Premier optimistic about test results
(CNS): As Cayman finally beings its ramped up testing programme, the anticipated results from the screen samples are expected to inform the next phase of the strategy to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Alden McLaughlin has said he is optimistic that the results over the next week will reveal that the lockdown measures have worked to curb the spread of the virus and that some of the lockdown measures could soon be lifted.
A catalogue of issues, including the limited capacity of the HSA laboratory and a shortage of supplies required in the testing chain, has slowed the much anticipated increase in testing. However, hundreds of samples have now been taken from various front-line workers and as these results come in, the authorities will soon have a realistic picture of the extent of community spread of coronavirus here in the Cayman Islands.
Encouraged by just four positive results in the latest batch of over 150 test results revealed Friday, the premier said at the COVID-19 briefing that the anticipated results will be telling.
“They will help shape the next response of the government to the crisis,” McLaughlin said. “I am hopeful… that we will be able to… ease some of the restrictions.”
On the Sister Islands there has been just one positive result on Cayman Brac more than three weeks ago, so the restrictions could be lifted on both those islands first. But the premier indicated that things could start to change on Grand Cayman soon as well, as he stressed his optimism over how things were progressing.
McLaughlin added that changes to the Pensions Law in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday will allow people to access cash to keep them going when the economy starts to gradually open up.
“If the testing produces the sort of results we are starting to be cautiously optimistic about, we will be able to re-open various aspects of the Cayman economy and start to have money circulating and keep people employed and businesses alive,” the premier stated
He said the $15 million package of support for small business will also help but accepted that government does not have the resources to pay a large percentage of the workforce’s missing salaries.
“What I would ask everyone for… is a little patience over the course of the next week or so as we see how these test numbers turn out,” the premier urged. “If things go as well, as I and everybody else is hoping, we will probably start to see in relatively short order some significant adjustments to the shelter-in-place provisions, which I hope will allow access to more facilities and greater convenience to the general public.”
But he warned that the return to normality will still be carefully phased as he said he did not want to repeat the lessons taught in other places where access has been opened too early.
See Friday’s full press briefing on CIGTV, set to start at the premiers prepared remarks:
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Category: Health, Medical Health
Thank you for your tremendous efforts always, Wendy.
Obviously, I’m late to the party but that comment session at yesterdays health briefing and your treatment by Dwayne Seymour was not only unsettling and uncomfortable but also highlighted, again, how awful the CIG is to the press. They’ve been hitting the right notes since COVID began and, seemingly, people had forgotten the utter dicktatorship that has been Cayman for this whole government cycle. The CIG pulled their pants down in front of everyone, again, yesterday.
Thanks again, Wendy. I’m sorry you endured yet another rude man belittling the press and dodging the question. Sorry again.
Setting aside the lack of safety aspect of Minister Seymour’s wife getting up close and personal with her personal trainer, are RCIPS investigating the offences committed by the trainer?
Is he an essential worker? Where has he travelled from? Given that RCIPS are ticketing and arresting people daily for being outside their homes whilst not engaging in essential conduct, this personal trainer has clearly committed an offence and should be prosecuted and Mrs Seymour also for condoning it!
too much time on your hand?
wendy: ignore the idiot jon-jon..ask the same question to governor and the other fool alden.
lets show show them the real power of a proper free press…
I was betting on John John to cry again!
Instead he was rude, belligerent and insulting to a woman who was asking a question on behalf of the citizens of this country. She is our voice. When he insults her, he is insulting all of us.
What a mockery he has made of this panel. He has (and his “First Lady) destroyed weeks of respect and trust that the Hon. Premier and the Governor has built up within our community.
He needs to apologize to Wendy and to the public and then he needs to answer the question. We need to be assured that he and his wife are held to the same laws as the rest of us.
9.50 She’s not speaking for me. Thank you
What about the Governor and Premier ignoring, and I think the Governor even laughing about the situation. This is ridiculous. The two of them lost a lot of respect today.
When he starts behaving himself around women, I will listen to him. Until then blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
On the bright side, today Caymanians and expats, boomers and millennials, PPM and UDP’ers were all momentarily completely aligned…. without exception everybody watching that press conference simultaneously exclaimed, What the actual F was that answer?!?!?! Together we were united in our embarrassment! Premier, if you don’t address this you’re going down with him, Governor, you should know better than to sit right next to that trash and allow that to go down without comment.
No, not really. I couldn’t care less about it. I just want the ill conceived lockdown to end.
The Governor has been stripped of his power the last 10 years. People don’t get that on island.
7.41 Trash? You must have been looking in the mirror when you wrote that. The Governor was seated between two men. No trash.
yea looks like a cookie!
More genius from Alden. Send home all the low wage Central Americans, open back up the industries they work in.
Smack on! Genius indeed!
excuse my ignorance, but what industries do they work in that is so vital to Cayman? Not stirring the pot, genuinely would like to know.
wow. Completely blind to how the world really works: cleaners, truck drivers, delivery drivers, mechanics, restocking food/mechandise shelves, unloading trucks, welders, AC/appliance service workers, chefs, dishwashers, waitresses, clearing goods at customs, nannies, housekeepers, elderly care givers, painters, electricians, appliance and other installers, and more…. They are all the silent, invisible (to many) people who provide the foundational background effort that every organization and individual depends on to go about their business. And they often work for very low wages. Without them there is no way the ‘high paid’ workers can work.
Rum cake baking.
Can my personal masseuse get an exemption?
I am a frequent reader of this medium, but never comment, but this time i have to make an exception;
Asked about a rumor about your wife having her personal trainer come to your house and then answering that with jesus rode a donkey instead of a horse (donkeys were common form of transportation in that time), shows the incredible disrespect this minister has for the journalist that asked the question.
I fell of my chair with the ladies response “no really it doesn’t”.
Next step: “I would like to have the minister answer my question, with a simple yes or no.”
To 6.26pm His wife had been called Jackass of the Day in a most unflattering manner by that jackass of a lifetime over at CML that was the reason for the reference to jackass in his answer.
The Commissioner need to say if the Minister for Health ( Jon Jon) wife will be charged for
breach of curfew on the Government website it says if you know of someone in breach of curfew call 911 so Mr Commissioner you can find the breach of curfew on Cayman Marl road-
We need to know that we are all being treated fairly
All i got today was that we’re all getting bought donkeys, but we can’t ride them on the beach, some psalm 345:69 says canadians should leave, the queen is still alive, testing will be completely ready to nearly begin 3 weeks and 4 Sundays from next year, don’t ask about pension availability again because none of us actually believe the funds are available anyhow, and Wendy has massive testicles….cool.
Did you hear there’s a global pandemic? Sounds serious..
Lmao thank you for the laugh. Great sense of humor. Never lose it.
When asked why his wife was allowed to break curfew by working out with a personal trainer, the Minister of Health became belligerent and launched into a retarded story about Mary and Joseph. First of all, he’s been the jackass from the start of this and secondly, the Premier should ask for his immediate resignation for breach of curfew. The Police should be asked to investigate and his wife and the trainer warned for prosecution if it’s indeed true. What a shit show.
You missed the small print which says the laws don’t apply to them.
His resignation should be requested because he is a hopeless incompetent. Today was an utter disgrace to our Islands.
or a leave of absence to seek help..lol
cig and the civil service don’t do resignations…
Imagine, we all thought trump was so bad. Well we are in the land of trumpets. Lmao
5.28pm . Exactly like he should have done after the speaker’s latest performance. Good luck with that.
Money goes to business owners, not to the people that have lost their job.
How much people are in government quarantine? The governor said last week it was full.
I’m not sure how the figures Dr. Lee stated add up. Did he say100 tests per day then 1000 a week? Also if we can test 1000 per week then how come we purchased so many test kits. It would appear from Dr. Lee’s statement that approximately half of those purchased will be stale dated by year end! Long before they can be used. I apologies to Mrs. Oldie for the obvious Incompetence that wasted her generous gift. Of those we have passed onto other nations were the sold or given? If given are we the Cayman people and Mrs. Oldie paying for the gift. And if sold who is getting he money?
One small point did any of those Private individuals who facilitated the purchase (not the donors or those Who helped with charter flight) benefit in any way from the purchase?
There was a minimum order of 200’000 kits they said
Says who?
The governor said on prior press conference that the 200k was the minimum order, and then on another press conference that they had already sold many of them (maybe 80k I think?)
Granted but why did he say we needed to keep 100k if based on his projection we may not even use one fourth of the 100K…Something is just fishy about the numbers and the amount of testing being done..
No clue what the premier said…I can only hope “things go well”…
Can the Premier definitely let us know if the current restrictions on Alpaca importation will be lifted in the first phase of re-opening. I need something on which to wisely spend my pension windfall.
I thought the same thing! I have a big shipment of Alpaca’s on their way right now, if you would like to buy in! We’ll be living on easy street in no time!
Another day wasted, still no plan.
What an interesting exchange with the Health Minister, Wendy. Interesting that he would show up to press conference and not answer the question. And by the way, those two stories flew completely over my head. Was he just trying to fit in the word “jackass” with out directing it at the person asking the question? I did not read the CMR report but the fact that he did not put the gossip to bed by denying it speaks volumes.
The arrogance of the man was unbelievable.
He has been caught out and turns to the Bible unbelievable
And is the health minister but never gives any update on health matters PPE etc
Unbelievable.
Is Jon Jon comparing himself to Jesus Christ? that could be why his wife gets the idea she is the First Lady.
I watch the daily update to find out what is going on with the virus. I do not tune in to delve into the private lives of the good people who are sitting in front of the cameras. I think it was a low blow and the Minister deserves an apology. Please lets keep questions asked by the reporters directly relevant to coronavirus.
So his wife and her trainer get to break the rules while the rest of us are losing jobs and sacrificing so much to try to avoid major loss of life? It’s important to confront this issue because he has to lead by example. He’s a public figure. Wendy deserves an apology and so do it the people of this island who are financially supporting him and his First Lady.
Pretty sure it’s not his first lady…
No she thinks she’s ours.. Deluded… They all out of work come 2021
It’s relevant. Our civil liberties are being curtailed to ‘save lives’. One of the people responsible for that instruction is breaking the law by having random non essential persons visit his home. If this is a personal trainer then I’m sure he’s visited more than once and the Mininster is aware of this We only know of this incident because his wife is so dumb as to share on social media. Talk about disrespectful to the people on this island obeying the instructions. If you cannot see the relevance then you sir are blind.
Yup, he is leading by example and deserves a low blow.
Well she is a sacred vessel!
Is it arrogance, or is it corruption? Are the families of politicians free from the rules they impose on us all? Perhaps the Commissioner of Police can be asked the question. Jon Jon, disappointing. There is still time for your to “do the right thing” and it probably involves an apology to the press, and confirmation that the conduct of your family member (if the conduct occurred) is greatly regretted.
Just protecting his “sacred vessel.”
Round 2
Ask the man a question and get a rambling quasi bible quoting stupid response saying nothing , other than confirming that our Minister is not a man of education.
And by the way, how is it ok for the self styled First Lady to get close contact home visits with a personal trainer and a pool man can’t clean a pool at a distance…..answer the question mr minister.
So a picture creates so much ignorance!
who said they are not getting there pool cleaned?
He sounded so stupid. Mary and Joseph……
He ALWAYS sounds stupid. From the idiot language translations, to barely being able to read whatever notes some intern has typed up for him. Now this? He doesn’t deserve to be referred to as a Minister. He knows nothing about Health, and is an arrogant, entitled piss ant who doesn’t deserve to be sitting at a press briefing every day wasting everyone’s time. Total loser and complete waste of CIG time and money.
And dont forget the jackass
Well done Wendy! Stick to your guns. The Caymanian people know who the Jackass is here and come election time I hope those who can will vote him out of office. Only problem is who do we replace these incompetents with. Surely there are some responsible mature Caymanians who haven’t been charged with assault out there?
Well done Wendy is right! What this jackass did to you is the same thing McKeeva did to that poor girl…..abuse comes in many forms…. physical, emotional, psychological, and what this jackass tried to do to you today was embarrassing and unforgivable. Pathetic excuse for a “man”, let alone a representative of the Government.
https://youtu.be/5hfYJsQAhl0
Not in Bodden Town bobo.
Bodden Town’s best and brightest. Does not get any better there.
Insulting the modesty of a woman and should be charged!
Wendy,
Thank you for asking the question as he and his wife have to answer for the alleged actions. Your reply after his reply was brilliant.
Alden, you need to have a word with this minister (won’t calls names as he may start crying again), he needs to make a public appoligy for his threatening and insulting comments to a reporter (unfortunately this won’t happen.
As to the good news today, let’s hope our of the 800 + tests let’s hope for negative results and we can slacken some of these restrictions.
Just another hypocrite. Make everyone sacrifice, but ignore your own laws? If these allegations are true, a report should be made to police and his wife should be warned for prosecution just like all the other people. Another thing Minister, keep Jesus out of your dishonesty. It’s unbecoming to say the least.
Did he not have an altercation with another trainer over with his first wife, the sacred vessel. Boy aome people slow learners.
5.47 Cone on CNS is nothing off limits with you. How would you like for Cayman Marl Road to publish intimate details of your love life.
CNS: As everyone is well aware, the comment was a reference to Dwayne’s Seymour’s court case back in 2011, where his lawyer described his first wife as his “sacred vessel” as part of his defence. Stop being silly.
He owes Wendy an apology!!!
He owes the Country an apology and that will include wendy.
Wendy has a job to do. So does the minister. Guess who’s doing theres better?
The Health Minister is just one major embarrassment to the people of the Cayman Islands. I cannot help cringing hearing him speak.
I’m trying to figure out if he was trying to call wendy a jackass without actually coming right out with it….. however we can see who the jackass really is..
I think he was trying to say that if a donkey (jackass) was good enough for Jesus then its not so bad being called a jackass!!
What a completely nonsensical and abusive response to Wendy’s question. If he didn’t want to comment on it he could have simply said that it isn’t the appropriate medium nor time to comment on that. Instead he rambles on some incoherent biblical tirade. Only further proving to the general public and I hope his peers in cabinet that he is woefully unqualified for the Ministerial position that he is in.
Interesting that all of sudden he’s reading Bible verses and encouraging prayer. More likely a facade to mirror the portayal by whoever writes his speeches.
He has demonstrated publicly what type of person he is.
https://caymanmarlroad.com/minister-seymour-threatens-to-f-up-local-man-at-u-17-event/
Maybe he was just angry today as we know his history with and connection to personal trainers.
https://caymanmarlroad.com/minister-seymour-threatens-to-f-up-local-man-at-u-17-event/
https://www.caymancompass.com/2011/05/12/mla-seymour-s-wife-was-sacred-vessel-jury-hears/
He was well prepared too by reading if his sheet of paper
He owes her an apology. Disgraceful. Immature. Offensive.
Small thinking for a small island. Or big ideas that produce tremendous results?
The damage has been done already by the government, and there is no way that a $15,000,000. Handouts will help the island’s economy. Sure it will be important that the small business can pay back rent, utility bills, and suppliers, but what about their employees? The Premier stated that there is not enough to help employees.
The government made the best decisions. It could given the erroneous projections provided by the WHO and others, including the US and Great Britain. No one can fault the government for ensuring the worst-case scenario figures did not come to be here in Cayman. But, the overreaction has caused irreparable damage. We must accept that fact and move on.
Given all of this, it is time the government comes up with a plan to reimagine what Cayman is. Is it to remain a small backwater for tourists to spend a few hours for a day, then sail away? Or is the government ready, willing, and able to rethink what the country’s position in the American can be?
Now is the time to think out of the box and design an economy of production, productivity, safety, and excellence. Indeed, with some of the brightest minds in the business world domiciled right here, we can come up with a sustainable business climate that will take Cayman well into the 22nd century.
since im sure you count yourself as one of the brightest why dont you come up with a plan
Sorry but you couldn’t be more wrong. I consider myself someone with common sense, and a love for what this country could be.
Consultants and others have come up with plans through the years but the politicians do not have the intellectual capability to act on any of them.
Wendy. Keep on holding these ignorant people to account. Good on ya and the drinks are on me when this is over.
Consider for a moment that our early and strict requirements to stay at home saved us from a huge outbreak. Please.
I’ve been a pretty big fan of the Premier and the Governor’s handling of this situation…. but today, by not admonishing John John and allowing that disgusting display of ignorance towards Wendy, they lost me…. completely…. forever.
Totally agree,full support for Alden and the team but need a clear response from health minister or loss of credibility for all involved.
@ Anonymous 27/04/2020 at 3:15 pm – perhaps he was admonished after the meeting; it wasn’t appropriate for Alden to do so then and there as well you know.
Wrong. Intimidating the press in public, not to mention a woman doing her job, deserves the very same public response that John John gave. Allowing that to go unchecked is unacceptable.
Keep in mind this is the same chap whom I think I’m correct in saying is yet to publicly condemn another Govt official for a the serious offence of physical assault
‘But he warned that the return to normality will still be carefully phased as he said he did not want to repeat the lessons taught in other places where access has been opened too early.’
Put me in the stocks to be bombarded with rotten veg if I’m incorrect here,
Mr Premier where in the world is there an example of places dealing with consequences of opening up too early besides those closing borders (our borders are closed already) to prevent possible incoming transmission amongst the populace again besides maybe one State in that colossal mess near to us ? I’m trying Mr Premier, I’m really trying but now when there’s grabbing at straws to justify a strategy that isn’t really achieving on a broader scale of things much of anything an intuition of losing confidence is only becoming underlined. I’m really hoping this is part of a delay strategy whilst there’s a comprehensive Welfare State initiative being formulated.
Where have you been there are plenty of examples
4:53, – I stand corrected, yes, yes there are, there are many. I’ve made a list invisible to everyone else below. Type ‘4:53 research’ and immediately underneath that copy and paste the blank space as indicated (nothing else) in a reply to this post on your keyboard (it has to be the one that your post was made on for the list to be revealed). It’s only right that I fully concede the glory to you in posting all of the ‘examples’ to the masses.
Copy from here >
< end here
if it doesn’t show straight away, try this,
https://images.app.goo.gl/wrqo36eeEMwuZTVY9
The premier announced today that he follows the NZ model…here we go, start lifting the restrictions
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/27/845304917/new-zealand-says-it-has-won-battle-against-covid-19
How did that work out when they tried to copy their accounting models?
The New Zealand financial situation today is very sound indeed following their financial reforms of the 1990s and we did well to base our model on them…not copy them. The problem was it needed a bit of brain power and hard work to implement the reforms we made but our Chief Accounting Officer in charge of it all did not have the brains and was too busy working on her seventh day Adventist matters to give it her full attention. But the fact that we have money in the bank nowadays unlike in the old days when we could not pay our bills, especially at Xmas time, is down to our more sensible financial management program based on fiscal responsibility ( something politicians in the old days hated).
The model is New Zealand. The impressive PM there took the advice of her senior medical experts in January and by January 28th they started a lockdown and the week after, they started testing and tracing. They also shut their airports down at that time to foreigners.
Cannot help thinking that if Trump and his people had listened to their top medical people in January the problem could have been a lot less worse. The White House was informed by American intelligence officials and the WHO too what was happening in China. By late February, Trump was still saying the virus would go away with the spring. No action was taken. In fact, even today you cannot get a test in New Jersey unless one demonstrates 3 major symptoms because there are not enough tests available.
Remember, New Zealand acted long before we did but they are, as of today, open again. Well done New Zealand. I salute you.
Cayman we can do this. Short term pain for long term gain.
Personally I like the India model. What they did is pack trains and buses everyday with people sweating all over each other and bought and sold goods in the endless slum markets. They locked down but nobody actually locked down, they opted to eat instead. Their death rate stands at .7 per million. New Zealand death rate per million is nearly 600% higher than India.
Thank you 843. Now please get your message to Alden. With much haste!
A little one sided, try the below for a more even perspective.
What NZ has done is a great achievement but I feel Alden and the CI Govt have been shortchanged with their accomplishment. Apples & oranges with a way forward however with NZ having 5m people and a much more diverse infrastructure but both susceptible to future infections.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/why-new-zealands-elimination-coronavirus-strategy-is-unlikely-to-work-in-most-other-places/ar-BB13apAQ
Our key frontline people are being, or will be shortly be tested. Not everyone. The idea that every resident is somehow due a PCR test, needs to be put to rest. Yes, theoretically we might have enough reagent materials to test everyone, but that’s not the plan. Excess will be sold on before they expire in the freezer at the end of the year. People need to actually listen to what Dr Lee says at the press conferences.
No, we’re Caymanians, we don’t listen, we gossip and make things up. Much more fun.
To 7.14pm No you are not. Stop faking
People are losing their minds. It mighten look like it right now, but it’s bubbling under the surface.
It’s also so hot these days and you cant even swim in the sea.
Please give us back free will.
Predictably, and despite weeks of pleas to abide distancing, the alcoholic socializers ruined that resource for everyone. Now we all have to wait.
at least we are not losing our lives!
too little too late alden…with no economic stimulus plan much of the private sector will have suffered irreversible damage by the time you slowly re-open.
your ignorance and stubborness on simple things like beach access and pool maintenance tells you everything we need to know.
Be glad you are healthy enough and alive to even been typing a post… many do not have that luxury
Oh buzz off. Read the data. The risk is minimal. Only the ignorants who don’t understand Science and data still think hiding under your bed makes sense. Stop spreading fear because you’re uneducated
4:38, Are you the idiot who keeps posting and cannot read data properly?
12.49 There you have it Alden ..Free up beach access and pool maintenance and save the economy !
Excellent job Premier !
Adequate job/transparency, and that’s a big change for the better.
Build our port!
Ha ha good one build a port for what unless you are talking about a cargo port
For what, you idiot??
How is the pension going to help putting money into the country for work permit holders?THey will send all their monies to home
Many of them cannot because the Premier is keeping the cash transit offices shut. These are poor people without bank accounts or who cannot afford the very high wire charges banks charge for international transfers. So it will get held here under the mattress, spent of food and, rent and a ticket home once an evacuation flight is available (at which point the rest will get taken with them).
The bigger issue in terms of keeping money in the local economy is not the blue collar worker who ordinarily sends remittances home to his family. Its all the highly paid expats who will use the opportunity to pull out as much as they can and reinvest it in onshore investments or their onshore pension funds, where the charges and returns are way better. That money will leave the economy, but not because its paying families at home. Its because the Cayman pension providers have not been competitive for years. The Premier has stripped away that protection and is going to find out the law of unintended consequences bites hard.
Oh well…. Why not push for overseas pensions for all Caymanians….
Do you know why the onshore pensions do better. Simple answer they have laws and regulations and if you break them you actually go to jail not to every annual gala in Cayman.
So as A Caymanian I set up my own overseas long time ago. I’ll be pulling mine and sending it away too. Not in the business if supporting the corrupt. We have Jon Jon doesn’t inspire much confidence.
What do you give a shit what people do with THEIR earned money??? Mind your own business. The permit holders stimulate this economy enough with their permit fees alone. You want all the benefits of that and not allow them to access their own pension?
When you send all your money home, who going feed you?
Unless they come to YOU, why do you care? Count money in your own pocket.
The next week or so? That means we aren’t doing anything for another 2 weeks. Ugh.
How can this $15 million support for small business be justified…I think we should take a better look at how monies are being spent.
It will go to whom they deem loyal to ppm.
This is not the UDP in government.
Nope it’s both UDP and PPM…no difference..
Slush fund
Hope the $15m goes to small business and not just taxi drivers like last handout.
Oh it will
Developers and taxi drivers rule in Cayman. Just different ends of the economic spectrum.