New year, new House of Representatives - and newly reconfigured House Chambers.
Today was the first working session for the Briceno-led parliament, but the new area reps weren't the only new thing in the House today.
The House of Representatives was wholly refitted to make it COVID safe.
But that's not easy to do when you've got 31 representatives, the Speaker, the clerk and the Sergeant at arms - a total of 34 persons crammed into a small chamber designed back in the 1970's when there were only 18 representatives.
Now it's 31, and there's a raging COVID pandemic - so there had to be major reconfiguration to ensure that the members could meet without spreading or contracting COVID-19.
Courtney Menzies attended today's meeting and opens our coverage on what the house chamber looked like:
Things looked a little different at today's House Meeting - and it wasn't just that PUP - all 26 elected members - are now on the government's side of the chamber.
The National Assembly needed to be reconfigured to be fit for a pandemic. Inside the chambers resembled the inside of a bank - with the area reps behind plexiglass cubicles.
Since PUP won 26 out of the 31 seats, their area needed to be extended to four rows - including an impossibly cramped third row - and now an upper bench - where the visitors gallery used to be.
The new arrangement - while odd in some ways - allows social distance and barriers, while accommodating 26 adults on one side of a small room.
On the opposition's side, the five members were properly spaced in the front row.
Another change is the new Speaker of the House - Valerie Woods replaces Laura Tucker-Longsworth, and she began the meeting by noting the changes and how the effects the COVID-19 have impacted society - and even this chamber is no exception to that.
And it was the Ministry of Health and Wellness who advised the Speaker on the best way forward. According to the Principal Public Health Inspector, John Bodden, they were approached in December to give their technical guidance, and he told us more about how they envision the new setup.
John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector, MOH
"In terms of what we were doing, we looked at the basic public health measures, the implementation of those, to ensure the area was safe, of course, as part of the protocol, the use of mask which is mandated, the social distance, and of course, sanitization. So those were the three components and beyond that we also looked at t a fourth component which is actually barrier prevention. If you notice in the house, it's a little bit small, so people now have new positions in terms of location and what we try to do is establish a safety bubble whereby they are confined within that given area by the plexiglass."
It might be more cost effective to, instead of purchasing 50 sheets of plexiglass, only purchase 31 face shields. But as Bodden pointed out, face shields are not the strongest line of defense.
John Bodden, Principal Public Health Inspector, MOH
"Many people are looking at face shields, from some publications, scientific journals that were produced, the research finds that the droplets actually go around the mask, so that would not necessarily be one of the best strategies in terms of moving forwards and ensuring that the environment is safe. What is the understanding or the science in relation to it circulating in the air?"
"And that's the reason why we ask that they wear mask and if they would not wear mask then they would need to go into the chamber, you notice the glass chamber that is at the door, if you're not wearing a mask you must go in there because we want to contain it. But if you're not wearing a mask and you're speaking obviously the droplets can spread and of course we're using artificial ventilation in the room and so that, which is the AC, and that can take it around and definitely the spread increases if you do that."
But while the House may have gotten a makeover, it's still the same old bickering between the government and the opposition party. It came to a head when both the UDP Leader, Patrick Faber, and the Prime Minister, John Briceno, engaged in a back and forth argument.
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Where in the standing orders do you - you are not making a point of order. You need to make a point of order first, Leader of the opposition. What is your point of order?"
Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House
"Is it that I must refer to the UK parliamentary term of insisting that we have "order?" This is unacceptable, there can never be two members standing at the same time. I should not have to raise my voice to get attention. And this certainly should not occur on the first sitting."
