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Volume: 118 No.167, July 27, 2021
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PLEASE BEAR WITH US LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light chairman Dr Donovan Moxey has called for consumers to “bear” with the company following several recent power outages in New Providence, insisting the electricity provider is doing “ everything” it can to improve service. He insisted this was not due to load shedding amid consumer scepticism of the situation. Dr Moxey spoke out after several communities experienced service disruptions on Sunday due to an issue at BPL’s Blue Hills Power Station. Again, yesterday, some communities experienced a repeat of the day before with hours-long service interruptions. Yesterday, the BPL chairman told reporters Sunday’s power outage was caused by a disruption at one of BPL’s substations,
which in turn affected the electricity provider’s entire transmission and distribution network. “The outages you’ve seen has not been due to load shedding at all and so the outage last night was actually due to a T and D (transmission and distribution) event,” Dr Moxey said at a press conference. “There was a disruption on one of our substations and what ended up happening is that particular fault propagated through the entire network. “It should have not propagated the way it did. Obviously, our engineers are looking at that to determine why it propagated and so from our perspective, we’re looking to make whatever changes need to be made so that whenever those kind of faults occur, we can contain those and really minimise the impact on our particular customers.” SEE PAGE THREE
TOURISM industry executives yesterday voiced optimism the industry’s recovery will not be impacted by tightening of COVID restrictions, with one asserting it will be “90 percent unaffected”. Magnus Alnebeck, general manager of Grand Bahama’s Pelican Bay resort, said: “Honestly I don’t think it will affect tourism unless we are
putting in restrictions that really impact tourists. Very few tourists leave their hotels or rental houses after 10pm, but there are obviously exceptions, so let’s say that 90 percent of tourism will be unaffected.” He was backed by Robert Sands, Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association president, who stressed it was more important to reduce COVID-19 numbers, save lives and ease pressure on the healthcare system. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS
By LEANDRA ROLLE Tribune Staff Reporter lrolle@tribunemedia.net SUPER Value’s president Rupert Roberts says while COVID-19 vaccines won’t be mandatory for employees, the food store chain is considering only hiring fully vaccinated people in the future. Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Mr Roberts voiced growing alarm about the surge in COVID-19 cases, saying the number of Super Value workers infected in this third wave have been greater than what was seen in the previous waves. SEE PAGE FOUR
CHURCHES CONCERN AT SERVICE TIME LIMIT
TOURISM CHIEFS HOPEFUL NEW RULES WON’T HURT By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
MAY NEED VACCINE TO SECURE JOB
ALWAYS TIME TO PLAY
By EARYEL BOWLEG Tribune Staff Reporter ebowleg@tribunemedia.net BAHAMAS Christian Council president Bishop Delton Fernander says he was surprised a one-hour limit on religious services was implemented in the latest Emergency Powers Orders which took effect yesterday. He, along with Hope Centre Pastor Carlos Reid, said the government cannot dictate what churches do. SEE PAGE TWO
LUCAYAN SUES FOR $3M OVER COVID HALTS US EMBASSY PROJECT AC WATER A MOTHER and son enjoying the park yesterday as parents look for other means of keeping their children active as Summer Camps are cancelled due to the emergency orders. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By RASHAD ROLLE Tribune Senior Reporter rrolle@tribunemedia.net
CONSTRUCTION at the US Embassy’s new site on Shirley Street has stopped following suspected COVID-19 cases there, according to US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Daniel Durazo. Mr Durazo said before work on the site was halted, there were about 400 workers there.
AN ARTIST’S impression of the planned US Embassy. He said officials do not expect the suspension will result in a significant delay to the project.
He confirmed that of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19, none had yet received a COVID-19 vaccine. This comes as the country experiences yet another significant surge in COVID-19 cases, with 133 cases confirmed yesterday. “We are aware of one or more suspected COVID19 cases among the private contractors at the New Embassy construction site,” SEE PAGE TWO
Nassau & Bahama Islands’ Leading Newspaper
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Government-owned Grand Lucayan yesterday said it is seeking almost $3m in compensation from the Grand Bahama Port Authority for “the exorbitant loss and damage” caused by poor quality water. FULL STORY - SEE BUSINESS