Statement from Mr. Leon Lundy

PLP CANDIDATE - MANGROVE CAY AND SOUTH ANDROS, including CENTRAL ANDROS. May 21, 2021.

Today, the Office of the Prime Minister announced that travelers going to and from Andros are required to produce a negative RT-PCR test no older than five days from the date of travel or provide proof of full vaccination. This announcement once again proves that there was no comprehensive thought process in this decision. Vaccines were delivered to Andros at the end of April, which means that there are no “fully vaccinated” persons up to this time. This scenario begs the question, Will this decision remain in place for the next 4-5 weeks? To further frustrate the residents in Andros is the fact that there are no laboratories in Andros. If a Covid-19 test is done, it must be sent to Nassau to have the results interpreted. This means that for business purposes or even emergencies, individuals will be forced to wait several days for the turnaround time for the results of the RT-PCR test, which may hinder travel within 5 days. Even more, for South Andros (Congo Town) - which only has flights three times per week, this is a frustration that makes travel nearly impossible by placing the travel time out of the approved five-day window. Androsians are concerned about the testing facilities and the turnaround time when samples are sent to Nassau. It is imperative that the Competent Authority address this issue as a matter of urgency.

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