Video: Govt Press Conference, Curfew To Start

[Updated] Acting Premier Diallo Rabain, Minister of Health Kim Wilson, and Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Dr. Ernest Peets will be holding a press conference this afternoon [Dec 21] to update the public on Covid-19 and the live video below should start at around 3.00pm.

The press conference follows after the Ministry announced 102 new positive cases yesterday — with at least 74 being the Omicron variant — bringing the number of active cases up 152, the highest they have been since October.

Update 3.10pm: The press conference is underway, so far the Minister announced that commencing on Thurs, Dec 23rd, a 12.30am to 5am curfew will be re-instituted and maximum group sizes will be 20 people…more was said, we will add more info/full statement as able.

Key Points From Minister of Health Kim Wilson

So on Thursday, December 23 the following requirements will come into effect:

• We will be reinstituting a curfew from 12.30 am – 5.00 am
• Maximum group sizes will move back to 20 people
• Household mixing is strongly discouraged. However, if you must attend a household other than your own over the holidays, we are strongly urging persons to take an antigen test before they visit another home.
• Masks must be worn indoors at all times and, also, outdoors when you are within 6 feet of another person.
• For restaurants, bars and clubs, tables will be limited to a maximum of 10 people and must be spaced 6ft apart. SafeKey will continue to be required for these indoor settings.
• We are encouraging employees who are able, to work remotely from home. Along with this, we are encouraging employers to use antigen tests to ensure employees who must be at the workplace are negative for COVID-19.
• Churches will be open – however masks must be worn by all – the officiants, congregation and choirs.
• Gyms can remain open – but SafeKey must continue to be used and physical distancing must be observed; and for
• Personal care services – SafeKey is recommended for those services that require masks to be removed.

Key Points From Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Dr. Ernest Peets

• Approvals for large group events, effective Thursday, 23 December, will be limited to a maximum of 50 persons if indoors, and to a maximum of 100 persons if outdoors. Events combining indoor and outdoor components will be limited to 50 persons. This will apply to all future applications for the time being. Previously approved events can proceed with their approved numbers, although we do recommend that event organizers limit group sizes as much as possible.
• The current Standard Conditions for large group events require all attendees to have a verified SafeKey. In light of the current situation, we will now also require attendees to take an antigen test on the day of the event as an additional precaution.
• Antigen tests will be required for all previously approved events, as well as new applications. For sporting events, this means spectators must produce both a SafeKey and an antigen test.

Key Points From Acting Premier Diallo Rabain

• The regulations announced by the Minister of Health will go into effect from Thursday 23rd December and will be in effect until at least 20th January.

Update: The live broadcast has concluded and the 54-minute replay is below

Update 4.10pm: Minister Wilson’s remarks:

Good afternoon Bermuda.

As we reported yesterday, since the last update for testing completed through 18 December, the Ministry of Health received 8,342 test results and 102 were positive for COVID-19, giving a test positivity rate of 1.2%.

This brought the total number of active cases to 152, with 151 under public health monitoring and 1 person in hospital. Unfortunately, testing completed on 19 December resulted in 21 more positive cases.

Where variant typing is available, the majority of our positive cases are now Omicron.

As we have indicated in recent public updates and briefings, this variant is highly transmissible.

This has been a major concern in other jurisdictions, and now it is becoming an increasing concern for us right here at home.

Daily, we are seeing astronomical rises in the numbers of infections overseas, and the rising numbers are due to this new variant.

From what we are learning from those who have been infected, the positive cases are symptomatic, though, for those who are vaccinated, their symptoms are mild.

These symptoms include cold-like symptoms, fatigue, runny nose, cough, headache, congestion, sore/scratchy throat, and body aches.

So again, if you have any of these symptoms, please stay at home even if you do not think you are sick. It really is better to be safe than sorry.

I recognize that this is typically a time when we would all come together in the spirit of the holiday season, but these are far from typical or normal times.

As you can appreciate, our number one priority is to ensure that we are protecting all our residents. This especially includes our most vulnerable members of the community.

Omicron is indiscriminate, and we must put safeguards in place to not only protect our people, but to ensure that our healthcare system does not become overwhelmed.

Today, Cabinet considered and approved the recommendations made by the Sub-committee on Covid to re-introduce some restrictions for the island.

So on Thursday, December 23 the following requirements will come into effect:

• We will be reinstituting a curfew from 12.30 am – 5.00 am

• Maximum group sizes will move back to 20 people

• Household mixing is strongly discouraged. However, if you must attend a household other than your own over the holidays, we are strongly urging persons to take an antigen test before they visit another home.

• Masks must be worn indoors at all times and, also, outdoors when you are within 6 feet of another person.

• For restaurants, bars and clubs, tables will be limited to a maximum of 10 people and must be spaced 6ft apart. SafeKey will continue to be required for these indoor settings.

• We are encouraging employees who are able, to work remotely from home. Along with this, we are encouraging employers to use antigen tests to ensure employees who must be at the workplace are negative for COVID-19.

• Churches will be open – however masks must be worn by all – the officiants, congregation and choirs.

• Gyms can remain open – but SafeKey must continue to be used and physical distancing must be observed; and for

• Personal care services – SafeKey is recommended for those services that require masks to be removed.

This mixture of legislative and guidance changes will slow transmission of the coronavirus.

I cannot stress enough the significance of individuals making the right and smart choices over this holiday season.

We must collectively do everything we can to avoid mass community transmission.

As I stated last week, caution must be taken in high-risk settings – the gatherings and Christmas parties which take place at this time of year.

Stick to the basics and be safe. Wear your mask properly, practice good hand hygiene and keep physically distanced from those not in your household.

Consider prioritizing your outings and do not try to go to everything. Try to minimize mixing between households.

Take an antigen test before you go out so that you know your status. A home test is a quick easy way to find out whether you are infectious.

We must all follow these safety tips but, as I have said many times, vaccination remains the best defense against the virus that causes COVID-19, and I encourage all unvaccinated people to get vaccinated.

Unfortunately, our experience with the Delta wave is that unvaccinated people are particularly susceptible to infection and, in significantly greater numbers, they ended up in hospital.

Sadly, many died.

Omicron is fast moving and highly transmissible. That is a fact.

And I remain extremely concerned that this variant will spread among the unvaccinated as well as vulnerable people in our community, which could potentially cause another surge in the numbers of people being hospitalised.

Do the research, talk with your doctor and make an informed decision about getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

There is a wealth of information about the vaccines online at gov.bm.

Regarding the booster programme, Pier Six remains open until December 23.

Those individuals who are 65 and over and who are eligible for a booster [as their second jab was more than six months ago], should take advantage of this opportunity before this vaccine centre closes for the holidays.

If you are 65 and over, you do not need an appointment at Pier Six. Just walk in and get the jab.

Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that booster appointments are once again open for booking on weekdays at Pier Six from January 5. Second dose appointments will be made for Saturday, January 8 and, thereafter, Pier Six will administer first and second doses on Saturdays and boosters during the week for the remainder of the month.

And as it relates to our outbound testing regime, what we can advise at this time is that Ministry of Health continues working with our healthcare partners and professionals to make outbound antigen tests available through physicians’ offices and pharmacies.

I do note the expedited arrival testing has proven popular and, as a result, it is placing some strain on MDL. Cabinet has agreed to continue the programme for a fee of $200 to ensure sufficient resources and timely results. When the expedited process can be based at the airport, early in the first quarter of the New Year, that fee will be reduced.

Finally, this is likely my last briefing before the end of the year.

So, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the people of Bermuda for their patience and cooperation as we navigated the second year of this pandemic.

There have been moments of strain and fatigue, but there have also been many moments of grace, courage and resilience.

I appreciate that this has been a very difficult year.

I also know the toll it has taken on so many families. I know and understand the loss you have suffered.
I also know this has been a particularly difficult year for our local businesses.

But as challenging as it has been, we are on the cusp of a new year. And with a new year, comes hope.

We have learned lessons. And as a Government we continue to work tirelessly to introduce innovative ways to help us ensure a safe and equitable Bermuda for all.

I must end my remarks by thanking all of our hard-working healthcare professionals in the private sector who have provided their guidance and support.

Thank you also to all of our front line and essential services workers for their continued service.

And of course, I extend my endless gratitude and thanks to the entire team of healthcare professionals and administrative staff in the Ministry of Health.

Thank you for your commitment to the people of Bermuda.

Thank you for all of your long hours day in and day out. You have helped make this country a safer place for us all.

With that, I want to wish all of Bermuda a safe, peaceful, blessed and most of all – healthy Christmas and New Year.

I now turn it back over to the Acting Premier. Thank you.

Update 4.25pm: Minister Dr. Peets remarks:

Good day Bermuda,

These have been very trying times for many sectors in our community. Cultural and sporting events have been severely impacted and it is very disheartening to me, personally, to have to consider further restrictions to already stretched sectors that are so important to Bermuda’s social, mental and physical well-being.

My Ministry fully appreciates the health and social benefits of sport and culture, and their importance. Nevertheless, we must balance this with the country’s need to ensure everyone’s safety.

Given the increasing cases of Coronavirus that Bermuda is currently experiencing and to protect those vulnerable individuals in our community, additional protocols for large groups will be put in place.

As the Minister of Health has said, a curfew will be between 12:30 am, and 5:30 am. This means all previously approved large group exemptions, as well as future ones, will be subject to curfew. A large group exemption does not exempt you from curfew. Events must end in time to allow persons to safely get home, without speeding or becoming a risk on the roads.

Additionally, approvals for large group events, effective Thursday, 23 December, will be limited to a maximum of 50 persons if indoors, and to a maximum of 100 persons if outdoors. Events combining indoor and outdoor components will be limited to 50 persons.

This will apply to all future applications for the time being. Previously approved events can proceed with their approved numbers, although we do recommend that event organizers limit group sizes as much as possible.

The current Standard Conditions for large group events require all attendees to have a verified SafeKey. In light of the current situation, we will now also require attendees to take an antigen test on the day of the event as an additional precaution. Event organisers will be responsible for monitoring and enforcing these protocols.

Antigen tests will be required for all previously approved events, as well as new applications. For sporting events, this means spectators must produce both a SafeKey and an antigen test. For the sporting group, comprised of athletes and officials, the Return to Play Testing Framework will remain in effect as the requirement to train and compete.

The Ministry recognises that some large group events were approved before announcing these protocols. We are keenly aware of the impact they may have on organisers. However, these precautions are essential to keep us all safe. And antigen tests empower hosts and attendees to practice personal responsibility and social solidarity to keep events safe.

Moving forward, all large group event applications will be processed under these new policies. Also, and as per the Standard Conditions, wearing masks, contract tracing, physical distancing, and other public health guidance must be followed.

I appreciate that these health and safety measures can be an inconvenience and challenge many. But it is the responsibility of the Government to protect the people of this country from harm. And it is our individual responsibility to keep each other safe. To that end, we are committed to preventing the spread of Covid-19 in Bermuda and saving lives.

For more information on Large Group Guidelines and conditions, including SafeKey requirements, guidelines for the number of attendees, including hosts, organisers, staff, volunteers, players, coaches, officials, spectators, vendors, food and beverage service, the public can visit www.gov.bm.

Thank you.

Update 6.50pm: Acting Premier Rabain’s remarks:

Good Afternoon Bermuda,

I am joined today by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson and the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sport Dr. The Hon. Ernest Peets as we provide the country with an update on the public health regulations in response to the growing threat of the Omicron variant.

What we know is that this Omicron variant is highly transmissible, and as the Minister of Health will outline, it is causing a swift increase in our active cases. The Government is acting quickly to implement changes that we believe will help protect our health care system and give our schools the best chance of opening safely in the new year.

As a country, we have experience with transmissible variants. We all recall the Alpha variant last April, the Delta variant this Autumn and the severe impact they both had on our students, healthcare system, and our community. While we don’t yet fully know what the Omicron Variant will mean for Bermuda, and while we are in a different place than last year with increased vaccinations, boosters, and rapid testing, this Government will not underestimate Omicron and the potential impact it could have.

As the Chief Science Advisor for the U.K Government Sir Patrick Valence has said regarding implementing restrictions – “Earlier than you want, harder than you want, broader than you want. – you can delay harsher restrictions later”.

With early and decisive action, we hope to avoid what we went through with the delta variant, where extraordinary measures had to be taken in response to the number of deaths at our hospital and spare as many families as possible from having to grieve the loss of a loved one. This will require us to continue working together as a community to protect public health.

I now welcome the Minister of Health to update the country on our latest coronavirus statistics and the changes to the public health regulations.

Thank you, Minister of Health and thank you to your team at the Ministry and all of our frontline teams involved in testing and vaccinations who continue to work extremely hard and provide Bermuda with one of the best testing regimes and vaccination programmes in the world.

The regulations announced by the Minister of Health will go into effect from Thursday 23rd December and will be in effect until at least 20th January.

The Government recognises that the regulations announced today will disappoint many persons and businesses. We understand that plans will be affected, and events will need to be changed or may even be cancelled. We do not like this at all and do not enjoy implementing such measures at any time, but especially at this time of year. However, we cannot ignore the rapid pace at which our cases are increasing or ignore the record cases being reported worldwide, including in the U.K., where they recently reported their highest daily total for positive cases of the entire pandemic with over 91,000 persons testing positive in a single day.

We know that there will be pushback, but the Government would rather get push back for implementing a curfew to protect public health than for students not to be able to go to school. Governing is about choices.

I fully understand that many were looking forward to Christmas this year – and while there may be a need to adjust your plans, it will still be possible to have a Christmas with family and friends. Was it the Christmas we thought we would have three weeks ago? No – but that doesn’t mean that we cannot still gather and share our traditions.

We just need to be safe and follow the advice that the Minister of Health has laid out today, utilise the availability of rapid antigen testing and the basic public health guidance that assists in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. To quote the head of the WHO “An event cancelled is better than a life cancelled” and we must all work together to protect life, protect the healthcare system, including our testers and contact tracers, protect schools and ultimately to protect our country.

I must also implore those that are travelling, especially during this holiday season to be careful – we are seeing a large number of imported cases coming into the country, with a significant portion being returning residents. To assist the Ministry of Health, additional funds have been allocated for enforcement. The regiment will be out to enforce the quarantine orders given to travellers and households with travellers or positive cases as we continue to strengthen our response to this new variant.

I now invite Minister Peets to update the country regarding large groups events and sport…

Thank you Minister Peets and thank you to your team at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport for all of their continued hard work.

In two weeks our students will be preparing to return to the classroom and in order to ensure a safe return for schools, the Ministry of Education worked with MDL to put a comprehensive testing plan in place to ensure all teachers and students could be tested in time for a return to work and school on January 4th and 5th respectively.

Due to the volume of testing required and to allow MDL adequate time to deliver results, it was necessary for testing to take place in advance of January 4th, when teachers are scheduled to report for work in preparation for schools opening on January 5th. Testing on January 4th would not allow MDL the sufficient time it needs to process the large volume of tests and could lead to delays in students returning to the classroom forcing parents to miss work and possibly lose wages in an already decimated economy.

The date for public schools teachers and staff to book their appointments was originally January 1st and has since been extended to include 2nd and 3rd January to allow more options for teachers and staff to book. I thank our teachers for their understanding and for sacrificing their time as we all work together towards the same goal of getting students back into the classroom as safely as possible.

I want to note that the discussions with MDL on Friday past and the subsequent increase in days for testing from 1 to 3 days for staff was inadvertently not relayed to the BUT and I apologise for that. As the BUT stated in their letter to the Ministry which I agree, “..we have all had to adjust due to this pandemic..”, I can readily admit that all of us have had to make sacrifices since April 2020 that has not been comfortable at times. However, the parameters we have to operate in sometimes change quickly and suddenly, and I repeat my call to all of our valued educators to sign up on one of the 3 days set aside for them to test to help us get our schools back in.

Bermuda as we head into this holiday season, we find ourselves once again with restrictions that will affect how we would traditionally celebrate with family and loved ones. I urge my fellow Bermudians to also remember those 106 families that will not be able to celebrate with their families this year. These restrictions introduced are not intended to take away from your holiday cheer with your families and loved ones but to keep us all safe. Please, act responsible, wear your masks, sanitize and physical distance as much as you can. I also encourage you to follow a healthy lifestyle to build your immune systems and do your research and get vaccinated if it is right for you.

I want extend my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked tirelessly to keep our country safe. I also want to wish all of my fellow Bermudians a safe and prosperous Christmas season and a Happy New Year. Continue to be safe and we will come out of this in a better place I am confident.

God Bless you Bermuda

You can find more information on the links below from our dedicated website BermudaCovid.com, which is the most comprehensive resource and historic record available of Bermuda’s handling of the pandemic.

• All Charts: Vaccine, testing & more here
• Timelines: Dates of major developments here
• Test results: Chart of testing stats here
• Vaccine: Data covering vaccinations here
• Dedicated website: BermudaCovid.com

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