Bermuda News Updates

News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – As the island ramps up for an intense week of international sports, Hamilton Princess & Beach Club has been unveiled as the official host hotel sponsor of Stars+Stripes.

The Department of Public Transportation announced another set of bus cancellations shortly after 5am, affecting the morning rush hour commute as of 7am through to 11:30am this morning.

The cancellations are as follows:

News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – The United States CDC has changed Bermuda’s country classification from ‘Alert Level 2: Moderate Risk’ to ‘No Travel Health Notice: Covid-19 Risk is Very Low’, the US Consulate announced today.

This is, in effect, the best ranking the CDC can give a jurisdiction as their system uses 4-tiers; Level 3 is high risk, Level 2 moderate, Level 1 is low risk, and then they have a ‘No Travel Health Notice, Very Low Risk’ tier, which Bermuda is now classified as.

The CDC has changed Bermuda’s country classification from ‘Alert Level 2: Moderate Risk’ to ‘No Travel Health Notice: COVID-19 Risk is Very Low’.

US Consul General to Bermuda Lee Rizzuto said: “The U.S Consulate has been heavily engaged on this issue, advocating for the island’s safety and highlighting protocols implemented by the Government of Bermuda to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The extensive protocols and testing regime continue to make the island safe for travelers and residents.

“The Government of Bermuda is doing an incredible job managing the island’s safety, and we’re happy to announce the CDC’s adjustment to the country classification in light of Bermuda’s low risk assessment.

“The removal from the Travel Health Advisory List is beneficial to the island as the Government, Tourism and International Business sectors seek to attract more visitors to the island.”

All US citizens are advised to read country specific Travel Advisories and US Embassy and Consulate COVID-19 pages for updates on the impact of the virus worldwide. We continue to recommend U.S. citizens exercise caution when traveling abroad due to the unpredictable nature of the pandemic. Visit the CDC’s website for more information.

US citizens are encouraged to stay informed and follow updates on Travel.state.gov and to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program [STEP] to receive timely Alerts about evolving health and safety conditions in their planned destinations. Official guidance for visitors can be found on the Government of Bermuda’s website.”

The change was welcomed as a “very positive assessment” by Bermuda Tourism Authority Interim CEO Glenn Jones, who said it “underscores Bermuda’s robust health and safety record on managing the pandemic over the past eight months”.

“Bermuda is one of the safest places in the world right now, thanks to diligent testing and contact-tracing protocols. Surveys found half our visitors chose Bermuda for that reason and an overwhelming 94 percent feel safe or very safe here,” he said.

“We welcome all travellers to visit our island safely and responsibly.”

Minister of Transport Lawrence Scott visited Dockyard for the “official handover” of Bermuda’s two newest tugs this month.

The new Powerful and Faithful are fuel-efficient Damen ASD 2811 Azimuth Stern Drive tugs to replace the old tugs, which were 31 and 32-years-old respectively.

They arrived in Bermuda onboard the special heavy lift ship M/V Anne-Sofie on September 26.

The Minister was joined “on his familiarisation tour by Marine and Ports Services’ personnel, including the Director of Marine and Ports Services Rudolph Cann; Department of Marine & Ports Services Fleet Manager Jean Lemaire as well as Mr Romans Maksjutovs – an engineer from the tugs’ manufacturer, Damen.

Mr Scott said the two new tugs “are impressive vessels and a welcome addition to the Marine and Ports Services’ fleet”.

He also acknowledged former Minister Zane DeSilva, “who was instrumental in negotiating the deal that allowed for their purchase”.

• Top Feature Photo: Minister of Transport Lawrence Scott; Marine and Ports Services Tugboat Captains Dale Brangman, Melvin Martin and Donald McMahon; Damen engineer Romans Maksjutovs

Hard on the heels of a party at Somerset Cricket Club that ended up with a fight that escalated to a fatal stabbing incident, Minister of National Security, Renée Ming reinforced “some of the guidelines for large group gatherings”.

Speaking at a news conference held this afternoon, the Minister said: “I think it’s becoming critically important to reinforce some of the guidelines for large group gatherings and the approval process for such events.

“Additionally, we have seen a number of events and activities taking place over the last few months, and there has been concerns raised that individuals at these events are not following the appropriate guidelines,” she added.

“But before I speak to this, I wish to once again take this opportunity to extend condolences to the family of the young man who was killed this weekend.

“As a mother of a son, I cannot imagine the hurt, the pain and the grief that this young man’s mother must be going through.

“This is such an unnecessary tragedy and again my heart truly goes out to this family during this extremely difficult time. I also take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest possible terms, the gun violence which took place in the Pembroke Park area this weekend.

“I met with the Police Commissioner earlier today to discuss all of this weekend’s violent activities and I am satisfied that all the necessary resources are being dedicated to bringing the perpetrators to justice,” she said.

“You also will have heard at the Police Press Conference earlier today that they are taking these events extremely seriously and they’re asking for the public’s support in their investigative efforts.

“As the Minister of National Security, I’m also making a plea to our community to please come together to help stamp out these acts of violence.

“This year sadly, we have recorded six murders. Two by fire arms, and this weekend’s fatal stabbing is the fourth stabbing murder this year.

“We cannot continue on in this way Bermuda. As I said in my message over the weekend, we must do better.”

Ms Ming also appealed to anyone who has “any information about this weekend’s stabbing fatality and fire arms incident, no matter how insignificant you think it is” to “please share what you know with the Police by calling 295-0011 or dialing 2-11”.

“You can also call the anonymous Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800 8477.”

On the issue of large group gatherings, social distancing; or the lack thereof, the Minister said: “Bermuda simply put… COVID-19 continues to be with us, and I’m urging residents not to become complacent.

“As a reminder, we all have a responsibility to do what we can to mitigate and limit the spread of the virus and comply with the policies in place.

“Regarding large group gatherings, it should be noted that the Public Health [COVID-19 Emergency Powers] Regulations [No. 2] 2020 prohibits any person from assembling in a group of more than 75 persons for any reason in any public or private place.

“And if you’re planning to have an event where more than 75 people will assemble, you must apply to the Ministry/Minister of National Security for an exemption.

“The Regulations also require all persons to take all reasonable precautions to maintain “appropriate physical distancing” at all times in any public or private place.”

She also provided a list of “specific reminders of the application and approval process” already in place:

• 1. Applications should be submitted by email to the Ministry of National Security at emogroup@gov.bm.

• 2. The application is reviewed against the following guidelines:
  • a. Venue dimensions.
  • b. The WHO / CDC guidelines.
  • c. Mass Gathering Guidelines which are found at government website and in this document.
  • d. Input from the Department of Health.
  • e. The applicant’s plan to address minimizing COVID-19 spread – this includes the type of event and having the required security at the event; and
  • f. The status of COVID-19 in community.

• 3. Lastly applicants should expect an approval by 10 business days, from date of application, provided there are no questions regarding the application.

Moving forward she said: “The Ministry of National Security is willing to work with any individual or entity who is wishes to hold a gathering of more than 75 people.

“However there must be a degree of responsibility on the part of the host or host organisations.

“Again Bermuda, we have managed this pandemic extremely well, thanks in large part to the health guidance and recommendations put in place, and we have done well to enforce these guidelines and polices.

“We are about to enter the cooler months and leading health experts and organisations are predicting a surge in those contracting COVID-19.

“We are already seeing this play out in the UK, Europe and the US,” said Ms Ming.

“So we’re asking people to please continue to follow the health guidelines in place to protect you and your families.

“This includes wearing a mask, hand sanitizing and maintaining the appropriate physical distancing.

“And finally, if you are in attendance at any establishment or location around the island and see any breaches of the COVID-19 regulations by persons or businesses – please do not hesitate to call 2-11 to report the violations.”

Police today named the man who tragically lost his life in a fatal stabbing incident on Sunday (October 25).

Daunte Woods, 27, died as result of a stab wound to his chest in a fight near Somerset Cricket Club.

Police responded to the scene shortly before 2am to find the victim lying on the ground outside of Bo’s Lawn Shop around 2:20am.

He was later pronounced dead by Emergency Room doctors at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital. Another 20-year-old man was stabbed in the abdomen in that same disturbance that started inside the Somerset Cricket Club.

His death marked the sixth murder in Bermuda this year, marking the fourth fatal stabbing along with two gun murders.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Antoine Daniels pointed up what he termed the “tragic trend” of young men carrying knives for protection or as an offensive weapon.

He also stated that knives have become more popular due to the restricted access to guns in Bermuda.

To date, there have been more than 20 serious stabbing incidents on record for the year that resulted in wounding and attempted murder.

In the days ahead, he said there will be a stepped up police presence on the streets both “night and day throughout the coming days and weeks”.

He also stressed that “without information it makes it more difficult to resolve these quite serious crimes”, while he encouraged members of the public to “stand together” to help police tackle the prevalence of violent crime in Bermuda.

People should be “responsible and vigilant”, said Mr Daniels, who urged members of the community not to become desensitised to violence.

“There’s only a small minority of persons that are committing these acts – if we all stand together as a larger group I think we can remove this and prevent it from destabilising our society,” he said.

A Family Liaison Officer has been assigned to the Woods family “during this difficult time”, as police treating the death of Mr Woods as a murder investigation.

Meanwhile, the investigation continues into the shooting incident on Friday night (October 23) that left two men – both in their twenties with multiple gunshot wounds to their lower extremities.

They remain in hospital in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.

That incident, which is thought to be gang-related, occurred on Pembroke Park Lane in Pembroke.

Mr Smith said the shooting was carried out by a lone gunman, who was riding a dark coloured motorcycle. The suspect fled east on St John’s Road towards Gorham’s.

He was said to be 5ft 8in tall, of slim to medium build, wearing a “fluorescent-type jacket”.

News Release: HAMILTON, Bermuda – Earlier today, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Wayne Furbert joined representatives from AF Smith Ltd. and the Bermuda Post Office to announce a new and updated franking method.

Today’s official launch of the FRAMA franking meters took place at AF Smith offices. Speakers included, AF Smith VP Technology Mr Ian Nash, the Acting Post Master General Susan Moore Williams, and Head of Marketing, Af Smith – Ms Morgan Smith.

“Our partnership with AF Smith underscore’s our commitment to making your processing of incoming and outgoing mail as simple as possible,” said Mr Furbert.

“The launch of Frama franking systems enables us to further enhance services and grow revenue for businesses in Bermuda.

“The Bermuda Post Office as a trusted brand is well positioned to always deliver the right services at affordable prices to meet today’s business needs.”

The company’s Technology VP, Ian Nash added: “In successful collaboration with Frama, we have received the official postal approval from the Postmaster General for the introduction of the Matrix F Series range of franking systems in Bermuda.”

As the “provider of sales, maintenance and repairs of franking machines in Bermuda”, the company is also “the sole distributor of all Frama products for the entire Caribbean and Latin America”.

“Depending on the size of your business, we can provide you with a franking machine that ranges from a small office with minimal mail to larger company with mass mailing each month,” he said.

“When sending written communication, franked post has proven more beneficial than standard post over the years, especially with regards to costs, security, convenience, time-saving, and delivery speed. With a franking machine, businesses and entrepreneurs get to prepay for their postage costs, insert a date, and affix a customized business image before having the post

collected or dropped off at a local post office.

“Post sent via a franking machine is given more priority compared to standard letters or parcels. This is because much of the processing has already been handled by the time it gets to the post office. For your business, this only means faster handling and quicker delivery times.

Acting Postmaster General, Ms Susan Moore-Williams said: “The synergy of our newly combined services will deliver enhanced

solutions for professional communication combined with high efficiency and ease of use for our customers and the Bermuda Business market.

“The partnership between the Bermuda Post Office and AF Smith is a perfect combination to unlock further potential for a qualified approach in B2B and B2C communication.

“As current customers transition over to the new technology, the Bermuda Post Office will be de–certifying all Pitney Bowes, Postage by Phone franking meters which had an end of life for meter refills as of December 31st, 2019,in keeping with revenue protection initiatives and global trends in postage meter technology.

“All Pitney Bowes, Postage by Phone franking meters should be off-market with meters surrendered to the Bermuda Post Office by September 1st, 2020, for customers to receive a transfer or refund for any possible unused funds still remaining in the

meter,” she added.

“The Bermuda Post Office as part of the de-certification process will not refund any unused funds remaining in de-certified meters after September 1st, 2020. Any de-certified meter found to be in operations after September 1st, 2020 will be seized for revenue protection as stated in license agreements and in keeping with the Post Office Act 1900 and Regulation 1933.

“The Bermuda Post Office appreciates its postage meter customer ’who see the benefits of being able to produce their postage stamps at their convenience.”

In closing, she said: “This initiative will allow you the opportunity to contact your vendor of postage meters to transfer any remaining funds to a new meter or collect the unused funds.

“The Bermuda Post Office is delighted to be partnering with AF Smith on an initiative which provides customers access to the best postal technology tailored to suit individual business needs.”