Bahamas Bans American Travelers After Rise In Coronavirus Cases

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has banned travelers coming from the U.S. as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

Minnis made the announcement Sunday in a public address, saying that all flights from the U.S. would be stopped as of Wednesday at midnight with Bahamasair ceasing outgoing flights to the U.S., effective immediately.

“International commercial flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers will not be permitted to enter our borders, except for commercial flights from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union,” Minnis said.

The travel ban from the prime minister comes just days after the European Union updated its approved list of countries for travel into the region, keeping U.S. travelers barred for the time being.

Minnis said that the coronavirus pandemic in the Bahamas has gotten worse “at an exponential rate” since the country reopened for international travelers. Since reopening on July 1, Minnis said 49 new cases of the coronavirus were reported.

“We have to do what is right and necessary,” Minnis said. “If we do not take these measures now, we will pay a higher and deadlier price later. At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we acted early to prevent widespread sickness and death. We must do so once again.”

The Bahamas has 153 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 11 deaths, with the U.S. reporting over 3.7 million cases of the coronavirus and over 140,500 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.