Video & Text: Premier Delivers National Address
[Updated with full speech] Premier David Burt will be delivering a National Address at 8.00pm this evening [April 25] entitled “Moving Beyond The Pandemic,” and you can tune in and watch it live.
“I will be giving a National Address highlighting where we have been and where we are currently in our battle against the coronavirus,” the Premier said via Twitter. “I will also outline the Government’s plan to move Bermuda beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Update | The stream replay is below
Update: A few extracts are below
Flights
With immediate effect:
- no flight originating in Brazil, India or South Africa will be landed in Bermuda;
- any arriving passenger who has travelled to those countries within the previous 14 days will be mandatorily quarantined for 14 days subject to electronic monitoring to ensure compliance.
Changes Effective May 2nd
As of Sunday, May 2, all nonimmunised travelers entering Bermuda will be required to quarantine for 4 days, pending a negative Day 4 test. This is in line with the current policy for travellers arriving from the United Kingdom.
50% Had One Dose
I am pleased to announce that more than 50% of our population has received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine which is an excellent milestone.
Changes Effective June 6th
Therefore, effective June 6th, the following changes will come into effect:
- The time period for a pre-test required for visitors to obtain a travel authorisation will move from 5 days to 3 days in line with the global standard.
- All non-immunised travellers entering Bermuda will be subject to supervised quarantine for 14 days in a designated facility at their own expense.
- All immunised travellers entering Bermuda, with a negative pre-test, will not be required to quarantine after their negative arrival test, but they will still be required to test on day 4, 8 and 14.
- Immunised residents entering Bermuda without a negative pre-test will be required to quarantine until their day 4 negative test result.
There will be appropriate exceptions from supervised quarantine for minors and the medically vulnerable. All other persons will be required to enter supervised quarantine so that we can protect our island from the introduction of new variants.
This change in policy is significant, but the Government has determined that it is the best way to prevent us from repeating the experience of these past few months.
Possible Changes In Phases:
Following the 7 day Stay at Home Order, this past Tuesday we commenced Phase 1 of 3 on our Roadmap to Reopening. This current phase, when combined with 7 day stay at home order, will be for a total of four weeks. If the data allows, it is envisioned Phase 2 can commence on Sunday May 9th, Mother’s Day.
Phase 2 will see the end of restrictions on household mixing, as well as reopening of schools, leisure facilities, churches, gyms, outdoor dining and limited personal care services. Due to our desire to eliminate local transmission, there will be continued restrictions on activities, gathering sizes and a curfew will remain in place during this time. The Government will continue to provide financial support to businesses and individuals who are directly affected by the restrictions.
Provided that we are successful in continuing to reduce local transmission, and all of the data metrics allow, after four weeks in Phase 2 we would be able to progress to Phase 3 on June 6th. This will permit the reopening of all other businesses which were not opened in the previous phase. A determination on the need to continue the curfew and other restrictions such as gathering sizes will be based on the data at that time. June 6th will also be the date that the 14 day supervised quarantine for all non-immunised travellers comes into place.
If all goes well following the commencement of Phase 3, and we are successful in eliminating local case transmission through compliance with restrictions and increased vaccinations, the Public Health emergency will be allowed to expire on June 24. But the end of the Public Health Emergency in Bermuda is up to all of us as a community.
Update | You can see the graphics shown in the video here.
Update 8.28pm: Premier Burt’s National Address follows below [PDF here]
You can find more information on the links below and also on our dedicated website BermudaCovid.com, which is the most comprehensive resource and historic record available of Bermuda’s handling of the pandemic.
- All: Our coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic here
- Bermuda Stats: Chart of testing stats here
- Vaccinations: Data covering vaccinations here
- This month: Statistics from April 2021 here.
- Live Updates: Continuous updates here.
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8:00 start? 8:15? 8:30? Who knows?
Who cares?
Tonight will be proof of his arrogants
And dictatorship!
At least he’s not messing with Jeoprody.
While the whole world is living with the virus and moving forward, Bermuda is stuck in the Stone Age of being lockdown again. I think Bermuda loves to be in debt. Pay me than!!
He must be worried sounded like electioneering to me.
Minister Wilson after his job
By the end of May every adult will have had the opportunity to be vaccinated. People who choose not to have made their choice. It’s their risk. The rest of us should at that point be allowed to get back to normal. Frankly, it’s annoying that he didn’t say that.
I thought this was supposed to announce an Economic Recovery Plan??
Did I miss something?
Border restrictions but phased in. Have the variants agreed to wait until then? The UK variant was known about almost 2 months ago but nothing was done causing the outbreak why we are all now in lock down. The Government has failed Bermuda, but now want to be seen to be saving Bermuda. Scientific data says immunized people can mix so why is Bermuda different? The people Burt is trying to protect are the ones who will suffer the most, medically, mentally and economically.
But the comments above are so childish. It came on at 8pm abd is being replayed and bernews does s great summary.
India was fine until all those festivals took place that the people demanded. Is that what you folks, who can’t even take care of your own boredom, want? Talk to my 6 anti vaccine friends now in kemh.
Agree
This government is a joke.
The Premier sounded like the Road Safety Council asking motorists to slow down and drive safely. A total waste of time and words. What more can safe motorists and safe residents do when they do everything right but see no punishment for the rulebreakers, or incentives for doing right? Bermuda will still be in lockdown when the rest of the world is open.
(Posting again due to spelling error.)
It’s patently absurd to require immunized travelers to be tested at this point.
All available data points to the chance of transmission by vaccinated individuals being close to nil, yet the Government wants to continue to hassle those who believe in the vaccines—and have done their duty and rolled up their sleeves—to invasive, inconvenient and too-frequent testing in their apparent plan to reach the impossible destination of “zero-COVID.”
By this approach, they’re undermining their own vaccination campaign and discouraging tourists from visiting—both to the huge detriment of the island. It’s a farcical approach.
If the Government believed the line they were selling on the efficacy of the vaccine (and, mind you, as a fully-vaccinated individual, I agree they they work, because I trust science!), they’d let immunized persons resume normal activities, inclusive of travel, without subjecting them to more of this theater.
Clearly we are being governed by a bunch of clowns …this government has no idea of what is actually happening let alone plan for the future…he loves this power trip he is on ..but he needs to careful ..it could be the biggest mistake of his political careeri am sure there are some within who are on the step to challenge Burt. He plays us as his pawns and that is a serious mistake.
Burt should resign he has failed us as the leader of our Government
“Arrogants” “Than” Sigh!
I guess you don’t read International news. If you did, you would know that the rest of the world is hardly operating in a business as usual fashion or moving forward. Most are dealing with whatever the situation is in their particular country. Just like Bermuda is. You have one week of shelter in place and you act like its the end of the world, whilst still enjoying more freedom than MANY other countries, and after having just lost 11 citizens to Covid related illness within 3 weeks. What atrocities have YOU had to endure. Standing in a line, going home early, not being able to hang out late in the bar, or yes….even having to wait a week or so for a financial support check that many around the world will never receive. Wearing a mask. Just STOP. You all sound so entitled. There is no need for anyone in Bermuda to suffer if we all support each other.
Wait till more of them start dropping like flies, dont cry when you’re in the hospital dying alone in a room.
@Hmm. Don’t really get your point. If I am vaccinated and follow protocols why would I be in a hospital room dying alone? I think you have missed my point. I am speaking to the people complaining about the announced plans for getting back to phase 1
Excellent. We have a plan to get to Phase 3, with establishments open, in 6 weeks and coordinated with stricter controls at the “entrance gate” (airport) so that we never have to go through this again. Lets move!
Not me! Gonna live my life! Life is for living not quarantine! Gonna leave the Island and travel for a while and come back in July when this Stone Age crap is over! Good luck people!
no it is not. One writer said he/she was leaving to go where? Mars?
Get ready Bermuda. Those who leave will come back with Covid and tell us we did not do enough to save them. Morons.We are being challenged by morons who want their freedom. Give it to them
Morons who could never manage this crisis and everything else that has to done. Remember they can’t even take care of their own boredom but feel they can do better than the Govt. They need to get back to their game apps. This is the real world and you will die.
LOL you saying others are morons just tells me that you are one of them. You are sheep of the heard
Dumb.
What did a 7 day lockdown do, Nothing!!!!!
All non-immunised travellers entering Bermuda will be subject to supervised quarantine for 14 days in a designated facility at their own expense. BS!!!!
All immunised travellers entering Bermuda, with a negative pre-test, will not be required to quarantine after their negative arrival test, but they will still be required to test on day 4, 8 and 14. BS!!!!!!
What about all the people the have natural immunity why would they need a shot.
What about people that can’t get the shot for a range of reasons
Sounds like human rights issue
Put your boot on, BS is getting deep
Well natural immunity only works after you’ve had the virus, and the presence of antibodies after fighting off the infection, assuming no lasting effects varies greatly from zero protection against reinfection to being generally safe.
A 14 day mandatory quarantine would have saved the lives of all those who died this past month. It’s what should’ve have been in place since the beginning as several other countries have done with great affect.
Must be jealous, I am doing the same. Later, see you in July.
I was supposed to have 5 visitors on my tour today. They went to Puerto Rico because they didn’t want to deal with our lockdown.
I don’t know anyone who died of covid, all I know is I can’t pay my mortgage.
Covid isn’t killing me, government overcontroll is.
I agree, the government control is a joke and doesn’t view how badly they are hurting the economy and our residents. Especially those who depend on tourism.
We have so much homelessness and unemployment, and others that are struggling too. And this govt hires an underqualified unlicensed debt collector to collect outstanding debts.. at a crazy percentage.
And we must think they know what there are preaching about the pandemic.
Hey the Premier is just trying to protect everyone. You have the new variant now a lot has changed in a year. Keep getting vaccinated and don’t give up hope. Don’t be selfish and remember your fellow Bermudian needs you more than ever. If you get the vaccine it’s better for everyone. Once you get the vaccine and and maybe test positive for Covid more than likely you will shed what they call dead virus which cannot be transmitted to another in your household or in public. Get vaccinated boom.
Lol…he is also the guy who thought selling swizzle online in a bottle, which nearly got him sued for copyright breach, without a liquor license was a great business idea You think he is the right guy to protect you? Any interest in buying a bridge?
What has happened to the people of this world? To allow governments to dictate the nature of living life and to believe everyone on earth is not normal unless they take some unknown experimental jab. The leaders of the Bermuda Government are the ones that need to go on lockdown before this Island is taken to hell. This cure is worst than the disease, 13 months and adding thousands of us have not had a paycheck while these people who have not missed one paycheck continue to fool the masses into thinking they can cure disease and stop death by destroying what it is to be human. We are all going to die, including our leaders . People die everyday from sickness but the world governments do nothing for all those other people that are dying everyday now and before March 2020. Stop paying politicians and government workers and we will see how fast this plandemic ends.
Get me out of this country!!! Come the summer there will be zero tourism jobs left. The government is now only welcoming the elderly and vulnerable vaccinated people from rich countries that have been able to vaccinate. Most young people won’t be vaccinated for months. Burt has lost the plot