Government

The Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation (DYSR) advises parents and guardians that there will be a delay in the After School Programme and After School Club services due to Covid-19 related staff shortages and pending test results. 

The Department is doing everything possible to ensure DYSR services can resume in full on Monday, 10 January 2022. The Department will provide a further update over the weekend.

As it stands currently:

 Schools that have gone back in and after-care service will be suspended today, Friday 7 January:

The Cabinet Office advised today that Dr. Carika Weldon has resigned and given notice of her intention to end her tenure as Science Advisor & Laboratory Director of MDL. Dr. Weldon’s last day of work will be January 31, 2022. 

Dr. Weldon commented, “I really appreciate the experience and opportunities I have gained while working in this role. And my successor will be fortunate to be a member of the team.”

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 4,247 test results and 255 were positive for the coronavirus.

These results are from testing completed on:

• Sunday, January 2: 75 positive out of 1915 results (3.9% positivity)
• Monday, January 3: 180 positive out of 2332 results (7.7% positivity)

The Ministry notes that 125 of the new cases are classified as imported with history of travel in the previous 14 days.

The additional 130 new cases are classified as either local transmission (10) or under investigation (120).

The Department of Education would like to provide an update on school openings on Friday, January 7th, 2022.

Preschools

Open for all students:

·St. George’s Preschool

·Lyceum Preschool

·Devonshire Preschool

·Prospect Preschool

·St. Paul’s Preschool

·Warwick Preschool

·Southampton Preschool

·Lagoon Park Preschool

·Victor Scott Preschool

Not open:

·St. David’s Preschool

Primary Schools

Open for all students:

The Department of Culture invites writers to celebrate the New Year by giving voice to Bermuda’s stories.

In recognition of the 15th Bermuda Biennial, the Bermuda National Gallery (BNG) is inviting writers to submit poetry for the first time. The Department of Culture is partnering with the BNG to hold a series of workshops for writers –whether fresh to poetry or accomplished poets– to create new works for the Biennial.

To meet the testing demand, the Ministry of Health advised that starting tomorrow, (January 6, 2022), all outbound travellers (visitors and residents) who require an antigen test 24-hours before their departure from Bermuda, will now be tested at a Washington Mall location.

This new testing site, located at 16 Church Street, Hamilton, will be open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm each day.

The Department of Education is providing parents and the public with a second update on school openings. As of 3:00 pm today, the following schools have been confirmed to open:

Preschools

Nine out of ten preschools will be fully or partially open for students as of tomorrow, the 6th January, 2022.

The following eight preschools will be fully open:

The Ministry and Department of Education advises parents and guardians that there will be a staggered opening of schools for Term 2.

We are pleased to report that an overwhelming majority of staff participated in PCR testing in preparation for the return to work on the 4^th January, 2022; however, we still have staff who are waiting to receive their test results.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received9,532 test results and 516 were positive for COVID-19.

These results are from testing completed between December 29, 2021 and January 1, 2022 inclusive:

Today, (4th January 2022), Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon Tinee Furbert, JP MP, released a media statement celebrating World Braille Day 2022.

“As the Minister for Social Development & Seniors, I take this opportunity to highlight persons in our community who are blind or have visual impairments on World Braille Day, celebrated annually on 4th January.

The Ministry of Health today confirmed that increased wait times for the return of results is as a direct result of the significant increase positive cases.

A Ministry spokesperson advised that the highly contagious Omicron variant has led to a significant increase in positive pools of samples. These samples must be run twice to ensure accuracy. This takes time and as a result there has been a delay with the results.

Her Majesty, The Queen, has recognized the following Bermudians her annual New Year’s Honours List:

Dame Commander of the British Empire:

 • Ms. Flora Duffy OBE – for services to Sport in Bermuda.

Member of the Order of the British Empire:

 • Dr. Joseph Froncioni – for services to Road Safety in Bermuda.

Queen’s Certificate & Badge of Honour:

 • Mrs. Erica Smith – for services to the community.
 • Mr. Owen Ellsworth Simons – for services to music education.

The Department of Education today announced that parents and guardians can now register to attend open houses for preschools, primary schools, and middle schools.

The open houses will take place virtually using the ZOOM app, and attendees must sign up by midnight before the scheduled open house event. Those who sign up before the midnight deadline will receive the meeting link and other details from the school directly.

Open Houses will be recorded and uploaded to the Bermuda Public Schools YouTube Channel. (Subscribe now to get a notification!)

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 13,772 test results and 406 were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 2.9%.

These results are from testing completed between December 22 and 28, inclusive:

Today, the Cabinet Office released the September 2021 Retail Sales Index (RSI).

September’s retail sales fell 3.8% compared to last year. In value terms that represented an estimated $95.5 million compared to last year (September 2020).

September’s retail sales activity saw increases in motor vehicle sales, which grew by 18.7% due to a higher number of cars being sold.

Sadly, the Ministry of Health can confirm that it has been notified of four COVID-19 related deaths.

It’s important to note that two of the deaths occurred in September and November, respectively, and are being reported following ongoing death certificate reconciliation.

This brings the total of confirmed COVID-19 related deaths to 110.

The other two deaths occurred during the week of December 20^th, 2021.

The Ministry of Education would like to remind parents and students to register for pre-return COVID testing, with negative results required to be submitted to allow for in-class learning on January 5^th, 2022.

The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain JP MP stated this morning, “The response from teachers and students who have already registered for their return to school tests is positive. Thus far, we have 362 educators and 2080 students registered for testing.

“A fearless visionary.” said Acting Premier Diallo Rabain today in paying tribute to the legacy of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

“The international outpouring of love and admiration is simply incredible as the world remembers this humble man who led a movement founded in his Christian faith. He never failed to speak truth to power and his moral compass never wavered, irrespective of who wielded that power. Archbishop Tutu’s life is a powerful example of the strength and conviction needed to effect change and achieve justice.”

“A fearless visionary.” said Acting Premier Diallo Rabain today in paying tribute to the legacy of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

“The international outpouring of love and admiration is simply incredible as the world remembers this humble man who led a movement founded in his Christian faith. He never failed to speak truth to power and his moral compass never wavered, irrespective of who wielded that power. Archbishop Tutu’s life is a powerful example of the strength and conviction needed to effect change and achieve justice.”

Following the release of the identity of the 17^th road traffic fatality of 2021, The Minister of Transport and Acting Minister for National Security, the Hon. Lawrence Scott, JP, MP, said, “On behalf of both the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of National Security, I want to extend my most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Dennis Saunders.”