Minister of Health Renward Wells said the government has not made a decision on whether it will move to extend the state of emergency beyond August 13.

“We have not made any decisions,” Wells said outside Cabinet when asked if the government is still moving to end the state of emergency next month.

 “Today is Cabinet, perhaps those issues will come up and we will be able to inform and update the Bahamian people.”

“…We’re assessing our national circumstance. We’re not going to do anything that is not going to hold on to the benefits and gains that we have achieved in this country in our response to COVID as an administration for the Bahamian people.”

Wells encouraged residents to tune in to the prime minister’s address on Wednesday night, however, he added that he was unsure whether the prime minister would specifically address the state of emergency.

In a press release on Sunday, the Office of the Prime Minister said, “The prime minister will announce a series of measures to assist with care of people hospitalized with COVID-19, measures to limit the further spread of the virus, and an update on the country’s efforts to secure more vaccines.”

In response to the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the government imposed a number of new restrictions on New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera.

The Bahamas has been under a state of emergency since March 2020, shortly after the country recorded its first case of COVID-19.

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