Government

As many of you will know, for a while now I have had an interest in beekeeping and the important role bees have in our environment. So, it should come as no surprise that the current work being undertaken with Bermuda’s bees and beeswax in association with the MIT programme has had a deep interest for me. Today, I want to share some current facts with you and highlight some of the challenges facing our bee population today.

Bermuda has had a long history with the honeybee, with some of the earliest records indicating that the first honey bees arrived in Bermuda in the early1600s.

The Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports, Dr. Ernest Peets confirmed that Government will be facilitating its 50^th annual Summer Day Camp Programme starting July 5.

Minister of Transport, the Hon. W. Lawrence Scott JP, MP announced today, May 20, 2021:  

 “You may be aware that the US CDC made a public announcement that cruise ships will soon be able to resume sailing in US jurisdictional waters, under a conditional sail order, providing each ship meets certain CDC COVID-19 regulations and recommended operational protocols. The restart of this service will depend on the cruise lines’ ability to get ships ready for service and their compliance with the CDC’s guidance. 

The Government of Bermuda London Office wishes to advise the public of the redevelopment of their website and encourage all Bermudians in the United Kingdom and Europe to register with the office via: www.bdalondonoffice.co.uk

Today, the Minister of Finance, the Hon Curtis L. Dickinson, JP, MP, is providing an update on the Unemployment Benefit support.

“From December of 2020 through May 17, 2021, approximately 4,400 applications for unemployment benefit support have been approved by the Government of Bermuda, and over 4,100 individuals have received benefits totalling $5.1 million,” said Minister Dickinson.

The Ministry of Health received 1267 test results since the last update, and none were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 0.0%. Additionally, since the last update, there were 25 recoveries and no deaths.

There are 111 active cases, of which:

·         105 are under public health monitoring and

·         6 are in hospital, with 2 in intensive care; 

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 2479 confirmed cases of coronavirus, out of which a total of 2336 have recovered, and sadly 32 COVID related deaths.

Good Afernoon to all members of the media.

I am pleased to announce today that the Viking Cruise Ship Orion arrives in Bermuda’s waters this Friday, 21 May, two days ahead of the scheduled arrival of 23 May, and will remain at anchor in Great Sound for 6 days to complete its 14 day quarantine period.

Viking will arrive with a crew of 460 and intends to sail with a reduced capacity of 50% on their first cruise. We want to assure the public that the COVID testing protocol onboard Viking is the most superior compared to any other cruise line.

Good evening Bermuda.

It was Malcolm X who said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today”. In my National Address on April 25 I outlined how we will move beyond the pandemic and into a future where restrictions are ended and our lives here in Bermuda return to normal. 

To prepare for that future and ultimately to get there, requires us to work together to eliminate local transmission of the coronavirus, maintain strong protections at our border to keep dangerous variants out, and continue to progress with our vaccination programme.

Thank you, Premier, good evening everyone.

The Ministry of Health received 858 test results since the last update, and two (2) were positive for coronavirus. This gives a test positivity rate of 0.2%. 

Both of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.

Additionally, since the last update, there were 37 recoveries and no deaths.

There are currently 136 active cases, of which;

· 127 are under public health monitoring and;

The Registrar of Companies is launching the first phase of its new online company registry system on June 7, 2021. This new online registry will allow the public to view all corporate registers maintained by the Registrar of Companies. Statutory filings and applications can also be made online. 

~ Public encouraged to support local talent at safely distanced midday concert ~

This Saturday, (May 22), the Department of Culture will once again host the popular Creatives Live! concert series, featuring the Tino Martinez Quintet on the City Hall steps.

The midday musical event which showcases and supports Bermuda’s talented artists – is part of the Heritage Month line up of activities. 

Previous Creatives Live! performances included The Unit Band and local singers Joy T. Barnum and Olivia Hamilton among others.

The Ministry of Health received 3359 test results since the last update, and 11 were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 0.3%. These results are from testing done on Thursday (2 positive out of 1160 results (0.2% positivity)), Friday (9 positive out of 1214 results (0.7% positivity)) and Saturday (0 positive out of 985 results (0.0% positivity)).

Eight of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.

Good day to all members of the media and the listening public. 

As announced in November 2020, Bermuda’s Labour Code, which consists of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 2021 and the Employment Amendment (No2) Act 2021, will come into force on 1 June 2021. It will bring Bermuda in line with international best practices by strengthening the rights and obligations of employers and employees in Bermuda’s labour force, modernising and clarifying areas of the existing legislation, and revising the labour dispute mechanisms in Bermuda.

~ RSI growth in February 2021 is the 8^th consecutive month of increase ~

Today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Hon. Wayne Furbert released the February 2021 Retail Sales, which indicated that the overall volume of local retail sales increased by 4.5%.

This compares to the previous year’s local retail sales which reported a volume increase of 2.2%.

The retail sales growth in February 2021 is the 8^th consecutive month of increase compared to the same month in 2020.

The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Walter Roban has responded favourably to the Regulatory Authority’s (RA’s) announcement today that electricity retail rates will be reduced. He fully supports this announcement as this achieves the Government’s throne speech commitment to reduce electricity costs.

~ To date, more than 1,000 vaccinces given as part of the Close to Home mobile programme ~

The Ministry of Health received 946 test results since the last update, and four were positive for coronavirus, yielding a test positivity rate of 0.4 %. 

Three of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.

The additional new case is classified as under investigation. This case is a resident with no currently identified link to other known cases or history of travel in the past 14 days.

Additionally, since the last update, there were 16 recoveries and no deaths.

The Ministry of Labour wishes to remind the public of the requirements to obtain Bermudian status at birth by a child born to a person who possesses Bermudian status.

The Ministry can advise that currently, a child born outside Bermuda who is a commonwealth citizen will acquire Bermudian status at birth if the Bermudian parent was domiciled and Bermudian at the time of the child’s birth.

The Ministry of Transport can confirm that the pilot boat, St. David, was involved in a crash with a reef off of the Northeast Breaker Beacon on Thursday, May 6th, 2021 at 6:48am.

The St. David was on a training exercise en-route to the North Rock Beacon and had four crew on board.

The pilot boat, purchased in 2011 for $2,795,000.00 is insured for 2.8 million dollars.

The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP, has this afternoon released a statement regarding a power outage at Dalton E. Tucker Primary School.

Minister Rabain shared, “Unfortunately, around 12 noon today Dalton E Tucker Primary School experienced a power outage.”

“BELCO was immediately contacted to rectify the issue; however, the decision was made to close Dalton E Tucker for the remainder of the day. The decision was made in accordance with the Safety & Health Act that provides for a maximum of 2 hours for resolution in situations like this.”

Thank you, Minister Hayward, and Good morning Bermuda.

The Commission began its work in earnest last February in establishing a minimum wage in the first instance and a liveable wage, secondly, for Bermuda.

The Bermuda Nurses Association held a proclamation reading to celebrate International Nurses Day on the steps of City Hall today. With social distance restrictions in place, Her Excellency Governor Rena Lalgie, the Minister of Health Kim Wilson, JP, MP, and Councillor John Harvey joined members of the Bermuda Nurses Association to mark the occasion.

The Ministry of Health received 1229 test results since the last update, and six were positive for coronavirus, yielding a test positivity rate of 0.5 %. 

Four of the new cases are classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.

The additional two new cases are classified as under investigation. These cases are among residents with no currently identified link to other known cases or history of travel in the past 14 days.

Additionally, since the last update, there were 40 recoveries and no deaths.

The Department of Culture is reminding the public that registration is still open for this weekend’s Bermuda Cultural Stakeholder Conference.

Happening Sunday, May 16 at 11.00 am, the summit will be carried live via ZOOM, and is free to the public.