NASSAU, BAHAMAS —A well-known Abaco poultry producer yesterday said businesses on Abaco and Grand Bahama have been dealt “more than a double whammy” within the last seven months.

Lance Pinder, Operations Manager at Abaco Big Bird told Eyewitness News that the COVID-19 pandemic had struck just as there appeared to be some signs of recovery from Hurricane Dorian devastation.

“We’re still here doing little repairs on the farm that we are able to do,” he said.

“The factory that was making our poultry barns or chicken houses had to close due to the COVID-19 situation. The barns were actually a week away from being done. With what’s going on who knows when they will reopen.

“Abaco has really taken a big blow over the past several months. I don’t even know if you can call it a double whammy. This is far more than a double whammy. Things were just starting to look like they were moving again. We had quite a bit of tourists here but they all had to leave.”

Dorian destroyed the poultry producer’s Abaco operations, and the company had reservations about resuming its operations citing bureaucracy and red tape.

Yesterday, Pinder said the company is still eyeing its return to the marketplace, however like many businesses COVID-19 has put yet another damper on those plans.

“We’re still trying to move ahead, hoping this lockdown and everything will blow over sooner rather than later,” Pinder said.

“The initial set up with the will give us four chicken houses and we will be able to have a regular supply of poultry. We will see how go from there, depending on market conditions of course.”