Carnival, the annual colorful street party where revelers throw caution to the wind in an uninhibited, exuberant atmosphere, was canceled again this year in Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to COVID-19 and its new highly infectious variants.
But one country did opt to have the show go on despite the global pandemic — and now that decision by Haiti, already knee-deep in a political and constitutional crisis, is receiving backlash.
The Bahamas, one of Haiti’s closest neighbors, began a temporary ban on all travel from Haiti as images of densely packed crowds partying during the celebration that ends Tuesday filled social media.
Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Darren Henfield said the ban is in response to Haiti’s decision to host the pre-Lenten event, which has been barred in countries across the region. After struggling to keep COVID-19 cases down, the Bahamas is finally starting to see infections decline with an average of 12 new infections being reported a day. The emergency order was imposed over the weekend. It took effect Monday and will be in effect at least 21 days.
“We didn’t have a regular Junkanoo as we normally do,” Henfield said, referring to his nation’s annual New Year’s Day street party that usually features bands performing in the streets. “We are just concerned about a mass gathering in a Carnival-like atmosphere that can be a potential super spreader.”
Haiti’s three-day National Carnival started Sunday and ends two days later with Mardi Gras. Recent reports from the country’s health ministry do not yet show a spike in cases. The country has registered 12,2016 laboratory-tested cases and 247 deaths since the pandemic’s outbreak. The resource-strapped nation has consistently registered lower case numbers than others in the Caribbean, despite little compliance with preventative measures like mask wearing, a trend that has perplexed scientists.
However, recent mass protests triggered by a dispute over the term of President Jovenel Moise and the staging of Carnival, or Kanaval as it is referred to in Creole, in the country’s northwestern city of Port-de-Paix, have heightened concerns about a potential spike.
Video and photographs of this year’s festivities showed large crowds of mostly maskless Haitians dancing to the tunes of top bands such as Miami-based T-Vice. Former President Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly was also spotted on the narrow streets of Port-de-Paix performing while lauding his handpicked successor, Moise. Even Moise, who recently alleged being the target of an alleged coup and assassination plot, got in on the fun. He and his wife were filmed dancing in the middle of the throngs.
The country’s Ministry of Health, which is in charge of the COVID-19 response, did have a sign reminding Haitians that the coronavirus is still a concern. However, many did not wear masks and images showed hordes of partygoers packed in front of the ministry’s viewing stand.
While in most Caribbean and Latin American countries Carnival has become an event to attract tourism, in Haiti it has been utilized as a political tool to pacify the population amid rising political tensions. Last year’s event was canceled after Haitian police officers and soldiers got into a firefight on the first day, and the year before it was scratched over more unrest accompanied by a debate about whether Haiti could afford the expensive street party while in the middle of deep economic contraction.
Moise used the eve of Carnival’s official launch to attack opponents, telling them his government will not be destabilized.
“I must warn you: I am the head of state. If you do not stop with your actions, I will force you to do so,” Moise warned, as he asked the population to join him in giving his opponents the boot. “When the person in charge says no, you have to listen to him.”
Both Trinidad, the birthplace of the Caribbean Carnival, and Brazil, where the annual event is a huge tourist draw, moved celebrations online this year and invited fans to enjoy the party from their living rooms. Authorities in Rio de Janeiro even went as far as to threaten legal action against those who defied a ban against partying.
Though Brazil is recording a decrease in infections, the South American nation is still seeing an average of more than 1,000 deaths a day from the pandemic. There is on average, 45,518 new infections reported on average each day. Since the pandemic started, there have been 9,866,710 infections and 239,733 COVID-19 related deaths in the country.
In Trinidad, infections are decreasing with an average of four infections a day. Still, the Caribbean nation, which shut down its borders in March, has opted to keep its borders closed. Overall, there has been 7,646 cases registered and 138 deaths.
Henfield, who said the Bahamas is also keeping a close eye on Haiti’s deepening political crisis, said they will reevaluate the ban after 21 days. Hopefully, he said, the timeline “will abate any spread.”
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