Another 24 coronavirus cases were logged yesterday – which pushed the number of active infections to 126.

The positives were among 1,239 tests carried out on Wednesday.

The grim news meant that 364 cases have been recorded since the pandemic struck in the spring.

A total of 14 of the new case were classified as on-island transmissions with known contacts associated with already identified cases or clusters.

The remaining ten cases, all residents with no recent history of travel, are under investigation.

Kim Wilson, the health minister, emphasised that anyone who had known contact with a coronavirus carrier must follow strict quarantine rules.

She said: "If you live with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, then you must quarantine at home for 14 days and test at the start and on or after day 14.”

“If you are a non-household close contact of a positive case and were within six feet of them with no mask for 15 minutes or longer, you must quarantine at home for 14 days and test at the start and on or after day 14.

“If someone you live with is a close contact of a positive case, you must ask yourself whether you can safely separate at your home. If the answer is 'no' then you must quarantine at home for 14 days.

“If the answer is 'yes', then you must wear a mask and avoid the three Cs – closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.

Ms Wilson added: “If someone at your workplace or school is positive, what you must do depends on whether or not you are a close contact.

“If you are a close contact then you must quarantine at home for 14 days. If you are not a close contact, then you must wear a mask and avoid the three Cs.”

The accelerated spread of the coronavirus brought fresh disruption to businesses and schools yesterday.

Primary 1 and 2 pupils and teachers at West Pembroke Primary School were ordered to quarantine up to and including December 18, based on an “updated risk assessment and in response to potential exposure to Covid-19”.

Test clinics will be run at the Perot Post Office in Queen Street from noon to 4pm today, with priority given to West Pembroke pupils and staff.

Bermuda High School announced that it would close its senior department, although Linda Parker, the head of school, said that “BHS has no Covid-19 positive cases in our staff or student body”.

The school has also brought forward its end of term by two days to next Wednesday.

Insurance firm BF&M has closed its office on a temporary basis after a back room staff member tested positive.

The People’s Pharmacy branch in Hamilton’s Victoria Street also closed after a staff member got a positive result.

The National Sports Centre’s gym also became a casualty after a customer who used it last Sunday later tested positive for the virus.

But anyone who wants to take a coronavirus test could have a long wait.

The Government’s online booking site listed the next available appointment date at Star of India in Dockyard as Christmas Eve.

Slots are available at Bull’s Head car park in Hamilton from December 25, but East End residents who want to take a test at Penno’s Wharf in St. George will have to wait until December 27 for an appointment.

Hundreds of people queued for hours yesterday to get a test without appointment at a walk-in pop-up test centre at Southside in St David’s.

The testing centre will be open again on Sunday between 9am and 1pm, but from Monday, all tests will be by appointment only.

A total of 124 active cases are being monitored by health officials and two are still hospitalised, one in critical care.

A total of 229 people have recovered and the death toll remains at nine.

The mean age of all confirmed cases is 46 years – median age 43 years – and the age range is from an infant to 101.

The mean age of all active cases is 34 years – median age 26 years – and the age range is from infant to 68.

The average age of the deaths is 74 and the age range is 57 to 91.

A total of 179 cases were on-island transmissions with known contacts and 129 came in from overseas.

On-island transmissions with an unknown contact number 21.

A total of 35 cases are under investigation.

But the health ministry said transmission categories could change as investigations proceed.

The seven-day average of the real time reproduction number is greater than 1 – 1.57 – and the island’s country status is “clusters of cases”.

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