Health officials sounded the warning tonight, expressing extreme concern, following reports of people “who are testing positive and still attending events”.
And on the eve of New Year’s Eve, Acting Minister of Health, Wayne Furbert appealed to residents to “make responsible choices”.
This after the number of new cases of COVID-19 jumped to 406, taking the total number of active cases to 522.
“We are extremely concerned about reports of people who are testing positive and still attending events such as football games, holiday parties and social gatherings.
“This is simply irresponsible. Please adhere to the current guidelines and requirements that are in place, which are there to protect and save lives,” he said.
“The increase in numbers is significant. This confirms what we have been saying for the past several weeks – the Omicron variant is highly transmissible and spreading rapidly.
“Bermuda is not alone in dealing with the spread and spike in Omicron cases. Countries around the world are seeing exponential numbers in infection rates as this dominant variant spreads. Here at home we continue to advocate vigilance, personal responsibility and compliance,” he added.
“While we currently have no hospitalisations, this current spread has the potential to overwhelm our hospital’s resources, as well as our testing teams and MDL, and we must guard against that.
“As Bermuda heads into the New Year’s holiday weekend I am urging the community to please make responsible choices.”
“Many of our healthcare workers are encountering a considerable amount of abuse from some members of the public, particularly at our testing centres. This is simply unacceptable. This has been a lengthy holiday period and there have been significant demands that have been put on our team of dedicated healthcare workers. The professionals at our testing sites must not be subjected to verbal abuse from members of the public. They should be treated with decency and common courtesy.”
