Good evening Bermuda.

During today’s briefing, we will have an update from the Minister of Health on COVID-19, the latest test results and other matters from the Ministry of Health.  The Minister of National Security, Min. Wayne Caines is here to answer questions which may come from the media.

Earlier today, a release went out from my office outlining the changes that had been made for Phase 3B. As signaled in Tuesday's press conference, the release confirmed that additional personal services would be permitted starting today. Our continued testing regime and the low numbers of positive results have provided the opportunity to implement a Phase 3B and reintroduce some personal services.

Facial grooming of beards and eyebrows as well as waxing and massages can now be provided.

Operators are obliged to follow public health guidelines that state the frequency of coronavirus testing that should be followed for the providers of these high risk services. The close contact involved in these services requires greater mitigation of the risk of transmission and service providers must act responsibly and customers must be vigilant for their own safety.

The amended regulations were signed by the Governor earlier today, and are now published online. Other changes include permitting additional capacity for charter vessels, based on the size of the boat, and the adherence to physical distancing rules. Spas are now permitted to open, and the resumption of full personal services also includes therapeutic massage and tattooing.

The high level of compliance we've seen from our community is critical to the progress we are making in reopening Bermuda. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of testing for those who wants to continue to offer these services, and the continued use of masks, and all of the physical distancing protocols which are effectively keeping us safe.

Later this evening, the Minister of Public Works, Col Burch, will issue guidelines reminding the public about using public parks and nature reserves while maintaining physical distancing.

As we move about this summer, enjoying Bermuda’s beaches and parks, we must do so with care. We are still in the midst of a pandemic which we have navigated well, so far.  We must always remember the public health and physical distancing guidelines that are in place are there to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. If we do not all collectively do our part, we will go backwards.

It is a good thing to be in Phase 3B, as you can see I look a little bit different than I've looked for the past three months, and I'm grateful for the work that the Minister of Health has been doing and getting the pop up testing working around the island, so many of our service providers were able to be tested over the past week.

Now, the Minister of Health will give us the latest update from our ministry. Minister.

MINISTER OF HEALTH READS HER REMARKS.

Thank you Minister.

Today, the substance of my remarks will be in reference to recent demonstrations and calls to embrace the CURB (Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda) Racial Justice Platform and to engage in groundbreaking legal reform to address the imbalances in our criminal justice system. 

To those who have been following the words and deeds of the government over the past few years, we have demonstrated in word and deed our commitment to establishing a measure of racial justice in our country.  In fact, it was not so long ago that we were marching alongside so many of you and risking arrest or physical harm alongside many persons, to make Bermuda a better and fairer place. 

There are some in Bermuda that needed to see the outpouring of anger over the murder of George Floyd by a policeman. There were some that needed to hear the pain in their black countrymen’s voices as they told their stories; stories of being denied, stories of being disrespected, and stories of being treated less than, in their own country.

The recent demonstrations helped to open many more eyes and revealed to many that sweeping changes is wanted and necessary for us to unite as one people.

I'm grateful to the organizers and promoters the recent demonstrations in Bermuda, and to CURB for the work they have done in many ways to make the objectives and agenda of this government, not only more understandable, but also, while we are working so hard and so long to make the our vision for a better and fairer Bermuda, a reality.

In Opposition, we understood that Bermuda for all its wealth, all its success, and all the achievements made by some, far too many of us were being left out of the Bermuda success story.  We understood that there were two Bermudas separated by opportunity, separated by outcomes and separated by race.

We were elected on a platform based around breaking down the two Bermudas and seeking to write more Bermudians into the Bermuda success story.

As government we have sought to take on the forces that keep wages low, prices high and opportunities restricted. While we have had some success in this area, it is clear that tearing down hundreds of years of systemic racism, privilege and selfishness will not be as fast as we as any of us desire. 

As Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without struggle, it never has and it never will.”

My office has reviewed the CURB Racial Justice Platform previously and I am pleased to say that there are many points of agreement, and many points that we have already implemented.

I will review a few of those points:

• Support for a Truth and Reconciliation Process – This was announced by Minister Lovitta Foggo and continues to be led by Minister Lovitta Foggo, and there is current consultation which is taking place online on forum.gov.bm.
• Guaranteed College Scholarships – Since taking office we have dramatically increased funding for scholarships and expanded access to scholarships for more Bermudians. Additionally, within our first 100 days we ensured that no Bermudian was denied from accessing Bermuda College, whether that be for Associate's Degree programmes, Bachelor's Degree programmes or further training programs, due to a lack of finances, which is certainly required to address inequality in our economy.
• CURB also called for national healthcare and listeners will recall that last year, Minister of Health, Kim Wilson began a dialogue on reducing the cost of healthcare for Bermuda families. It is our intention to drive down the cost of healthcare, expand access to a wider range of healthcare options for Bermudians, and to create a fairer healthcare system for the better of all.
• Pensions and the inequality that exists – CURB had previously called for the elimination of the loophole where employers did not have to pay in to the national pension scheme for their expatriate workers which essentially made foreign workers cheaper than Bermudian workers.  We supported this position, included it in our 2017 Platform and recently passed legislation to close that loophole.
• Public Procurement Policy – early in our administration we launched a new policy when it came to government contracts with a greater emphasis on expanding opportunity to people who have been denied opportunities in the past and making the playing field more level for black, female or persons with disabilities who owned businesses.  Furthermore, the BEDC was tasked with providing guidance to small and medium sized businesses on the process for bidding on government contracts and have hosted a number of seminars for construction companies around this. I can tell you from the Cabinet contracts that have been awarded, we are certainly making progress in this area.
• Review of the Criminal Justice System – everyone in Bermuda knows the statistics regarding incarceration in Bermuda.  While black Bermudians make up around 60 percent of the population, we comprise over 90% of the people in the country currently behind bars.  And while over the years much has been done by successive administrations starting with the Alternative to Incarceration agenda implemented under Premier Jennifer Smith, much work remains to address this continued imbalance.  Last year, the Attorney-General and Minister for Legal Affairs, Kathy Lynn Simmons, launched the Law Reform Commission and has selected, MP Michael Scott to chair that particular commission, and we are waiting the approval of His Excellency the Governor to proceed.
• Living Wage – another initiative advocated by CURB that has been advanced. Legislation was passed to establish in law, a living wage in Bermuda, and the new Minister of Labour  is looking to establish the actual living wage rate before the end of this year.
• Immigration Reform – in 2017 we committed to Comprehensive Immigration Reform and to creating a system that recognizes the small size of Bermuda, the history of immigration policies being weaponized, discrimination against Bermudians in hiring and the need for local and international businesses to be able to acquire the talent they may be unable to find in our workforce.  The bipartisan immigration committee was formed and laws were changed for mixed status families, and most significantly for Bermudians born overseas to Bermudian parents.
• Workforce Equity – Another thing inside of CURB’s racial justice platform. I'm pleased to report that the Attorney-General is reviewing legislation to enshrine the legality of disparate treatment of different classes of workers in Bermuda.
• Legalization of Cannabis – The government, in an initiative being spearheaded by the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, is currently engaged in a consultative process surrounding the creation of a regulated cannabis market in Bermuda. Earlier in our term, we decriminalized cannabis possession under 7 grams in an effort to end the unnecessary criminalization of predominantly black Bermudian males and the devastating knock on effect it has on so many, when it comes to future opportunities. The Attorney-General is also developing the legislative agenda, around the expunging of previous convictions for cannabis possession.
• Another thing called for was a memorial to Mary Prince – In 2019, Minister Lovitta Foggo in her role as Minister for Labour, Community Affairs and Sports, announced plans for a tribute to this iconic Bermudian trailblazer in the struggle against the enslavement of Africans and has already identified a location for a statue in her honour.
• There was a call for the change to the Emancipation and Mary Prince Day, or what was at that time, Somers Day.  MP Chris Famous began to lobby the government in 2018 to decouple Bermuda’s emancipation celebration from Sir George Somers.  MP Famous reasoned that it was inappropriate for Bermuda to pair the anniversary of ending of slavery with the celebration of a colonizer.  The government found merit in his arguments and changed Bermuda’s laws to make Mary Prince Day a reality. That will happen for the first time this year.

This Government believes that Black Lives Matter and there is much work to be done to break down the two Bermudas to build a better and fairer Bermuda.  What is clear, is that by our record we have demonstrated that it did not take thousands of Bermudians marching in the streets for the matters at the forefront of Bermudian minds today, to become priorities for the government.

We recognize that talk is cheap but actions speak volumes. Today I have outlined area where we are in agreement with CURB and where we have implemented aspects of their social justice platform and are making progress.

Yet more remains to be done on the road to a better and fairer Bermuda, and I am certain that Bermuda can change, and we are committed to changing Bermuda, for the better. And I want to thank all of those who are either taken the streets, or are using their voices because I want you to encourage you to continue to share your stories and speak about these issues because it is the only way that Bermuda will put in the past our very painful, racist history. And I want to thank all those who have been participating thus far.

Tomorrow, in the House of Assembly, we will meet to consider five bills, which will be advanced:

• The first will be the temporary suspension, for one year, of social insurance payments;
• The second will be the temporary suspension or one year suspension, of payments into the National Pension Scheme;
• The third will be Amendments of Public Health Act. These were amendments that will enable us to enact public health measures outside of the declaration of a State of Emergency;
• There will be further amendments to the Bermuda Bar Act. These are things to make sure that we can have registered associates around the world, which will assist Bermuda in attracting more business to our shores; and
• Finally, I willl be piloting through the Cost of Living Amendment Act, through the House of Assembly. This particular Act seeks to allow the minister responsible for Consumer Affairs to mandate grocery stores to share pricing of certain goods electronically. So those can be compiled and shared through technological means.

I invite all persons to tune into House of Assembly, whether it be on the website parliament.bm, on the radio on 105.1, or on Bernews.com.

Before I end today’s press conference, I want to say thank you to a few people. A few weeks ago, I challenged the Department of Communications to create COVID-19 messages and videos specifically for children. I am pleased to say that Al Seymour Junior, Programme Manager at CITV, and his daughter Kerri Seymour took up the challenge. Al and Kerri Seymour worked together on the animated cartoon which debuted at the start of today’s press conference and which you will see again immediately afterwards.  

The female character Karli was voiced by ten year old Warwick Academy student Khloe Bassett.  Al Seymour voiced the male character, Uncle Kevin.

The project was a combination of traditional hand drawn animation and digital technology. 26 year old Kerri is a graduate of CedarBridge Academy and Humber College, in Toronto.  She graduated Humber College in 2016 with a degree in Applied Arts and has returned to Bermuda after working for a short time in Canada. Kerri also specializes in digital editing and effects as well as graphic design.

Mr. Seymour is no stranger to animation, and has worked on numerous cartoon projects for many years. The script was written by Communications Officer, Helen Zoellner.

My appreciation goes to everyone who worked tirelessly on this outstanding production, as it is important while we go through this pandemic, we are making sure that we have messages for our young people who are similarly suffering the effects which this change in our way of life has caused.

Thank you also to nine year old Kylee Hollis of West Pembroke Primary school who sent in a letter and drawing paying tribute to her parents who are essential workers. The Youth Library will display Kylee and other students’ artwork on their public display board.

I extend thanks also to all of the workers, employers and those on the frontline of COVID-19.  You have continued to serve our country well, and as more and more Bermudians return to work, we are beginning to see that there can be hope in the midst of a global pandemic.

I'm happy now to entertain any questions from members of the media.