What’s going on in Education?
FULL PRESS STATEMENT:
The Minister of Education, the Hon. Diallo Rabain, JP, MP met with the Education Emergency Measures Committee (EEMC) to address the recent rise in positive COVID-19 cases within the community.
Following yesterday’s meeting, the EEMC agreed that public schools will remain open however, further protocols will be implemented to keep our educators, parents, and students safe.
Minister Rabain said, “In response to the recent reports of positive COVID-19 cases within our community, the EEMC met to discuss changes to our COVID-19 protocols that will further ensure the safety and health of our schools.”
“We were joined by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) who, in light of increased cases, provided a detailed overview of where we are as a country and answered questions arising from the EEMC.”
“The CMO clarified the difference between the quarantining and testing of close contacts versus casual contact (whole school) testing and highlighted, as a matter of critical importance, the steps that must be taken by the Department of Health (DOH) when a student tests positive to ensure the safety and health of the school the student attends.”
Minister Rabain added, “The safety and health of our schools, educators, and students are of paramount importance to all of us and we understand that positive cases can profoundly affect all of us. We want to reassure you that the EEMC has a plan to address timely notification and rapid testing and are pleased to share the revised system agreed on:
- The Department of Health (DOH) notifies the Department of Education (DOE) of potential exposure.
- The COVID-19 Communication strategy is launched to inform (in this order):
- The General Public
- All stakeholders within the BPSS
- The EEMC Members
- The Staff and Parents
- Immediately, the bubble that any positive student is a part of, their close contacts, are ordered to quarantine and get tested via the nasal-pharayneal or oral swab.
- The rest of the students & staff at the school (casual contacts) will be tested using the Saliva Testing method at school within a day of the initial notification.
- The school’s Risk Assessment is carried out, and the result of the Risk Assessment will determine if any additional steps are needed.
Minister Rabain concluded, “Our goal is to ensure the safety and health of our schools, educators, and students, and after conferring with the CMO, DOH, and their team, it was agreed that this proactive approach is best.”
“We are all in this together, and I am confident that we will emerge from this intact. I encourage you to continue to be safe, get tested regularly, get immunised, and strictly adhere to the Government’s safety measures to contain this latest community outbreak and reduce the transmission of COVID-19.”
The representatives of the EEMC include the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education, the Bermuda Union of Teachers, the Bermuda Public Services Union, the Bermuda Industrial Union, the Department of Health, the Department of Communications, and Members of the Legislature.
What are the regulations and why?
FULL PRESS STATEMENT
“We must act now,” said Premier David Burt today announcing changes in the Public Health Regulations which will come into effect from 6 am tomorrow morning. “Cabinet met earlier today and following a full briefing from the Minister of Health determined to roll back the current measures to what was in place in mid-December.”
The Premier confirmed that:
– The curfew would now be in place from 11pm until 5am
– Clubs and bars will be prohibited from serving patrons indoors, outdoor service is for table service only
– Restaurants, bars and clubs are permitted a maximum of 6 persons at any one table
– All personal care services will require a mask to be worn at all times
– Gyms must ensure patrons keep 10ft apart when indoors
– The permitted gathering size is reduced to 10 persons
– Indoor religious services will reduce to 20% of the site’s capacity, and outdoor services, including funerals, would be restricted to 20 persons.
– The current 8 pm boating curfew would remain in place
Minister of Health Kim Wilson said: “As the number of active cases is increasing so significantly, these proactive measures are required from a public health perspective to prevent further cases. The epidemiological results of the most recent cases indicate that almost all of our cases are of the UK Variant, which we know to be more contagious and more virulent. We cannot risk this current outbreak powered by the UK strain becoming the 3rd wave of infections in Bermuda. The measures are serious, but this action will enable us to slow the transmission of the virus while we work to continue our vaccination programme, which is vital in defeating the virus. ”
The Premier added: “The increased number of children now testing positive is concerning, and the swift action taken to test entire schools reflects our determination to do all we can to keep our young people safe. It is beyond frustrating to think that we are still dealing with the consequences of the reckless actions of a few in the community. Thankfully, one year on from the start of this pandemic, we not only have the testing capacity to isolate positive cases, but we have a vaccination programme that is steadily providing much-needed protection to the most vulnerable.”
Minister Wilson noted: “The public health advice for the safe operation of schools has mostly been followed, and I commend our teachers and principals who have supported the recent testing effort and through whose leadership we have been able to quickly isolate positive cases and continue with classroom learning.”
Recognizing the potential economic impact of these changes, Premier Burt indicated that he had asked the Minister of Finance to renew the supplementary unemployment benefit support for affected workers. “All affected employees of businesses that are unable to open will receive payments up to a maximum of $1500 this week, which will cover the 3 weeks of closure. Any affected businesses will be eligible for grants to cover expenses and overheads as was done by the BEDC in December.”
The Premier concluded: “Our whole approach is about balance. We have to strike the right balance between protecting the Island and keeping this economy open, and moving towards recovery. We can and must do both. The actions we are taking today are proactive, and this pandemic has shown that early action prevents longer periods of restrictions. The highly contagious UK strain, which is the source of this outbreak, must be met with early action, and that is the action we are taking today. The restrictions announced today will be in effect for at least three weeks. I continue to salute the people of Bermuda who have summoned the inner strength to meet the demands of these unique times. We are doing well as a country, and our successes are in no way diminished by our current circumstances. The Ministry of Health, from the Minister to those vaccinating our people, is leading an effort on all fronts to ensure that we can achieve that balance. We are well-positioned to meet this most recent challenge and to continue the work of rebuilding this economy. “
