Good Afternoon,
Between Sunday and today there were an amazing 336 test results received by the Ministry of Health; and none were positive for COVID-19. That is excellent news for all of us.
I’m thankful to the whole community for practicing the necessary preventive measures like wearing a mask and washing your hands. These are the things we need to keep doing to control and contain COVID in Bermuda.
Bermuda has 146 total confirmed positive cases. Their status is as follows:
- there are 5 active cases, of which
- 4 are under active public health monitoring, and
- 1 is hospitalized;
- none is in critical care.
- A total of 132 have recovered, and
- the total deceased remains 9.
The average age of all of our confirmed positive cases is 60 and the age range of all of our positive cases is from 18 to 101 years.
Overall, 57% of all cases are Black, 40% are white and 3% are other or unknown.
The source of all local cases is as follows:
- 42 are Imported
- 85 are Local transmission, with known contact
- 12 are Local transmission with an unknown contact, and
- 7 are under investigation
I’m delighted to report that as of moments ago, PAHO’s designation of Bermuda’s country status has been improved “Sporadic Cases”. The seven-day average of our real time reproduction number is below 1.
Our reopening scorecard has been updated today and our status has improved with our new WHO designation. In addition, I’m happy to report that over 8,200 people have registered on HealthIQ, getting us closer to the 10,000 mark. The more people reporting on their status, mask wearing and physical distancing, the stronger our position will be as we approach phase 4.
I can share with you that, as of today, summer camps will now register online to provide the Ministry of Health and the Department of Youth and Sport, information about their staff, children and the programme they run. This information will be critical for infection control as well as quality control of camps in the future.
While these settings are not formally regulated, parents can be assured that if the camp name appears on our registration list, there will be monitoring to ensure compliance with health guidelines.
Camps will now be able to begin the registration process on the schools, child care and camp webpage on the Government portal and parents will be able to visit the list of registered camps on the same page by the end of the week.
I now want to draw your attention to some of our Phase 3 and 3B Guidance and Directions which have been recently created and posted to the Government website: coronavirus.gov.bm.
In particular, I want to go over some of the points from the Indoor Dining Directions.
Now that we are a couple of weeks into Phase 3, some of you may have already had the opportunity to go out for a meal. You may have found certain things unfamiliar or even odd. For those who have not yet experienced indoor dining post-shelter in place, here are a few things you should be prepared to see and experience:
Firstly, booking ahead is highly recommended, while walk-in’s will be recorded and regulated.
You will notice that all staff members will be wearing masks at all times. As a guest, you must wear a face mask whilst waiting to be seated and at all other times when not at your table. To protect your server and other restaurant staff, you should also wear your mask when interacting with them.
Remember that the droplets that spread COVID don’t disappear when you sit down. If you are speaking to someone within 6 feet of you, wear your mask.
Physical distancing of at least 6 feet (2 metres) must be maintained during any waiting or queuing and you must use the hand sanitizers provided before entering the establishment.
You will be greeted at the door by a dedicated staff member and only granted access if safe to do so while adhering to physical distancing. This will be particularly important at establishments with narrow entrances. In particular you will not be allowed to enter when others are leaving in order to avoid close contact.
Businesses are recommended to monitor the health of staff and diners; therefore your temperature may be taken and recorded. Managers will also have the right to remove guests who show other signs of COVD-19 (like coughing or sweating) at their discretion.
Dining establishments have systems in place to ensure adequate physical distancing within restrooms; this may, in many instances, allow for only one person to use the restroom at any given time. Please be prepared for this. Restaurants must enforce this so please don’t give staff a hard time if they do. They are only following the rules and trying to keep you safe.
Contact Tracing is an essential part of combatting any outbreak of communicable disease. Therefore the contact details of one ‘primary diner’ will be recorded and include the date and time of visit, full name, address, phone number and email address.
There will be a mandatory space of 6 feet between tables or physical barriers in place when 6 feet is not reasonably practicable.
A few other things that have changed are:
- The menu may look different than it used to; we are asking restaurants to provide you with single use, washable or digital menus.
- There will be no direct service at bars.
- There will be no self-serve salad or buffet bars. Food must only be served by the chef, instead of self-service buffets.
- Packaged cutlery and single use condiments can be provided to you, if you like.
- E-receipts will be offered in place of paper ones.
- Napkin service is suspended until further notice (i.e. no placing in a guest’s lap).
This guidance and many others can be found on the Government website coronavirus.gov.bm.
As closing, I want to remind the public of the COVID-19 pop-up testing taking place around the island this week:
On Wednesday June 24th testing will take place at the Hamilton Cathedral from 11:30am until 2pm and again from 4pm until 7pm. There will also be pop-up testing at the Heron Bay MarketPlace on Wednesday from 3pm until 7pm.
On Thursday June 25th there will be testing at the Southside Facility (at the old Whites Supermarket location) from 10am until 7pm and at the Shelly Bay MarketPlace from 3pm until 7pm.
On Friday June 26th pop-up testing will take place at the Hamilton Cathedral from 9am until 1pm and at the Somerset MarketPlace from 3pm until 7pm.
At Thursday’s press conference, I will give a reminder about the locations for weekend testing.
In order to ensure that wait times at pop-up testing venues are as minimal as possible, I would encourage residents wishing to get tested, to please ideally book an appointment. This makes it a faster, more convenient experience for you.
You can book online via the government website coronavirus.gov.bm or call the COVID-19 hotline 444-2498 between 9am and 9pm to make a reservation. A full schedule of testing days and times has been posted to the Government website.
For more information about pop-up testing, you can call 444-2498.
Thank You, Bermuda, and, please, wear your mask and keep six feet apart if you are not wearing one.