‘This is Embarrassing, America’: U.S. Tourists No Longer Welcome in Bahamas; Canadians, Brits, and Europeans Still Allowed

Sarah RumpfJul 19th, 2020, 10:41 pm
 
bahamas

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

On Sunday, the Bahamas announced that it will be closing all airports and seaports to American tourists, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The closure is set for Wednesday and was a response to the recent spike in coronavirus cases in the U.S., reversing a decision just three weeks ago to reopen their borders to international visitors.

The country’s national airline, Bahamasair has already ceased all America-bound flights. Outgoing commercial flights on other airlines will continue to allow travelers scheduled to depart after Wednesday.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, who has been serving for several months in an additional role as his country’s acting health minister, issued a national address on Sunday to address the ongoing pandemic.

“Regrettably, the situation here at home has already deteriorated since we began the reopening of our domestic economy,” said Minnis. “It has deteriorated at an exponential rate since we reopened our international borders.”

Minnie announced several new restrictions going into effect in various areas around the island nation, including imposing curfews, ordering beaches, parks, and indoor dining areas of restaurants to close again, as well as the new travel restrictions.

Private international flights and charters, as well as personal pleasure craft boats and yachts, are still permitted, but all international commercial sea vessels will be barred starting Wednesday.

No inbound international commercial flights are permitted either, unless they originate from Canada, the Unite Kingdom, or the European Union.

The U.S. is by far the largest source for tourists to the Bahamas, and a significant percentage of those are from Florida, which has seen a notable surge in cases over the past few weeks.

A tweet by Marc Caputo, Politico’s Florida Reporter, summed up many people’s reaction to the news. “This is embarrassing, America,” he wrote. “Embarrassing.” Daily Beast Editor-at-Large Molly Jong-Fast highlighted how other countries were “still welcome.”

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.