8 More Covid-19 Cases Confimed, Total Of 15
[Updated] Premier David Burt is holding a press conference this evening [March 26] to update the public on Covid-19. We will have additional coverage later on and in the meantime the live video is below and we will be updating here.
Update 7.01pm: We will update with the Premier’s full statement as able, but in the meantime, he confirmed 8 more positive tests, and the Government website has updated to show a total of 15.
Premier Burt said, “I was informed that out of the 40 test results received by the Ministry of Health today, a further 8 of those tested positive for Covid-19.
“Four of these cases were imported cases, so they came in on airlines of which we will speak about later, three are limited local transmission, that means contact with known travelers or contact with those who have already been confirmed positive, as this is part of the contact tracing steps that the Ministry is undertaking, and one is yet to be determined.
“This is a significant increase in the number of positives and confirms what I stated earlier this week, that the more we test, the more we will know.”
The 28-minute live video replay is below:
Update: The screenshot from the Government’s website is below:
Update 9.12pm: Premier David Burt said, “Good afternoon.
“I apologize for the delay in today’s press conference. What is most important is that I am providing full and accurate information to the people of Bermuda. There are a number of moving parts and I wanted to make sure that I am fully briefed so that I could answer any particular questions and that the Minister of Health, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Minister of National Security were all in the loop as to the latest development. So again, I apologize for the delay.
“The fact is, that there are a lot of persons that are working around the clock, and every time I stand at this podium I give tribute to our health care workers who are on the frontline, those persons who are essential services, and I think that the Chief Medical Officer and her team are doing a significant amount of work to make sure that this public health emergency is managed in the proper and appropriate way.
“I would like to commend the Chief Medical Officer who has certainly been putting in excellent service for the past few years.
“Sharing critical information with the public is an essential element of staying on top of this pandemic. With the necessary information people can prepare for the impact of this rapidly changing situation. Our commitment has been to consistently share as much information as possible, whether about prevention, business operations or results of the testing we have been doing since this crisis started.
“Earlier today I was informed that out of the 40 tests received today by the Ministry of Health today, a further eight tested positive tests for Covid-19. Four of these cases were imported, three are limited local transmissions, that means contact with known travelers or contact with those who already been confirmed positive as this is part of the contact tracing steps that the Ministry is undertaking. One is yet to be determined.
“This is a significant increase in the number of positives and confirms what I stated earlier this week: the more we test, the more we will know.
“Here are the limited details of the latest confirmed cases.
“Two of those who tested positive arrived on the British Airways flight on March 15th .
“One of those who tested positive arrived on the British Airways flight on March 17th, which already had a confirmed case, and another arrived on March 20th .
“Here’s what you need to know if you were on those particular flights. If you were on the British Airways flight on March 15th, your self-monitoring period ends on March 29th .
“If you were on the British Airways flight on March 17th, your self-monitoring period ends on March 31st .
“If you were on the British Airways flight on March 29th, your self-monitoring period ends on April 3rd.
“If you are feeling fine and have no symptoms, there is nothing for you to do except to continue to remain in your house and continue to observe the self-quarantine.
“If you have any respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or even a mild fever, please contact your doctor. Explain that you were on one of the mentioned British Airways flights and that you would like medical guidance. Do not go to your doctor’s office or the hospital. Please call ahead.
“Faced with a worldwide shortage and concurrent demand for testing equipment, we are constantly working with various partners to increase our ability to test locally as this is a necessary tool in the fight against Covid-19 and the reduction of the risk of community transmission in particular.
“We are very grateful and fortunate to have the testing capacity on island that we have right now and we are going to continue to maintain our aggressive testing schedule as this is the only way that we will contain this particular virus.
“These results and the potential trend they represent demand that we adopt a stricter approach to prevention of community transmission. Therefore the Cabinet will meet tomorrow to consider the next phase in this pandemic response. It is important for the people of Bermuda to recognize that this is no ordinary time and ordinary approaches will not work. Measures will include further restrictions on movement around the Island and possible further ordered business closures.
“Where there is a balance is to be struck between non-essential business continuity and saving the lives of people, we will choose saving lives every time.
“Regrettably, it seems this view is not shared by several local businesses. In spite of my strong urging that employees be allowed to work from home where possible, in some extreme cases, whole offices have been ordered to work under the threat of losing jobs. Still others have only today determined to adopt a working remote working policy for their employees.
“I consider these actions to be a direct affront to the public health threat that this pandemic presents and for Bermudian companies to have the cavalier attitude that these employers have demonstrated, putting profits above people is not acceptable. Among Cabinet’s considerations tomorrow will be amendments to mandate working from home, with few exceptions, and significant penalties for companies that do not follow those particular rules.
“The Bermuda Police Service and the Royal Bermuda Regiment have started checking on and speaking with individuals who are currently under self-quarantine. They do not enter homes and will practice social distancing as they complete home visits to ensure that everyone is following the guidance on self-quarantine. This is an important and necessary step to ensure the health of those not just in quarantine but everyone in Bermuda.
“I would like to remind all persons that the reason why self-quarantine was put in place over a week ago, is to ensure that we minimize the possibility of any community transmission. We recognize that persons were travelling from places where Covid-19 is more wide spread than it is here in Bermuda, and those strict measures were put in place to ensure that we can contain any spread.
“For those persons who are not following their particular quarantine, I advise you to ensure that you follow your quarantine because we are going to make sure that we enforce this particular quarantine as it is important and vital for the public health.
“In these times, there are significant community partners stepping forward to assist in the whole-Island effort required to meet these challenges. Today, the Salvation Army confirmed that the funding and staffing model provided by the Government to their operations has enabled them to continue to and increase their services which are much needed at this time.
“Additionally, a number of local and international businesses have joined an effort coordinated by the Bermuda Business Development Agency to charter flights from Atlanta today to enable a number of resident who were not able to travel on the Delta flight which was cancelled earlier this week, to be able to return home.
“Of course we recognize that flight was cancelled due to New York air traffic control closing and the fact is, and this is significant because we have changed our approach. Persons who are on board that flight will be required to self-quarantine and many of them will be housed in a quarantine facility which have been offered by the Government of Bermuda.
“Going forward, if there are any further repatriation flights, as has been done in many other places, those individuals will not be allowed to self-quarantine, they will be under their 14 days in a Government approved quarantine facility. Right now thankfully, hotels are providing that particular option, as they are in many other countries, and that will be the case if there are any further repatriation flights that happen and take place.
“I would like to close by saying this; it is not a time to be frightened. As your Premier, I am not frightened because I recognize that the public health team is doing what is necessary to make sure that this particular pandemic can be contained. It is a time for all of us to be vigilant. The best thing which you can do to prevent transmission of any virus, specifically this virus, is to follow the hygiene requirements which have been set out. Washing hands, making sure that we are not touching each other, and ensuring that we are maintaining social distancing.
“It is also critically important, at all times to observe the rules which have been laid out. If all of us in this country adopt this vigilant approach, if all of us become our brothers and sisters keepers, ensuring that this approach is followed and maintained, we will be successful in containing the spread of Covid-19 in Bermuda. On that I have no doubts.
“These results are not unexpected, as we made the decision to allow persons to be repatriated but now that these persons are here we have to make sure they can get well and after they get well we can return to a sense of normalcy.”
As the island and world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are doing our best to provide timely and accurate information, and you can find more information on the links below.
- Our continuously updated live blog here
- All our coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic here
- The official Bermuda Government website here
- Dashboard showing all the cases worldwide here
- Our newly launched Covid-19 website here.
Officials are urging everyone to please follow all guidance like washing your hands, adhering to self quarantine if relevant, and practicing social distancing, and they have asked that if it is not urgent, a necessity or work, to please stay home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Ask him what the strategy is? We haven’t heard one yet!
Also how many unused tests do we have on island and when are the new ones arriving.
What groups have we been testing?
Thank you.
40 tests left – none on their way – yet the premier insists we are doing ‘aggressive testing’. Joke!
Mr Premiere now is the the do or die time. I see what this virus is doing to people every day in th UK. You really dont want this to overwhelm the BHB. Shut the borders completely for minimum 2 weeks. No movement island wide unless your police, fire, medical, regiment. I fear certain people of Bermuda dnt really aknowledge the damage this virus is doing. The only way is to force mandatory quarantine for the entire island.
Just won’t to give the Bermuda Government a big thank you there are on top of this virus and has done a great job in keeping Bermuda safe so I would like to thank David Burt for doing such a great job .
Thank you Jennifer & Loren Wells .
What great job ? If these fools had placed pleople in quarantine in a separate building designated for that no island transmission would have occurred and no need for the checkpoints the island would have stayed open for business with no one coming or going .for a set period .
Put a curfew in place asap. Its working in other islands
What about implimenting a curfew. People still moving around like its a normal day. Its working for the countries in the caribbean.
So how are we doing vs rest of the world?
15 cases part of our population puts us worse than the UK and China, slightly better than Iran and France and similar to USA (per 1m pop).
And we have tested lightly.
Not great is it Mr Premier?
It’s a joke. I have all the symptoms and they won’t test me because I have not travelled anywhere. So how would they know if there is community transmission. Doctor just told me on the phone to stay home and isolate for 2 weeks. He said I am young and healthy and therefore I will not develop severe symptoms. When I asked if I could be tested or at least examined, his exact words were: “NOBODY IS GOING TO SEE YOU.”
Why are private jets still able to land?
…because Bermudians have no right to stay in other countries. C’mon, you know this…Bermudians are experts on who does and doesn’t ‘belong’.
I agree, force mandatory quarantine for the entire island now is not too late!!
Fiscal business must wait!!!
Can Bermuda handle 50 very sick hospitalized corona virus patients?
Flu patients thinking they caught corona virus would not stay home and call, and definitely not line up civilized and orderly. How would you manage to ask persons who thinks they may have the virus to calm down at KEMH doors? Tell them go home, round them up and have a speech, call the police for public misbehavior. Let’s be real, it’s a Pandemic, if the numbers increase significantly whereas hospital treatment is imminent, then we’re scrambling for PUBLIC ORDER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People on private jets have told Bermuda to *%$# a long time ago to seek a better life! Now they want to come home cuz they feel safer here ignoring they fact that they are being selfish!
Do what they are doing in California. Businesses that are not allowing people to work from home are having their electricity and water turned off. Do not allow young inconsiderate, students and others congregate. Also put a marker on the homes where people are supposed to be quarentine and neighbors report them is they leave home.
The janitor cleans Goverment and Private offices. He wears no gloves, no mask.
I decided to supply him with gloves and gave him masks when he is at my office. You may not care about him but he is spreading jerms!!!!!!. I have had words with him he knows no one cares.
Shut the island down!!!!
We do not have our act together. Shut the damn island down
He needs to get a strategy in place ASAP, this virus comes like a tsunami leaving every one wondering what went wrong, emergency hospitals, test kits, ventilators, front line staff protection, and temporary morgue facilities, all over the world these are re occurring issues , the other thing we haven’t heard about the rent relief for small businesses that have been force closed, is the plan to let them all go bankrupt before the virus passes, the economy will take forever to bounce back and will need these businesses, all of this has to be clear BEFORE we are over run with infections snd restrictions