The Bahamas government lifted the travel ban imposed on Haiti and Cuba and resumed the flight services to both Caribbean countries, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, Clint Watson, stated.
On Friday, while making the announcement Clint Watson, noted that airline ‘Bahamasair’ had resumed its flight services to Haiti.
There will be 2 operational flights of Bahamasair to Haiti, one to Cap Haitian that had departed a few days ago, and the second flight will be to Port-au-Prince, for which the flight is scheduled on Saturday. There are 4 flights scheduled to Cuba every week.
The first ban on Haiti was declared in February for 3 weeks to stop the travelers from Haiti to the island due to increasing cases of COVID-19 infection in Haiti after the celebration of the carnival. Many countries in the region also started vaccination campaigns at that time.
According to the statements, before imposing the ban, the Bahamas had a schedule of regular direct flights from the island to Haiti.
The Bahamas government received the first tranche of the COVID-19 vaccine at the starting of March 2021, when most of the countries in the region were also accepting donations.
Haiti government started vaccination roll out across the country in July, which resulted in the nation being left behind globally in starting its vaccination programmes.
Haiti underwent several political, economic turmoil and confronting the increasing criminal activities. In August, the island was also hit by a high magnitude earthquake that resulted in the deaths of over 2000 Haitians and caused infrastructural damage.
Watson, who was speaking during the weekly press conference, noted that the Bahamas has fully vaccinated over 40 per cent of its population in comparison, less than two per cent of Haiti’s population has been vaccinated.
According to the vaccination data released in October, Watson highlighted that in many Caribbean countries vaccinated population are still below 20 per cent, including St Lucia, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
