April 6, 2020

Members, allow me to just make a
couple of comments before we actually get started. I would like to say a few words for the benefit of the listening public.
As you are aware, the world is facing a pandemic sparked by c oronavirus/COVID -19. The alar ming levels of spread and severity have given cause for attention and action. Bermuda is no exception. We are not immune to this very infectious disease.
Currently, a state of emergency exists per
[Schedule 2, Chapter I, ] section 14(3) of the Constit ution. Accordingly, we have been summoned to the
House by the Governor who on April 1
st signed a proclamation of emergency which will be tabled during this
meeting. Inasmuch as we are in the midst of a 14- day
shelter in place, it is important that we approve an extension to that said proclamation of emergency until
the 18th of April 2020 by a resolution of the House.
As we are practicing the Public Health guid elines prescribed, such as social distancing, I have r equired only a quorum set at 14 (which is the quorum for business to be conducted in the House) to be pr esent today for today’s sitting. However, I would like to acknowledge that all 36 Members have shown their desire to be present today.
And because it is my request that we operate
today under a quorum so that we practice proper s ocial distancing, I am going to have it noted for the record that all 36 Members are present. Some are phys ically in this Chamber today; others are listening via
other means. But they are all going to be counted for
the purpose of today’s sitting as being present b ecause they are not absent for any other reason other than the Speaker’s request. Okay?
Finally, I would like to acknowledge that the
Premier and the Opposition Leader will speak on our
state of emergency and shelter in place.
Thank you, Members.
And with those remarks, I think the first Order
that we are dealing with at this moment is Papers and
Other Communications.
Mr. Premier.
PAPERS AND OTHER
COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOUSE
PROCLAMATION OF EMERGENCY
Hon. E. David Burt: Good morning, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to attach and
submit for the consideration of the Honourable House of Assembly the Proclamation of Emergency made
under the provisions of [Schedule 2, Chapter I, ] section 14(3) and (4) of the Constitution, as declared by
the Governor on the 1
st of April 2020 relating to the
COVID -19 pandemic.

Thank you, Mr. Premier.
That being the only paper or communication
to the House, we now move on. The next Order of the
Day would be addressing the communication that was just put.
Mr. Premier, you can move the motion now.
3880 6 April 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly MOTION

EXTENSION OF GOVERNOR’S PROCLAMATION
OF EMERGENCY TO 18 APRIL 2020

Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, under the provisions of Standing
Order 21(2), I move the following Resolution pursuant
to section 14(6) of the Constitution and section 18(2)
of the Emergency Powers (COVID -19 Shelter in
Place) Regulations 2020 .
WHEREAS the World Health Organization
has declared COVID -19 to be a global pandemic;
AND WHEREAS COVID -19 is an unprec edented and severe threat to the public health of Be rmuda;
AND WHEREAS a proclamation of a state of
emergency existing in Bermuda has been issued and
gazetted by His Excellency the Governor pursuant to
section 14(3) of the Constitution;
BE IT RESOLVED that pursuant to section
14(6) of the Constitution, this Honourable House ap-proves the extension of the continuance of the said
Proclamation of Emergency to the 18
th of April 2020.

Are there any objections?
No objection.
Continue, Premier.

Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you very much, Mr.
Speak er.
Mr. Speaker, on Saturday morning the people
of Bermuda awoke to more than an unseasonably
cool north wind. For the first time in at least four dec-ades, this country awoke to a state of emergency.
Provisions in the Constitution that are rarely read,
never mind invoked, were activated by a proclamation signed by the Governor and published in the online
official Gazette and now lay before this Honourable
House.
The accompanying Regulations then imposed
a 24- hour shelter in place order on the residents of the
Island, restricting the most basic of freedoms —that of
the freedom of movement and the freedom of asse mbly.
Mr. Speaker, the enemy whose presence has
precipitated this extraordinary series of events cannot be bombed into oblivion by modern weaponry. There
is no “ Wanted” poster offering award for his arrest.
And without the assistance of the microscope, we
cannot hope to ever catch a glimpse of him. But, Mr.
Speaker, from New York to Dubai, this enemy has
descended on the world and, although invisible, has
shifted global reality to the point where systems and
institutions of historic vintage will be changed forever.
Mr. Speaker, COVID -19 has torn apart fam ilies, shredded economies and strained health care system s to the point of breaking. In Bermuda, we are not there yet. And the
actions of this Government that have been taken in the weeks since this was declared a global pandemic
by the World Health Organization are based on les-sons learned from other countries whose misfortunes are being played out almost in real time, compl iments
of social media and online news.
As the positive test results tell us, Mr. Speaker, COVID -19 is here and it is not going away. The
proclamation of emergency laid before this House is the only vehicle pro vided within our existing laws
which permits this Government to take the actions
required to reduce the risk of COVID -19 spreading
through what is commonly referred to as “ community
transmission. ”
Mr. Speaker, in a recent interview with The
New York Times , Professor of Biology Lauren Meyers
said, and I quote, “I worry that many local officials are
waiting until there is clear evidence of local transmi ssion before taking action. The message is, we should not wait.” She continued, “You have to intervene . . .
against threats you cannot see.” Mr. Speaker, we did
not wait, and we have intervened.
Mr. Speaker, in whatever way we brought in
the New Year that was 2020, this third decade of the 21
st century, I am certain that none of us considered
this current state of affairs a remote possibility. But
here we are. In the wake of a spirited and properly
partisan debate on the 2020/21 budget, this pandemic
has demanded that we put aside partisanship and
work together. I have steadily kept the Honourable
Member, t he Leader of the Opposition, informed of
our actions and proposed next steps. And I continue
to be grateful for his support as we mount a wholeIsland effort to respond to this pandemic.
Mr. Speaker, my colleague, the Minister of
Health, has led a round- the-clock public health effort,
which I know has been exhausting. But she and the
dedicated public health professionals led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Cheryl Peek -Ball, and the Nurse
Epidemiologist, Ms. Jennifer Wilson, have admini stered the response to this pandemic with considerable
skill and professionalism. We all owe them a debt of
gratitude.

[Desk thumping]

Hon. E. David Burt: Mr. Speaker, the threat is real.
Unchecked community transmission would overwhelm
our hospital and our existing system of health care. As
it was in 1918 , and as we have seen in so many other
countries, there would certainly be widescale death in Bermuda. As surreal as it may feel to see shuttered
businesses and schools and be told when to shop and
when to be at home, thi s is what we must do to save
lives.
Mr. Speaker, there is also genuine economic
concern for countries and individuals. The assistance developed and provided by this Government to those


Bermuda House of Assembly of our citizens made unemployed by this pandemic is
a bridge to see them through this period. I wish to assure the people of Bermuda that in the midst of managing this crisis, their Government is also focused on
rebuilding.
The manner in which we reconstruct this
economy will be unorthodox. Occasionally, politicians
use the slogan No more business as usual as a
means by which to signal a mantra of change. Mr.
Speaker, in the post -COVID -19 Bermuda, and indeed
the world, that will be no slogan; it will be the means of survival. This economy will be different. And from
the remains of what we have now must emerge a new
set of values, a new set of norms and a new set of
opportunities. No more business as usual.
Mr. Speaker, the motion before this Honour able House is an administrative one. The proclamation
of emergency takes effec t from the time it is made,
and is for 14 days unless its duration is extended by a
resolution passed by both Houses of the Legislature.
The Governor having signed it on the 1
st of April ,
Honourable Members will have noted in the subs equent Regulations that the state of emergency ther efore currently expires on Wednesday, the 15th of April.
To accord with the Public Health advice of a
14-day shelter in place for proper impact on restricting
any possible community transmission, and having
come into force on the 4th of April, I am inviting this
House to extend the state of emergency through to 6:00 am on the 18
th of April. This, Mr. Speaker, will
achieve the full 14- day shelter in place intended by
this action.
Mr. Speaker, this commencement of the state
of emergency coincided with the date of an infamous
historical event. On April 4th, 1968, an assassin’s bu llet rang out in Memphis, Tennessee, and the world
was robbed of a man of peace and justice, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His death was one of
the hallmarks of what historians agree is one of hist ory’s most tumultuous years —1968. But Dr. King’s
death did not rob the world of his wisdom or his tim eless witness and inspiration in the face of fearful odds.
In words that set the stage for the challenge we must meet on the other side of the pandemic, Dr. King said,
and I quote, “Through our scientific . . . genius we’ve
made of this world a neighborhood, but we’ve failed
through moral commitment to make of it a brotherhood.”
Mr. Speaker, the unity that has seen us
through the phases of this pandemic to date and the
unity demanded to see us through the remainder cannot evaporate once we receive the all -clear. This
same unity must transcend the state of emergency
and the threat of community transmiss ion of this virus.
This unity is what we must reflect on while we shelter
in place and commit , each and every one of us , to
grow that unity of spirit, nurture that unity of purpose and channel that energy towards the renewal of the Bermuda we all love and call home. Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Premier.
I now acknowledge the Opposition Leader.
Honourable Member.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: Thank you, Mr. Speaker,
and to those who braved themselves to be here this
morning.
In these ex traordinary times, the likes of which
none of us, quite frankly, have seen in our lifetimes, we must make extraordinary decisions, difficult dec isions, decisions that will have a profound implication
on everyone in Bermuda and even to those around
the worl d with whom we are in contact. We must also
rely on the extraordinary and selfless actions of ot hers. Our emergency services, our health workers and members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment are potentially putting themselves in harm's way every day for
our safety, our security and our health.
Our water and our gas are still being deli vered. Bus drivers continue to drive our health workers. Our front -line staff , such as Customs officers, are
serving Bermuda commendably. Teachers have co ntinued to teach our youth despite difficult circumstan ces. We must rightly salute them all.
Mr. Speaker, there is one group, however,
and many times we take them for granted. They have been consistently left out of the roll call. And I want to
point them out this morning. And t hey are those on the
front lines in our supermarkets and pharmacies. Many
of us who have had the opportunity to be in one of the
pharmacies or be in one of the grocery stores proba-bly have been pulled aside by a cashier or a poor
merchandiser only to be gi ven some of the crazy st ories that are taking place as we flood the place looking
for supplies.

Yes.

Hon. L. Craig Cannonier: From cashiers to the people who stock the shelves, to the suppliers, all have
done an amazing job of keeping Bermuda going. We
must salute them. We must thank them. Even
throughout this two- week sheltering period, they are
there supplying us with the necessities to continue on.
And this extends to all of our cashiers who are out
there and the retailers who have been supporting us.
I have said it before, and I will say it again,
you have heard it even from around the world: This is
a war , and one that Bermuda cannot afford to lose. It
is in this spirit that we have offered support to the Premier and his Government, and this is why we su pport this curfew. We must do everything we can to
stop the spreading of this virus. The consequences to
every man, woman and child f or not doing so are too
huge to contemplate.
3882 6 April 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly I have been in very regular contact with the
Premier, offering advice and ideas. And I want to
thank the OBA team for their input. Everyone has
played a part. And I must say it is to our Premier’s credit that , when we have offered advice, he has not
been afraid to implement some of those suggestions
that we have put forward. And so f or that, I want to
say thank you to the Premier and his team for taking
on a collective effort as we fight throughout this war
against this virus. This is indeed not the time for part isan politics, and the One Bermuda Alliance will continue to take that collaborative approach, Premier.
Mr. Speaker, I would, however, like to have a
point of clarification. I would like to know how it was determined, based on the declaration that was read . . . how was it determined from the Public Health
England modelling that two weeks of curfew is suff icient? Given that the confirmed cases rose from 2 to
37 within a three- week period, and considering that
we have a significant number of people returning
home who have been exposed to hotbeds of infection, has this been included in the model?
On a final thought, Mr. Speaker, while it is
absolutely correct to focus on the fight to rid this I sland of COVID -19, we must have an eye on the future.
I am extremely concerned about this summer and what it will loo k like in terms of jobs for Bermudians
and the health of Bermudian businesses. We need to
be planning for the future and how we can make it
through the rest of the year with minimum amounts of
economic pain.
One thing is clear, Mr. Speaker. We cannot go
on as we were. It is not going to be business (as the
Premier said) as normal.
I will close with this and say, Bermuda, I applaud your effort as we war against what seemingly is an invisible enemy. Please ensure that you follow the
rules. Please ensure that you stay off the roads.
Please ensure that you practice social distancing. And
please practice personal healthy hygiene. Let us all
work together to get through this crisis.
Mr. Premier, Mr. Speaker, to your teams, to
Bermuda as a whole, may God bless us through this
trying time.

[Desk thumping]

Thank you, Opposition Leader.
Mr. Premier, would you like to respond and
then move the motion?

Hon. E. David Burt: Yes, Mr. Speaker . I thank you f or
the opportunity to reply and to move the motion.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honourable Oppos ition Leader for his comments. And as he expressed
inside of his statement, we continue to work together. And regarding the question of which the Honourable
Oppos ition Leader posed regarding the modelling i nformation, we did receive updated public health mod-elling on Thursday. And that information is being assessed. And I am happy to convene another meeting
with Members of the Opposition to review that partic ular m odelling information.
But the information which has come to us
from Public Health England , or from the Chief Medical
Officer , is that anything less than 14 days would not
be effective. So if you are going to institute strict social distancing measures, gi ven that the average period
for the virus itself is 14 days, then that is the advice which has been given in order to minimise any poss ible transmission. That is at a particular minimum.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I move that the said
motion be approved.

For the record, the motion has been
approved unanimously by the House.
Premier.

[Motion carried: The House unanimously resolved to
extend the Governor’s proclamation of emergency to
the 18
th of April 2020.]
Hon. E. David Burt: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, having considered the Resol ution which has been agreed by this Honourable
House, I now move that a suitable message be sent to
His Excellency the Governor.

Members, I think that now brings us to
the close of the business that we were summoned
here for today. And as we rise until the next time . . .
and officially we are still due to sit again on the [8
th] of
May; there is no change to that unless the measures under which we currently exist require us to come
back before that for any emergency matters that may
need to be addressed.
But in closing, I would just like to say a message to the listening audience again: Stay put.

Hon. E. David Burt: Yes.

Stay put.
Stay put.
Stay put.
Each of us . . . I am reminded, Cousin Derrick,
of when we are in our respective churches . There is


Bermuda House of Assembly always an occasion for all of us to participate. And
that is when that little bin comes around and we reach
in our pocket s.
Well, similarly in this matter, each of us plays
a role in that if each of us practices proper stay -athome measures, proper precautions, we can contain
this. But if we ignore that . . .
And that is for every member in the listening
audience; every member in the public. You have a
role to play in how we beat this thing in Bermuda. B ecause we are a small jurisdiction , if we all practice
proper measures and stay in and do as we are r equired to do, we can get on top of this. But should we
ignore that, we are creating our own fate.
So I am imploring all members of the comm unity, all members in the listening audience to do as we have been required by these emergency measures. It
is for your safety and our safety collectively.

[Desk thumping]

The Sp eaker: Thank you, Members, for taking the
matter seriously, [and for taking] the risk of being here
today and representing not only yourselves but all 36
Members who wished to have been here today.
With that, be safe, you and your families.
Thank you.
[Gavel]

[At 10:3 4 am, the House stood adjourned until
10:00 am, Friday , 8 May 2020.]

3884 6 April 2020 Official Hansard Report

Bermuda House of Assembly


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