Tyler Symonette, Journal Staff Writer
Grand Bahamians are anxious and concerned as the first case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in their city.
The latest patient was a woman who had no significant travel history.
This discovery has led to Grand Bahamians wondering about the future of their island and if there are more cases to be found.
A 63-year-old male retiree, who wants to remain anonymous, shared his thoughts with The Bahama Journal.
“A bit surprising, not surprising that there was one case, but surprising that there was only one case. I say that because I believe there are a lot of people that are walking around in Freeport who possibly have this coronavirus, but they’re just asymptomatic and they don’t realize it,” he said.
“It’s more of a surprise that there’s only one because we are a nation that has many visitors come to our shores and we’re in the midst of Spring Break when this really started to be heightened.”
A 44-year-old cashier, who also wants to remain anonymous, expressed the same concerns that there could possibly be others with COVID-19 that have yet to be discovered.
“First of all, they are saying the person hasn’t travelled so there had to be some carrier or someone that brought it to them. I was not shocked that it’s in Grand Bahama and I think we have more cases. I feel like the government is not telling us exactly certain things,” the cashier said.
As it stands, many Grand Bahamians are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
A 25-year-old female psychology student, who also remained anonymous, said not only did her island sustain a lot of structural damage, but emotional trauma from this horrendous hurricane.
“Even though Grand Bahamians are rebuilding and working together to become stronger, they are still in a vulnerable state,” she said.
She added that there are persons who are still without homes and many whose homes are still damaged and said thinking about overcoming another hurdle in this crucial period is also difficult.
This confirmation of the new COVID-19 case came after residents of West End protested against a coronavirus treatment facility being placed in the community.
However, health officials have secured another facility at the Cancer Center in Freeport.
It’s not yet known if the Ministry of Health plans on still having a care facility in West End.
