Emergency travel hotline goes live
(CNS): A new emergency travel hotline has been established by the governor’s office in an effort to help people here who may need to leave the islands for emergencies in the face of the airport closure. The number is 244 3333 and will be staffed Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm. It is only for people who have an urgent need to leave, such as medical or compassionate reasons.
This airlift may also help visitors who did not make the last flights in certain circumstances or for third country repatriations due to hardship. However, there are no guarantees, given the COVID-19 pandemic which has locked down global air travel to people.
Governor Martyn Roper announced the new hotline at Tuesday’s morning press briefing and said people who urgently need to leave the islands should call and explain their circumstances. However, he warned that only a small number of people are manning the phones and asked people to be patient.
“There are no quick answers and no guarantees that we will be able to offer a solution but the situation is fluid and changing daily,” the governor said, adding that not all individual problems can be resolved and urged people to be realistic about what support might be offered.
He said the call handlers would take down the details and information, which will then inform the discussions the governor’s office is having with the UK, other partners and airlines regarding a potential air-bridge.
One of the major stumbling blocks that anyone wanting to leave Cayman now will encounter, regardless of the level of emergency or urgency, is that most airports around the world are also closed and not keen to re-open to the risk of further imported case of the COVID-19 virus.
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Category: Local News
My sister is Caymanian. She is still locked down in Miami, but the governor said upcoming flights will not bring back residents, since the gov. Isolation centers are full. What should she do?
Heathrow is still open and accepting regular scheduled flights from Italy, Spain, Iran and China. I think the UK is sleepwalking towards the Apocalypse.
I’m in the UK and your statement is not entirely correct. Please don’t spread misinformation for fun!
5:55 I’m also back in the UK right now, I came home when this started. If you lived where I do and saw the crowds of idiots at the seaside treating last weekend like a public holiday or those blatantly ignoring the current lockdown you wouldn’t post daft comments like that. Bottom line – people are not taking the threat seriously and that’s not just out on the streets but in the government as well. If you think this is fun you’re delusional.