The Government has “been inundated with exemption requests” and “the vast majority of these requests will not be approved” and we “must recognize that we are under a Stay at Home Order for a reason.”
This was from Health Minister Kim Wilson, who in releasing tonight’s test results said, “Another important note, with community transmission – personal exemptions are not given unless there are extraordinarily, exceptional circumstances. I say this because, we’ve been inundated with exemption requests. And I must stress that the vast majority of these requests will not be approved.
“We must recognize that we are under a Stay at Home Order for a reason. We had to introduce a short, sharp break to stop the transmission of the virus. This means we have to stop the mixing of individuals in different households, in the workplace and in all other locations where people may gather.”
The Minister also addressed the numbers of those who are currently hospitalised and the need to help ease the strain on the hospital.
Minister Wilson said, “Yesterday, we suffered a tragic loss of life in a Covid-19 related death. This was the third death in under a week. This is an incredibly sad development, and my heart goes out to all the grieving families of these individuals.
“Bermuda we must understand the severity of this outbreak and its residual effects on our services, specifically the strain it is having on our hospital. Currently we have more than 40 individuals in hospital care, five of those in ICU. And we are all wishing and hoping that each of these persons successfully recover from this virus.
“The team at the Bermuda Hospitals Board are actively fighting on the frontlines day in, and day out, and they are using all their resources to help our fellow Bermudians survive Covid-19.
“So as we close out day three of this Stay at Home period, it is my hope that we continue to stay the course. I know it is challenging and at times frustrating, but we must keep the goal in mind, to reduce the number of admissions to the hospital and reduce the strain on the healthcare system.”
The Minister concluded, “We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of the coronavirus. We continue to encourage residents to speak to their doctor about getting vaccinated. If you haven’t already done so, please register to get vaccinated because vaccination is not only the key to our return to normality, but it can also save lives.
“Please follow Public Health guidelines, wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, maintain physical distance and download the WeHealth Bermuda app.”
