After 10-month COVID-19 travel restrictions, the Bahaman government’s spokesperson Clint Watson announced the resumption of flights from his country to Haiti and Cuba on Saturday.
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"Bahamasair Airline will make four trips per week to Cuba, one trip every Friday to Cap Haitien and another to Port-au-Prince every Saturday," Watson explained, stressing that over 40 percent of Bahamans are already fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
In February, the Bahamas announced the temporary suspension of all commercial flights and boat services from Haiti, whose authorities planned to hold carnivals without having begun the coronavirus vaccination campaign.
"This cultural event led to crowds in which health protocols cannot be met to prevent the spread of COVID-19," Health Minister Michael Ronald then stated, stressing that the travel restriction was initially thought to last 21 days.
Although the Haitian carnival was canceled due to several violent protests on the first day of festivities, the Bahamian government decided to extend the measure since Haitian health authorities have only managed to vaccinate two percent of their population.
“The economic, political, and social crisis prompted by President Jovenel Moises’ assassination and the impact of the Aug. 14 earthquake has delayed the development of the vaccination campaign in this brother country,” Watson recalled.
“Many of our citizens are now immunized. Therefore, if we comply with the health protocols, we can open our country’s borders without any worries,” he concluded.