“I encourage residents to reflect on their faith and celebrate with their family and friends responsibly,” said Minister of National Security, the Hon. Michael Weeks, JP, MP, as he wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable Good Friday holiday weekend.

He added: “I wish to remind everyone that while celebrating, they should think of their safety and the safety of others. I urge people to avoid drinking and driving and engaging in anti-social behaviour.

“Such behaviour is not only disrespectful to our culture but also puts the safety of our community members at risk.

Today, Her Excellency the Governor, Ms Rena Lalgie, has made a Proclamation declaring Monday, 19^th September a Public Holiday to coincide with the National Day of Mourning and the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

A Government spokesperson also advised that Her Excellency and Premier David Burt have been invited to represent Bermuda at the State Funeral.

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 8589 test results, and 334 were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 4%.

These results are from testing done on:

·         Tuesday: 68 positive out of 1449 results (4.7% positivity)

·         Wednesday:  53 positive out of  1579 results (3.4% positivity)

·         Thursday: 53 positive out of 1752 results (3.7% positivity)

I am grateful to be back in the office after Kristin, Nia, Ed and I spent time with our family in California that we have not seen in two years. As we all know Christmas is for children, and for Kristin and me it was a joy to see Nia and Ed playing with their cousins who are now old enough to play and to see them interact with the cousins that they met for the first time. 

I am thankful for the Hon. Walter Roban and the Hon. Diallo Rabain for covering whilst I was on a family vacation

Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Transport, acknowledges the sobering fact that 16 lives have been lost to road traffic accidents in 2021 - I extend my condolences to the families and friends that are grieving the untimely loss of a loved one.

Mr. Speaker, with only a few weeks to go until Christmas, holiday parties will be taking place, which is why the Bermuda Road Safety Council’s (RSC) slogan for December is - Designate YOUR Driver!

Since the last update, the Ministry of Health received 4528 test results, and six were positive for the coronavirus, giving a test positivity rate of 0.1%.

These results are from testing done on:

·Sunday: 3 positive out of 1592 results (0.2% positivity)

·Monday: 0 positive out of 1679 results (0.0% positivity)

·Tuesday: 3 positive out of 1257 results (0.2% positivity)

Three of the new cases are classified as imported with a history of travel in the previous 14 days.

Madam President, Last week the Premier announced that he would invite Her Excellency the Governor to designate 18th October as a public holiday in recognition of Flora Duffy’s extraordinary success in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and the World Triathlon Championship.

As the busy 2021 hurricane season continues, the Minister of National Security, Renee Ming encourages the public to remain vigilant.

Minister Ming said, “This continues to be a very active hurricane season. For our part, the Ministry of National Security will continue to provide updated and relevant information to the public on impending storms. As a timely reminder, we are sharing a few helpful tips so that the public can ensure they are properly prepared in the event of a serious storm.”

Good Morning Brothers and Sisters; Workers, Members, and Observers of our Labour Movement… on Behalf of the Government and the people of Bermuda I wish you a Happy Labour Day!

Good evening Bermuda,

This weekend provides an opportunity for the island to come together to celebrate our Emancipation heritage once again.

Even though we won’t be celebrating via the Annual Cricket Classic this year, it’s still a holiday. And it’s our expectation that many of our residents will be heading to our beaches and parks and spending considerable time on the water over the long holiday weekend.