“Jamaican to be deported from Bahamas after breaching curfew order
NASSAU| A Jamaican woman is to be deported from the Bahamas after being fined for breaching the curfew order to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) there.
The convict, 25-year-old Shanice Thomas of Kingston, was among several individuals who appeared in a Bahamian magistrate’s court on Monday for curfew and lockdown infractions, according to the local Tribune newspaper.
Thomas pleaded guilty to the charge and was subsequently fined BSD$500, with an alternative of three months in prison.
It is alleged that on Sunday, April 26, at about 10.25 pm, the police saw Thomas on New Providence Highway. She was later arrested and charged.
The Bahamian government had imposed a 24-hour curfew on weekdays, while on weekends, complete lockdowns were enforced from Fridays at 9pm until 5am on Mondays.
In defending her actions, Thomas told the presiding magistrate that she left her house because she received a call from a male friend who asked her to visit his office for two hours to provide him with assistance.
The Jamaican further said her friend had told her that he had called the Bahamian COVID-19 emergency hotline to get permission for her to visit him.
The magistrate, however, told Thomas that she should have called the emergency hotline herself if she needed to leave her house.
After handing down the fine, the magistrate told Thomas that she would be deported to Jamaica once travel restrictions are lifted.
