Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, issued a statement this afternoon noting that the World Health Organisation announced over the weekend that the global number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 has surpassed 100,000.

The illness is caused by the coronavirus outbreak continuing to spread worldwide.

Ms Wilson said: “Amid this disheartening news, I want to remind people that the spread of this virus can be significantly slowed or even reversed through the implementation of robust containment and control activities.

“To that end, in following WHO’s recommendations, Bermuda is working hard to ensure that it is ready to deal with a possible introduction of Covid-19 into our community by preparing our hospitals and clinics to manage a potential surge in patients and providing specialised training for health workers where most appropriate.

“Every person has the capacity to contribute, to protect themselves, to protect others, whether in the home, the community, the healthcare system, the workplace or the transport system.”

A guidance document had been prepared for hotels, guesthouses and Airbnb operators, she said.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda Post Office reassured customers that mail was safe, with packages coming from China posing no risk of passing on the virus.

According to WHO, “From previous analysis, we know coronaviruses does not survive long on objects, such as letters or packages.”

•To read documents provided today by the Bermuda Government, click on the PDFs under “Related Media”.