Government

On Friday, April 7, countries globally will observe World Health Day.

World Health Day, held every year on April 7, marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948 and each year focuses on a specific public health concern. In addition to focusing on the journey to achieving Health For All, which is this year’s theme, WHO will observe its 75th anniversary under the theme 75 years of improving public health.

The Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP, shared a World Health Day message for the community.

“I encourage residents to reflect on their faith and celebrate with their family and friends responsibly,” said Minister of National Security, the Hon. Michael Weeks, JP, MP, as he wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Good Friday holiday weekend.

He added: “I wish to remind everyone that while celebrating, they should think of their safety and the safety of others. I urge people to avoid drinking and driving and engaging in anti-social behaviour.

“Such behaviour is not only disrespectful to our culture but also puts the safety of our community members at risk.

The Department of Marine and Ports, Boats and Moorings section, is reminding boat owners and mooring licensees that registration started April 1st 2023 and the deadline for licensing renewals is midnight Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 (or 4:30pm Wednesday May 31st 2023 if paying in person). 2024 decals must be in place by June 1st on all moorings and boats. Mooring licenses that are not renewed as of May 31st will incur a late fee.

“Spring into the Arts is an amazing opportunity to rally around and support our young people,” said the Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Kalmar Richards. “Students across the island are working hard to bring you an explosion of creativity. I encourage all Bermuda residents to come out to these events to support our students as we bring back this wonderful annual festival.”

Spring into the Arts, initially founded around 1995, is an annual festival organised by the Department of Education designed to showcase our young people’s artistic talent from public and private schools.

The public is invited to tune in to a new CITV programme called This Week in Government.

This 20-minute show features insightful conversations with Government’s key decision makers, as well as those public officers who are doing extraordinary work in all areas of government.

This Week in Government will cover current initiatives, key policies and the latest activities, and how they affect the lives of Bermudians.

Recently (30 March), Acting Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon Walter Roban, gave closing remarks highlighting Bermuda’s clean energy progress and learnings to energy professionals from 12 Caribbean Island nations, including Turks and Caicos, Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and three selected participants from BELCO. 

Yesterday (April 1), Premier David Burt and Mrs. Kristin Burt hosted the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Cabinet Office lawn for dozens of preschoolers. 

During the event, the little ones from Government’s pre-schools were treated to a number of festive activities, including face painting, fun castles, Easter Baskets, and other games and events. 
 

Yesterday (April 1) signaled the start of Government’s new fiscal year. 

And with the passage of the 2023/24 Budget in House of Assembly, residents will see the execution of initiatives as outlined in the Budget Statement.

The continuation of economic recovery projects, investment in infrastructure, job creation, tax relief for employers and employees, the future of Morgan’s Point, support for a record 2023 cruise season, tourism incentives and more are all highlighted in this year’s Budget. 

“Cruise industry experts have expressed confidence in the future of regional and global cruising. The industry has emerged stronger and more resilient having learned from the pandemic experiences,” said Minister of Transport, the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP.  

Minister Wayne Furbert, Francis Richardson, CEO of Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority and Stacey Evans from the Ministry of Transport attended the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference, the internationally acclaimed four-day trade event held in, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  

Tomorrow evening (March 31), at 7.00 p.m., the Department of Culture will launch its latest documentary series, “Gold Bermudians” (see flyer attached).

Taking place at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), these short films highlight the accomplishments of Bermudians who have performed extraordinarily well on the international stage. 

Tomorrow’s showcase will feature the stories of:

The Minister of National Security, the Hon Michael Weeks, JP MP, stated that “I wish the public to know that there are no plans to close any fire station.”

“The Ministry is committed to delivering the highest level of emergency services to our residents. We are proud of the standards of service that our first responders provide and the long history of reliable and effective response times. The fire service mobilizes within two minutes of any call, and arrives at any location on the island within 15 minutes.

Recently, the Minister of Economy and Labour, Hon. Jason Hayward, attended The Loren at Pink Beach to participate in their Skill Enhancement and Employee Development (SEED) Management Trainee Programme certificate presentation to present the certificates to the Bermudians who completed the training. 

The five Bermudians completing the programme are:

The Ministry of Health reminds the public that COVID-19 antivirals and therapeutics, Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, are available in Bermuda. These oral antivirals are available by prescription only from a physician.

Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP, said, “Oral antivirals are pills that can stop the virus that causes COVID-19 from making copies of itself in your body. They successfully treat mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in persons at high risk of becoming seriously ill and can prevent hospitalisation or death.”