Government

The Department of Education is expanding the preschool Bright Start Programme for 3 year old children during the 2021/2022 school year. 

This programme was introduced in alignment with Plan 2022 strategy 2.4, which calls for the expansion of preschool spaces to include children who are 3 years of age.  The programme has been run as a pilot programme at the Warwick Preschool for the last 3 years.

Through a joint partnership with the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and the Bermuda Cricket Board, individuals attending cricket matches will have the opportunity to complete a signup form provided as they enter, to obtain employment and career advancement opportunities and training facilitated by the DWD. 

The Ministry of Health received 9972 test results since the last update, and 42 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.4%. 

These results are from testing done on:

·Thursday, August 19: 16 positive out of 2931 results (0.5% positivity)

·Friday, August 20: 15 positive out of 2906 results (0.5% positivity)

·Saturday, August 21: 9 positive out of 2375 results (0.4% positivity)

·Sunday, August 22: 2 positive out of 1760 results (0.1% positivity)

The Department of Culture is advising of tomorrow’s (August 25) Bermudian Heartbeats event: A Visible Minority: Asian Diasporas in Bermuda.
 
And the Department is encouraging members of the public to join the discussion on Asian identity in Bermuda. Taking place 6.00 p.m. at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) panelists include Professor Anthony Ocampo, Gracie Edwards, Liana Hall and Dany Pen.
 

“This is welcoming news as we continue to provide the COVID-19 vaccine for a safer community,” commented Kim Wilson, JP, MP, Minister of Health, following the announcement that Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine wins full FDA approval.  “This is excellent news for those individuals who have delayed getting vaccinated until the FDA fully approved the vaccine.”

Dear Brother Chris,

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

Many of you will recall the work by this Government over the last decade to advance the country’s transition toward greater use of renewable energy. 

The Energy White Paper of 2011 and the Integrated Resource Plan have proved to be practical tools throughout this journey. 

Bermuda’s sustainability and renewable energy strategy have us positioned to become a regional leader in this arena. 

The Ministry of Education is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Bermuda Government Scholarships and Awards. 

Each year the Ministry of Education provides scholarships and awards to Bermudian students to pursue a higher education. 

The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP said, “I wish to commend our scholarship award recipients for their hard work, perseverance, and commitment to focusing on their goals.

The Government of Bermuda has issued the following statement regarding a letter received from the Bermuda Industrial Union. 

A government spokesperson stated: “The Government of Bermuda can confirm that on August 19, 2021, the Premier of Bermuda received an ultimatum letter from the President of the Bermuda Industrial Union Chris Furbert. The letter stated:

On Thursday, 19 August, the Minister of Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward, JP, MP, held a brief ceremony to recognize fifteen Department of Workforce Development 2021 scholarship recipients for their accomplishments.

The Zoo area at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo (BAMZ)  has been closed to the public to protect certain animals that are susceptible to corona viruses.

Dr. Robbie Smith, Acting Principal Curator, said: “Unfortunately, BAMZ still faces the same concerns regarding the health and welfare of our animals, as we have in previous instances where the facility has closed to the public, in response to rising SARS-Covid-19 cases in our community”.

The Ministry of Health received 7434 test results since the last update, and 35 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.5%. 

These results are from testing done on:

• Monday, August 16: 10 positive out of 2289 results (0.4% positivity)
• Tuesday, August 17: 12 positive out of 2573 results (0.5% positivity)
• Wednesday, August 18: 13 positive out of 2821 results (0.5% positivity)

6 of the new cases are classified as imported with history of travel in the previous 14 days, with details as follows:

The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors recognises that some seniors may have difficulty accessing SafeKey certificates.

The Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon. Tinee Furbert, JP, MP, shared, “We encourage family members, friends, and charities to assist seniors who may not have access to a computer, printer, or smartphone and who may not be familiar with the use of such devices, to obtain their SafeKey Certificates.

The Ministry of Social Development and Seniors will be joining the global observance of ‘World Senior Citizens Day’ on August 21st, 2021.  The Minister of Social Development and Seniors, the Hon.

The Government is providing the following general reminders for persons who need to access SafeKey.

As the public is aware SafeKey will be required for patrons of indoor public spaces where masks are permitted to be removed, namely; indoor dining, bars, clubs, and sports/members clubs as well as attending a gym/fitness facility.

SafeKey will also be required to board all Island Boats with more than 20 passengers, and is required for the granting of all new large group exemptions.

The Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson is reminding the public that if they wish to get the COVID-19 vaccine they can visit either the King Edward Memorial Hospital on any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday or stop by the Washington Mall on August 28.

The Department of Libraries and Archives would like to advise the public that the Adult and Youth Libraries are experiencing issues receiving calls from One Communication telephone numbers.

The situation is presently being rectified however in the interim, the libraries are still operational and can be reached via email.

Please see below the email addresses for the respective libraries:

·Adult Library: library@gov.bm

·Youth Library: youthlib@gov.bm

The Ministry of Transport wishes to advise the public that the 2021 cruise ship season is shaping up with a total of 33 calls as of today.

Bermuda has attracted two additional cruise ships this season.

As announced yesterday (Aug.18), SafeKey will be required for indoor public spaces where masks are permitted to be removed, namely; indoor dining, bars, clubs, and sports/members clubs as well as attending a gym/fitness facility. 

Minister of Transport Lawrence Scott confirmed that an agreement had been reached with the Bermuda Industrial Union in the ongoing dispute over scheduling / rosters however, a failure by the BPSU to support the agreement means the issue is not yet resolved. Minister Scott said: “ In good faith the BIU came to the table with the DPT management and we arrived at a workable solution to the issue which would see service resume tomorrow, August 20^th.