Inter-Island Communications News Brief – June 14, 2021

The government’s position on the union decertification process is not just wrong, it runs counter to the PLP’s previously held views. This from BIU President Chris Furbert during a press conference late last week.

The Government’s position on the union decertification process is particularly shocking, considering they are formed by a labour party populated and supported by union members. This from BIU President Chris Furbert during a press conference late last week.

A spokesperson said, “The Ministry of Health received 1683 test results since the last update, and zero were positive for COVID-19. This gives a test positivity rate of 0.0%. Additionally, there were three recoveries and no deaths. There are currently four active cases, of which four are under public health monitoring and none are in the hospital. Since March 2020, Bermuda has recorded 2497 total confirmed cases of COVID-19; out of those, 2460 persons have recovered, and sadly, 33 COVID related deaths. The source of all cases is 308 are Imported, 2187 are classified as local transmission of which, 1681 are Local Transmission with known contact/source and 506 are Local Transmission with an unknown contact/source. 2 are Under Investigation.”

Health Minister Kim Wilson added that quote “As our Covid cases keep going in the right direction with zero new cases, we must continue to take this pandemic seriously to prevent any new outbreaks. For us to continue to get back to normalcy, it is important that all public health guidelines remain to be followed.”

You may have received a forward on Whatsapp over the past few days describing Clearwater beach as having some kind of harmful bacteria problem. Well, don’t worry, according to officials, Clearwater is safe for use for you and your family.

According to a government spokesperson quote “We are aware of rumours circulating in the community about ‘potentially dangerous bacteria in the water at Clearwater Beach.’ There is no evidence this information is accurate. The Ministry of Health conducts a routine seawater sampling programme on all local beaches. The most recent samples taken from Clearwater North and Clearwater South, were on 7 June, 2021. There is no proof there is an issue with the bacteriological quality of the seawater at Clearwater. Meaning, the beach is safe. We will continue to monitor the quality of the water at Clearwater and all Bermuda beaches.”

Based on the IIC News Desk research, one explanation for this forward is that Clearwater Beach in Florida receives relatively regular bacteria warnings and/or rumours and a forward about the Florida issues may have been introduced into the local social media ecosystem.