Government

Press Conference Remarks by

Premier, The Hon. David Burt, JP, MP

Good Afternoon Bermuda,

Good afternoon.

I open my remarks today by extending heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of those mourning the loss of a loved one to circumstances related to the coronavirus.

Things are getting better, and we are making progress. We have fewer active cases, the hospital is less overwhelmed, and children are returning to in-class learning.

“Sadly, since our last update, Bermuda experienced three more coronavirus-related deaths,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “My sincere condolences go out to the families and friends grieving the loss of a loved one today.”

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 3149 test results, and 12 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.4%.

These results are from testing done on:

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

You will know that Climate Change is among the most significant challenges impacting countries and Governments worldwide. At the forefront of this challenge are discussions on how we can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.

To that end, this Government, like many others across the globe, has been working to implement measures to reduce Bermuda’s carbon footprint.

Climate Change Competition

“Bermuda has recorded three more coronavirus related deaths. I extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends who have recently lost their loved one,” said the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 5141 test results, and 35 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.7%.

These results are from testing done on:

The Ministry of Education is advising of the following school which opened successfully on Monday October 11 and October 12.

Monday, October 11, 2021

1.       Gilbert Institute

2.       Port Royal Primary

3.       West Pembroke Primary

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

1.       Victor Scott Preschool

2.       Prospect Primary

3.       Purvis Primary

All staff and parents have been notified. Additional schools will test this week, and each school will send notice individually. 

It gives me great pleasure to officially welcome home one of the most accomplished and outstanding athletes in Bermuda’s history – our “Golden Girl”, Flora Duffy.

This in incredible occasion for every Bermudian, here and around the world.

Flora, your accomplishment is nothing short of extraordinary, it was with great joy and pride we joined a global audience as you achieved Gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

The Economic Development Department (EDD) invites members of the public to register, free of charge, to attend the 3rd annual Tech Education Summit.

The Summit will run virtually from 9 am to 5 pm along two tracks: students and professionals. It will be opened by Premier, the Hon. David Burt, JP, MP and the Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP, address the audience as well.

Recently, the Premier, the Hon. David Burt and the Head of the Public Service, Dr. Derrick Binns recognized a team of public officers as a part of the inaugural Government of Bermuda’s Public Service Excellence Awards (PSEA).

The PSEA’s is a programme that aims to encourage outstanding achievement and recognize Public Officers who are demonstrating admirable service delivery. Each month one individual or team will be selected for exemplary public service accomplished in the last 60 days.

The Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport, Dr. Ernest Peets advised sporting bodies that in anticipation of sport recommencing at Stage 3 of the Return to Play Guidelines, the Guideline is being updated to require antigen testing rather than saliva testing.

Effective yesterday (October 8), Stage 3 is in effect and will require all athletes, officials and participants to do a Covid-19 antigen or lateral flow test, with a negative test result, prior to attending group training.

“Bermuda has recorded two more coronavirus related deaths. I extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends who have lost their loved one, said the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 3438 test results, and 46 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 1.3%.

These results are from testing done on:

Good Day and Welcome,

As I did last Friday, I wish to update the public on the plans to transition our public schools from remote learning to in-person instruction. Since the previous update, there have been 7 Pre-Schools, 12 Primary schools, 1 middle school and 1 alternative school that have reached over 80% Parent consent.  These schools have either completed or are being scheduled for the Pre-Return testing. 

Good day,

Thank you so much for joining us this morning.

For the last 18 months, all of Bermuda, like the rest of the world, has had to readjust how we conduct our lives, how we interact with one another, and how we provide services to the people of this country.

I am pleased to say that while we were in the throes of a global pandemic, the men and women of the Bermuda Post Office rose to the challenge and continued delivering mail, thus providing Bermuda with the stellar customer service for which it is known.

To begin, the Bermuda Road Safety Council (BRSC) extends its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Allen Trott, who recently succumbed to injuries suffered during a road traffic collision. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

The BRSC’s October Road Safety slogan – Pedestrian Safety (Stop/Look/Listen).  The month of October is recognised around the world as Pedestrian Safety Month. This initiative’s goal is to increase awareness about pedestrian safety and remind drivers to always be watchful for pedestrians. 

The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport shared further details of the recognition events planned on October 11^th for Flora Duffy, who returns to Bermuda following a championship triathlon season overseas.

The public will be aware that Ms. Duffy is Bermuda’s first Olympic Gold Medalist, and October 18^th has been designated a public holiday in recognition of her historic achievement at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and World Triathlon.

The environmental advisory firm Finance Earth is partnering with the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme (BOPP) to support the development of Bermuda’s Blue Economy Strategy.

A Government spokesperson stated, “The Government is aware of a false message that is being shared by email and on social media. The email, which asks the reader to validate their COVID-19 status looks as though it has been sent by the Ministry of Health. This is not a Government of Bermuda message. The link in the message should not be clicked on and the email should not be forwarded. If a member of the public receives the email, they should delete it.”

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

I will begin this press conference by reminding everyone of the Department of Immigration’scommitment to enforcing the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 and its related policies. The responsibilities of the compliance section include, but are not limited to, compliance checks of businesses, investigating potential breaches of laws and policies, deportations, and the processing of travellers at the airport. 

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

I will begin this press conference by reminding everyone of the Department of Immigration’scommitment to enforcing the Bermuda Immigration and Protection Act 1956 and its related policies. The responsibilities of the compliance section include, but are not limited to, compliance checks of businesses, investigating potential breaches of laws and policies, deportations, and the processing of travellers at the airport. 

“It distresses me to report again that since our last update, Bermuda experienced five more coronavirus-related deaths,” said Minister of Health, Kim Wilson, JP, MP. “My sincere condolences go out to the families and friends who have lost loved ones. Although our number of active cases is trending in the right direction, we are still experiencing deaths, and that is very sad.”

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 3299 test results, and 36 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 1.1%.

These results are from testing done on:

The Premier’s Instagram account, @davidburtmp or instgram.com/davidburtmp, has been hacked. All of the Premier’s content on the Instagram account has been removed. 

There was an indication that the account was compromised yesterday, and despite actions taken to secure the account, the account was unable to be accessed earlier today. The Department of Communications has made contact with Facebook and are working to regain access to the account. 

Good afternoon.

I begin my remarks today by offering heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of those mourning the loss of a loved one to circumstances related to the coronavirus in recent weeks. You remain in my thoughts and prayers.

It does appear that our numbers are trending in the right direction, and our active cases are decreasing. I want to thank everyone for doing their part and making an effort to stop the spread of this aggressive Delta Variant.

Good Afternoon Bermuda,

I am saddened to begin my remarks today with condolences to more families in our Bermuda community who have recently lost loved ones to the coronavirus. My heart goes out to all those who are grieving at this time.

This afternoon I am pleased to be joined by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ayo Oyinloye, and the Bermuda Hospital Board’s Chief of Staff, Dr. Wesley Miller, each of whom will address you this afternoon.

First, we will hear from the Minister of Health.

Minister.