Government

Earlier today, the Acting Minister of Public Works, the Hon. Wayne Furbert, JP, MP, visited the Tynes Bay Waste Treatment Facility to receive a status update on the progress being made.

Mr. Nasir Wade, Plant Manager at Tynes Bay, briefed the Minister on the single functioning burner, the clearing of the tipping hall, the repair of the baling machine and when household waste can resume being processed at the facility.

The United States Government announced yesterday (December 2) that effective December 6, the United States will tighten pre-departure COVID-19 testing protocols by requiring all inbound international travellers to test within 24 hours of departure globally, regardless of nationality or vaccination status. To meet this requirement, through the MDL lab, the Ministry of Health will provide a quick turnaround of antigen test result certification beginning on December 5.

The Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, JP, MP, encourages all residents to get a flu shot to help contain the risks of influenza in the upcoming season.

Today, Minister Wilson received her annual flu shot at the Flu Express at National Stadium. The seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine is available for priority groups through their doctor or the Flu Express at the cost of $15.00 per shot (for both adults and children). Persons over the age of 65 will receive the seasonal flu vaccine free of charge.

Mark your calendars and join the Bermuda Ocean Prosperity Programme (BOPP) on Thursday, December 9^th at 6 pm AST for the second instalment of its free virtual public webinar series, B.E.A.C.H.—the BOPP Environmental Awareness Chat Hour. This series is designed to share with the broader island community a variety of topics related to BOPP, including perspectives from diverse ocean users; science-based and public processes that help BOPP balance the needs of human uses and the natural environment; and local research being conducted in coastal and offshore ecosystems.

“We are making progress…” said the Acting Minister of Public Works Wayne Furbert todayregarding repairs at Tynes Bay. 

The Minister continued, “Thanks to the hard work put in by the Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility successful repairs have been carried out and one of the plant boilers is operational and this morning it resumed the process of incinerating the backlog of waste.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 4063 test results, and 3 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.1%.

These results are from testing done on:

§  Sunday: 0 positive out of 1125 results (0.0% positivity)

§  Monday: 1 positive out of 1448 results (0.1% positivity)

§  Tuesday: 2 positive out of 1490 results (0.1% positivity)

All 3 of the new cases are classified as imported with a history of travel in the previous 14 days.

Yesterday, December 1^st, marked World AIDS Day.The theme for World AIDS Day 2021 is ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice’. The objective is to communicate the importance of equitable access to health services and the importance of strengthening actions at the primary health care level. World AIDS Day 2021 also emphasizes HIV combination prevention and treatment services and promotes work with communities to reach the people most vulnerable to HIV and other pandemics.

The Ministry and Department of Education extend thanks to WindReach for their donation of inclusive literature to Bermuda Public Preschools and Primary Schools.

Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP, expressed, “WindReach generously donated a package of five inclusive books to each Bermuda Public Preschool and Primary School in recognition of the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is celebrated on December 3rd.” 

On Tuesday, 23 November 2021, the Minister of Labour, the Hon. Jason P Hayward, JP MP, attended the International Labour Organization (the “ILO”) Caribbean Labour Minister’s Meeting in preparation for the second part of the 109^th Session of the International Labour Conference (the “ILC”), which is taking place from 25 November to 11 December 2021.

The Flu Express, which was to take place tomorrow (December 1^st) at the National Stadium Pavilion, has been postponed until Friday, December 3rd at National Stadium Pavilion.

The seasonal influenza (flu) vaccine will be available for priority groups through their doctor or the Flu Express at the cost of $15.00 per shot (for both adults and children). Persons over the age of 65 years will receive the seasonal flu vaccine free of charge.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 6804 test results, and 18 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.3%.

These results are from testing done on:

·Wednesday: 6 positive out of 1869 results (0.3% positivity)

·Thursday: 1 positive out of 1798 results (0.1% positivity)

·Friday: 3 positive out of 1776 results (0.2% positivity)

·Saturday: 8 positive out of 1361 results (0.6% positivity)

14 of the new cases is classified as imported with a history of travel in the previous 14 days.

Last month (October 6), Sports Ministers and representatives from sports Ministries across the Caribbean held a virtual forum to discuss solidifying their support for Special Olympic Athletes throughout the region.

Following the forum, the Ministers and representatives drafted a formal declaration acknowledging their commitment to these incredible athletes. The agreement, entitled the Special Olympics Caribbean Inclusive Sport Forum Declaration, is being signed by each country.

Good Afternoon Members of the Media and the people of Bermuda,

Today I am joined by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson and the Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, as we elaborate on the statements made in the House of Assembly today regarding the updates to COVID-19 public health regulations, schools moving to Phase 2, and items pertaining to our borders and tourism.

We will soon hear from the Minister of Health on the updates to the public health regulations, followed by the Minister of Education regarding schools.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to provide an update on work of the Ministry of National Security in addressing gang violence. Specifically I will address some of the root causes, our existing gang violence reduction programmes, proposed programmes and our multi Ministry approach.