A week ago, the government of The Bahamas took an unprecedented decision. It decided to ban the entry of visitors from what is by far and away its major tourism market, the United States. The reason, the Prime Minster Hubert Minnis said, was because of a spike in imported cases of COVID-19 following the re-opening of the country’s borders on July 1.
In what the local media described as a sombre address, Mr Minnis banned all commercial flights and vessels from entering the country as of July 22 except for those coming from Canada, the UK, and the EU. He also announced the closure of many beaches and the re-imposition of a curfew on Grand Bahama. Subsequently, Dionisio D’Aguilar, the country’s Minister of Tourism and Aviation, told the Tribune newspaper that The Bahamas’ efforts to restart its principal industry had fallen victim to the inability of the US, from where 82% of the country’s visitors arrive, to bring the pandemic under control.
