OBA: ‘Frustrating That Govt Ignored Pleas’
“It is frustrating and unbelievable that the Government has ignored the pleas for help” from Dr. Carika Weldon, Opposition Leader Cole Simons said, adding that “she proactively sounded the alarm, but to no avail.”
This follows after the Cabinet Office confirmed that Dr. Weldon “resigned and given notice of her intention to end her tenure as Science Advisor & Laboratory Director of MDL,” and her last day of work will be January 31, 2022.
Mr Simons said, “It is frustrating and unbelievable that the Government has ignored the pleas for help from Bermuda’s chief scientist Dr. Carika Weldon, who put them on notice that Bermuda’s Covid testing structure was about to collapse.
“She clearly saw the challenges ahead with the increased Christmas travel, returning students coming home for the holiday and tourists choosing to spend their Christmas in Bermuda. She proactively sounded the alarm, but to no avail.
“By ignoring the growing bottleneck and not addressing the mounting pressures that she and her reduced staff face daily, the government has not only compromised the health of the people of Bermuda, they have also destabilized Bermuda’s status as a safe travel destination. What impact will this now have on our already fragile tourism product?
“At the height of the very contagious Omicron virus, where is the government’s contingency plan? What are the next steps for Bermuda?”
Bernews asked the Government for a response and will update as able.
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
Well said!!! I haven’t been a fan of the OBA in recent months or years. But finally they are acting like the official opposition. The government are asleep at the wheel. What company allows all of their top executive to go on extended holiday at the same time. How could the Premier, Deputy Premier, Ministers of Health, National Security and Education go on holiday at the same time. Disgraceful!!!!
Dr. Weldon is not an alarmist. But she is a true Professional and to ignore her advice shows the arrogance of the Government Leaders.
But honestly, I am no scientist abs I could have predicted these issues why couldn’t our leaders!!! Oh yes, they were on a well deserved vacation while Dr. Weldon was left with 3 staff members per shift!!!
Yes the oba knows about ignored pleas very well after receiving a 30-6 defeat. You tell them so. LOL
They know best, just look at the economy and the way the crappy island looks.
Meanwhile at Martha’s vineyard
Enjoy your unstable Gov’t Folks! I am sure a trip to Bermuda has come off the list around many tables during this Covid demise. May our treasured scientist find much better waters out their in that big, wide world. This Government is not handling the peoples business, only their own. Sad shame. And these roads are getting horrible with every trench patch and every rainstorm. While other jurisdictions spent millions on their streets this year, we forfeited our roads and a better bridge to the Airport yet another year. Promises? For at least 20 years.
We need some deliverance like Moses at the Red Sea!
Would like to see the OBA visibly doing press conferences and televised announcements not just releasing statements. Lazy.
Put in written requests to get answers as to where all the money for tests is coming from and going to and who. Merely asking will be ignored but questions in the HoA need to be answered. Find out who was the CS who ignored Dr. Weldons’s please for more staff, causing her to resign. Unlikely that one will never see the light of day as the CS close the circle.
Finally where are the senior Ministers especially the Premier in all this? No comments or reassurance the situation will be corrected immediately? Conspicuous by their silence.
Put in written requests to get answers as to where all the money for tests is coming from and going to and who. Merely asking will be ignored but questions in the HoA need to be answered. Find out who was the CS who ignored Dr. Weldons’s please for more staff, causing her to resign. Unlikely that one will never see the light of day as the CS close the circle.
Finally where are the senior Ministers especially the Premier in all this? No comments or reassurance the situation will be corrected immediately? Conspicuous by their silence.
sounds like the government is at the point of collapse
I Second That Motion!
Where is Mark Beans party? What do they have to say??
It makes little difference who the Opposition is. If the white population forms a broad base or attracts a large portion of white people it would still be called another form of UBP. The PLP will continue to demonize the white population for its historical actions, not for what has been and is being done in recent years.
The only time the white population will be accepted by the PLP is when the PLP perceives that they are dancing to the PLP’s beat.
We see this when examining the PLP’s actions re the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George’s, the BTA! Etc. The PLP commands and demands total control and dominance of all and everything simply because it is Government. We were put in charge.
So, you’re saying that the plp, and its followers, are racists.
It’s not even the PLP anymore……. it’s the majority of black voters that have no respect for the OBA. They either vote PLP or don’t vote at all.