EyeWitness News Coronavirus May 19, 2020 at 4:02 pm Sloan Smith
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The Ministry of Tourism has announced the cancelation of several of its signature calendar events for the rest of 2020, including the much anticipated Pineapple Festival and All Andros Crab Fest. The ministry attributed the event changes to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Among the other events canceled is the Junkanoo Summer Festival slated for New Providence, Andros, and Grand Bahama; and the Goombay Summer Festival slated for Bimini, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, Andros, and Long Island. Additionally, the ministry has advised that the Cacique Awards, its annual award ceremony honoring tourism’s finest throughout the country, has been postponed. A new date has not yet been announced. In efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the country and mitigate the significant impact on the country’s already weak health system, a state of emergency was declared, the country’s borders have been closed and a nationwide curfew and lockdown has been implemented until May 30. As a result, hotels have been shuttered and economic activity remains at a standstill. The country’s unemployment is expected to climb to more than 30 percent, according to Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis, who called on Bahamians to brace for an unprecedented economic reality.