Good evening Bermuda,
Tonight I am joined by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson who will provide you with updates on the latest vaccination statistics, the Bermuda Health Council Drug Formulary Regulations 2021, and further updates from her ministry.
Following the Minister, I will discuss the extension of the Public Health Emergency, the Cannabis legislation, the upcoming 2021/2022 Budget, and other matters.
First, we will hear from the Minister of Health…
Thank you, Minister….
I thank you and your team for your tireless work on the frontlines of this pandemic. Through your efforts and the efforts of the doctors, nurses, Public Health staff and volunteers at our vaccination centres, we are getting closer to our goal of having 19,000 persons fully immunized by March 31st.
With 17,073 doses administered through yesterday, Bermuda remains among the top ten countries (according to ourworldindata.org) in the world for vaccinations administered relative to population size. What is most important is that the number of doses administered increased this week by 24%, which demonstrates that the move to the Bermuda College has had its intended effect of increasing the pace of our vaccination program.
While this is very welcomed news, it is vital for all Bermudians to understand that this is not a time to let your guard down. We have all worked hard to put our country in a place where curfew can be removed, and measures can be relaxed. Let us not undo that hard work by neglecting our collective responsibility to adhere to the measures still in place.
As we know, it only takes one person to start an outbreak, and it is vital that we remain vigilant. Please ensure that you continue to follow the regulations, specifically the regulations governing the amount of persons that can gather. In addition to that, the regulations which are necessary and required for mastering physical distances to ensure that you are doing what is necessary to reduce the potential spread of a virus.
Failure to adhere to these measures endangers the community and the progress we have made. I want to be clear that the Government will not hesitate to reimpose measures such as curfew if it is deemed necessary in the interest of public health.
Now I know that there is some commentary in the public domain that the Government has been heavy handed in its approach. Let me address those criticisms this way. I would prefer to be criticized for being heavy handed than to be criticized for having excess debt and endless lockdowns, which can be seen in other countries. Bermuda has not had a shelter in place, which ended at the beginning of last May; we have not had to shut down non-essential businesses with the exception of bars and nightclubs since the previous outbreak.
Whereas we've seen in many different countries, whether that be in the United States, whether it be the United Kingdom, Europe, whether it be the Caribbean, or other places where we have seen a significant amount of restrictions, which have happened, and have continued.
Our heavy handed actions preserve economic activity and allowed the opportunity for limited tourism in this country for people to earn a living. That is a record that I'm proud of, and for persons who criticize the Government for being heavy handed, unfortunately I must disappoint you because we have choices to make. And this Government is going to make sure that we choose the side of ensuring that we keep the country safe while striking the balance to allow economic activity to continue.
Last Friday, February 19th, during the first session of the House of Assembly in 2021, the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson recommended a 60-day extension of the Public Health Emergency Order. This was passed in the House on Friday and yesterday was approved by the Senate. The Public Health Emergency is therefore extended until April 25, 2021, and at which time we will assess whether further extensions may be needed.
Also during the House session, the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs & Constitutional Reform, the Hon. Kathy Simmons led the debate on the Cannabis Licensing Act which was originally tabled in December 2020. This Act ushers in a new regulatory regime, licensing all activities involved to cultivation, import, export, production, research, sale, supply, use or transport of cannabis or medicinal cannabis in Bermuda. This Bill was brought to the House of Assembly after an extensive consultation process with the experts in health, law enforcement, and finance.
The Government also consulted the public throughout the development of the Cannabis Licensing Act to ensure that it reflected the desires of the Bermudian people. The feedback the Government received was that there was a desire for change to our cannabis laws which would permit licensing and regulations for cannabis activities to displace the illicit market.
Regulation and licensing will ensure that Bermuda benefits economically from the cannabis industry. It will also ensure that it provides easy and simple access to medicinal cannabis, which is right now, very difficult due to our complex regulations.
The Government is committed to ensuring licensing is accessible to those Bermudians who have been negatively affected by cannabis prohibition, the majority of whom are black Bermudians. The Government anticipates they will take the opportunity to use their expertise to open businesses, conduct research and contribute to this newly regulated sector of our economy. I thank the Attorney-General and her team for their outstanding work in preparing this Bill, and I look forward to the Bill's progress the Senate next week.
I also thank the Members of Parliament for the Progressive Labour Party who were encouraged to speak and vote with their conscience rather than in line with the party.
In keeping with developments in the House of Assembly regarding our economy, the Minister of Labour, the Hon. Jason Hayward introduced the Government’s Economic Investment and Residential Certificate policy. There has been much said about this policy, such as it is nothing different from what previous Governments have proposed, which may have been opposed by the party of which I represent.
While it is correct that the Economic Investment Certificate is not new, this policy contains significant changes from the previous requirements that were in place which solely benefited wealthy persons who wished to live in Bermuda. Previously wealthy persons who wanted to live in Bermuda indefinitely would only have to pay a $525 a year fee for a Residential Certificate and were not required to make any investments in Bermuda. This new policy will require wealthy persons who wish to reside in Bermuda to make an economic contribution to the country. These changes ensure that more Bermudians can benefit from wealthy persons who choose to reside here by requiring them to support our economy’s well-being.
This coming Friday, February 26th, the Minister of Finance, the Hon. Curtis Dickinson will present the 2021-2022 Budget to the House of Assembly and the people of Bermuda. It will no doubt be a budget greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the substantial economic impact it has had on our country. The Budget will outline the Government’s focus on rebuilding and diversifying our economy and keeping our promises from the 2020 election platform, and the 2020 Throne Speech.
As I wrap up, we know that many in our community may need extra emotional support. If you need someone to talk with, call the Emotional Wellbeing Hotline. The phone number is 543-1111. The line is operated Monday to Saturday, from 5pm - 9pm.
Again, the phone number is 543-1111. Please call as help is available.
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Thank you.