CARIBBEAN ROUNDUP Bahamas The Bahamas government is moving to implement two additional weekend lockdowns as the country continues to record increases in the number of cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Ministry of Health said 65 new cases had been confirmed, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases to 447. It said there were now 211 cases in Grand Bahama, 180 cases in New Providence, 21 in Bimini and the other five islands had between one and four cases. A statement from the Office of the Prime Minister said with the rise in covid-19 cases and after consultation with local health officials and a review of the response of the other jurisdictions due to the current global rise in cases, it has decided to implement two additional weekend lockdowns. The statement said these measures are being implemented to protect the lives and health of Bahamians and residents and the Hubert Minnis administration will undertake a "careful review of the health data after these two lockdowns." The authorities said during the lockdown, exercise is permitted within the confines of an individual's yard only. Guyana The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has warned that persons could face a fine up to Guy$1 million and five years in jail if they fail to comply with the stipulated regulations for preventing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) when the international airport opens this month. GCAA has also issues a number of rigid public health guidelines and regulations to airlines, ground handlers and airport authorities under the heading "Health-Safety Measures and Practices at Airports and on Aircraft during a Public Health Pandemic." The document stipulates that all passengers are required to wear a mask at the airports and throughout their flights except for identification by law enforcement officials. They are also required to replace masks which have become wet or soiled and those who do not adhere to safety requirements will be refused access to the airport or aircraft or be removed therefrom. Passengers who do not comply will be fined Guy$50,000 with the GCCA recommending KN95 and FFP2 masks when flying. The authorities said a system will remain in place where all passengers traveling to Guyana will be required Caribbean L 4 ife, August 7, 2020 Updated daily at www.caribbeanlifenews.com Priests, wearing face masks, walk as Catholic faithful attend to a mass on the fi rst day of the reopening of temples and worship places, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Cathedral of Port-au- Prince, Haiti, July 12, 2020. REUTERS / Andres Martinez Casares to present a negative result from a PCR COVID-19 test seven days prior to travel except children under 12 years old accompanied by an adult who tested negative. Grenada The Grenada government has canceled the annual carnival celebrations, "Spicemas," this year because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and also the cancellation of the two days being observed as public holidays. Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell said that August 10 and 11, were no longer public holidays as gazette at the start of 2020. "We better safe than sorry," he said as he justified the cancellation. Grenada has recorded 23 cases of the virus. "We have seen enough holidays, we have had to lock down this country for almost three months. we have to get back to business, get back to some form of serious economic life in the country," Dr. Mitchell said. He said the country had lost a significant amount of revenue during the lockdown period between March and mid-May. On May 5, Grenada officially announced the cancellation of 2020 carnival celebrations. "Grenada, like the rest of the world, is dealing with the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19, not only on public health and the local economy but also our way of life," Spicemas Corporation", said in a statement.. Grenada, which reopened its international airport on July 15 to passengers from Caribbean, will on Aug. 1 allow entry to international passengers. All international visitors will be quarantine for 14-days whether there is proof that the person has a negative COVID-19 certificate within seven days before arrival in the country. Haiti Haiti continues to record the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the Caribbean region after recording three more deaths and 46 new cases associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Latest figures released by the Ministry of Public Health said the French-speaking CARICOM country now has 7,468 cases of the virus since the first cases was tested on March 19. It said the 46 new cases were one less than what had been recorded over the previous 24 hours and three new deaths, bringing the total to 165 as of last week. Haitian authorities said that there are 17,012 suspected cases of the virus under investigation. In Jamaica, where 19 new cases had been recorded, the total number of confirmed positives has reach 809, while recovers had moved to 706. The authorities said the newly-confirmed cases include 11 females and eight males, ranging from ages three to 70. Jamaica The Jamaican government says it has no intention of following its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partner, the Bahamas and placing a ban on tourists coming out of the United States following an upsurge of cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Recently Bahamas Prime Minister, Dr. Hubert Minnis announced a series of new measures to curb the spread of the virus after acknowledging that the decision to reopen its borders on July 1 has led to a deterioration of the health situation in the island. Jamaica Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, reacting to the position taken by the Bahamas said the closure of Jamaica's borders to travelers from the United States due to the surge in the virus there shut down the country's tourism industry. He said if Jamaica were to go this route, the economy would grind to a halt and that the island has been managing the cases of COVID-19 so there is no need to consider a ban on US travelers at this time. THE NEWS FROM BACK HOME COVID-19 cases rise in Haiti /www.caribbeanlifenews.com /www.caribbeanlifenews.com