Summary of Bahamas Curfew for Boaters

As of March 19, 2020 the islands of the Bahamas are under an emergency order which confers upon the Prime Minister and his cabinet the power to enact provisions as deemed necessary to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Bahamas. Initially the order and the specific measures contained within was to expire on March 31, 2020. It was extended to April 8, 2020 and there is a high probability that the original order and the subsequent amendments and clarifications will be extended beyond that date when the issue is reviewed again during a parliamentary session.

The key points of the emergency orders are as follows.

1. All public gatherings of more than 2 persons are prohibited and gatherings in private homes should be limited to persons who normally reside in that home. Visiting is discouraged.
2. Bars and liquor stores are closed.
3. Restaurants are closed except to provide takeaway or delivery meals.
4. The ports of the Bahamas are closed to all traffic. Persons may leave the Bahamas but no one including Bahamian citizens are allowed to enter the country until further notice
5. All persons in the Bahamas are expected to shelter in place and should remain in their homes unless they are leaving to conduct essential activities. The permitted activities are as follows:
   • Going to work in a job that has been deemed essential by the government (persons exempted must carry appropriate identification from their place of employment)
   • Conducting Banking between the hours of 9:00AM and 1:00PM
   • Going to a Pharmacy between the hours of 9:00AM and 1:00PM
   • Grocery Shopping between the hours of 9:00AM and 5:00PM
   • Buying fuel
   • Leaving the house for up to 90 minutes per day for fresh air and exercise provided appropriate social distancing is maintained and provided the exercise is conducted either within the property of a home owner or within the neighbourhood. You cannot drive to an exercise area.
6. Non-essential Inter-Island travel by any means is strictly prohibited. Essential travel is the delivery of food and other supplies and Medical evacuation and air ambulance flights.
7. Social distancing must be observed at all times, and grocery stores and other public venues are required to provide demarcation lines so people queuing can maintain appropriate social distance.

These measures are in effect until further notice.

An Addendum to the memo from Eleuthera.

Inter-island travel is prohibited and under the rules any vessel that leaves its anchorage or dock is required to continue their voyage until they are out of the Bahamas. Recognizing that many smaller vessel cannot make the voyage from their current location to a point outside of the Bahamas some jurisdictions in the Bahamas are attempting to accommodate transient vessels by providing the means to obtain essentials such as food, fuel and water.

Boaters should do their utmost to be self sufficient when traveling as the local accommodations should not be relied upon as a substitute for proper preparations. Also the ability and the willingness of the local authorities to accommodate transients could change without notice.