Evacuation flight set for Honduras
(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper revealed that progress has been made on arranging evacuation flights for foreign nationals stuck in Cayman who want to go to their home countries as well as to bring home residents from here stuck overseas. The latest success is a flight to La Ceiba early next week. The governor said his office is working hard to arrange these flights but it is challenging.
While details of the Cayman Airways to Honduras will be a flight will be revealed on Tuesday, the governor said that some Caymanians wanting to return from Honduras may also be on the flight but they will be required to go into a government isolation facility for 14 days, with no exceptions.
Other regional flights in the pipeline include to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, which are being finalised and are likely to leave next week, the governor said Monday, adding that more details will be revealed later this week.
An anticipated flight to Cancun, Mexico, also with Cayman Airways, has been changed to Friday, 1 May. Passengers on this flight are those from a pre-approved list from the Mexican government and will be contacted directly by CAL. This is an outbound flight only and no one be coming back to Cayman.
Both flights to Miami on Friday 1 May are now full.
The governor said that Nikole Poirier, a Canadian citizen, is working on a private charter to Toronto for the end of May which will allow pets and additional baggage. The cost will be approximately $1,300 Canadian (CI$750) but anyone wishing to leave on that flight is asked to contact Poirier directly at nikolepoirier@yahoo.com or call 517-0628.
Roper also asked any Caymanians or residents with permanent residency status wanting to get back from Canada to send an email to emergencytravel@gov.ky if you haven’t registered already.
Meanwhile, the British Airways flight, which arrives here tomorrow and returns to London on Wednesday is full. But the governor said that this air-bridge between Cayman and the UK would continue and anyone wishing to get on a future flight should register at www.exploregov.ky/travel.
This flight will also take 40 passengers who will be travelling on to the Philippines, as the governor said that his office had worked with the UK authorities to get transit visas for them. He said that his office was aware of the potential link to a flight from here to New York where Philippine Airlines is running repatriation flights.
“We recognise that people want to leave the Islands and we’re doing everything we can to assist that. Commercial flights are likely to remain closed for the foreseeable future so if you want to leave, do take advantage of these evacuation flights now,” the governor said.
The premier also spoke about the numbers of people leaving and the need to help repatriate people stuck here now without work or money. But he warned that this would be an added problem. With people leaving here in significant numbers, he said, that will have an added detrimental impact on Cayman’s consumer-based economy because fewer people will be around to consume once the economy re-opens.
The premier and the governor also said that they would endeavour to get the figures relating to how many people have left Cayman since the borders were closed in the middle of March, given that the numbers have grown gradually over the last few weeks.
See the full press briefing on CIGTV below, set to start with the governor’s remarks:
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Category: Local News
Good Morning: Mr Premier: I want to thank you and your team for the fantastic job you all are doing. I feel At the moment the only area you all fall short on is the repatriation of Jamacians. You need to deal with this urgently! I am sorry, we need/have/must to stop playing Mr Nice Guy!
They are Jamacians and Jamaica must take them – please I implore you on behalf of the safety and well being of us Caymanians, please, please deal with this problem immediately or we will live in regret.
And PLEASE the way forward has to be “we must be wiser than the serpents”.
Good. The current batch needed a refresh anyway.
Why is it that the Jamaican Government is refusing to take its own national even though the say they open their boarders til May 31st? Why can’t the Governor get approval for flights to Jamaica?
Is there a spare seat for Jon Jon?
8:31 maybe, maybe not, but the Honduran criminals will be gone and that should bring the crime rate down.
I thought they were Jamaican
Both
1:58pm he must have forgot.., when we get the Jamaicans criminals out – we will be able to relax and sleep in peace. 🙏
All ready on a downward trend my friend, we just name to keep the pressure on to get them out as for those talking about re opening our economy they weren’t here after Hurricane Ivan to open it . The good ship Cayman needs to lighten her weight and burdens now to get through these rough waters ahead! Cannot do it with pirates and cutthroats on Board. aaaaarrr walk the plank!
9:27am yesssss!!!!!! And now we need all these Jamacian criminals, overstayers, jobless and non self sustainable GONE.
Some and their ridiculously devious and greedy governments just don’t want to leave and are hoping that a Ivan like scenario plays out here again .Go home please there is no WUK here for you What part of that you don’t understand???Well done HE Governor Roper and so proud of you Well Done Sir ! for organizing this for the Cayman Islands and to all who have made the right decision to depart you are most welcome back.
With workforce gone who will be re-opening your economy?
Trust me when i tell you 8:02am your replacement is already in place Star! This is how it should be Cayman never seen it this peaceful in a very long time sad part took a Virus to resolve it.
8:23am oh yes!!!!!! And thank you Jesus, you do not make any mistakes. I am living peaceful and happy as a Lark.
9.40 am ? .. are we talking about the same Jesus who forgave a thief who had not even said “am sorry “,at the cross ?! .. isn’t He the same God that said we gain nothing by loving those who do good us but that we should love even those who does wrong so that we can be the children of the father in heaven? ..nope it is not the Jesus that was and is and is to come that you are addressing here ,.. ..
Those who do us wrong *
The out of work Caymanians will take all the landscaping, pool cleaning and construction jobs.
Lol
All them hondurians going without their pension Money.
Their Caymanian employers never paid that in.
And the Government is not making them. It is disgusting!
4:30pm… they will get their pension.
Will see
8:31….Hopefully Or at least that’s what alot of us would like to believe but it doesn’t always work out that way! Take a good look at the construction sites, janitors, nannies, etc………work permit holders vs locals that should shed some light.
The same ones that re-opened it after Ivan!!!!
8:92am …. we will thank you!! We did it before – we did it with out you! And we can do it again. Remember we are the BEST. Greed got in our way (too much outside influence). But God is in Charge.
Remember why you are here?? You are just another Economic Immigrant!
Which god ? .. coz the one you are portraying is worse than your attitude ?