American tourists will be barred from entering the Bahamas starting Wednesday, as levels of COVID-19 resurge in the U.S. The situation in the Bahamas has deteriorated “at an exponential rate” since the reopening of international borders on July 1, the country’s prime minister, Hubert Minnis, said. He said the country’s national airline, Bahamasair, will cease flights to the United States, effective immediately. From Wednesday, international flights and commercial vessels carrying passengers will not be permitted to enter the borders unless they come from Canada, the United Kingdom, or the European Union. Minnis did not call out the U.S. by name, but pointedly said citizens in other countries were “ignoring health guidelines.” Florida, one of the largest tourism markets for the Bahamas, reported 12,478 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday alone.
