Though we are a couple of weeks removed, it is my first opportunity to say that I hope everyone in Bermuda had a safe and enjoyable Cup Match holiday. It was a long-awaited celebration not only of our history and our culture but of the progress that we have made as a country against the coronavirus.
Such celebrations were not possible a year ago. However, with our strong testing regime, continually improving vaccination rate, and tools such as SafeKey, we have been able to see the return of Cup Match and other large outdoor events.
Despite the continuing presence of the coronavirus here and around the world, it is important for us all to recognise that we are in a different place than we were a year ago, where the only measures to address increasing cases would be increasing public health restrictions.
We now have vaccines, and 3 out of every 4 residents or 75% of those who can get vaccinated have chosen to do so. Our vaccination success means that more vulnerable people in our community are shielded from serious illness or death and means that we have been able to adjust our approach when we see cases increase.
The entire purpose of public health measures was to ensure that our healthcare system did not become overwhelmed, as we have seen happen in many countries around the world. It was not to have no cases of the virus locally but to reduce the possibility that an outbreak would cause our hospital to exceed its capacity, which nearly happened in April due to the outbreak of the Alpha or UK Variant.
Due to the lessons learned, the Government announced strong measures to protect Bermuda at our borders from dangerous variants such as the Delta variant. Unfortunately, before the full border policy could come into effect, this highly transmissible variant found its way onto our shores. As a result of that and some not adhering to health guidelines, we have recently seen cases increase.
We are confident that these measures have been effective and will continue to be so as long as they are followed and as long as we continue to have cooperation from the people of Bermuda. It is our collective responsibility as a country to ensure that all of us do what is necessary to reduce further local transmission, and effectively manage this outbreak.
Our success in increased vaccinations, and in reducing local transmission cannot be met with complacency. We must keep our guard up and protect our healthcare system, protect those with medical conditions and children who cannot be vaccinated, and protect the ability of our students to return to school in September.
I have no doubt that we will do this if we continue to work together.
Tonight's press conference will be the final regularly scheduled press conference attended by the Minister of Health and myself in this current format. Following tonight, the COVID-19 updates will move to a technical briefing format, with public officers from Health and other relevant departments providing the public and their representatives in the media with the essential technical details regarding the coronavirus.
If there are major announcements and changes to policies to be made, they will be made by Ministers, but standard updates will be given by the technical officers in the future.
Tonight, I am joined by the Minister of Health, the Hon. Kim Wilson, who will provide an update on the latest coronavirus test results, vaccination statistics, and other updates from her Ministry.
In light of our change in format for future updates to the public, we are also joined tonight by Ms. Dy-Juan DeRoza, Epidemiologist, in the Government's Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, who is on hand to answer any technical questions about the current cases from members of the media.
The Minister of National Security, The Hon. Renee Ming, is with us and will speak on the mandatory supervised quarantine operations, as well as other matters from the Ministry of National Security as we are in hurricane season.
Additionally, the Commissioner of the Bermuda Police Service, Stephen Corbishley also joins us tonight and will speak on matters regarding enforcement and to take any related questions from the media.
First, we will hear from the Minister of Health on the latest matters surrounding the coronavirus.
Thank you, Minister Wilson and all of the team at the Ministry of Health, for their continued hard work in helping Bermuda battle back against the coronavirus.
We should continue to be proud of our country's response to this pandemic, in that we maintain one of the most sound and stringent testing regimes in the world, which allows us to be informed and aware of our status as a country every day, recently surpassing over 400,000 tests conducted. Testing capacity remains available, and I encourage persons to utilise it, get tested and know their coronavirus status.
It is welcomed news to hear that as a country, we now have 3/4 of our eligible population vaccinated. Vaccines remain available to anyone who wishes to get them, and as always, I encourage you to speak to your doctor so that you can make the best and safest decision for yourself.
Along with our testing regime and vaccinations, we must not abandon the basics which have helped to keep us safe from the beginning of the pandemic. I join the Minister in reminding everyone of the importance of hand-washing and sanitising, mask-wearing especially in groups where you are unsure of a person's vaccinations status.
We must also continue to use technology to assist us. SafeKey is a valuable tool that will permit businesses to continue to operate while reducing the risk of coronavirus spread while indoors. I remind the public that you can receive a SafeKey through the receipt of a negative coronavirus test with the expiry date provide on your SafeKey.
Those who are fully vaccinated, and whose vaccine-based SafeKeys have expired or will expire on 15 August can renew their SafeKeys by going to: gov.bm/safekey and clicking on the link at the top of the page which says 'click here to renew'.
In addition to SafeKey, I encourage the public to continue to use the WeHealth app to help our contact tracers, protect businesses and others.
While we have seen a recent increase of cases in our community, this does not mean that progress has stopped. A year ago, before we had the vaccine, these numbers may have meant strong restrictions, and left us with a feeling of having to start over.
However, our increased community protection due to 3/4 of the eligible population being vaccinated means that while we must remain cautious and protect those who are not eligible such as young children, we can also continue to allow economic and cultural activity to continue with precautions.
Switching now to supervised quarantine.
On July 23rd, the Supreme Court announced that the Government was successful in its defence of the legality of this Government's Supervised Quarantine Regime.
The Court dismissed all claims by the Applicants and determined that the Government's policy is lawful and not a breach of Section 11 of the Bermuda Constitution.
We often confer on peaceful protests the description of "democracy in action". That is an accurate description, but it bears remembering that another cornerstone of democratic societies is the rule of law and the ability of ordinary citizens to seek justice in the courts.
In this case, citizens of this island exercised that democratic right, and in a fair, transparent review of the evidence, the Court has made a determination. Whilst the Applicants may not have been successful, it is without question that democracy has emerged as the victor.
The Government's case met the required test. The evidence provided in support of the actions taken to keep this country safe has satisfied the Supreme Court of Bermuda of its foundation in Bermuda law and the Bermuda Constitution.
As I indicated in the House of Assembly on that day, the Government will announce changes to the approach to supervised quarantine.
Thanks to our progress in having nearly 75% of the eligible population vaccinated and increasing the protection within our community, we can now begin to make revisions to how supervised quarantine works for unvaccinated persons who come through our borders, allowing a portion of their 14-day quarantine to be completed at home - with strict restrictions.
Effective from Monday, 23rd August, supervised quarantine will operate as follows:
Unvaccinated travellers with a valid pre-arrival test will still be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in Bermuda.
They will quarantine for their first days at a designated hotel facility.
Following the receipt of a negative day 4 test, they will then be allowed to complete the final days of their quarantine at home, fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
Those persons will test on days 4 and 14.
Additionally, if the traveller in question who is allowed to quarantine at home following a negative day 4 test does not live alone, all other members of that household will be required to quarantine as well and must test out of quarantine on day 14.
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Unvaccinated travellers without a valid pre-arrival test will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
They will spend the first portion of quarantine in a designated hotel facility.
Following receipt of a negative Day 8 test, they will be allowed to complete the final days of quarantine at home fitted with an electronic monitoring device.
These persons will test on days 8 and 14
If they do not live alone, all other members of the household will be required to quarantine as well, and all members of the household must test out of quarantine on day 14.
These changes will take effect on August 23 and are being made due to the incredible progress that the country has made in its vaccination programme. These changes are not required, but by looking at what we are seeing, we believe that these changes and adjustments can be made.
I now invite the Minister of National Security to provide an update to the country with an update on the supervised quarantine hotel operation and other matters from her Ministry.
Thank you, Minister Ming.
And thank you to your team at the Ministry of National Security, who have done an admirable job in managing this important operation of supervised quarantine, and as it transitions to a mix of supervised quarantine and home quarantine, I am sure you will continue to do that.
We will now hear from the Commissioner of the Bermuda Police Service on enforcement matters.
Thank you, Commissioner, and thank you to the Bermuda Police Service for their continued cooperation in working alongside the Government throughout the pandemic. It is vital that all persons do their part to mitigate the spread of the Delta Variant. Indoor spaces where masks are not worn are the most likely settings for there to be superspreader events, and the Government fully supports the Bermuda Police Service in this enforcement effort.
As we bring the remarks to a close and open it up to the media for questions, I remind you that this will be the final regularly scheduled COVID-19 press conference and that we will be switching to a new, more technical format for updates going forward, which will not include myself or the Minister of Health on a regular basis. Further information will follow on how the public will be kept up to date on the coronavirus in due course.
The Government recognises, as all Ministers have said and also the Commissioner of Police, that the pandemic is not over, but we are proud of what we have been able to accomplish as a country, and by the way, we are making the theme of my National Address in April' Moving Beyond the Pandemic' a reality through our unity and perseverance.
The Government is proud to have provided over $70 million in unemployment assistance overall, including $9 million since December 2020 to help those affected by business closures and restrictions during our most difficult times as a country.
The commitment to ensuring the needs of Bermudians are met does not end here. We will continue to work not only on effectively managing the impact of the coronavirus on our island but on seeing through our plan for economic recovery and the continued reignition of our tourism industry.
I thank the Minister of Health, who has been with me at these press conferences since the very beginning of the pandemic. I wish to thank the Minister of National Security who has been joining in since last year. And, I wish to thank each and every one of you for your attention during these press conferences, for your support, your constructive criticism, and concern, and for the hard work that you have done as residents in helping us to move beyond the pandemic. I thank you very much.
I now look forward to taking questions from Members of the Media.
Thank you.