Inter-Island Communications News Brief – July 20, 2020

Read and listen to Inter-Island Communications News Brief for July 20, 2020

According to a statement on the Government website quote, “Between yesterday and today, the Ministry of Health received 1165 COVID-19 test results; out of the 1165 results received 1 was positive for COVID-19. The confirmed case was imported on the Delta flight 656 from Atlanta on 17 July. We are in the process of contact tracing for this case. There are 11 test results are pending. These cases are being investigated further to ensure correct public health action is taken. Such situations do arise from time to time and the Ministry takes all precautions necessary to protect the public’s health. Out of an abundance of caution, the 11 individuals with pending results are being treated as potential cases and are isolated with public health supervision. The Ministry’s COVID-19 case management team is conducting contact tracing in all instances as a preventive measure. Public health advice has been provided to potential close contacts, in order to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19; this includes the 14-day quarantine of persons identified as close contacts. Bermuda now has 153 total confirmed positive cases and 7 active cases.”

COVID-19 is still here with new cases being identified over the weekend all, as expected, linked to new arrivals at the airport. Health Minister Kim Wilson shared quote “I am sure every new case is disheartening news for all of us – not least for the individuals affected and their families and close contacts. Contact tracing begins immediately with every new or suspect case to assure everyone’s safety.”

A government spokesperson went on to share quote “The Government would also like to take the opportunity to clarify speculation regarding People’s Pharmacy. The Government does not identify any business or establishment unless there is a public health reason to do so. However, there is speculation that the person who broke quarantine on Wednesday, that was mentioned at Thursday’s press conference, was an employee of People’s Pharmacy. That is not true and we would ask persons to refrain from damaging speculation. The Government has effectively dealt with the threat of the Coronavirus pandemic by being extra cautious to ensure that we minimise the risk to the community. What is most important is that all persons follow the public health guidelines which will ensure that we keep the virus at bay while we reopen our economy.”

The unjustified criticism and attacks being levelled against Dr. Carika Weldon must and will stop. This from Public Works Minister David Burch during Friday’s House of Assembly meeting, expressing his frustration that some have attempted to delegitimise the reputation and experience of Bermuda’s covid19 technical expert.

Expunging the criminal record of people convicted of minor cannabis possession may help alleviate the long-standing stop list issue for many, but it’s impossible to guarantee. This from Attorney-General Kathy Lynn Simmons during Friday’s sitting of the House, who tabled the ‘Expungement of Convictions Act 2020’ which will create an application to remove criminal records of those convicted for simple possession of up to 7 grams of cannabis.

AG Simmons said quote “Within the United States, expungement for simple Cannabis possession and other forms of criminal record relief, such as sealing and set-aside, have now been enacted in more than a dozen states. Most US laws require individuals to file petitions in court to obtain relief. One of the pressing questions locally is whether expungement of a prior cannabis conviction record will avoid a person being on the US Immigration’s ‘stop list’. This question cannot be answered definitively, as US immigration policy is entirely of its own making and operates independent of other countries’ laws. Canadians, for example, are faced with a similar challenge to Bermuda, as the US has said it does not recognize Canada’s cannabis conviction pardons. This means Canadians with past convictions may still face difficulties crossing into the US border, notwithstanding they have been lawfully pardoned. Where we can give assurances, is by highlighting that once an expungement order is issued, local authorities would be prohibited from providing criminal conviction records for the expunged offence to any person or entity, locally or internationally. In other words, no new criminal record information for expunged offences could be provided to US immigration authorities post expungement. It can also be said that with the relatively recent trend of decriminalisation across the US, expungement offers the best opportunity for overcoming the ‘stop list’ hurdle in the future.”