HAMILTON, Bermuda (CMC) — Bermuda is to shorten its hours of curfew after Health Minister Kim Wilson announced that the latest batch of 122 COVID-19 tests all came back clear, which meant Bermuda has gone seven days without any new positive cases of the virus that has killed more than 400,000 and infected nearly seven million others worldwide.

Wilson said that the number of positive cases remains at 141, with 12 active cases. Eight people are under public health monitoring and four are in hospital, but none in critical care.

A total of nine people with the disease have died, and 120 have recovered, Wilson said.

Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory with a population of 64,000, has so far carried out 8,169 tests.

Premier David Burt said phase three easing of restrictions starting on Thursday would include a shorter curfew period of six hours between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am, instead of 10:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Churches and gyms will be allowed to reopen subject to public health guidance.

Burt also said cinemas and museums will be permitted to open at 20 per cent of their capacities; and that restaurants will be allowed to offer indoor dining as long as social distancing is maintained.

Public Works Minister David Burch, who is leading a cabinet committee working to reopen the island, said working from home would no longer be mandatory in the third phase of the four-stage return to normal life.

But he said people were “strongly” advised to continue to work from home if possible.

Government has not yet said when it will reopen the airport, which has been shut since March 20, although Tourism Minister Zane DeSilva said last week the resumption of commercial air travel to Bermuda is “closer than ever”.

Burt said last week he intended to “cautiously welcome” guests back to the island this summer, Bermuda’s peak season for visitors by air and sea. More than half of this year’s 192 scheduled visits by cruise ships have already been cancelled.

He said he was “not willing to write off this year’s tourism season”.

Some 9,000 jobless people including 2,000 expatriates — about a quarter of the island’s workforce — have received government benefits totalling US$32 million.