American citizens will be officially banned from visiting the Bahamas because of the risks from Covid-19. The decision will likely be seen as tacit condemnation of the nation’s handling of the virus.
The Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Huber Minnis, said the situation in his country had worsened “at an exponential rate” following the reopening of borders on 1 July.
American tourists will not be allowed to visit the country from Wednesday. No international flights or ships carrying passengers will be permitted, except those coming from the UK, Canada and European Union nations.
Prime Minister Minnis pointed to countries “ignoring health guidelines”, though he didn’t call out the United States by name. The implication of his comment and the ban are clear, however.
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President Donald Trump’s handling of the Coronavirus didn’t feature in Minnis’ remarks but it’s difficult not to see a direct connection between the President’s attitude and the decision to ban U.S. citizens.
During a Fox News interview on Sunday, Trump again claimed that the pandemic would simply go away.
Trump falsely claimed that “maybe the lowest mortality rate anywhere in the world” before repeating his suggestion that the virus will just vanish on day.
“I’ll be right eventually. I will be right eventually,” he said. “You know I said, ‘It’s going to disappear.’ I’ll say it again.”
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Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media
