Government

Good day.

There were 1587 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update, and one was positive for COVID-19. The new case is classified as imported by a resident who arrived on BA 2233 from London on 29 January 2021 and tested positive on their arrival test

Additionally, since the last update, 15 cases have recovered.

There are currently 12 active cases, of which;

·         Eight are under public health monitoring and

·         Four are in hospital with none in critical care;

Good afternoon.

On the 23rd October 2020 the employees of the Fairmont Southampton were made redundant. At the time, the hotel ownership was unable to meet its obligation to make redundancy payments in a timely fashion to more than 700 employees, and there was no guarantee as to when the owner, Westend Properties Ltd. (“Westend”), or the ultimate owner Gencom would be able to make the payments.

The Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) has advised that weather conditions are expected to deteriorate in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

It’s anticipated that the island will experience windy and rainy conditions similar to last Friday and Saturday (Jan. 29 & 30). According to the BWS, 25-35 knot winds, heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to pass the island Tuesday morning into the early afternoon.

“The very essence of a freedom fighter.” said Premier David Burt today reflecting on the life of former PLP Senator and labour activist Laverne Furbert. “Laverne Furbert was an unwavering force in support of  Bermuda’s workers, the Progressive Labour Party and the Bermuda Industrial Union. She will be remembered for the strength of her convictions and the fearless manner in which she communicated the core values of social justice and equality in this society. As we mourn her loss, all Bermuda will fondly recall her vibrant spirit and dedication to the very end of her life.”

The Ministry of Health is advising the public about a recall of Waitrose frozen seafood, sold exclusively at The Supermart on Front Street. This is a voluntary recall because the product may be contaminated with salmonella, which could cause illness if consumed. Symptoms caused by salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

Product details:

Waitrose & Partners Essential Frozen Seafood Selection, (King prawns, mussels and squid rings) (Frozen) – 250g. All ‘best before’ dates up to and including end January 2022.

The Ministry of Education has issued a call to action to the Bermuda community – ‘Parents, Students, Teachers, Business Owners, Seniors, Clergy, Professionals, no matter what your background it takes a parish to ensure the success of all our young people’. 

During February and March, several meetings will be held for parish communities across the island to share the proposed vision for parish primary schools.

Last week (January 26), the Customs Department observed International Customs Day, and for the occasion, it honoured 27 Customs Officers who have served 10, 15, 30, 35 and 40 years with the service.

Typically as part of the International Customs Day observances, the department hosts a series of events to raise awareness about its work and services. 

This year, however, due to COVID-19, activities were curtailed. 

Good day.

There were 300 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update, and one was positive for COVID-19. The new case is classified as local transmission with known contact as they are associated with known cases.

Additionally, since the last update, three cases have recovered.

There are currently 26 active cases, of which;

·         22 are under public health monitoring and

·         Four are in hospital with none in critical care;

Good afternoon all:

I am joined by Kelly Burgess the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation Analyst and the Director of the Bermuda Weather Service, Dr. Mark Guishard.

Bermuda, I hope you and your families, loved ones and friends fared well during yesterday’s winter storm. 

I wish to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to Dr. Guishard and his team for keeping us abreast of all the developments of the deteriorating weather conditions throughout yesterday and last night.

I am joined this morning by Major Dill, General Manager of the BHC, Mr. Mark Melo, CFO of BHC, Mr. Andrew Dias, General Manager of the West End Development Corporation, West End Development Corporation, Mr. Kent Bascome, CFO of Wedco and Mrs. Carmen Tucker, Port Facilities Manager at Wedco.

Thank you for joining me for an update on operational changes at three of the four Quangos that fall under the Ministry of Public Works – they being the Bermuda Land Development Company, the Bermuda Housing Corporation and the West End Development Corporation.

The Emergency Measures Organization provided the following update:

Public schools and government offices are open today. Extra mini buses have been scheduled for the school runs.

The bus service will not resume until about 9am, after the Department of Public Transportation has done an assessment.

BELCO will provide updates on outages.

There is no power at Paget Primary School, parents are advised to keep their children at home today.

All other public schools will open as usual this morning.

Good day.

There were 489 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update, and one was positive for COVID-19. The new case is classified as under investigation, as it 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, two cases have recovered.

There are currently 28 active cases, of which;

·         25 are under public health monitoring and

·         Three are in hospital with none in critical care;

The Ministry of Transport wishes to provide the following update on the winter storm which is affecting Bermuda today.

The Ministry of Education has cancelled tonight’s public consultation meeting on the proposals for parish primary schools due to the winter storm and increased winds anticipated later today and this evening, 

The meeting was to be held online, and simulcast on Facebook Live, CITV and YouTube from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Ministry of Education would like to avoid any disruption of the meeting due to potential power and internet connections.

Today, Minister for the Cabinet Office the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, released the Bermuda Digest of Statistics 2020 from the Department of Statistics.

The Minister explained, “The Digest is structured into ten sections and contains brief analyses, quick facts and charts for each section. There are more than 60 statistical tables which provide a wealth of data about Bermuda’s social, demographic and economic conditions. This publication is an excellent tool for research, school projects, marketing initiatives and business planning.”

Today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, released the 2020 Environmental Statistics Compendium from the Department of Statistics.

The Minister explained, “The Compendium is structured into thirteen sections and contains brief analyses, tables and graphs for each section. There are more than 40 statistical tables which provide a wealth of data about Bermuda’s environmental conditions. This publication is an excellent tool for research, school projects and promoting awareness about issues affecting Bermuda’s environment.”

The Bermuda Road Safety Council would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our call for safer roads.

Good day.

Good afternoon,

I’m joined by Dr. Mark Guishard, Director of the Bermuda Weather Service.

Earlier today, the Emergency Measures Organisation met to get the latest update on the winter storm which is expected to affect Bermuda throughout the day tomorrow. 

We’re not expecting a significant disruption of public services, but out of an abundance of caution, we want to ensure that we are prepared for any and every eventuality and make the best decisions in the interest of public safety. 

The Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP, recently attended the virtual Fourth Meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Good evening Bermuda,

As I begin my remarks this evening, my thoughts are with the family of the late Financial Secretary, Mr. Anthony Manders, as the family prepare to lay him to rest tomorrow. His passing is a tremendous loss to Bermuda. He was a truly dedicated public officer who gave his all in service for his country and he will truly be missed.

Today the Minister for the Cabinet Office the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP released the September 2020 Retail Sales Index.

In September 2020, the overall volume of local retail sales increased by 5.9%. This compares to the previous year’s local retail sales which reported a volume decrease of 5.1% as outlined in the Department of Statistics’ September retail sales report.

For the safety and security of the travelling public, the Ministry of Transport wishes to remind the public that unlike public service vehicles such as taxi cab services, private vehicles used for hire are unregulated, and as such, have the potential to put riders at risk.

Due to the unregulated nature of private vehicles used for this purpose, they:

·         Are not required to be maintained to public service vehicle safety standards;

·         Do not have passenger insurance should there be in an accident; and

Good Afternoon,

There were 543 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update, and two were positive for COVID-19. Both of the new cases are classified as imported. The first case is a resident who arrived on S46227 from the Azores on 16 January 2021 and tested positive on their day 8 test. The second case is a resident who arrived on B62231 from New York on 24 January 2021 and tested positive on their arrival test

Additionally, since the last update, six cases have recovered.

There are currently 30 active cases, of which;

With the Bermuda Weather Service (BWS) forecasting gale and storm force winds this week, the Ministry of National Security is advising residents to take the necessary safety precautions around their homes. This includes securing any lawn furniture, outdoor potted plants, garbage bins or any other items that can be blown around during the high winds.

There were 1689 test results received by the Ministry of Health since the last update, and none were positive for COVID-19. 

Additionally, since the last update, 12 cases have recovered.

There are currently 34 active cases, of which;

· 29 are under public health monitoring and

· Five are in hospital with none in critical care;

Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 686 total confirmed cases of COVID-19; out of those, 640 persons have recovered, and 12 persons have sadly succumbed to COVID-19.

“As I had reported previously, The Ministry of Health has been working with the medical community to identify suitable locations to serve as additional vaccine centres prior to the arrival of the next batch of vaccines. This is necessary as it will allow the ministry to dramatically increase the number of vaccines we are able to administer on a daily basis and will provide residents with more convenient options to get vaccinated.

Please be reminded that those travelling to the United Kingdom are currently subject to travel regulations to reduce the spread of COVID19.

Travellers to the UK must isolate for 10 days upon arrival and are also required to provide:

1. Evidence of a negative COVID19 test
2. Passenger Locator Form

In accordance with UK regulations failure to provide proof of a negative test or a failure to complete the passenger locator form are offences for which you may be fined, and you may not be allowed to board the flight.

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

I am joined here today by the Minister of Public Works. Lt. Col. David Burch.

In today’s press conference I will share with you the Ministry of Labour’s policy proposals in support of Bermuda’s economic development. I will also provide an update on the Wage Commission’s living and minimum wage initiative as well as the Unemployment Insurance Program to be established for the future.

Immigration

Firstly, let me speak about Immigration.

Good Afternoon – it was December 17th, 2020 when the Executive Director of the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation, Mrs. Erica Smith and I launched the Short Term Stimulus Programme to a maximum value of BMD $13,385,000 and invited small to medium sized contractors to participate.

The Department of Workforce Development invites college and university students to apply for the 2021 Summer Employment Programme.  

Internship applicants must hold Bermudian status and be enrolled full time at an accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 2.5.

Successful interns can expect to gain well-rounded career exposure with practical hands-on-experience in the Government, Private, and Non-Profit sectors.

The Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Reform, the Hon. Kathy Lynn Simmons, JP, MP, is pleased to notify the public that the Department for National Drug Control (DNDC) will be conducting a survey to obtain information on adult drug-use in Bermuda. The survey data will be used to monitor the nature and magnitude of the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs in our community; and will assess public opinion on an array of drug-related issues.