Government

Good morning and welcome to Severn Bridge in St. David’s.

I am joined today by MP Lovitta Foggo of Constituency 3 while the 3 remaining St. George’s MP’s – Minister Renee Ming – Constituency 1, Minister Tinee Furbert Constituency 4 and MP Kim Swan of Constituency 2 are unable to be here – as well as Mr. Andrew Dias, Interim CEO of BLDC, Mr. Stephen Tucker the project manager for the Water & Waste Water Master Plan and Ms. Tabia Butterfield of Crisson Construction.

The Ministry of Health received 706 test results since the last update, and four were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 0.6%. One of the new cases is classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with a known case.

The additional three 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 12 recoveries and no deaths. 

The Ministry of Health received 3423 test results since the last update and 17 were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 0.5%. These results are from testing done on Thursday (five positive out of 1263 results – 0.4% positivity), Friday (three positive out of 1218 results – 0.2% positivity) and Saturday (nine positive out of 942 results – 1.0% positivity).

Today, Minister for the Cabinet Office the Hon. Wayne L. Furbert, JP, MP, released the February 2021 Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.

In February 2021 consumers paid 0.2 % more than they did in February 2020 for the basket of goods and services.

The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport announced today that as Bermuda enters Phase 2 of reopening, following the Stay at Home Order, sports will be permitted at Stage 2 of the Return to Play Guidance, effective today, 9^th May.

Stage 2 allows for team training within the requirements permitted by the Emergency Regulations:

The Ministry of Transport advises the public of reduced capacity on school buses effective Monday, 10 May 2021. 

The Ministry of Health COVID-19 guidance for school buses requires that students adopt 3 feet distancing on school buses while the country is in Phase 2.

As such, students that are not from the same household are not permitted to sit shoulder-to-shoulder until further notice. This applies to both DPT buses and minibuses and results in approximately 50% reduced capacity. Therefore, school buses can accommodate between 7 and 17 students, depending on the vehicle. 

“It is with a heavy heart that I report another coronavirus related death,” announced Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the loved ones of the deceased during this difficult time.”

“This death brings the total number of coronavirus related deaths to 31. The Ministry of Health will not release any personal details about the individual, and I ask the public to respect the privacy of the family as they mourn their loved one.”

The next COVID-19 update will be on Monday, 10 May 2021.

Today Premier, the Hon. David Burt, JP, MP, Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Walter Roban, JP, MP and the Minister of Finance, the Hon. Curtis Dickinson, JP, MP visited the Mobile Vaccination Centre at National Sports Centre in Devonshire. 

Some 156 people showed up to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This brings to 627 the number of people who have used the mobile vaccination service.

The UK Government has today issued its ‘red, amber and green list rules for entering England’ and has included Bermuda and other Caribbean Territories on their ‘Amber List’. This means that from the 17^th May when the UK opens up for travel, passengers departing Bermuda and arriving in the UK are subject to the amber list rules. 

UK Government guidance states: ‘if you have been in an amber country or territory in the 10 days before you arrive in England the following rules will apply: 

The Ministry of Health received 992 test results since the last update, and two (2) were positive for COVID-19, yielding 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 33 recoveries and no deaths.

There are 309 active cases, of which:

·         297 are under public health monitoring and

·         12 are in hospital with two (2) in intensive care;

“The Bermuda Road Safety Council (BRSC) would like to take this time to offer our most heartfelt condolences to the families of the recent road fatalities. Losing a loved one is never easy.  Your pain is felt throughout the community.”

In the last 24 hours we have seen an increase in road collisions.  We ask; actually, we implore motorists to drive and ride safer by reducing your speed, paying close attention to your driving, refrain from using electronic devices to minimize distractions. We all share our roads, therefore we must all do our part to make them safer.

Mr. Speaker,

This morning I rise before you and my Honorable colleagues to share the plans that have been put in place to reopen our schools safely for in-person learning, on Monday, May 10^th.

Mr. Speaker,

Mr. Speaker, much has been said in the media recently about the payments being made to Skyport under the Minimum Revenue Guarantee obligations as set out in the Project Agreement. Mr. Speaker, this Government takes all of its contractual obligations very seriously and I would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and to provide all of the facts relating to these contractual payments.

Good Morning Mr. Speaker, I am pleased this morning to provide this Honourable House with an update on efforts to meet the Government Reform initiative – Wellness Objective.

Mr. Speaker, as a reminder, in November of last year, I informed this Honourable House that the responsibility for Government Reform now falls under the remit of the Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Reform.

Good Morning, Mr. Speaker.

I am pleased to provide a further update on the Short Term Stimulus Programme that was launched on December 17th, 2020 to a maximum value of BMD $13,385,000 where small to medium sized contractors were invited to participate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to inform this Honourable House on the positive results of the recent sovereign ratings review by Standard & Poor’s (S&P).

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, March 29^th, 2021, S&P conducted its annual ratings review of the country of Bermuda. The purpose of the review was to assess the country’s creditworthiness and to determine the level of risk associated with lending to Bermuda.

Mr. Speaker, in accordance with Section 2 AA (3) of the Government Loans Act 1978, I rise to inform this Honourable House of the issuance of a new Government guarantee.

Mr. Speaker, when determining whether the Government should consider providing a guarantee, various factors are taken into consideration before making a final decision. These factors include:

Good evening Bermuda.

Thank you for joining us tonight as we outline our country’s next steps for Moving Beyond the Pandemic.

First let me begin by extending my condolences to the families of Mr. Marvin Lambe, and Mr. Eugene Thomas who sadly lost their lives after separate serious road traffic accidents on Tuesday. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, and friends, as well as all other persons involved in the accidents as they recover from their injuries. I ask everyone to please drive with care and caution on our roads at all times.

Good evening Bermuda,

As we begin to move into Phase 2 with the relaxing of some of the regulations, I will provide a general overview on the following:

1) Curfew Exemptions;

2) Large Group Exemptions;

3) Enforcement by the Bermuda Police Service; and

4) Quarantine Guidelines for non-immunised persons.

Even though some restrictions are being rolled back, these continue to be concerning times for our community.

And as we work to manage the COVID-19 virus it’s important that we remain vigilant.

The Department of Education will be holding Zoom Town Hall meetings to share more information about the Saliva Testing Programme with parents.

Meeting registration details can be obtained from the parent newsletter ‘The Scoop’.

The Town Hall Meetings will be hosted by the Commissioner of Education and officials from the Molecular Diagnostic Lab (MDL) as follows:

1.      Preschool Parents / Guardians – Monday, May 10th at 6:00 p.m.

2.      Primary School Parents / Guardians – Tuesday, May 11th at 6:00 p.m.

The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors has launched a pilot programme with the Disability Center of Bermuda (DCOB) and Investing in Care Safety and Security (ICSS) to provide GPS life safety devices at a reduced cost for seniors with Dementia, Alzheimer’s and persons with disabilities.

On Monday, May 3rd, The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP, met with the Education Emergency Measures Committee (EEMC) to discuss the safe return to in-school learning and the introduction of the saliva testing screening strategy for schools. 

Minister Rabain said, “Provided the intended public health targets are met, school is intended to open for in-person instruction on May 10th. This will be confirmed tomorrow when announcements are made regarding the proposed move to Phase 2 of our reopening.”

The Ministry of Health received 1014 test results since the last update, and two (2) were positive for COVID-19, yielding 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 36 recoveries and no deaths.

There are 383 active cases, of which:

·         369 are under public health monitoring and

·         14 are in hospital with two (2) in intensive care;

The Department of Culture will host the first ever Bermuda Cultural Stakeholder Conference on Sunday, May 16. 

The conference which will be held via Zoom, is free to the public and will serve as the formal launch of Bermuda’s National Cultural Heritage Policy. 

The forum will also provide an opportunity to engage with and hear from Bermuda’s creatives, heritage organisations, artists and cultural groups.  

The Ministry of Health received 447 test results since the last update, and five (5) were positive for COVID-19, yielding a test positivity rate of 1.1%.

All five (5) 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 14 recoveries and no deaths.

There are 417 active cases, of which:

·         401 are under public health monitoring and

·         16 are in hospital with 3 in intensive care;

The Ministry of Transport wishes to advise the public that all April bus passes will be extended into the month of May.

Minister of Transport, the Hon. Lawrence Scott JP, MP, indicated today, “This has been a trying time for all of us. We would like to offer the customers who use the public bus and ferry service relief in being able to use their bus pass from April into the month of May. 

“I am sorry to report that another Bermudian has died from a Covid-related illness,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “I extend my heartfelt condolences to their family and loved ones.”

The Ministry of Health received 2855 test results since the last update, and 29 were positive for COVID-19, yielding a test positivity rate of 1.0. These results are from testing done on Thursday (15 positive out of 1087 results (1.4% positivity)), Friday (8 positive out of 857 results (0.9% positivity)) and Saturday (6 positive out of 911 results (0.7% positivity)).

~ Celebrating Bermudian Resilience ~

May is Heritage Month. And for the second consecutive year the Department of Culture will be hosting a series of virtual and physically distanced events to highlight and celebrate Bermuda’s culture and heritage.

The public will recall that in March, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr. Ernest Peets announced that this year’s theme for Bermuda Day and Heritage Month is “Bermudian Resilience”.