Hours after insisting that a reggae-themed concert headlined by Jamaican crooner Dexta Daps would proceed as planned, organisers of ‘A Reggae Valentine’ have now been forced to lick their wounds with the Bahamian Government’s rejection of a resubmitted approval request on Monday (February 7). 

Latrae Rahming, speaking with Eye Witness News in The Bahamas, during its Beyond The Headlines programme last night, confirmed that the much-anticipated Dexta Daps concert would not enjoy an endorsement from the Government. 

Rahming, who serves as communications director in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in The Bahamas, argued that based on the ongoing implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government could not in good faith approve the staging of the event. 

“The Ministry of Health asked the organisers to resubmit for a proposal to be reviewed (yesterday),” Rahming told programme host Shenique Miller. 

“The Ministry of Health has reviewed the proposal and indicated to the organisation due to the continued health service rules that underscore an embargo on large events from happening, its potential to be a super spreader, and the lack of satisfaction that the country is out of the fourth wave, that it cannot approve it at this time,” he added.

Per local reports, the first submission was rejected on January 17, however, the Ministry of Health invited the ‘Reggae Valentine’ organisers to reapply. 

Phluid Phactory, a Bahamian beverage distributor and one of the listed organisers of the event, has maintained that strict protocols would be enforced for the concert. 

Among the measures, patrons were to undergo mandatory testing prior to event entry with masks also deemed a prerequisite. According to Phluid Phactory, the testing fees were included in ticket prices.

Mass gatherings in The Bahamas, however, are restricted to a maximum of 20 persons indoors. The only stipulation by the Bahamian OPM regarding outdoor social gatherings dictates that “all attendees are either fully vaccinated or present a negative COVID-19 test”.

The Jamaican singjay is yet to react to the ‘Reggae Valentine’ cancellation as Daps’ Instagram stories shared promo images of the concert, which was set for a Friday, February 11 staging at the Carnival Grounds of Nassau’s National Stadium.