BRAVE DAVIS LASHES THE MINNIS GOVT ON THE VIRUS

“Mr Speaker, this spread in infections resulted in thousands of Bahamians contracting the virus over the past few months, along with fellow parliamentarians and members of staff of this place. I was one of them.

 “While each of us is unable to say specifically how we joined in our fellow Bahamians as a dashboard statistic, the overall picture is clear. Our borders reopened despite what immediately became clear.

 “The government had not used the many long months of curfew and lockdowns to prepare properly. Today, I want to emphasise how crucial it is that the doctors and nurses on the frontlines be heard and respected. They’re asking for more resources. They tell us that they need more test kits, quicker result, faster (contact) tracing, more beds and more staff. We owe them this much at least.

“There was not enough testing or tracing in place to stop a few cases from turning into a few thousand. When the borders opened, what was the number of cases? Today, it is over 4,000.

 “…This is what happened and what continues to happen. Each day, you’re having an average of over 50 and yet the government appears to be doing nothing other than (telling the) tourists to come back soon and this to me is baffling.”