads to greater civic participation and other pro-social behaviours. Our mission is to build a more just and generous world,” the organisation states on its website. “Giving Tuesday is a day when people around the world come together to give back. What started as a day in the US has quickly grown into a worldwide celebration of generosity and our shared capacity to give. “To date, Giving Tuesday activities have been tracked in nearly every country and territory, and
NFL, PAGE 12
BAHAMIAN junior national basketball team standout Malik Joseph has signed his letter of intent to join the Newberry College Wolves this upcoming fall. The Wolves compete in the South Atlantic Conference in NCAA Division II. Last season, they were eliminated in the SAC Tournament quarter-finals and finished the year with a record of 14-15. Joseph posted major numbers in his senior season with the Southside Christian Sabres in South Carolina in the state’s 3A private school class. The Eleuthera native averaged 22.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game thus far this season.
ARIZONA’s Deandre Ayton poses for a portrait before the NBA basketball draft lottery on Tuesday, May 15, 2018, in Chicago. He was the No.1 pick, selected by the Phoenix Suns. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) over 60 of these countries are home to national Giving Tuesday movements of their own.” Ayton has previously worked with Ocean 44 in a philanthropic effort to benefit the Bahamas. In September, he hosted a charity dinner at Ocean 44 with full
proceeds from the event donated to the UNICEF USA hurricane relief efforts. Several NBA players have contributed toward the aid of staff members in their respective home arenas since the league suspended the season in March.
Among the most notable, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, each committed $100,000 to assist staff at their respective arenas in the past.
JOSEPH At the national team level, Joseph was a member of the 2019 FIBA Centrobasket Under-17 Championship for Men. He credited the coaching staff and his experience at the tournament - consistently playing against the best in the region - for getting him prepared for his senior season. “Playing with the junior national team was a great experience. Playing for such a great coaching staff led by Mr [Quinton] Hall with Mr [Denycko] Bowles and Mr [Mark] Hanna, they all wanted us to succeed and to reach our full potential and carry that with us way after the tournament. They wanted us to win and we wanted to win.
ANALYSIS: NBA PROCEEDING WITH CAUTION By TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer THE NBA says some players can voluntarily return to their team practice facilities starting Friday, with some very specific conditions and only in places where local and state governments have signed off on such openings. It’s unclear how many players will be back on the floor Friday when the league ban gets lifted. Miami is allowed to open its doors for the first time in six weeks but won’t until at least Monday while it works out certain logistical details. Orlando isn’t going to welcome players back immediately either. Same goes for Utah, the first NBA team to deal with the coronavirus after Rudy Gobert tested positive March 11 and the league shut down almost immediately. Basketball hasn’t been played in two months and the league, the teams and the players still seem to have a universal desire to get back to work, finish this season and crown a champion. “The biggest goal is to have the confidence of the players and the staff that they can enter the facility safely,” Utah general manager Dennis Lindsey said.