OBA: ‘Drop The Paid Mandatory Quarantine’
[Updated] “Premier Burt should drop the paid mandatory quarantine and allow Bermudians to isolate in their own homes,” Opposition Leader Cole Simons said.
Mr Simons said, “The PLP Government needs to stop playing political games with the quarantine rules. By waiting until moments before the Motion To Adjourn during the last Parliamentary session to table new rules, is nothing short of duplicitous. This means the debate on the new rules will be delayed yet again, and not until after the legal challenge in the courts on Wednesday.
“This was the PLP’s second Parliamentary delay pertaining to their paid quarantine restrictions. At the previous sitting, the Government failed to table their rules in Parliament, even though the rules then came into effect that same weekend.
“Before that, the PLP had twice pushed back the start date for the paid quarantine restrictions.
“The rules have been extremely controversial, and a number of residents are fed up with Premier David Burt—the crowd of several hundred protesters booing him last week spoke volumes.
“This is the second time the Premier has ducked a Parliamentary debate over his new mandatory quarantine rules.
“Two weeks ago, several of his own MPs broke rank to criticise his heavy-handed travel and quarantine policies. Very few PLP MPs actually spoke in support.
“Now it appears that the Premier is doing whatever he can to push the debate until after the Supreme Court hears the case on the constitutionality of the rules.
“It’s as if the Premier knows he’s wrong, but is waiting for someone else to come along and solve the problems he has created.
“Premier Burt should drop the paid mandatory quarantine and allow Bermudians to isolate in their own homes. Why can’t the Government invest in a monitoring app or bracelet, which has been introduced in Barbados and the Cayman Islands?
“It is shocking to see that despite the delays in implementing the new regulations, the PLP continues to struggle to get it right. There have been so many inconsistencies and errors which have led to the frustration of the travelling public and they must come to an end. A viable solution must be found which balances public wellness with the economy and this is not it.”
Update 7.16pm: “This is perhaps the most debated policy in many years and to suggest that after three months of public discussion on this issue the Government would shy away from any debate led by the Opposition is nonsense,” said Premier David Burt after a statement from the Leader of the Opposition.
“There is a reason the OBA is on the Opposition benches. This is a time for leadership, not taking the political temperature and irresponsibly saying only what you against but never saying what you are for to keep this country safe. That’s just the easy way out and proves again why the OBA wasn’t trusted to lead this country through the pandemic.
“Once the Opposition have managed to draft their Motion to debate the Quarantine Order we will be more than ready to debate it and take the opportunity to demonstrate how critical this policy is to ensuring normal life and continued economic growth for Bermuda.”
Disagree. Many countries around the world make you quarantine in hotels and we need to do the same here. One person positive with Delta variant that comes back to Bermuda can spread it like wild fire. So lets say I fly away and come back and quarantine at home with your so called ankle bracelet. My family who did not fly away will be in the same house as me. So they are around me however they are allowed to go to work or go to restaurant and kids can go to school. So this doesn’t work as it can spread through my family. Quarantining at home does not work, you need to be isolated in a hotel away from people, they do it in many countries around the world. Or the other option, you can get vaccinated. Its simple.
If Mr. Burt can, why can’t anyone else?
Smh you need to do your research. The problem with the mandatory hotel quarantine is that only unvaccinated people are subject to this BS when vaccinated people can catch, carry and pass the virus. And if you did not know there are many vaccinated people that are carry this delta variant and bringing it into Bermuda. I know if a few, but the government won’t tell you this.
You can say that vaccinated people are less likely to pass the virus, which may or may not be true, but the fact stands that they can. Are you going to get intimate with someone with an STI because they are on medication or because they are wearing protection? NO, because it is still a chance you can get the disease.
I’m so tired of you puppets coming on here and missing the whole point of why people are angry and feel like their rights are being imposed on. This discrimination in Bermuda needs to stop.
In addition, their are many people, unvaccinated who can quarantine at home ALONE. Did it you not think of this when you wrote your senseless statement? Why the hell would they pay $3000+ to stay at a hotel for two weeks when they can be home alone.
“I’m so tired of you puppets coming on here and missing the whole point of why people are angry and feel like their rights are being imposed on. This discrimination in Bermuda needs to stop.”
Yes, it does. All discrimination must stop. It doesn’t matter if the discrimination is based on skin colour, place of origin, religion, whether you went to The Berkley, gender, or sexual orientation. The appeal to the Privy Council should be stopped and the Domestic Partnerships Act repealed.
As for discrimination because of vaccination status, that matter is before the Court right now. We will see soon.
I totally agree with you RastaCutty.The obvious simple solution is to get vaccinated, for yourself and for others. Stop being selfish and think of your family and the country as a whole. The government is taking the right approach, country first, individuals second.
“The obvious simple solution is to get vaccinated, …”
That was the simple solution for me. Not everyone has that option. For some, vaccination can be dangerous.
Really. So, it does not bother you that a vaccinated person can just roam around freely although they themselves can still carry and spread COVID. Add to this the fact that a positive test result for a vaccinated person means that they can quarantine at home. This is clear discrimination based on what? Definitely not science or facts as all of this still new and the data is still being collected. Just because a Government does something does not means its right. If I cant be trusted to quarantine at home under my own accord then what does that say about our other so called freedoms? Open this door, then what? Vaccination is an option, however until the vaccine has finished its emergency use trial and found to be safe over the long term absolutely no one can be forced to take it. If you are older, and have other life comorbidities then yes its in your best interest to get vaccinated! Any future effects are less likely to effect you as your life is coming to an end. However this push to get every single healthy person to take the vaccine at this juncture is immoral, and not even scientifically justified. Show me the data or scientific reasoning that says if everyone gets vaccinated there is nothing to worry about. Will COVID simply vanish? Don’t think so. Will people not die? They will. Will people not get sick? They will. As with the flu and many other viruses. We don’t stop living and removing peoples freedoms for those do we and the world still goes on.
There is so much stupidity in this post, it’s difficult to know where to start.
It never gets old. Kind of like unvaccinated children.
Maybe you need to go read more news sources. Hell I have people in Taiwan showing me news articles from all over and for all this info around how is it you think your news consumption is from a “good” source. Just saying the slavaxers are round here seem to get news from one source.
Residents in other countries do not quarantine in hotels! Only visitors!
Keep lining up for your boaster every year puppets. because vaccines will never get rid of the common cold!
While the rules seem tough, life would be a lot tougher if we relax and let other variants run rampant.
Mr. Dunkley is simply trying to yield to what he thinks will gain him public favor, but what he doesn’t realize is that the loudest voices are not always the majority.
Burt doesn’t think the rules apply ti him.
Apart from the fact this is Cole S article, you don.t read them , you just post to diss the OBA and praise the PLP.
Second class citizens, you dont have the vaccine, get to the back of the bus, this is BS,
The loudest voices are never the intelligent voices. ^^^
Bermuda is the only democracy that doesn’t understand “the opposition.”
Fix your educational system.
Anyone else out there been immunized and weeks to a couple months later been having new health issues on a day to day occurrence? I don’t feel myself. Although I taste and smell things just fine. It has affected my work. I wasn’t like this before getting the two shots. Now I’m taking over the counter stuff for all the symptoms. I am not happy.
Do you have any scientific evidence that your current symptoms are caused by the vaccine and not by anything else?
It’s only common sense that all those entering our country should be Mandatory quarantining for at least a week ! With or without the Jab/shot. Technically it’s just a booster shot not a vaccine. It hasn’t had 5 years to prove itself!!! And after the week you should be able to go home still in isolation from others if possible with a monitor device. If not you stay in a government sponsored facility!!
“Premier Burt should drop the paid mandatory quarantine and allow Bermudians to isolate in their own homes,” Opposition Leader Cole Simons said.”
But we all know that many Bermudians will break the quarantine, Cole.
Please stop playing politics and think about what is best for the majority of the population of Bermuda.
The reason that the government’s policy on quarantining is necessary is that, sadly, some Bermudians can’t be trusted to quarantine at home.