Good evening.
Everyone will be aware of the restrictions we have endured over the last 6 ½ weeks from scaled back government services to Shelter in Place.
Despite the closures, the Ministry of Public Works, with responsibility for all government assets which include public lands, beaches, public parks, government buildings, water distribution, sewerage disposal, solid waste management and refuse collections, continued operations virtually unchanged as most functions are essential services.
On the front line are our sanitation workers and the staff at Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility. At the start of this crisis there were some challenges with refuse collection. These were swiftly resolved and collection not only continued but in fact, the teams improved their performance by completing their assigned zones before 2:00 pm daily. It is also important to note that there were no health and safety incidents during this period.
The Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility - a 24 hour – 7 day a week operation -and an almost entirely Bermudian run operation adjusted seamlessly to the changes and carried out its vital role with no difficulties. I remind that this facility generates a significant amount of electricity that is sold to Belco and the benefactor is the Bermudian taxpayer.
Other challenges involved individuals placing garbage for collection curbside after the area had been serviced and illegal dumping across the island. The issue with residential garbage collection was quickly resolved with Government supervisors visiting those responsible parties. The illegal dumping is still to be addressed – it is the source of significant disappointment to and irritation for me – as such there are several options available for enforcement that are being explored. I am determined to take the necessary and possibly controversial steps to curb this behavior.
While we were learning and operating throughout the shelter in place, we also began preparing for the inevitable reopening of the Government.
In anticipation of that decision it was decided that returning to work would be a gradual process, dependent on several factors such as:
- the ability of staff to attend work when nurseries, schools (public/private) and public transportation remain offline;
- determining how staff can function in their respective workplaces while adhering to the new social distancing requirements; and,
- the ability to keep front line employees safe while interacting with customers.
In preparation for the reopening, the Ministry of Public Works developed protocols that outlined how we can safely resume providing the necessary services. This involved the Ministry of Public Works’ Health and Safety Officer consulting with the Ministry of Health regarding the proposed protocols. Following this initial consultation, the four Health and Safety Officers from Tynes Bay Waste to Energy Facility, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Public Works and the Cabinet Office worked together to draft the protocols and procedures now in place to reduce the transmission of disease among our workforce and the community we serve.
With the Government now open and operating in a limited capacity, we continue with our phased approach of a gradual return to work. Wherever possible, to reduce the number of persons in the office at any given time including opportunities to work from home that are being encouraged.
For those working in government offices, the recommended physical distancing between employees is 6 feet which translates into a 28 square foot circular area allotment per person. However due to different office layouts, in practice, it is appropriate and more practical to double this number to 60 square feet. Considering the current government space standard per person is 65 square feet, physical distancing in Government offices is assured.
In addition to the physical distancing, we have also implemented the following protocols for entering government buildings with the necessary signage affixed to inform and reinforce the message.
All persons entering government buildings or facilities must:
- Have their temperature taken;
- Wear some form of face mask;
- clean their hands via the hand sanitizers available at the entrance to each location; and
- A maximum of one or two persons are allowed in an elevator at any one time – depending on the size of the elevator;
There were concerns expressed regarding the air-conditioning systems in buildings with some reports indicating that the virus could spread through the building’s air-conditioning systems. To address this issue, the Ministry consulted local air-conditioning vendors who in turn provided assurances that this can be mitigated. As such, all air conditioning systems in government buildings were deep cleaned before reopening along with all work spaces.
Despite the challenges we will face going forward, the Ministry is confident that if the aforementioned protocols are adhered to, the risk of spreading COVID-19 will be greatly reduced permitting the Government to slowly expand business operations.
Thank you.