LOCKDOWNS for North and Central Andros and Cat Island have been extended for an additional seven days, the Office of the Prime Minister announced yesterday.

The lockdowns will now end at 5am on Monday, June 14.

The decision was met with criticism from Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis, who is also the MP for Cat Island, Rum Cay and San Salvador.

“The extensions of the lockdowns in Central and North Andros and Cat Island are unnecessary,” Mr Davis said in a statement. “The Prime Minister, the competent authority, is only causing further misery by stubbornly refusing to take advice and learn from his mistakes.”

“The science could not be clearer: in order to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, or any other airborne infectious virus for that matter, you have to separate the people with the virus from the people who do not have the virus.

“In order to do that, you have to test widely, in order to know everyone’s status. Don’t just wait until people are showing symptoms, because by then it’s too late and they may well have infected others in their households. These are small communities on these islands, which makes it easier to test, trace and isolate.

“In the same way, these small communities are hurt especially badly when their economies are locked down.”

Mr Davis suggested the government send a plane-load of testing personnel to each of the affected island communities and offer free testing to as many people as possible.

He said once the results are known, those who are positive should be separated from those who do not have the virus, allowing COVID-19 negative people to carry on with their lives, keeping the local economies alive.

He said this plan would save lives and save the local economies.

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