BHB pilots thermal detectors at its entrances

Friday 15 January 2021: Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is the first company on island to use thermal detection monitors at its entrances. Three monitors have been in use since Christmas Eve in a pilot of the devices. Two Bermudian companies provided monitors from two different manufacturers for the project.

They are located at entrances to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital’s Acute Care Wing main lobby and Emergency Department. and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute’s main entrance.

The stand-alone machines have thermal sensors that detect your body temperature. You simply stand in front of the device and it advises you exactly what to do.

Specifically designed to address concerns with the spread COVID-19, the monitors will advise you to wear a mask if you don’t have one on, or if it does not cover your nose and mouth. If your temperature is too high, a recording announces that your access is denied and a red light flashes. If you are wearing a mask and you do not have a fever, the monitor will display your temperature on the screen and sound a message that giving you permission to enter.

“We’ve had a great response from staff and the public since we’ve introduced the thermal detection monitors,” says BHB Security and Fire Officer Earlene Wilkinson. “People appreciate the move away from the personal contact involved in manual temperature taking.

“Both brands are compatible with our access control doors and so we will have the ability to programme the entrance doors not to open automatically if you are not masked or if your temperature is too high.”

BHB has protocols in place to manage persons who are denied access. Emergency staff wearing protective equipment will attend to those who were trying to go to the Emergency Department. Those attempting to access other services will be advised to contact their physician.

The pilot will run until the end of January.