September 29, 2021

I hereby present for
the information of the Senate the Annual Report of the
Bermuda Sport Anti -Doping Authority for the Year
Ending 31st of March 2021. Senators can access a
copy of the report on their tablets or on the parliamen-tary website.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
The third announcement is the Adoption of
Children Order, and this is in the name of Senator
Lindsay Simmons , the Junior Minister of Social D evelopment and Seniors.
Senator, you have the floor.

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Good morning, Madam
President.

The President: Good morning.

ADOPTION OF CHILDREN (APPROVED
JURISDICTIONS) ORDER 2021
Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Madam President, I hereby
present for the information of the Senate the Adoption
of Children (Approved Jurisdictions) Order 2021, as
made by the Minister responsible for Child and Family
Services under the provisions of section 46 of the
Adoption of Children A ct 2006. Senators may access
copies of the Order on their tablets.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons. I believe you have a second announcement. You can carry on.

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGULATORY
AUTHORITY OF BERMUDA FOR 2918/19

Sen. Lindsay Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I hereby present for the i nformation of Senate the Annual Report of the Regul atory Authority of Bermuda for the Year Ended the 31
st
of March 2019. Copies of the report can be accessed
on the Senators’ t ablets or the parliamentary website.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Simmons.
And the final announcement is in the name of
Senator the Hon. Dr. E. G. V. Peets, spokesman for
Legal Affairs.
Minister, you have the floor.
AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE
FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY FOR
THE YEARS ENDED 31 MARCH 2018,
2019 AND 2020

Madam President, I
have the announcement for the Audited Financial Statements of the Financial Intelligence Agency.
So, Madam President, I hereby present for the
information of the Senate the following reports: the
Audited Financial Statements of the Financial Intell igence Agency for the Year Ended 31 March 2018; the
Audited Financial Statements of the Financia l Intell igence Agency for the Year Ended 31 March 2019;
and the Audited Financial Statements of the Financial
Intelligence Agency for the Year Ended 31 March
2020. Senators may access copies of the Statements
on their tablets or via the parliamentary websi te.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
We move on with our agenda.

NOTICE S OF MOTION S
The President: The first one is in the name of Senator Arianna Hodgson, the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension [ (No. 5) Order 2021] .
Senator Hodgson, you have the floor.
[Pause]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident. I do apologise for the delay. I am just trying to
start ano ther device as I am having connectivity i ssues with the other. If you could just bear with me for
one moment.

The President: Yes. You take your time.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you.

[Pause]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: I think that this is working.
Are you able to see me, Madam President?
The President: Yes, I am. We are seeing you and
hearing you loud and clear. You can carry on.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Okay, perfect.
Madam President, I move that Standing Order
71(2) be suspended so that Senate may now proceed with consideration of the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021.
The Cl erk: You are reading the wrong motion. You
are introducing the COVID -19 one. You are presenting for consideration that motion.



Bermuda Senate The President: Senator Hodgson, do you have the
wording for that?

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Sorry.
Madam President, I move that the Senate do
now take under consideration . . . is this the correct —

The Clerk: No, no. You are presenting for consider ation, that motion. Do you have that one?

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: It is not what was sent to
me. One moment.

[Pause]

PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID- 19) EMERGENCY
EXTENSION (NO. 5) ORDER 2021

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Madam President, I hereby
present for the consideration of Senate the draft Order
entitled the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency E xtension (No. 5) Order 2021, proposed to be made by
the Ministe r responsible for Health under the prov isions of section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949.
And I give notice that at a later point in the meeting I
will move that the said draft Order be approved.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
The next item is the Proclamation by Her E xcellency.
Dr. E. G. V. Peets, Minister of Youth, Culture
and Sport, you have the floor.

PROCLAMATION MADE BY HER EXCELLENCY
THE GOVERNOR, IN EXERCISE OF THE
POWER CONFERRED BY SECTION 4
OF THE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ACT 1947

Thank you.
Madam President, I hereby present for consideration of Senate the draft Proclamation proposed
to be made by Her Excellency the Governor under provision of section 4 of the Public Holidays Act 1947
and acting in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet declaring Monday, the 18
th of October 2021, to be
a public holiday. And I give notice that at a later point
in the meeting I will move that the said Proclamation
be approved.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peet s, Minister of
Youth, Culture and Sport.
Moving on with the agenda.

PETITIONS
The President: There are none.
STATEMENTS

The President: There are none.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

The President: There are none.

FIRST READING OF PUBLIC BILLS

HEALTH INSURANCE AMENDMENT ACT 2021

INCORPORATED SEGREGATED ACCOUNTS
COMPANIES AMENDMENT ACT 2021

SEGREGATED ACCOUNTS COMPANIES
AMENDMENT ACT 2021

INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES ACT 2021

MOTOR CAR (LIVERIES) AMENDMENT ACT 2021

BERMUDA IMMIGRATION AND PROTECTION
AMENDMENT ACT 2021

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AMENDMENT ACT 2021

GAMING AMENDMENT ACT 2021

The President: The following Public Bills have been
received from the Honourable House of Assembly and are now read for the first time. There titles are, r espec tively:
• Health Insurance Amendment Act 2021
• Incorporated Segregated Accounts Companies Amendment Act 2021
• Segregated Accounts Companies Amendment Act 2021
• Invasive Alien Species Act 2021
• Motor Car (Liveries) Amendment Act 2021
• Bermuda Immigration and Protection Amendment Act 2021
• Financial Assistance Amendment Act 2021
• Gaming Amendment Act 2021

FIRST READING OF PRIVATE BILLS

The President: There are none.

QUESTION PERIOD
The President: There are none.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

The President: The first Order of the Day is consideration of the draft Order entitled the Public Health
664 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order
2021. And that is in the name of Senator Hodgson,
the Junior Minister of Health.
Senator, you have the floor.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 71(2)

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Madam President, I move that Standing Order
71(2) be suspended so that Senate may now proceed
with consideration of the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021.

The President: Is there any objection to that motion?
There is no objection.
Carry on, Senator Hodgson.

[Motion carried: Standing Order 71(2) suspended.]
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I move that the Senate do now take under
consideration the dr aft Order entitled the Public Health
(COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order
2021.
The President: Carry on, Senator.

DRAFT ORDER

PUBLIC HEALTH (COVID- 19) EMERGENCY
EXTENSION (NO. 5) ORDER 2021
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
I am pleased to invite this Honourable Chamber to consider the draft Order entitled Public Health
(COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order
2021.
Madam President, Senators would be aware
that the current Public Health Emergency Order is
scheduled to last through the 30th of September 2021.
The Emergency Orders which have been place since
the 30th of June 2020 following the state of emergency
put in place on the 1st of April 2020 are made pursuant
to section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949 and declare that a public health emergency exists in Berm uda due to a communicable disease that poses a threat
to the Island.
We live on a very small Island. And as we
know from previous outbreaks, and unfortunately our
experienc e in the current outbreak, COVID -19 c an
spread quickly and with devastating effects. It strikes
at the heart of our community as hundreds of people
test positive, thousands end up in quarantine and sad-ly people succumb to it and die.
We can slow the spread of the virus by follo wing basic public health advice of wearing a mask to cover our nose and mouth, as well as physically di stancing, downloading the WeHealth Bermuda app and
avoiding the three C’s of close spaces, crowded places and close- contact settings. The more barriers and
space there are between you and others, the harder it
is for the virus to spread.
Also, Madam President, as we discussed in
the Senate Chamber before, the COVID -19 vaccine is
available to any resident who wants it. As has been
said many times, vaccines save lives. I t is no different
with the Pfizer being administered in Bermuda now.
The two- dose Pfizer vaccine has been shown to be
95 per cent effective in randomised trials. Even with
the highly transmissible Delta variant, the vaccine’s
effectiveness remains high. What does this mean? It
means that while you as a fully vaccinated person can
still test positive and still contract the COVID -19 virus,
you are less likely to get severely ill, you are less likely to end up in the hospital and you are less likely to die.
Madam President, to be clear, this does not
mean that there is a zero- risk control. Even if fully
vaccinated, your own personal health is a key factor in
determining whether you will get ill with COVID -19,
and if you do whether you are predisposed to become
ill enough to be hospitalised or be unfortunate enough to die. That is the reason our vaccine booster pr ogramme, when it starts, will prioritise first and foremost people who are immuno compromised, such as those
with transplants or who are undergoing treatment of a
tumour. Their personal health can make it difficult for
them to realise full immunity from the vaccine and
thereby fight off the disease. For those people the
booster jab is critical.
Madam President, while research is ongoing
on the topic of whether vaccinated people transmit the coronavirus, the Minister of Health continues to r equire everyone, whether vaccinated or not, to practice
sensible public health measures such as wearing your
mask at all times indoors and in private outdoor settings. So far in Bermuda the data show that the local
community transmission we are experiencing now is
predominantly among those who are not vaccinated.
Sadly, the people who are being hospitalised are also
predominantly unvaccinated.
Madam President, this Government remains
firmly of the view that the COVID -19 vac cine is vital to
our return to normal. This pandemic is not a sprint; it
is a marathon. The vaccine is the help we need to get across the finish line. Vaccination not only protects
you, it also pro tects your family and our wider Berm uda community. Getting vaccinated is a particular per-sonal decision which impacts everyone around you.
Madam President, as we all know, COVID -19
is caused by a new virus that spread quickly throughout the world having emerged in China toward the end
of 2019. It can be transmitted very easily between
people, and its symptoms are so deceptive we often
do not realise we have the disease before we have
exposed others to it. Madam President, the Minister of


Bermuda Senate Health consulted w ith the Chief Medical Officer and
determined that a communicable disease of the first
category , namely COVID -19, continues to pose a s evere threat to public health in Bermuda. The outbreak this past spring and the outbreak here and now high-light the impact of variants of concern, first Alpha and
now Delta.
To control and contain the spread of infection,
public health measures such as those provided for in
regulations made under section 107B of the Public
Health Act 1949 will continue to be relevant and necessary beyond September 30, 2021.
This Order before us now will expand the
Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Order 2021
made under section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949 and empower the Governor to continue the co ndition of the Public Health (COVID -19 Emergency
Powers) Regulations 2021, which impose extraordinary measures necessary in the interest of public
health to prevent, control and suppress COVID -19.
Madam President, Senators will be aware that
the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension
(No. 4) Order 2021 was made under the affirmation
resolution procedure, effective the 23
rd of August 2021
for 38 days, expiring on the 30th of September 2021.
However, the COVID -19 pandemic continues to rage
on globally and a public health emergency continues
to exist on our shores. Therefore, and in accordance with section 107A(3) and (4) of the Public Health Act
1949, I bring the Public Health (COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021 to this Honourable
Chamber to seek approval for the extension of the
public health emergency for a further 60 days ending
on November 29, 2021.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Hodgson.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Order?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Good morning, Madam President
and Senate colleagues and to the listening audience.

The President: Senator Tucker, excuse me. We are
having difficulty hearing you. You need to speak louder or have the microphone closer to yourself, please.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Madam President, is this a bit
better?
The President: No. The Senators are indicating that
they are having difficulty hearing you. Can you try
again?
Sen. Robin Tucker: Is this better, Madam President?
The President: No.
[Inaudible interjection s]
Sen. Marcus Jones: Madam President, can you hear
me?
The President: I can hear you loud and clear. So
there is something, a problem either with her micr ophone . . . I don’ t know if she needs to sit closer to the
microphone , but the Senators are indicating that they
cannot hear.
Sen. Robin Tucker: Madam President, is this a bit
better?

The President: Senators, are you hearing Senator
Tucker?

An Hon. Senator: I was able to hear her. I think now
it is a bit —
The President: It is better?
Carry on, Senator Tucker. Carry on.
Sen. Robin Tucker: Okay. Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
From the outset I just want to say that certai nly the Opposition is in support of this Extension Order.
I would, though, like to say that it is quite disappointing that we actually have to be in this particular state. I
mean, I think that most of us last y ear in all the su bsequent extensions since we entered this whole
COVID -19 environment in 2020 kind of hoped and
expected that maybe within a year we would be r eturning to some sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, that has not happened and we find ourselves in this pa rticular situation.
I certainly also support the Junior Minister’s
comment as it relates to her encouraging people to practice the three C’s , ensur ing that the masks are on
appropriately, handwashing and physical distancing. I would also like to s ay that we have all heard all of the
conversations about vaccines, which are very, very
important and will play a critical role in helping us to again return to some sense of normalcy. My information is that as of the 18
th of September, there were
66.2 per cent of the population that had two doses of
the vaccine.
So my question, Madam President, for the
Junior Minister is, What does the Government plan to
do to further increase vaccination rates? But other
than that one question, Madam President, again we
are in full support of the extension, and I thank you for giving me a few moments to speak .

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak?

Yes. Thank you so
much.
I think all of us are aware that this , our current
fourth wave, has really affected our country. My heart
of course goes out to all of the affected families, particularly those who have lost loved ones.
As Cabinet Minister , as well as someone who
represents the Government in the Senate, I know the Government right now is doing everything it possibly
can to help increase our vaccination efforts. Lately I
have not been able to watch YouTube, for example,
without seeing Government ads encouraging the pub-lic to consider vaccination. So we are certainly proud
of the Government’s efforts to date so far. We certai nly appreciate all of our citizens regarding the coo peration wi th the health measures .
Together I believe we can get through this. Of
course, as we look and see what is happening around
the world, we are certainly not alone as it relates to
dealing with this pandemic. So I really want to thank
our Ministry of Health and, by extension , the hospital
and all of our health c are workers. They certainly need
our prayers at this time.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Order?
Hearing none, t hen, Senator Hodgson, it is
over to you.
Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Regarding Senators’ questions concerning the
vaccination programme and how they are looking to
extend our efforts, I can say that in the past week , and
definitely in the last few weeks, we have seen an i ncreased interest in the vaccine. So the King Edward
VII Memorial [Hospital] continues to be open for appointments and walk -ins. I believe that is on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and Saturdays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. I am sure that as we
have done in the past, as the interest continues to increase we will continue to work to meet the demand.
Obviously, the Government is committed to ensuring
that all persons have access. So we wi ll continue to
provide that access.
Madam President, I move that the said draft
Order be approved and that the following message be
sent to Her Excellency the Governor:
May it please Your Excellency:
The Senate, having had under consideration
the draft Order entitled the Public Health (COVID -19)
Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021 proposed to
be made by the Minister responsible for Health under
the provisions of section 107A of the Public Health Act 1949, has the honour to inform Your Excellency that
the Senate has approved the said draft Order.

The President: Is there any objection to the Order
being sent?
No. Then thank you, Senators, and thank you,
Senator Arianna Hodgson. The message will be sent.

[Motion carried: The draft Order entitled Public Health
(COVID -19) Emergency Extension (No. 5) Order 2021
was approved.]

Sen. Arianna Hodgson: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.

The President: The second item on the Orders of the
Day is the consideration of the draft Proclamation
[proposed to be] made by Her Excellency the Governor in exercise of the power conferred by section 4 of
the Public Holidays Act 1947. And this is in the name
of Dr. E. G. V. Peets, Minister of Youth, Culture and
Sport.
Minister, you have the floor.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER 71(2)

Madam President, I
move that Senate do now take under consideration
the draft Proclamation proposed to be made by Her
Excellency the Governor in exercise of the power conferred by section 4 of the Public Holidays Act 1947.

The President: Carry on, Minister Peets.

PROCLAMATION

BY HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR
IN EXERCISE OF THE POWER CONFERRED
ON THE GOVERNOR BY SECTION 4
OF THE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS ACT 1947

FLORA DU FFY DAY

By Her Excellency,
Ms. Rena Lalgie, Governor and Commander -in-Chief
of Bermuda.


Bermuda Senate IN EXERCISE of the power conferred on the
Governor by section 4 of the Public Holidays Act
1947, and acting in accordance with the advice of the
Cabinet, I do hereby declare Monday, the 18th of October 2021, to be a public holiday.
Given under my hand and Public Seal of
Bermuda, this 29th day of September 2021 in the 70th
year of Her Majesty’s reign.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any Senator care to speak on this
Proclamation?
Senator Michelle Simmons, Vice President,
you have the floor.
Sen. Michelle Simmons: Thank you, Madam Pres ident.
Almost 34 years ago, Flora Duffy was born
here in Bermuda. In fact, her 34th birthday is tomorrow. I think it is important for us to recognise and understand that her success in the Tokyo Olympics was
not an accident. It has been the culminatio n of years
and years of hard work, determination and dedication.
So, what I would like to do as I speak in support of the Proclamation is to just paint a picture, because our young people and adults who are listening
to this will find it interesting. Starting at the age of
seven, Flora began to compete in triathlons, maybe
not with the best of equipment. And as a youngster
she was testing the water. But she continued. And her
first big win came at the CAC Games in 2010 (that is
the Central American and Car ibbean Games ) where
she won a silver medal.
The Tokyo Olympics were her fourth Oly mpics, having competed in Beijing in 2008, London in
2012, and Rio in 2016. Her first two attempts at the
Olympics did not go the way she wanted at all. And I
think a lesser being would have just said, Look. I’ve
tried, and this is it. But that was not Flora. That was
not going to be the end of her dream.
So starting in 2013, Flora began winning
medals at the XTERRA Triathlon World Championships. I believe she has won a total of five gold medals at those championships. She has also earned two
gold medals from the ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships. That was in 2015 and 2016. And then
two more at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in
2016 and 2017. So becoming an Olympic champion is
something that does not happen by chance, by luck or
overnight. It is something that you build up over years,
years of hard work and determination.
In my opinion, it is a most fitting honour that
we should celebrate Flora Duffy and her Olym pic gold
accomplishment on October 18. She deserves the accolades of our entire community since Flora has won gold in her own right for herself, but also she has
won gold at the Olympics as Bermuda’s first -ever
Olympian to achieve that status. To her parents, Mr. Charlie and Ms. Maria Duffy, I also send accolades
because they recognised Flora’s potential at the age
of seven.
So, Madam President, I am in full support of
this Proclamation, and I hope that the whole comm unity will join in as we celebrate our first Olympic Gold
Champion.
Thank you.

The President: Thank you, Senator Michelle Si mmons, Vice President of the Senate.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Proclamation?
Senator Ben Smith, you have the floor.
Sen. Ben Smith: Thank you. Good morning, Madam
President.
The President: Good morning.

Sen. Ben Smith: And good morning, all Senators.
I would like to join in in our support from the
Opposition for the celebration of Flora Duffy and her
accomplishments. But I also want to follow on with
some of the sentiments that were expressed by Sen ator [Michelle] Simmons when she talked about this
long journey that it takes to reach where Flora was in
Tokyo.
Senator Simmons talked about Flora having
the opportunity to go to her first Olympics and her
second Olympics and her third Olympics before she was able to triumph in her fourth Olympics. That per-severance, that dedication and focus to your sport, is
something that we should be holding up for all of our
of population to look at. That when you get knocked
down or do not quite reach the goal that you were
aiming for, you get back up, you continue to work
hard, you continue to strive to get to that end goal.
Madam President, as a young girl, Flora was
determined to do the best that she possib ly could. And
I remember [her determination] at those early morning sessions at the swimming pool. For that reason I can
remember the joy on her face when she was doing
well; but I also remember that determination when
things were not quite going where the y needed to, that
she was going to try harder.
In many cases she was one of the only girls in
the pool at the time, but was trying her hardest to beat the boys, always trying to do whatever she could to be
first in the pool. Madam President, she has conti nued
that through her life. But it is important that we point
out that it was a support system that helped her to get
there. Her mother and father being part of making
sure she was getting up early in the morning, taking
her to the swimming pool for swimmi ng competitions
and swimming training, but also all the way to Clearwater for training in triathlon for cycling.
Madam President, it takes a lot of people t ogether to get to the destination of where Flora was.
668 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate The celebration that I am hoping that we are able to
have on [October] 18 for Flora and her accomplis hment, to me I hope is the first step—the first step for
us to understand what Bermudians can accomplish if
all of us are supportive of each other for us to get to that goal. Because, Madam President, it has not always been that sports gets the kind of support that is
needed for us to get the accomplishment that Flora
was able to reach.
She was able to do that a lot because her
family was able to support her at a level so that she could continue on when things were not going as well
as she wanted them to go. They supported her when
things were not going great, which allowed her to continue on. That is not always the case for everybody else. So I am hoping that as we celebrate, it opens
our eyes to what the possibilities are and what ha ppens if we as a community start to support our young people to reach the highest height. So let us celebrate
Flora, not just on that day, but in all of our actions so
that we can have all of our young people strive for the highest height.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Smith, Oppos ition Leader in the Senate and the Shadow Minister for
Education, Opposition spokesman for Youth, Sport and Community Affairs. Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to speak on
this Proclamation?
Hearing none then, Minister Peets, your final
comment.

Madam President, I
move that the said draft Proclamation be approved
and that the following message be sent to Her Exce llency the Governor:
May it please Your Excellency:
The Senate, having had under consideration a
draft Proclamation proposed to be made by Her E xcellency the Governor in exercise of the power conferred by section 4 of the Public Holidays Act 1947
and acting in accordance with the advice of Cabinet declaring Monday, 18 October 2021, to be a public
holiday, has this honour to inform Your Excellency the
Senate has approved the said draft Proclamation.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets. A suitable
message will be sent.

[Motion carried: The Proclamation by Her Excellency
the Governor in exercise of the power conferred by
section 4 of the Public Holidays Act 1947 was approved.]
The President: Thank you, Senators.
Now that brings us to the next item on the
agenda.
MOTIONS

The President: There are none.

CONGRATULATORY AND/OR
OBITUARY SPEECHES

The President: Would any Senator care to speak on
these?
Senator Wight, you have the floor.

Sen. John Wight: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to send condolences to the family
of Marjorie Stanton, who passed away recently after a
remarkable life serving the arts in Bermuda. Marjorie
was a former President of the Gilbert & Sullivan S ociety of Bermuda, who used her love of theatre and
music to bring Broadway -quality shows to the Island’s
audiences. In fact, she was the President from 1984
through to 2012, obviously [ INAUDIBLE ] a very long
reign. She brought productions to Bermuda such as
Chicago and Les Mis érables, amongst many other
famous ones.
Ms. Stanton was born in the UK, came to
Bermuda in 1970 with her late husband Keith, a government statistician who encouraged her theatrical
work. Ms. Stanton was awarded the Queen’s Certif icate and Badge of Honour for her services to the
community in 2005. She did a lot of volunteer work in
the community, including Warwick Academy Clothing
Mart, the Bargain Box and the Harbour Swim Club. So
I would like to send condolences to her daughter, J ulie, and the other Stanton family members.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Wight.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Robin Tucker, you have the floor.

Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
I would like to extend condolences to the fam ily of Duane Gibbons. The community obviously knows
that Duane was recently murdered. I have known
Duane since I was a teenager. We had mutual friends. And we would say hello to each other even well into
our 50s. So I will always remember Duane as being a
very friendly, very personable individual . He played
golf and worked at Belmont, and certainly I would see
him pretty frequently in that area when I was driving
through. So obviously his death was shocking to the
community, and I would like to express condolences
to his family, to his friends and also to his co- workers.
Madam President, I also would like to extend
congratulations to Jayde Gibbons. I have met Jayde; I
do not know her personally. However, she used to
work at one point at Pembroke Tile & Stone. She was
the person who assisted me wit h a project that I was
having. And we got to talking, and she showed me


Bermuda Senate some of the pictures that she had been taking and so
on. If anyone has had the pleasure of seeing any of
Jayde’s work, you would know that she is an amazing
photographer. I have recent ly discovered that in the
announcement that was made that she was the featured artist at the Rick Fairies Gallery at the Masterworks Museum for the month of September.
So this was Jayde’s first solo show, which ran
from the 3rd of September up until yesterday, in fact.
And it was called MNFR, which was a tribute to Black
Bermudian men, showing -casing their experiences,
their stories and their truths. I have seen some of the images, and they are pretty amazing. Certainly it
speaks to Jayde’s tremendous tale nt. One of the
things that make Jayde’s talent so impressive is that
she is a self -taught photographer. She produces some
very, very amazing work. So I just want to recognise
her and say congratulations on her first solo show.
And I look forward to whatever else is coming down
the pipeline from her because she is definitely one to
watch.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Would any other Senator care to speak?

I certainly thank
Senator [Michelle] Simmons for alerting us that Flora
Duffy has a birthday tomorrow. Perhaps a suitable
birthday mes sage from the Legislative Branch of Government would be suitable for Flora Duffy on her special day. So congratulations to Flora and certainly
happy birthday!
I would want to recognise the accomplis hments of our U -20 National [Women’s] Football Team.
They are performing quite well and sitting on top of
their qualifying group in the U -20 Concacaf FIFA
qualifier. So congratulations! We have an excellent
team, and we certainly wish them the best in their f uture endeavours.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
Would any other Senator care to speak?
Senator Owen Darrell, you have the floor.
Sen. Owen Darrell: Good morning, Madam Pres ident, again.

The President: Good morning to you.

Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, unfortunately I
would like to give condolences to the family of Ms.
Romel Woolridge. Ms. Romel Woolridge for many
years worked at the Family Centre. At some point she did work with my mom. Then she went on and worked
at other services, and I had the pleasure of working
with her as an educa tor as she worked tirelessly for
the development of young people and bettering them in this country.
But more important, I want to give condolences to her son, Mr. Kanhai Woolridge. I met Kanhai
probably my first year at teaching almost 20 years ago
at CedarBridge Academy. Kanhai loved history. Even
to this day we share a joke about different dictators.
And Romel raised Kanhai to be a wonderful young man. Some of you may have seen Kanhai working
years ago at the Hamilton Princess. I think he now
works at a beverage company. But he is going to be a
fine young man, and this is no [small] testament to the
way that his mom, Ms. Woolridge, raised him. So I
was sad to see that she passed last week after an illness. And to her family, her brothers, her sisters and
most importantly to her son, Kanhai, I just want to offer my condolences. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
congrats and obits?
Hearing none, we will move on to the last
item.

ADJOURNMENT

The President: Minister Peets, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam
President.
I invite Senate to adjourn until Wednesday,
October 6, 2021.

The President: Thank you.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Yes, Senator Marcus Jones. I see you. You
have the floor.
[Inaudible interjection and l aughter]

COVID -19—THE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND
TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE
BOARD

Sen. Marcus Jones: Good morning, Madam President. Good morning to my fellow Senators, and good
morning to the listening audience.
In reading the book Guinness World Records
the other day, I discovered that Bermuda has the
highest cost of living of any country in the world. It
also has the highest municipal solid waste for a cou ntry per capita. Bermuda also joins 11 other countries
as the most urbanised. The fourth distinction that I
discovered, which is not news to the community at this
point, is that Bermuda is the smallest country by popu670 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate lation to win an Olympic gold medal. And we know,
having listened to the Proclamation read by the Mini ster and by the accolades given to her by Senator
[Michelle] Simmons, we know this is none other than
our own Flora Duffy. Of those four distinctions I would
say the last one, the Olympic gold medal, is the one
that we would celebrate the most.
But, Madam President, it really grieved me on
hearing the news of the escalating numbers of pos itive cases of this COVID -19 virus, to see the escalating numbers, yes, in our community. This plague has
wrung havoc in our community, which caused me to do more reading about where Bermuda stands in certain categories. And it saddens me to make the observation that, according to a global list produced by
The New York Times, Bermuda happens to be number one in the rate of positive cases of COVID -19 per
100,000 people, that being a 171 rate per 100,000
persons.
We also rank number two in the highest number of deaths per capita. Now, one good distinction is
that Bermuda is number two in the number of vaccinated persons within its community, at a rate of
67 per cent of its residents being fully vaccinated, not
including children. So that is a good distinction.
But, Madam President, those numbers to me
seem nonsensical. How could we, being a community
with 67 per cent of its residents being fully vaccinated,
be number one in cases of COVID -19 and number
two in the number of deaths per capita? It only brings
me to the conclusion that we as a people are not practicing the protocols and the guidelines being put forward by our Government. It is very important that ev ery man, woman, boy and girl pay attention to the
guidelines that have been put in place. We do not
want to see our numbers escalating.
And if we remember, one of the stat ements
that the Premier and the Minister of Health made at the onset of this particular pandemic was that the purpose of the shelter in place, the purpose of the strict
protocols were to ensure that our hospital is not overrun and that it can handle and manage the numbers.
And we are seeing that those limitations are being pushed and being challenged, Madam President.
So why am I raising this topic? I am raising
this topic based on the news that we just heard on the weekend, having the sad news of 10 persons dying in
one day. I am reminded of some second- hand information that I received over the past week from one of
our longest -living members of our community. She
happens to be 107 years old. She was alive at the time when the world was experiencing its last major pandemic, which was the Spanish flu. And I got this
information third- hand, but it intrigued me when she
was asked the question, What was happening during
that time that got your attention and still remains with
you today? And her observation was that on a daily
basis the bells of the church were ringing every day signifying someone else who had died. Madam Pres i-dent, that just broke my heart because I am saying,
here we are today and we are seeing this scourge,
this plague, as it were, seemingly t aking the upper
hand in our community.
Madam President, I will submit to you that we
are living in a time very much like war -torn Europe in
the 1940s. We are under a major crisis. So that
means everyone, every person in this country, this
community, has t o be on high alert and be willing to
sacrifice their own individual needs and likes and be able to come under the general instructions and guide lines that will help the country as a whole. We
need a public forum where everyone, from medical
practitioners, scientists, religious leaders [to] those
who are strongly against vaccinations . . . we need
everybody in the room for a very firm, candid, honest
discussion on how we as a community are going to take the next steps in addressing this particular situation.
Now, Madam President, allow me to take you
and my colleagues back 20 months ago to March of
2020 when we were first introduced to this crisis. It took not only Bermuda, but the whole world by storm.
And remember at that time the Premier was practically
in front of our TV almost every day bringing information, letting us know what the Government was
doing, giving instructions on how we should do all we
can to maintain our safety and health in our communi-ty. Madam President, I did think that was important
because at that time in Bermuda’s history, we definit ely needed comfort to come from our top leaders.
And at that time, if you remember, the Oppos ition was in alignment with what the Government was doing. The Opposition was invited to be a part of di scussi ons behind the scenes. The Opposition was i nvited, at least the Leader was invited at times, to be at
the press conference. And the intent of those invit ations was for the country to see that we had put aside
our political differences and divisiveness and came together as a nation to fight this scourge together.
And then, Madam President, as the Gover nment was seen as managing this crisis very well, we started to see less of the Opposition. We started to
see the Premier and his team alone in front of the T V.
I will say this, having been in the room: The Oppos ition made every attempt at every chance that we got to encourage the Government, to cheer it on, to be the
support. We were there for them. We asked the hard
questions behind the scenes, Madam President. We
did not want the country to misinterpret our probing
questions as complaints and criticisms above and be-yond bringing about solutions for the country.
Well, Madam President, we were rewarded for
our willingness to work with the Government by hav-ing this PLP Administration call an election in the
midst of a pandemic. Madam President, I will submit to you that this Government decided to leave the high moral ground and take on an election in the middle of
a pandemic, deeming the ability to maintain and gain


Bermuda Senate power, political power, over the health and safety of its
citizens.
And you may ask me, Madam President, Why
am I being harsh? I am being harsh because down
through these last 20 months we have seen actions of the Government that have not been [consi stent] with
some of the things that they were espousing for the
country to do. We have seen Cabinet Members go
directly opposite to what the Government —its own
Government —was suggesting for the country to follow. We saw issues in the seniors’ homes at the b eginning of the onset of this pandemic where information was not being given to the country about what
was going on, the shortage of PPE.
And now at a time that we needed to see the
Leader of this country in our living room TVs on a re gular basis, we do not see him. Why is that, Madam
President? Why does there not seem to be that laser -
beam focus as we saw 20 months ago? Do we actually dare to even suggest that there were plans afoot
when polls were high to bring in an election at a time when we least nee ded it?
Madam President, I will give you an example.
During that election, I happened to run in Pembroke
West. This was a constituency that was able to have
76 per cent voter turnout for the four previous elections prior to October of 2020. In the October 2020
election less than 54 per cent of the electorate
showed up to vote. One may ask, Why is that? Was it
that the country was not willing to go to [the polls] at
that time? What was going on?
Madam President, I have gone back to my
supporters in that constituency. And the overwhelming
reason for persons in that particular constituency [is
that] there happens to be a large number of seniors.
And I was saddened to hear that a lot of them were
saying, Mr. Jones, we wanted to support you, but we
didn’t feel comfortable. I am sure they did not feel
comfortable for us coming out into a public forum or
such as that to have an election. That saddens me,
Madam President. So now here we are 20 months
later. And it has gotten worse rather than better.
So I said at the beginning of my observations
today, Madam President, that we are in a situation
very much likened to war -torn Europe back in World
War II. I remember my mother telling me that during
that tim e she and her neighbours and the whole country at night -time had to make sure that their windows
were darkened, that there was no light coming from the Island, so that in the event any German aircraft
came across the Island, they would not be able to pick
the target, and the country as a whole could protect itself.
Now, that directive from the Government at
that time for people to turn off their lights and to cover up their windows took away their civil liberties. They had to give up their rights to have all of the lights and
all of the conveniences that they wanted to have during that time. And we have reached that point in Ber-muda’s history right now where the needs of the m ajority or the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the individual. And, Madam President, it is a hard pill
to have to swallow, but we have to do it as a country. We have to do it together.
So what is my point in this motion to adjourn,
Madam President? My purpose is to shine a little bit of
light on what has transpired over the las t 20 months.
At one point we were able to applaud the work of this
Government at the beginning, when things were going
well, it looked like we had everything under control, but now we have descended into a situation where
information at times is scarce, where information is
not as free- flowing, where we do not see the Leader
of this country as much as we feel that we should, at a
time where its citizens need some hand- holding by its
leadership.
We want to also highlight the fact that we
need to value our f rontline workers. We need to value
those people within our communities who deal and handle and do services for our most vulnerable. That
means the teachers who deal with our students, the caregivers who have to take care of our seniors in the
seniors’ homes .
It also would include those part -time workers
who are at the hospital. And, Madam Pres ident, it has
not es caped me, you having worked many years in
that i ndustry, there is a certain phrase that has come
to my attention that I was never aware of, and it i s the
phrase, compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue—
that is the phrase that has [come to be] very much
[present] in our consciousness during this pa ndemic.
Madam President, compassion fatigue is the
impact on a person’s physical, emotional and psycho-logical well -being when helping others. Can you imagine? In those frontline workers, having to extend a
hand, service and help those who are in need at a
time when many of their colleagues, for whatever reason, are sick and cannot fill their spot right there at the hospital or in the seniors homes for whatever reason.
Those who are there who are still helping have to take
on the responsibility and the workload. And many of
our frontline workers are experiencing compassion
fatigue.
The symptoms of this particul ar phrase, of this
particular malady —irritation, anger, resentment, the
inability to gain pleasure out of normal activities
. . . all
of these underlying symptoms are impacting our frontline health workers. We need to do all we can as a
community to ease t he loads of those who are on the
front line, servicing and helping those who are most
vulnerable. One of the best ways that we can do this,
Madam President, is by all of us making a concerted
effort to get vaccinated. I will have to say to you, Mad-am Presi dent, that I was not quick to get a vaccination
right away. I have never had a flu shot in all of my life.
But I realised that my own individual needs were i nsufficient for me to not do it.
672 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate I remember, I am sure most of you over the
age of 40 would remember, in our days in school
when all of us had to get a booster shot. We had to
get a shot for the measles, mumps. Actually the di strict nurses and health care workers actually came to
the school, and we all had to line up in the gymnasium
and we had to get our shots. Everybody had to get
their shot. There was nobody who was able to get out
of it. We trusted the wisdom of our medical practitioners. And we have seen over the last 34 years that
measles and mumps, TB, all of these illnesses have almost been erad icated because the majority of the
population followed the instruction of the medical
practitioners and science and were able eradicate
these illnesses that once upon a time seemed insurmountable.
Madam President, these are early days and
many of our fell ow citizens, and rightly so, do not feel
fully comfortable, as I did not, in that the rollout of this
vaccination seemed short in time where not enough
time was spent to actually study it and make sure all of the kinks were worked out. But, Madam President ,
in light of the numbers, in light of the data, we now know that despite its newness, despite the early sta ges of this vaccination we found that the rate of those
who will be put in harm’s way who have been vaccinated is far less than those who have not.
So at this time [when] Bermuda is in its lowest
point, when we are seeing those of our loved ones, family and friends who are succumbing to this partic ular virus, we encourage our fellow Bermudians, we
especially encourage those who work hand to hand
with those who are vulnerable, that they would step up
despite the fact that not everything is perfect. You
cannot depend upon 100 per cent being free from the
scourge. But do all we can to make sure that we are
safe and we are healthy when we are dealing with
especially those who are most vulnerable.
I thank you for this time, Madam President.
The President: Thank you, Senator Marcus Jones.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?
Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President.
The President: Yes, Senator Owen Darrell, you have
the floor.

COVID -19—THE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND
TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE
BOARD
Sen. Owen Darrell: Thank you, Madam President.
With your indulgence, may I just quote a few
lines from what I heard from a speech from another
place on Friday?

The President: You certainly may. Sen. Owen Darrell: Madam President, on Friday in
another place, the Leader of the Progressive Labour
Party said these words: “ Let us replace division with
the understanding that the people suffering from this
virus are all Bermudians. As a people we like to fight. We love to debate. . . . And we love to come with all
types of theories as to how or why the Government
does what it does.” . . . (This is a matter of) “ life or
death. And we need to come together to preserve
life.”
Madam President, as I sat here this morning I
did not intend to speak on the motion to adjourn. As I
started listening to Senator Jones’s comments, I said,
Well done. He has put the division aside. Madam
Preside nt, then he took a hard left turn. And it
shocked me that 364 days ago it was the One Berm uda Alliance that took a serious defeat in the polls.
Three hundred and sixty -four days ago this country
voted for strong leadership in the midst of a pandemic.
And S enator Jones thinks that on the one- year anniversary of that defeat it would be a great idea for him
to make excuses as to why MP Jache Adams is now representing constituency 19 rather than himself.
Shocking!
Shocking, Madam President, that at a time
when we have 62 people at last check who are
mour ning the loss of loved ones due to COVID -19. At
last check, Madam President, we have 66 people who
are in the hospital, 10 of whom are in ICU and, unfortunately, Madam President, there will be more deaths.
And w e have Senator Jones, who after an eloquent 10
minutes, decides to take a left turn and throw shots at
the leadership of the Government.
Madam President, one of the reasons why the
Government probably has not enlisted the support of
the Opposition lately is because the Opposition cannot decide what side of the aisle they want to be on. One minute the Honourable Opposition Leader who
sits in another place is singing one tune. The former Leader, who also sits in another place, is singing another tune. Some f ailed candidates get into the daily
and they sing other tunes. So why would the Gover nment call on the Opposition to assist in a pandemic where people are dying when the six of them —I am
sorry, the nine of them cannot decide what tack they
are going to tak e and offer any sort of credible sol utions to help [eradicate] this horrible pandemic?
Madam President, as the Leader of the Pr ogressive Labour Party has said many times, Leadership is difficu lt. Tough decisions have to be made. We
are not going to make excuses. We are not going to shy away from those tough decisions and leadership.
But what I will not let happen, not in the Senate, and I
am sure my colleagues in another place are not going
to let a very weak Opposition come here and throw
shots across th e aisle about this Government not doing enough to help this community , because if we are
going to talk about the last 20 months, and I have talked about it before, there are many situations


Bermuda Senate where the Opposition has been less than supportive
of the health c are workers, young and old, who have
been working day and night to help this community
overcome this pandemic.
So, Madam President, on a week where I
know many of my friends who have lost close friends due to COVID -19, on a week when many of my
friends ha ve been in quarantine for two weeks, on a
week when people have contacted me with fear in
their voices saying, I think it’s time to get the vaccination, I actually think it is shocking, it is out of order that
a Senator from the Opposition in the middle of what
sounded like a rallying cry for working through this pandemic, would decide to tell me and the country
about how he is taking time walking in MP Adams’s constituency figuring out why he lost in an election
364 days ago.
Madam President, I would just like to finish by
saying heartfelt condolences to anyone who is going
through the struggles of COVID -19 right now. I just
want to thank Cabinet, all health care workers, ever yone in Bermuda who is doing their part to try to bring
this pandemic to an end. And, Madam President, I
want to say that the Progressive Labour Party will
continue to lead. With the help of everyone who wants
to be included, we will be successful in bringing this
pandemic to an end.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank y ou, Senator Owen Darrell.
Would any other Senator care to speak on the
motion to adjourn?

Thank you, Madam
President. I certainly thank Senator Darrell for his
comments. I will try to keep my comments brief.
This particular pandemic has huge demands. —

POINT OF ORDER

Sen. Ben Smith: Excuse me, Madam President. E xcuse me, Madam President. Point of order.
If the Minister [ speaks] , that is supposed to be
the end of the debate. Senator Tucker actually put her
hand up.

The President: Minister Peets.

Absolutely. Thank
you. Yes. Thank you, Madam President.
The President: Senator Tucker, I am sorry. I did not
notice that you wanted to speak. But you now have
the floor.

COVID -19—THE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND
TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE
BOARD
Sen. Robin Tucker: Thank you, Madam President.
Senator, thank you.
What I wanted to talk about today is mothers,
fathers, uncles, cousins, brothers, grandparents, in -
laws and friends. All of those categories represent the 62 people who have passed away in this country due
to COVID -19. I think that sometimes it is a bit difficult
to reconcile that these are human beings when we are just looking at numbers, when we hear just about the
numbers. These are faceless individuals when we just
focus on the numbers.
But what I want to do today, Madam Pres ident, is focus on the fact that these are all human beings with loved ones. And they represent a family
member or a friend. It is devastating to me personally
that we have lost 62 people, 62 Bermudians, 62 of our
friends, of our neighbours to COVID -19. And we could
possibly have prevented most of them. There is a
population in this country who is . . . has been very
irresponsible with their carrying out of what is r equired, what the Government has required th at they
do.
And, Madam President, it is time for me personally to speak to that because these 62 people will not celebrate Christmas with their families. They will not celebrate birthdays with their families. They will
not be able to share a story or laug h or just have an
argument with their families. That is over for them.
They had one opportunity to get COVID -19. They got
it, and they are no longer here.
So numbers, Madam President, to me are
important so we can have a ballpark [idea of the problem], but we have to be able to reconcile that number
with an individual, understanding this is a human life!
It pains me sincerely that we are now in a fourth wave.
The heartache and the pain and the deaths that are
going on—I do not want us to get to a place where we start to just hear the numbers and then we move on,
because that is happening in some circles.
674 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate It is important that we focus on the fact that
our best defence against COVID -19 is being vaccinated. There are 102 doctors out of 183 registered doctors in Bermuda who have gone on record to back the
Medical Doctors Association’s appeal for people to get
vaccinated. We are now beyond the niceties, Madam
President. We can ill afford to continue to stroke people in the hope that they will do what is necessar y to
protect themselves and the community.
Now, there is a whole list of doctors who have
backed the Medical Doctors Association’s letter in t oday’s RG [Royal Gazette]. Individuals can go and look
for their doctors’ names (they are all listed there) and have a conversation with their doctors if they are still
on the fence. Like Senator Jones mentioned, he was a little apprehensive in the beginning before he had
his vaccination, as was I. But as I had said publicly, I
recognised that I have elderly parents . I recognised
that I have grandchildren. This is beyond me. This is
now about protecting not only ourselves, but our wider
community.
And the best way we can do it is stop fighting
amongst ourselves. This is beyond politics! I said again socially, I did not sign up for politics; I sincerely
care about the well -being of people. Madam Pres ident, we have to be able to turn our attention and our efforts to galvanising the teams to work against COVID -19, not each other , not red shirts, not green
shirts, not PL P, OBA, FDA and all of that. This is all
beyond that now. When we are saying we had 17
Bermudians —17 people in this country —die from Fr iday to Monday, we can ill afford to keep focusing only on political aisles and what each side is doing. We have to be able to put that aside in order to save our
community! It is that serious and that deep.
I support fully, I have always said, individuals’
rights to choose what is best for them. However, I also
believe that a country has a responsibility to protect its
citizens who are unable to protect themselves, and
specifically the children, the elderly and the people who are medically vulnerable. We have a responsibi lity to do that. It is time to do what the Premier has said
already, what the Health Minister has said a lready,
what the Opposition Leader has said already, what
the Shadow Minister Dunkley has said already. We
have got to trust the science. Not our YouTube clips and our followers whom we are getting through
WhatsApp who are from what could possibly be some
kind of source which may have some element of truth,
but not facts.
Madam President, we must start to look more
seriously at shifting to how we are going to take some tangible steps to protect that vulnerable population, to
protect our sick. We should be requiring vaccinations
and mandatory biweekly testing for people who are
interacting with our sick and elderly population! We need to be doing the same for individuals who are
working in our residential care homes, who are not
only dealing with our seniors , but also our children who are in those homes. We also need to be protec ting the children in the classrooms, doing the same. We should be making sure that there are regular b iweekly tests and mandatory [vaccinations] —yes, I am
saying it! —because we have t o protect people against
death.
We have to [tell our] teachers they are dealing
with our children. Children are unable to protect them-selves. We have to take steps to do it for them. All of
our teachers, anybody dealing with children, my recommendation, m y suggestion, my position is that we
need to make sure that those teachers are vaccina ted! Madam President, as I said, people working in
those roles have a right to choose. But they have a
responsibility to protect. And they have to do it at all
costs, in my opinion.
We are in desperate, desperate, desperate
times. This is literally life or death. I expect that my suggestions and my position put forth here today will
be very unpopular with some. But, Madam President, I
am very comfortable with that. As I said in the begi nning, I did not enter politics for a popularity contest. I
signed up because I care about people and their well -
being. And I am not going to say anything that is poli tically expedient. I am always going to say what I b elieve is the right t hing to do.
If people do not want to take the vaccine, that
is their choice. However, steps should be taken to en-sure that we are guided as a community by people
who are informed and knowledgeable, medical pr ofessionals and scientists who give strategies and recommendations to help us all get through this and to
protect each and every one of us in this Island so we
can be restored to some sense of normalcy.
Madam President, Bermuda cannot remain in
limbo! While our economy is in a critical state, we are
probably over the tipping point now, just hanging on to
the side of the cliff. Our mental health and our well -
being are waning. We have been going through this
rollercoaster for too long. Some decisiveness has to
start taking place. Some social sector agenc ies have
seen increases in things like food aid and meal r equirements, requests for family support, increased requests for domestic violence support, increased r equests around hardship needs. We need to get our
country back on track! We must do it. And som e of the
decisions that must be made are going to be unpopular. But the leadership has to be comfortable with that.
People are dying while the debates are going
on about vaccinations and no- vaccinations. They are
literally dying. We have 62 people whom we can put a
name next to, Madam President. They are more than
numbers. And as I said already, they are human beings with grieving families and friends. Having add itional levels of protection such as requiring vaccines
for those who are able, biweekly testin g for people
who work with vulnerable populations, in addition to
. . . of course we all know the handwashing, the proper mask -wearing, physical distancing and the proper


Bermuda Senate use of the SafeKey are all our best defences against
COVID -19.
These are desperate t imes! The decisions
taken could well make the difference between som eone’s life or death. Will it be your family member,
Madam President? Will it be mine? Will it be an ybody’s listening? Of course we do not want that.
There are 62 people already dead. Do w e wait until
we record 72, 102, 202 before decisive steps are taken? I would rather do what those who have been e ntrusted with our health at this time [recommend], to
follow their recommendations than not to follow them
and be wrong.
Bermuda, listening au dience, Senate co lleagues and of course Madam President, I beg Bermuda. On behalf of your families, of your friends, of
others who love and care about you and rely on you,
for your children, for our vulnerable, for our seniors,
please get vaccinated if you have not already done
so! It is our very best protection against COVID -19.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Senator Robin Tucker.
Before I call on . . . yes. I see you, Senator
Ben Smith. You have the floor.

COVID -19—THE NEED TO WO RK TOGETHER AND
TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE
BOARD

Sen. Ben. Smith: Thank you, Madam President.
Madam President, when the news broke over
the weekend that we had this large number of deaths
announced all at once, the 10 that had just followed a
number that we thought was out of the realm, which
was the 7 that had happened earlier in the week, I
believe that there were a lot of people in Bermuda
who started to feel panic.
When this pandemic first hit and we were seeing it over in Europe and w e were seeing thousands of
people dying and what was happening in hospitals, it
was somewhere else. Madam President, I remember
when the Premier stood up and told everybody that the potential was that there were going to be 650
deaths in Bermuda. That is w hat the charts were pr edicting the possibility was. Madam President, at that
time that number was shocking. But we were still in
the beginning; we did not know what was going to
happen. But there were a lot who felt that we had
reached a point in our count ry where we were over
the pandemic. The Premier himself said it. He was shocked that the second wave happened because he believed that we had reached past that point.
Madam President, then we had the third
wave. And now we are in the fourth, which with the Delta variant has been the most deadly, the most i nfectious. And the impact is absolutely devastating.
So, Madam President, what happened was
immediately phone calls started happening. We star t-ed to have conversations with each other, difficult
conversations. Because, Madam President, we cannot allow our country to continue to go in the direction
that it is, to see the number of people in this country
die and be infected.
Because, Madam President, the part that gets
left out —yes, devastation, 62 people dying, families
suffering in Bermuda because they lost their loved ones. But, Madam President, there is long COVID -19,
there are effects and impacts on people because of this virus that are lifelong that we are not discussing; the impact that it has had on the children in Bermuda
because of what has happened in our education sy stem. The Junior Minister, the last time we were here, talked about the impact that it is having on our young
people, on their mental health, [and] on what is going
to happen with their education going forward because of the things that they are missing out on today.
Well, Madam President, the problem that I
started to see was we were hearing a loud minority
talk about the things that they were getting on TikTok
and YouTube and WhatsA pp messages from people
who are not doctors and not scientists. We are star ting to see that the doctors have had enough! The
hospital has had enough! Madam President, it is time for our leadership to say, We’ve had enough! We all
need to start to speak up. And that is the reason that
we are speaking up today because the silence can
last no longer.
Our population is suffering. The economy is
devastated! But, Madam President, if you think about it, that economic situation leads to more health issues because people do not know whether they are going
to have a job next week. That is mental anxiety. How
am I going to pay for my bills? The cost of health care
continues to go up. They do not know how they are
going to do things. And now you have no idea whether
every conversation you have or any place that you
have been to has made you the next person who is
going to have COVID -19. So in some cases, we are
looking at each other like, Maybe you’re the person
who’s going to give it to me.
Madam President, the divisi on and separation
has been clear. There are vaxxers and anti -vaxxers.
But, Madam President, this virus does not care! It
does not care what T -shirt you are wearing. It does
not care whether you got elected. It does not care
whether you did not get elected. It does not care
whether you are the leader of the country or you are
somebody who has not had a job for the last 20 years.
It does not care. It is killing all of our people whom it
wants to kill. And we have to now accept that this is
where we are.
Sena tor Jones talked about the bell that was
ringing 100 years ago. We need to start to ring the bell so that our country understands that that is where we
are! Because, Madam President, there are people in our population who have not been listening to the
rules. The majority in our country have been following
676 29 September 2021 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda Senate the rules the entire time. But, Madam President, let us
understand something. The reason that we have a police force is to enforce the group who does not follow the rules. That is our problem! Where we ar e right
now, that minority is impacting the majority because
they do not want to follow the rules. It does not matter
that the leadership comes out and says, These are the restrictions that are going to get us back on track.
And that night or the following day they are going to
party like it is 1999, impacting everybody else, taking
it home to loved ones, passing it on to granny.
Madam President, in this Senate Chamber it
is our opportunity to debate the most critical and i mportant things that are happening in our country. Yes, we are frustrated! Because, Madam President, today after we have had announcements on Friday and over
the weekend that we have had a record number of
deaths, where was the Statement that allowed us to
debate what was happening in thi s country when it
comes to health? Nothing else that we are doing right
now is as important and as critical as what is happe ning to our country right now because of COVID -19.
Everything that we are doing in this country is
impacted by this disease. Our st udents are not able to
go to school, which means that their parents are not
able to go to work, which means that there are bus inesses falling down. Our infrastructure is messed up.
Everything is connected to this. So guess what? If you
know somebody who is not vaccinated, take out the
time to talk to them and give them the information.
Point them in the right direction. Explain to them that, I’m sorry. The TikTok message that you’re getting, I’m
not going to accept it. The WhatsApp message that’s
going arou nd that’s talking in a certain way, I’m not
going to accept it.
But, Madam President, more importantly, we
have people in this country who need to show respon-sibility, personal responsibility and community respo nsibility! Because if you have a lot of mone y and you
are at home able to fight off the pandemic because
you have the support system, that does not mean that
your neighbour has that support system and is able to
fight off this deadly virus. People are dying at home because they are taking home remedies that som ebody is sending them on a WhatsApp chain. It is di sgusting! We need to be responsible for each other! We need to protect each other! We are past the point.
Madam President, everything that we do from
this day going forward has to be about how we are
going to get our country back on track. And that
means that if you have somebody in your household
who you know is not following the rules and not doing what they are supposed to do to protect you, protect
themselves and protect our country, you ne ed to point
them out. You need to tell them that this is not going
to be allowed any longer.
Because I want to tell you what: It used to be
that when we grew up in a household and you were
not behaving properly, your parents told you, I’m g o-ing to tell you once. I’m going to tell you twice. And then you’re going to look for the door because you’re
going to follow the rules in this house. The problem
that we have right now is no one wants to be the
adult! This is not about politics anymore. This is about saving our community. We need to speak up. The s ilence has to be over. The minority cannot continue to
be the loudest voice in the room!
We need to move to a direction where our
country can get back on track. Because, Madam President, the systems around the world are slowly shif ting. Soon you will not be able to get on the planes,
and you will not be able to make that choice anymore.
People will make the decisions for you. But it is time
for us as leadership . . . remember, everybody in this
Senate Chamber, that is your job. You are a leader in
this country. We now need to speak up on behalf of the people who are vulnerable, who cannot speak up
for themselves! That is our job.
Madam President, today needs to be the day
that we are ringing that bell! Thank you for your time.

The President: Thank you, Senator Ben Smith, O pposition Leader in the Senate.
Before I call on the Minister, is there any other
Senator who would like to speak on the motion to adjourn?
Hearing none, then I hand over to the Mini ster, Dr. E. G. V. Peets, Government Leader in the Senate.
Minister, you have the floor.

COVID -19—THE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER AND
TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE
BOARD

Thank you, Madam
Presid ent. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to address Senate and the opportunity to speak to the
Bermudian people.
Of course, we have heard very passionately
on this motion to adjourn lots of comments from Sena-tors, and we certainly are grateful for thei r particip ation. The previous Senator who recently spoke is cor-rect. The early models forecasted when this pandemic broke initially were staggering. I am glad this morning
for the Progressive Labour Party’s leadership. Those
numbers have not been realised. We of course at the
Government are devastated and very, very much concerned about this current fourth wave.
But, Madam President, what I would like to
add to this conversation is this: Our vaccination efforts have been admirable. Someone has already spok en
to that. Our testing per capita is admirable. I am not
sure if anyone has mentioned that. From my point of
view, Madam President, this particular pandemic did
not come with a playbook. Governments around the world have struggled. Some governments with e ven
more resources than we [have] have struggled trying


Bermuda Senate to curb this outbreak, particularly this fourth wave with
the Delta variant.
Having said that, Madam President, there has
been, at least in my opinion if I heard correctly, a call
for more top- down l eadership. But I would suggest,
Madam President, that as we wind down our Senate
session today, in my opinion this Government has
done extremely well with this top- down leadership.
What we really need now, Madam President, is a bo ttom-up.
I do not have al l of the ins and outs today, so I
do not want to speak out of turn or out of school. But if
we were to trace back a lot of our outbreak issues in
our community that have led the hospital to being in a
crisis and with senseless deaths occurring during this fourth wave, it is not because the country and its
leadership do not have a vaccination strategy. It is not
because we do not have a mask strategy. It is not because we have not been good at giving good advice
around hand hygiene, social distancing. It is not because we have not employed restrictions, quarantines and the like. In my opinion, Madam President, we
have done all of those things.
What we really need at this moment, Madam
President, is for our countrymen and our people to comply with these restr ictions and guidelines whene ver they are imposed. That is the best way to get
through this particular pandemic.
So, Madam President, I am grateful this mor ning for all of our health care workers who have worked
tirelessly. All in the Ministry and the Heal th Depar tment and the hospital have worked tirelessly. We are
exhausted, but we are committed to doing everything we possibly can to keep our country safe, our econ omy open and our people moving forward.
What we need at the moment, Madam Pres ident, is for every Bermudian to pick up their individual
responsibility and join together with us and with ev eryone else in doing everything they possibly can to keep our country safe and to minimise the impact that
it is having on our vulnerable population, particularly
those who have comorbidities and other issues that
are putting individuals in the hospital.
So having said that, Madam President, I think
there is commitment from the top as well as in the middle as well as in the bottom. If we can bring all of these things together —we are certainly going to have
to do that if we are going to get through this.
So, Madam President, my encouragement
today is to pick the best and the brightest of what we
have heard today. And what I have heard during this
motion to adjourn is that there has to be a working together and a coming together and personal respo nsibility across the board.
Thank you, Madam President.

The President: Thank you, Minister Peets.
To the listening public, I hope that all of you
have paid heed to all of the recommendations and the discussions that have taken place in the Senate today and you take on board all that has been recommended and what is out there in the public domain. And if
we all do our part, we will all get through this.
So, Senators, I thank you all for your comments today and wish you Godspeed. And also stay
safe. We will adjourn now until October 6, next week
Wednesday. So thank you, everybody, and be safe.
Senate stands adjourned.

[At 11:41 am, the Senate stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Wednesday, 6 October 2021.]

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