Public beaches closed Easter Monday

| 11/04/2020 | 237 Comments
Cayman News Service
Premier Alden McLaughlin at Saturday’s press briefing

(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin has announced that all public beaches will be closed on Easter Monday because of concerns arising out of the behaviour of people on Seven Mile Public Beach on Good Friday. The Public Health Law regulations will be changed later today to confirm the shut-down on beach access for the public from one minute past midnight on 13 April, but it may also prove to be a longer term closure.

The premier has warned in the past that beach access could be closed during the soft curfew because of the numbers of people congregating there and the danger it presents for the spread of the coronavirus through the community, undermining the significant efforts to close the islands down and try to contain the virus.

Despite wanting to keep access to the beaches open to allow people to swim and exercise on the beach, the increased abuse of that element of the curfew exception has caused major concern.

“The issue with the beaches has us all really disillusioned,” McLaughlin said at Saturday’s COVID-19 briefing update, as he announced that the beaches would close on Monday. “We are absolutely courting disaster. If Good Friday was the way it was, I shudder to think what Easter Monday would be if we leave it uncontrolled.”

He said he was not certain about a longer term closure but it was under consideration. However, he said his priority was to close the beach on holiday Monday.

The premier added that he still did not think a full lockdown curfew was practical because people need to eat and access medicines. He said if he believed that locking the country down for one week would fix the problem, he would do it, but it would not fix it because once it was opened up again, the problem would return.

McLaughlin explained the purpose of the current approach and the need to curtail the interaction of people to an absolute minimum, and he pointed out this would have to continue for some time.

The premier expressed concern about the community transmission we are now seeing, and he was less hopeful today (Saturday) than he was last week that Cayman can trace and isolate most of those connected to the cases we have so far., But he warned again that it would not succeed without the cooperation of the public.

This problem of people abusing the soft curfew is compounding the issue, he said. People who are “partying because they think they are well” had to understand that the virus is out there in the community.

The premier also lit up social media during the press briefing when he said the ban did not really impact people with private beachfronts or a house on the beach, as people queried the concept of any beach being private. However, the premier emphasized that his concerns related to the public beach areas on Seven Mile Beach and Barkers. The people congregating and partying on the beach were the problem, not people swimming in front of their own homes.

The point McLaughlin was making was about the dangers of significant numbers of people drinking and hanging out on the beach under the guise of going to swim or walk for the purpose of exercising.

This, he said, this was the reason why the beaches would definitely be closed to the public on Easter Monday, usually a day when people would go to the beach and have fun. But depending on the decision made in Cabinet, the premier warned that the beaches may be closed for a protracted period and if that was the case, then he would reveal the details as soon as possible.

See Saturday’s COVID-19 briefing on CIGTV:


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Category: Health, Local News, Medical Health

Comments (237)

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  1. Cayman Mon says:

    “The Beach is Mine” and I say lock dem all down! Stay home Cayman.

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  2. Anonymous says:

    Your “reason” is specious; based on voodoo assumptions and not on science or accepted economics. This whole “herd immunity” argument is based on wishful thinking, not science because it has not been established that people can’t get this again once they had it. No one is saying there doesn’t need to be an end game, but by buying time, new therapies can be introduced and a vaccine gets closer – and lives will be saved. And the think that your “reason” doesn’t get is that the economy is screwed in either case. If you think you can just let this virus “pass through” (Trump’s words) the world and every thing goes back to the way it was, you are delusional. People aren’t going to travel they way they did before, won’t spend the way they did before, won’t interact the way they did before anytime soon – years in fact. You really should read/watch something other Fox News and other ultra-conservative media. There are some fantastic, apolitical, well-reasoned, knowledge-based articles across multiple channels.

    CNS: There is an issue sometimes on this site where comments are supposed to be replies but appear on their own. I haven’t figured out how to fix this, sorry. Is this what happened here?

    • Anonymous says:

      CNS, Ive noticed its when the “Posting comments too quickly” comes up and then you repost again. So I just refresh the page an repost when that happens and haven’t had the issue since. I’ve got into the habit copying what I’ve written before posting. 🙂

      CNS: Thanks! I’ve kept this answer to pass on to anyone who has the same problem.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Just give it up folks, the prophets of doom are going to win this one it doesn’t matter how much you try to reason with them. This will not end until the prophets of doom signal to the politicians that it’s ok to admit defeat (without admitting being completely wrong) and change strategies.

    CNS: Define “doom” in this context.

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    • Pete Landry says:

      The mounting evidence is that this approach is useless and creates far more victims than it saves. It’s so unintelligent and lazy to take away people’s lives and destroy their future for a statistical lie. The entire premise seems untrue.

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      • Anonymous says:

        What is true is I have very vulnerable people in my family and friends who if they contact this has received their death sentence. If social distancing is the best solution then Close this Island down completely for as long as it takes. The Beach 🏖 will be there when this over, I say choose LIFE over BEACH

  4. Anonymous says:

    Great News! President Trump is about to free and lead the World away from this media induced hysterical panicdemic! Soon, the media is about to go insane and literally into fall into demonic convulsions live on cable news before our eyes. This should entertaining to watch them have a meltdown in the next week or so.

    CNS: A lot of gleeful silliness in this paragraph. What the media and the health experts will be extremely concerned about is that if he does this, a lot of people will die unnecessarily. You might find that entertaining to watch but most of us will find that horrifying.

    Soon enough, there should be an investigation as to why this panicdemic was allowed to escalate to this level of hysteria destroying millions of lives as a result. Also why there was (and still is) an orchestrated effort to discredit, squash and bury the extremely positive results hydroxychloroquine has on the corona virus (for the extremely small minority of patient that get critical symptoms)

    CNS: Anyone who is actually interested can read this, dated 9 April: NIH clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine, a potential therapy for COVID-19, begins
    “Many U.S. hospitals are currently using hydroxychloroquine as first-line therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19 despite extremely limited clinical data supporting its effectiveness,” said Wesley Self, M.D., M.P.H., emergency medicine physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and PETAL Clinical Trials Network investigator leading the ORCHID trial. “Thus, data on hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19 are urgently needed to inform clinical practice.”

    And: How false hope spread about hydroxychloroquine to treat covid-19 — and the consequences that followed

    Not a single article here for example, despite it of being very significant news. See a pattern here? They are actually UPSET that hydroxychloriquine DOES show extremely positive results in all tests that have been concluded thus far.

    CNS: Claiming that anyone is upset about a possible way to treat COVID-19 is just madness. People are extremely concerned that the treatment is being touted by Trump and his trumplets prematurely, which not only endangers people taking it for this virus without sufficient testing (see here) but also endangers the lives of people who really need it for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis but can’t get it because of the sudden increase in demand.

    The “fact checkers” are also in full force trying to explain why the hospitals are empty across America. Their explanations make no sense. Elective surgeries for example have been cancelled for WEEKS! The hospitals should be full of dying people according to their own doomsday stats: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/apr/03/facebook-posts/hospital-beds-being-kept-empty-prepare-covid-influ/

    CNS: I’m sorry you didn’t understand the fact check, dated two weeks ago. It was explaining that the hospitals were trying to free up beds for the apex of the crisis, which is happening about now in New York City – hopefully – but will continue for a while. The number who have died from COVID-19 in NYC alone is now approaching 7,000 and over 22,000 have died in the US overall with no end in sight. If you don’t believe this, you are so lost in the world of conspiracy theories, I can’t help you.

    The fact checkers themselves have to admit -the hospital ARE empty-. They are just trying to justify why with more BS!

    CNS: Honestly! You just make things up. The fact checkers did not say the hospitals were empty; they said there were significant numbers of empty beds. At least try to understand the difference.

    These people predicted up to 2.2 MILLION deaths in America alone!

    CNS: I suspect you use “these people” as a blanket term for anyone who doesn’t accept crazy conspiracy theories but let me try to sort it out for you. That particular prediction was in a paper published by the Imperial College in London (see here). It predicted what could happen if no containment measures were taken. However, measures have been taken, which is why the figure has changed. The modelling will continue to be updated up or down depending on new data, including increased containment measures (down) or Trump opening up the country (up), which is how these things work.

    Now it’s been “readjusted” to 60K (About what the seasonal flu does every single year in the US alone)

    CNS: So I get that you put “readjusted” in quotes because you didn’t understand why the figure changed, but try to understand that the current prediction of 60k deaths is only because of the containment measures that have been put in place, and that they all happen within a few weeks or months, rather than spread out over the year, which is why the health services are put under such severe strain.

    This considering that even in cases where someone died because they were hit by a car or died of a heart attack, and they happen to test positive of the corona, their deaths will be ruled as dying from the corona regardless of the actual cause of death.

    CNS: More madness. No, people who die because they are hit by a car will not be counted as a coronavirus death. However, most people who die of coronavirus complications do have other underlying problems so there is an issue for academics studying these things who need to map the spread and effect of the virus. Of course Fox News twists this to bolster Trump’s agenda. But for those who have not yet succumbed to the ‘MSM is the enemy of the people’ madness, here is an explanation to the link below.

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/birx-says-government-is-classifying-all-deaths-of-patients-with-coronavirus-as-covid-19-deaths-regardless-of-cause (I know, I know, the lefties here will try to discredit the information on the basis that’s reported on Fox. Whether it’s a fact, is irrelevant to lefties, facts are like kryptonite to leftist lunatics

    CNS: Sadly, “facts” are now “alternative facts”.

    More updated daily FACTS from Hopkins Medicine (more kryptonite for lunatics):

    Infections

    COVID-19: Approximately 1,860,011 cases worldwide; 557,590 cases in the U.S. as of Apr. 13, 2020.*

    Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

    Deaths

    COVID-19: Approximately 114,983 deaths reported worldwide; 22,109 deaths in the U.S., as of Apr. 13, 2020.*

    Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

    Deaths in Cayman as a DIRECT result of the corona = Z E R O

    CNS: There’s a lot of conspiracy theory silliness in this very long comment, but this is the silliest. The facts and figures from John Hopkins are highly respected. And you realise they are those lefty liberal scientist you despise, right? Or as you put it, “these people”?

    The pattern here, as you have proved, is this: there is a pandemic coming; conspiracy theorists egged on by Fox News blowhards say, nope, nothing to worry about; academics manage to persuade politicians to take measures to contain the pandemic; the measures work and the crisis is not as bad as it could have been; conspiracy theorists say, see, I told you there was nothing to worry about. You talk about facts but you spout nonsense.

    Now via an FOI request let’s publish the amount of people who were financially destroyed as a result of this. I really look forward for CNS to launch that investigation. (Please no one hold your breaths)

    CNS: Another thing you don’t understand is how FOIs work. But ignoring that, the economic fallout is obviously something we will cover.

    • Concerned about how many idiots exist in this world says:

      Thank you CNS for shutting this total and utter moron down! One born every minute!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Unless you are promoting promising (though preliminary) cures for HIV, you will be vilified for being excited about Covid treatments including Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin. It doesn’t matter that accomplished and credible doctors are reporting results that go beyond anecdotal. It’s mystifying reading apparent rooting against treatments that show great promise. Article after article has been written to scare people about Hydroxychloroquine which has been prescribed for 6 decades. As if doctors will prescribe it without considering other factors simply because Trump says it shows great promise. Do we not trust doctors to make those decisions? What’s going on in much of the media is grotesque.

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  5. Anonymous says:

    We can’t stay locked down until there is a vaccine, UNLESS by some miracle a vaccine passes drug trials & manages to go into global distribution in the very near future. And that’s not going to happen. This is real life, not a movie.
    So what to do? Do we simply crater the economy and bring on all the devastation that will create? There are no good obvious clear choices.
    But there is sufficient consensus on the following:
    the virus is not the end of days global catastrophe initially feared;
    the vast majority dont have symptons or get it mild.
    most people who suffer terribly with it are pre-existing vulnerable (sick/old).

    So what can be done now we know this? Well, we could unlock the majority in a local community. We know who is old, who has diabetes, hypertension, heart issues. We take care of them, we isolate them as best we can, government funds them, we all help them.

    But the rest of us? We must soon go back to work and get the economy going. We can do this without having to play team sports or go to a cinema or restaurant for a while. we can be sensible.

    But Govt must be sensible too, look at the maths and data and realize that we can actually isolate the most vulnerable and help them thru by helping ourselves thru.

    This is the only way out of this in the medium term. And yes, some of the non-vulnerable will get it, but very few will suffer terribly. No different than any other awful disease that we currently can get also. Protect the vulnerable, and sensibly open up a local economy in the coming weeks. It has to happen before people start going hungry, poor and crime escalates.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I am totally pro-vax, but also understand that even the best miracle vaccines don’t always work as intended. If the jackasses would just stay home, then local transmission would fall to zero over weeks. We need to starve out the virus locally and internationally for it to go away. Take this season’s flu shot as an example: it “vaccinates” against four historical flu strains with an efficacy rate of just 30-42%. Not great odds if your life truly depends on full immunity. If the virus mutates, then there could be a whole ‘nother wave of novel infections which a “current” strain vaccine won’t inoculate against.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Apologies thumbed this down becuase I initially thought you said anti-vax.. I shouldn’t speed read! Agree we cant wait for a vaccine. Doctors have already stated that we will likely have to wait until next year for a vaccine to be produced. The best we can do like you say is try to stop the spread locally.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    CNS were the regulations to close passed by Cabinet? Is there a link to the Gazette?

    CNS: Yes the regulations were passed by Cabinet. I don’t have a link offhand, sorry.

    • Anonymous says:

      CIG should have provided a link to this important pronouncement as soon as it was passed and gazetted. The laws and constitution must be followed at all time.

  7. Anonymous says:

    I hate to say this but we live in a country where laws are passed but rarely enforced. People know this and will continue to break the law. Until the Government/Police lay down the law and start enforcing it, arresting people, forcing them to post bail and go to court within a few days after they have been arrested..open the courts for two hours a day for a week and after that i think people will get the message..

    What we are doing know is useless. A lot of these people will be on the first flight out of here when this is over and the Police would have wasted their time and we will have had to stay locked up longer because of their bad decision to break curfew.

    We need to set example for punishment and if we don’t do that then let the animals run free..

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    • Anonymous says:

      Good morning, Everyone: I was just listening to the you tube link of a presentation by California Loma Linda Medical University’s and other doctors on natural treatments for Covid-19. Well worth listening to. It is long—2 hours—but you can stop it as necessary and go back when you have time.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v75qipspDvQ

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    • Anonymous says:

      You also live on an island.

      When your actual human rights as a person are exploited because of a disease that kills less than fleas and fear monging is at an all time high, even in the West Indies – then you know someone/thing is following an agenda..its plain to see.

      Wake up and tell me why a virus would discriminate church but not grocery stores, why lockdown sundays on a christian nation, or better yet continue to allow alcohol sales and claim scared if “they” dont get the juice, meanwhile you all still bandwagon like goodie two shoes, putnon your masks and act holier than thou….these actions only support the new world govt dogma the normal citizens are being forced to swallow – wake up!

      Tell me why a virus adheres to timeframes and curfews but essential folks (lol) are roaming the same “infected” streets and clustering…working the same manner just with personal hygeine in mind…any other difference?

      Sadly, It has come to the unvoluntary sacrificing of God given free rights for the rest of 2020 and then the pawns try to bribe global populations with handouts from their masters monies!?

      Well…we shall continue to see the NWO happen…what a time to be alive. Hold your faith strong and firm.

      Those who have an eye….

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      • Anon says:

        My understanding is that if you are a true Christian, you can worship anywhere, therefore a church service is not essential. No one is taking away your right to worship. Food on the other hand is essential, hence why there are restrictions in place.

  8. Anonymous says:

    I am not going to read through the clusters of comments. It’s not worth the time. I lived on your island for 12 years……worked on the front lines of healthcare. I love Cayman. Though not there I still and always will call it home. I am currently in the U.S. working in a major city working as a paramedic. I am seeing the effects of the virus daily. Just yesterday I had several patients with the virus and had one die while in my care on the way to hospital.
    This is not a thing to be taken lightly. I understand being tired and bored and wanting to get on with things. Truly I do. I’m there myself. I haven’t seen my boys or my friends in weeks. But every time I think I might just pop over and say hi, I remember my patients and their families.
    Do not contribute to the problem people. In a few months this will all pass and we can get back to life as we somewhat know it. My concern for you all is that you don’t see this thing face to face. When you a actually see or know someone going thorough thistle different.
    Being told there is something out there that will kill you…but you can’t see it or touch it…maybe makes it not so real. It is very real…….I only pray you don’t have to endure this and none of you get so sick.
    Stay home. Think of your friends and families.
    Love to Cayman. My forever home. Stay safe.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I’m so sorry. I accidentally down voted. Thank you for your service.

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    • Anonymous says:

      9:11pm

      Thanks very much for sharing your real experiences.

      Many in this little 2×4 want to reopen now for business as (usual).

  9. Anonymous says:

    I am sorry, but anyone with half a brain knows that teenagers are highly irresponsible. To place an entire countries future in their hands is just idiotic.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Idiocy in this matter is not limited to any age group. I have seen it across the board. I have seen many adults doing stupid things particularly on the beaches. Don’t point the finger at any one age category. It is unfair and incorrect.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Agreed. Idiocy right now is across all walks of life – rich, poor, Caymanians, expats, young, not-so-young, educated, not-so-educated, Christian, non-Christian, straight, gay. They common thread is disrespect for the law and disrespect for others. I have seen friends and acquaintances thumbing their nose at the law and putting others at risk. I will steer clear of them when this is over and seek out the company of those who respect life and other people. This is a wake-up call for me.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Don’t forget, some are pushing for these geniuses to vote in the referendum.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    I’ve swam in the sea 6 days per week since lockdown as my main form of exercise.

    I tried going a few times in the afternoon and was so annoyed by all the rule breakers that I started only going early in the morning. During this time, there are only people there who are following the rules. No groups of friends, no beer drinking “walkers” like in the afternoons.

    There’s a man who takes his elderly severely arthritic dog to the beach every morning for a swim. The dog simply cannot walk on land but in the water he’s like puppy.

    I fully understand the need to stop the irresponsible and idiotic behaviour that’s been on full display in the afternoons…please government, consider opening up the beach to SWIMMERS only, for those (people and pets) who truly need this low impact form of therapeutic exercise, say from 6 am – 8 am every morning, or even 6 am – 7 am even.

    The idiots seem to be late sleepers so won’t be a bother at that time of day, and those who truly need the water can have it.

    Walking can happen other places, swimming cannot.

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    • Anonymous says:

      If this were ebola or something actually likely to kill you….

      CNS: I am interrupting this comment with a reality check and to urge you to stop spreading dangerous nonsense. Here’s what’s happening in New York.

      ….or if these Draconian measures had a hope of making the whole thing go away (which they don’t)….

      CNS: I’m interrupting again to explain, again, that the whole idea is to flatten the curve to avoid the situation in NY or northern Italy, where many many people get very sick at the same time so that hospitals and funeral homes, unprepared for a pandemic, are overwhelmed and not everyone who could survive will do so. It will also give the world the chance to produce tests and eventually a vaccine.

      ….these kids might act differently, but they see through this. We’re all getting covid, eventually, and apart from some unfortunate people who are already approaching the end of their natural lives and an exceedingly tiny number of other randoms, we’ll be ok.

      CNS: So basically what you’re saying is that Granny must be sacrificed so the kids can go to the beach and drink beer. She might have lived a decade longer otherwise but YOU have calculated HER risk and decided it’s worth it.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Addressing the CNS comments:

        1. Likely to kill you Covid is not, death rate is maybe 1%, certainly a fraction thereof for healthy people. That’s fact, not dangerous nonsense.

        CNS: OK, leaving aside that the mortality rate varies widely and is in many countries not really known, let’s take your figure of 1%. That is enormously high in a disease that spreads incredibly quickly, leaving a lot of people dead in a matter of weeks – not over the course of a year but counting the dead daily. Sacrificial lambs to the economy in your world. Yes, we all know that most people are asymptomatic and many others have only mild symptoms, but for those who get very sick, this is a devastating illness. Also have a thought for the medical staff who treat them because they will also be at high risk.

        2. Cayman is not going to be northern Italy. We have basically the inverse demographic, one of the youngest populations compared to one of the oldest in the developed world, and a ratio of health facilities that’s “in the stratosphere” according to the premier. If there’s any dangerous nonsense in this exchange it’s counting on a vaccine. Don’t count on a vaccine at least in anytime relevant timeframe. Notice in the press briefings that the one person who doesn’t talk about vaccines is Dr Lee?

        CNS: Yes, we all understand that a vaccine is a long way off, a year if we’re lucky. Notice that I said “eventually”. That’s not a suggestion that it will be soon. In the meantime, a more realistic short-term goal is anti-body tests so we know who is immune. As to the population, it is skewed low because we have (or had) so many foreigners working here, who are by definition, of working age.

        But among the local population there are a high number of seniors. There is also a very high prevalence of underlying conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, making this a very vulnerable population. You are correct that between all the hospitals here, we are in a very good position to deal with a potential outbreak, but that is not a reason to be flippant about the suffering of those who will get sick.

        3. No that’s basically not what I’m saying. “Granny” and anyone else at high risk should be quarantined, as the Netherlands have done. Leave the rest to calculate their own risk and actions.

        CNS: The Netherlands has taken this position right now but have left open the possibility of a strict lockdown if things get worse, and right now the cases there are rising rapidly. The UK government’s initial position was to develop “herd immunity” but then changed track when people started dying in numbers. Because of their late start, they are now facing the possibility, by some predictions, of a worse situation than Italy.

        There is going to be a lot of discussion when this pandemic is over about different approaches to it and why some countries fared better than others. Right now no one knows if the low mortality rate in some countries is because it just hasn’t hit there hard yet or if it is due to natural factors (such as the temperature), how that country dealt with the crisis, the basic health of the nation and the level of healthcare available. Why would it be low in both Sweden and India? There doesn’t seem to be a common denominator.

        You’re last sentence bothers me the most because you are still not understanding that you are not calculating your risk, you are calculating everyone else’s risk that you come into contact with. Boris Johnson seemed to think he was immune too. How many people did he infect when he was busy shaking hands with everyone?

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        • Anonymous says:

          Where did you get your mortality rate of 1% from?

          Please read this article on estimating mortality

          https://smw.ch/article/doi/smw.2020.20203

          Diagnosis of viral infection will precede recovery or death by days to weeks and the number of deaths should therefore be compared to the past case counts. As of the 31st march 2020 the UK had 25,474 cases with 1793 deaths. At this point in time the calculated case mortality would have been 7%. The data for the UK on 11th April was 74,608 cases with 8974 deaths, giving a case mortality of 12%. This trend is the same for all other countries with the case mortality rising over time as a result of people who have been diagnosed with the virus dying several weeks later. Covid is not the same as fllu and should be taken seriously.

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          • Anonymous says:

            Mortality percentage is a function of case resolution stats, which is: dead/dead + recovered x 100. The current global avg is >21%. To prevent panic and/or cover earlier ineptness, WHO had tried to skew this figure down to 1-2% by using total case numbers rather than basing calc on a percentage of resolved cases. That this is still the metric being used in many circles, demonstrating just how dangerous fake news can be.

      • Anonymous says:

        Well intervened CNS – the stupidity of some people is quite overwhelming.
        This disease is killing all ages and is also killing Dr’s, nurses, porters and other emergency workers in their fight against it.
        There’s a narrative circulating that this is just a bad case of the flu that is so dangerous.
        God bless the hero’s out there fighting the disease.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Cns- look for the published article in the New England Journal of Medicine, 26th March 2020 by Dr Faucci & associate titled Covid19 – Navigating the Uncharted.
          Maybe that will help to edify the situation.

          CNS: Thanks! Here’s the link in case anyone else wants to read it.

      • Anonymous says:

        Granny doesn’t want you and others ruining both her last year or two and the future of her grandchildren. Have you even stopped to ask her?

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      • Anonymous says:

        I have never lavished praise on you before, CNS, but that was awesome. While I am at it then, thanks for what you are doing. It is important.

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      • Anonymous says:

        In response to CNS’s comments. Flattening the curve doesn’t mean that you stop it from happening at all here.

        CNS: ‘Flattening the curve’ means avoiding a sudden crisis that medical staff and hospital cannot cope with. This is what New Zealand did and is now aiming for ‘eliminating the curve’ so everyone can go back to work, However, this requires everyone to do their part. How and when to begin opening up is a question that all governments are dealing with, not just ours. Too early and that crisis could come anyway.

        That’s now virtually impossible given the community transmission. The virus will be with us next month and next year and 5 years from now. Do you suggest that we remain locked down till then? If not then what is your solution? Wait for a vaccine that will take 18 months from now…..? At some point we need to prepare to open up which means protecting the vulnerable and creating a plan which opens Cayman up slowly so that our health care can cope. Remaining locked down for an extended period will create more problems than it solves. This isn’t an either / or choice. It is now time for the government to outline its long term plan that will protect those who are vulnerable while acknowledging that remaining locked down is not a viable long term option. It’s not governments job to “save” everyone. If it was then speed limits would be 0 miles an hour, no one could go in the sea at all and no one could play any sport where there was any danger of injury. It is governments job to reasonably protect those that are vulnerable in our community while recognizing the need for the rest of us to get on with our lives.

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      • Anonymous says:

        CNS, this person would be the first one to change their stance if they or one of their close relatives caught it.. I have never heard more crap in my life..what aan idiot!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Typical CNS holier than thou grand standing: I didn’t write the original comment, but I just can’t stand your constant self important smug brow beating, instead of actually trying to engage the conversation with facts.

        CNS: OK, “smug” and “holier than thou” I’ll take on the chin, but I am actually trying to inject facts here and engage in conversation. I’m following the news about field hospitals in NYC in Central Park and sports complexes being prepared for the overflow from hospitals. The HSA has already said they have lined up overflow buildings here in case COVID-19 breaks out. That’s reality. As for the bit below, I have actually seen a disturbing number of comments that suggest that if we opened up a number of people would die but they would be the old and sick, as if that is OK.

        NO ONE is suggesting “Yes, let’s just let granny die”. Are you really that obtuse? What is being suggested is protecting and reserving critical care and providing effective means of quarantine for those at _high risk_, and not treat the entire population as we are one spittle away from certain death! The poster rightfully compared this hysteria as if it were ebola AND ITS NOT! It’s not even close to ebola, yet we are acting as if it’s 10 times worse than Ebola.

        CNS: OK, calm down a bit. No one is suggesting that this is ebola, which, because you like facts, has a mortality rate of 25-90%, compared to COVID-19 which has a mortality rate of 1-3% by most estimates. The difference is that ebola outbreaks are largely contained in West Africa, where in the 2014 outbreak it killed over 11,000 people – devastatig for that region. SARS and MERS also have much higher mortality rates but, like ebola, were contained. COVID-19, on the other hand, is everywhere in almost every country. It is here, which is why we have to deal with it instead of just reading about it. So while the death rate is much lower, because so many people have it, the number dying is much higher. Right now it’s over 116,000 worldwide with no sign of stopping. One of the big issues for governments, including ours, is getting people to take it seriously. It does not help that Trump and his trumplings were calling it a Democratic hoax for the first couple of months.

        maybe if you dedicated a single brain cell to having an open mind to having discussion rather than virtue signaling, perhaps there is even a way to do it without completely destroying the entire economy and everyone’s livelihood in doing so trying shelter EVERYONE, majority of who are NOT likely to die from this. If you LISTEN to the CDC, a very small MINORITY are at high risk of this, just like there is a very small minority are risk of dying from all of the verities of flues, including swine flu which is MORE dangerous than this one according to the CDC data. And we lived thought that one just fine.

        CNS: Actually, hundreds of thousands of people didn’t live through swine flu just fine and the death toll from COVID-19 is likely to be much higher. For example, in the 2009 outbreak of H1N1, there were 12,500 deaths in the US (a mortality rate of about 0.02%). Over 22,000 have already died in the US from COVID-19 and it’s nowhere near over.

        LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DATA, don’t just count the bodies at the morgue. If you did that with car accidents, no one would ever walk out of their houses!

        CNS: People die and bodies end up in morgues. But in a pandemic morgues fill up and overflow. Hence the freezer trucks in NYC to cope with the amount of people dying. The number of bodies is data. It’s how you calculate mortality rates.

        You cannot make policy on worst case imaginable!

        CNS: You have to make policy on the facts available and learn from what is happening in other countries. And when it comes to a potential health crisis, yes you do have to plan for the worst cast scenario. The fact is that this is a dangerous pandemic and governments have to deal with that. The pandemic experts at the CDC and in the UK strongly recommend the measures taken by the CIG.

        The current economical situation IS NOT SUSTAINABLE for living period! Get that through your thick layer of emotions clouding your to have rational thought!

        CNS: Ignoring the last sentence…. As said elsewhere, all countries/states/cities that have been, or are in, lockdown have to decide how and when to open up again. Here, the arrival of tests will help enormously with that, and if progress continues to be made on anti-body tests, that’s a game changer. But yes you are correct, the government needs to figure out how to help people financially through this time. And no, I’m not trying to diminish the economic pain felt by many, which can be terrifying.

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      • Anonymous says:

        CNS, a vaccine is a false hope. The current flu vaccine only reduces the chance of getting the flu by 60%, and that is after many years of trying. That is not enough to stop Covid-19.

        https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/flu-vaccine-60-percent-effective-so-far-cdc-says-n525271

        CNS: I’m not arguing with that, but it remains a hopeful possibility some time in the future. Since it’s possible that COVID-19 never really goes away, a vaccine will still be of use when it appears.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Well said 4:09! It seems that stupid people need more sleep to recharge their few existing brain cells which is probably why they are out in mass at around 4:00. I hope these morons don’t get the beaches shut down. Like you swimming is my main source of exercise. It is unfair for them to shut it down just because some people are selfish. Fine the people in breach and let the rest of us swim. Swimming is safer than walking and running atm particularly as joggers seem to not understand that they especially need to stay 6ft away or more!

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    • Ellen Marcher says:

      That’s a great idea. Open the beaches only in the mornings. That way the people who truly only use the beach/sea for exercise can continue, and the irresponsible idiots who have ruined it for the rest of us will still be in bed. (That arthritic old dog is ours, and that man is my husband. Those morning swims are keeping our dog alive.)

    • Concerned about how many idiots exist in this world says:

      I live on SMB – but can’t go there anymore because of the stupid idiots… and I saw them myself. 5:30 Friday evening, with their beers by Royal Palms, lounging in the sea – young people with their friends. So very clearly not there to exercise. One young lady in a pink swimming costume and her dog. A bunch of other people. There will always be idiots who spoil it for others. I wish I had shouted at them and I will if it ever happens again. I recommend everyone embarrasses anyone they see breaching the law. Maybe then people will be shamed into good behaviour.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I walk everyday from Royal Palms to Governors Beach and back. Main problem for me is people stopping for a chat with each other near the water (sometimes with a beer in hand), which stops the flow of people walking on the hard sand. This makes it look like people congregating. Also people playing games near the water.

    Please make a rule that the hard sand near the sea is for people walking or running. If you want a chat or want to play bat and ball then move higher up the beach as it is impossible to keep distance when you are hogging the shore line.

    Please also be sensible as sitting on towels under umbrellas indicate that you are hanging about not exercising and will cause the beach to be closed.

    Only come to the beach if you are prepared to keep moving up and down, please don’t stop for a chat and leave towels, coolers and umbrellas at home.

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    • Anonymous says:

      We need to close the beaches like Bermuda and the Bahamas. Stay home. End of the matter.

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    • Anonymous says:

      2:29 well said! I get so annoyed when people do this right by the water. They leave a 6ft gap between them but people cant walk between the gap without breaking the distance law themselves. Move up the beach! Also ball sports weren’t included in the exercise allowance so not sure why people are doing this. Walk, Run, Jog or swim. It’s really not difficult!

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      • Anonymous says:

        At a time like this, this is quite possibly the dumbest reply to one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read and that’s saying a lot. GTFOH.

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        • Anonymous says:

          4:53 How so? Please do enlighten me with your plethora of wisdom.

        • Anonymous says:

          4.53 p.m. – can you explain which reply you are referring to? With the comments and replies set up it’s often hard to follow who is saying what about which comment.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The whole point you don’t stop and chat or play bat and ball

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  12. Anonymous says:

    before alden imposes his next lockdown measure..i want answer to the following:
    has there been an investigation into why and how cig let an italian cruise ship dock here that had been banned from other locations??

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  13. Anonymous says:

    COVID19 is not a ‘little flu’. It is highly contagious that brings on symptoms similar to full blown pneumonia which requires invasive intervention by machines forcing your body to breathe. Figures quoted relate to deaths documented in hospitals. Not care homes, not people’s homes or anywhere else.
    We do not want it here.
    The flippancy and stupidity of these Covidiots is astounding, along with the usual keyboard warriors and trolls. I hope they or theirs don’t fall foul of this illness although they do appear to be prime candidates for natural selection.
    Perhaps their confidence that all this is overblown may inspire them to volunteer and expose themselves to environments where Coronavirus 19 is present. They obviously won’t need the PPE.

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    • Anonymous says:

      We have it here if you did not notice.
      You should state it CAN bring on full blown pneumonia is maybe 10% to15% of cases.
      You also failed to mention the 30% to maybe even 50% that show no symptoms.
      This virus is not going anywhere any time soon and there will be no vaccine widely available any time soon, So what’s your plan then?
      You can’t lock down for ever or even 6 month.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Boris Johnson was not put on ventilator. They gave him some oxygen instead.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Not sure what your point is. By his own admission, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the U.K. nearly died.

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  14. Anonymous says:

    This is not that hard. The police can approach groups on a beach that do not appear to be a family unit and ask for ID. Family units are pretty easy to spot and should be left alone so long as they are using social distancing from other people on the beach. This is hard enough without imposing more hardships

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  15. Anonymous says:

    I think the government did great at the start by locking us down, shutting the ports etc. based on all we knew then, it was the right move and gave health industry time here to prepare for a massive influx of it spread. We now have the test kits. It’s now time to start letting people out again locally. For sure keep borders closed to visitors and enact 14 day quarantine thru end of year. But this virus is not the end of days we had feared. Some will get sick. A tiny few will get horrendously sick. And a tiny minority may lose their lives. Exactly what happens every day with regular flu/cancer/diabetes and others. We have enough evidence now globally to understand that with strong mitigation a local economy could operate pretty well with ongoing social distancing efforts etc (no team sports etc) until a vaccine. It’s time to be sensible and let logic start to rule emotion. Maybe 10 more days of lockdown and then slowly let us out

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    • Anonymous says:

      You must be a Trumper!! That is exactly how they think!! 🤬

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      • Anonymous says:

        mAGA!

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        • Anonymous says:

          Sorry to tell you this, but America stopped being great in almost every sense shortly after Donald Trump took the office of President. I don’t think it will ever be great – the way the rest of the world sees great, and after all, greatness is in the eye of the beholder – again. Maybe be in a generation or two, but I kind of doubt it. The American spirit is resilient, so you never know.

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  16. Anonymous says:

    I don’t quite understand: if all these gatherings are a violation of the soft curfew and blatantly obvious to the police and other observers why are people not being arrested and/or ticketed. If the police walked down the beach and started throwing cuffs on a few of these idiots the rest would get the picture fast and knock it off. Instead we all suffer. Let’s just going to the damn 24 hr lockdown for two miserable weeks and get this over with. Some of us want to get back to work and we literally NEVER will if all these morons keeps local transmission going. It should have been stomped out by now for those of us that can count to 14 and it clearly hasn’t been. As the premier and cmo keep saying you can’t catch it or spread it if you stay isolated. By definition if it’s spreading people are not isolating. So the 90% of us that keep doing what we’re supposed to are being undermined by these fools who can’t behave or get it through their heads. I say jail time for all at this point.

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    • M McLaughlin says:

      You really believe by us being quarantined the virus will go away. Come on get real, only herd immunity or a vaccine will defeat the virus. Enjoy your quarantine and the great job CI government is doing in delaying you from catching the virus.

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      • Anonymous says:

        2:10….The problem with the herd immunity is that there is a percentage of the population that will DIE! Just stay home simple and straightforward!

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        • Anonymous says:

          A Bloomberg News article a few days ago said that the Head of South Korean CDC reported alarming 51 “recovered” de-quarantined negatives subsequently retested as positives throwing the “immunity thesis” into question. Hopefully this “resurfacing” will be chalked up to bad testing, but still lots we don’t know. There would not necessarily be any herd immunity here if that’s the case, just needless deaths from selfish/alcoholic oafs.

      • Anonymous says:

        I agree with you on most of this. Herd immunity or a vaccine are the end games. However the point I was trying to make is that what we have now is the worst of both worlds. We are locked down enough to cripple the economy and destroy countless bank accounts but not enough to truly contain this thing. So we’re left in financial ruin and keep ticking away at this forever.
        The premier and governor keep saying if we can go two weeks with no new cases we can get back to work…but that’s never going to happen and slowly but surely businesses will fail, lenders will stop being lenient, more jobs will be lost and recovery will become increasingly less likely. So, we either need to do what Sweden did and go for herd immunity, or like China did and lock it down for real. Right now we’re just circling the draining and buying into the illusion that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

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  17. Pastor Alfredo says:

    We live in a society policed by consent. The idea being that the population, by majority, delegates the imposition of generally agreed rules to the police to enforce rather than the individual. Closing the beach to everyone because there are, apparently, a handful of people not adhering to the generally accepted rule of social distancing and essential-only outside journeys is not something I, or I suspect the majority, will consent to.

    If there are people breaking the rules then enforce the rules. Taking the beach away from everyone because of a handful of idiots is akin to making an entire squad of soldiers do 50 push ups in the rain whilst the single soldier who made a mistake is made to watch. It’s passive agressive and archives nothing except breed resentment. There is no logic to closing the beach. The police are out in numbers to enforce the rules. Just do that. I see dozens of people sunbathing, sitting in groups or drinking on the beach every time I go there. If I can see them so can the police. You have my, and the caymanian population’s consent, to issue tickets to these people. If you choose to close the beach, the next time I see such infractions, and no police to enforce the rules, I may well choose to enforce them myself. Breaking the contract of policing by consent is an extremely dangerous path to take and one which should be given serious consideration.

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    • Brian of Zarareth says:

      Perhaps at the next briefing CNS could enquire of the Police Commissioner exactly what his officers are doing about these supposed breaches of the rules on the beaches and how many people have been ticketed/reported.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The problem is that it is very hard to police. How do you define a gathering? What if they are all in groups of 2 and are separated by 15 feet? How do you define exercise? How do you police time limits? What if I just finished exercising and sat down for a minute to catch my breath? Is drinking specifically prohibited?

      Also then you have the people that live on the beach. Part of the beach (past the high water line) is their home and they are within their rights to sunbathe or have a drink.

      Common sense prevails and I agree it is easy to see who is abusing the rules, but it’s tough to enforce unless you close it completely.

      I would also note that we are targeting people on the beaches, but i suspect quite a bit of the community transmission is happening elsewhere with private house parties (outside of the view of the police), hospitals and grocery stores.

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      • Pastor Alfredo says:

        A gathering is very specifically defined as more than two people. If groups of two are sat 15 feet apart then they are observing the specified social distancing instructions and are breaking no laws.

        I, and presumably anyone.woth common sense, has a fair idea of what constitutes “exercise”. Of course one person’s exercise .at differ quite a lot from the next person’s. I think we can all agree that sitting in a big group on the beach in close quarters or sunbathing isn’t exercise. It’s fairly obvious who is causing the issue and it’s not the single person who’s just sat down to catch their breath.

        It’s actually incredibly easy to police. I could do it myself very easily if I had the power to write people up or move them along under threat of prosecution but I don’t. I could enforce these rules on SMB with half a dozen friends so I’m sure the police could do it with half a dozen officers armed with tickets and fines.

        Pastor Alfredo

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        • Anonymous says:

          7 mile beach is around 6 miles long; that is only one beach area in Grand Cayman. You and what army are going to walk all the beaches of these three islands from sun up to sun down? How many ATVs will the police need? It’s obvious the police do not have the resources to do this unless it would be an option.

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          • Pastor Alfredo says:

            We have more police on this island per head of capita than virtually any country in the world. And that’s before you count the special constables. The idea that they can’t find half a dozen officers to patrol seven mile beach with any regularity is laughable. Yes, SMB is just one. But there aren’t many others and they’re certainly not as sizable.

            As someone has already posted, just write up anyone breaking the law with a fine of $1,000. Watch how quickly the sunbathing and group gatherings stop.

            My personal feeling is that no one is doing themselves or anyone else any harm by sunbathing alone on SMB. That’s as may be. But if the government’s reaction to them breaking those simple rules is to shut the beach to everyone then fine them to make them stop so everyone else can continue to walk and swim on the beach.

            It’s very very simple.

            Pastor Alfredo

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            • Anonymous says:

              Not sure how much exploring you have done of these islands but there are many beaches, mostly known to locals, where a session or large gathering can easily occur. Why stretch the RCIP’s resources to police all of these areas when they could be better strategically positioned. Giving out fines and arresting offenders would be ideal yes, but I can’t say I have faith in the laws of the Cayman Islands being enforced.

              Believe me this is an inconvenience for me and my family as well as we use the beach 3 times a week for exercise, fresh air and some good vitamin D. From my observations most are adhering to the rules but unfortunately the ignorant and selfish will always spoil a good thing.

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              • Pastor Alfredo says:

                Beaches are easy to find whether you’re local or not.

                The police don’t need to patrol every square inch of every beach, every minute of the day. Just like they don’t sit in every single front yard just in case someone shows up with a view to robbing the house. No one is suggesting RCIPS “stretch their resources” to police the beaches. Just put a reasonable police presence in place and heavily fine offenders. Google “panopticon”.

                Pastor Alfredo

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                • Anonymous says:

                  Haha ok; nice word and “theory” that would work in a city like London which has cctv every 10 feet.

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                  • Anonymous says:

                    No, it works in practice too.

                    If I think there’s a decent chance that the police are going to interrupt my party on for wood beach and issue everyone in attendance a $1,000 fine then I probably won’t do it. Do it on Tuesday and ticket everyone breaking the law. I guarantee you it’ll stop by Wednesday if everyone knows there a grand at stake if they’re caught sunbathing or sat about in a group of three.

                    Nothing “theoretical” about an unseen enforcer that could catch you out at any moment and has been the basis of policing in most of the world for 200 years. Just enforce the rules.

                    Pastor Alfredo

        • Anonymous says:

          Those tickets wouldn’t be worth the paper they are written on, as there is so much room for interpretation, as the original poster noted.

          I would agree that a better approach would be to ask that they move along.

          Otherwise you really just need to close it. Short term pain, long term gain.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    Let pool maintenance be essential! Why can’t someone who is isolated in their work not continue? We wouldn’t need the beach if we could swim at home. That frees the beach up for those who need it to exercise.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You’re healthy enough to exercise on the beach, but not maintain your own pool? …… Riiight.

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      • Anon says:

        11.27am We can’t buy pool chemicals and chlorine tablets at the pharmacy. Give it a few more weeks and once Alden’s pool looks and smells like a swamp we will get a change in the policy. Ask Alden why a coffee distributor gets an exemption not only to deliver to supermarkets but to individuals’ homes and offices and to meetings of the cabinet – is this an essential commodity?.

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      • Anonymous says:

        You tell me where I can get chlorine, shock, alkaline, pool skimmer, vacuum….not to mention test strips and I will gladly do it myself.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Pool Patrol? Curbside pickup by arrangement with curfewtime?

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          • Anonymous says:

            Wouldn’t that be nice but we can’t do it that’s the point. And it seems Alden doesn’t even want to address it.

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            • Anonymous says:

              Hardly a priority, all things considered.

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              • Anonymous says:

                Why? Because you don’t care to swim it’s not YOUR priority. Tell that to those who needs physio, exercise, have to swim while pregnant, or are trying to keep up on swimming lessons for their young children since their teacher can’t come in. a person making no money who holds a no contact t job only puts more strain on NAU. Why are people so blind?

      • Anonymous says:

        stupid comment.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I broke my hand so no. But I can swim.

    • Anonymous says:

      Great Idea lets get our pools back so the residence can use them with distancing.
      0f course. We will need our pool companies to be allowed to work and get our green -amebic meningoencephalitis infested pools back to usable now.
      If a child falls into a pool and gets amebic meningoencephalitis that’s a 95% death rate BUT best we shut them down over a 0.5% death rate!
      I don’t see pool fences around may pools here.

      Bring back the pools and the pool companies!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Why the F would your child be near the *&$^ pool? FFS watch your child. He shouldn’t be wondering around anywhere without you.

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        • Anonymous says:

          You do realize shit happens? Right? You look away for one second….

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          • Anonymous says:

            Shit happens when you’re not prepared. Don’t expect your kid to be prepared, that’s your job to teach them the rules. Of life. Or you risk the chance of them, well, dieing.

            For example, kids that don’t swim well should have a life vest on. Helps prevent drowning.

      • Anonymous says:

        What a foolish comment

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    • Anonymous says:

      It makes me SO ANGRY when this pool cleaning keeps coming up. FFS why should my poor minimum wage making son having to go into work and potentially come into harm with his co-workers and possibly those in the house? Then he brings it home to his poor old aunt. Stop being so entitled.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Why would he come into contact with anyone? It’s a no contact job! Unless he isn’t qualified to do it by himself? In that case I’m assuming he’s already made redundant. But you said it yourself…. minimum wage and he’s not making a ting right now.

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      • Anonymous says:

        He won’t have a job after this because we all are going to start cleaning our own pools once we get our hands on chemicals. Go complain to Alden when he doesn’t receive his NAU cheque.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Popped by Smiths Cove yesterday and there were people drinking beer, sunbathing and acting like it was just another day in Paradise. The minority as usual spoil it for the majority.
    This island does not have the facilities to deal with a mass influx of hospitalisations due to COVID19 and WILL result in deaths. It’s that simple!
    Look at the pictures from New York as they are having to dig mass graves to deal with the high numbers of dead.
    This is not a ‘little flu’ … it is non-discriminatory. It’s killing all ages. It’s killing otherwise fit and healthy people.
    What price is it worth to you to save one life ? Let alone the many that will be lost if we don’t sort this out.

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  20. Anon. says:

    This is BS Alden! I take long walks on Seven Mile Beach every day and I haven’t seen ANY large groups of people!

    So the police are encountering large numbers of people on the beach? Well then the police should tell them to disperse. Problem solved. Why not just increase police patrols of the beaches? Break up large groups and let those of us that take long walks on the beaches continue to do so.

    The beach is the ONLY respite that we have right now. Please don’t take it away from us!

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  21. Anon says:

    The Premier in his urge to crack the whip seems to have forgotten that if their is abuse on the beach the solution is to ticket the offenders.Once they realise it will cost them $1000 they won’t do it again. The police are there on their flip flop foot patrols and racing up and down the beach on their ATV’s so this should not be a problem.

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  22. Anonymous says:

    Remember Gaypril?

    One year ago Jon Jon was making cruel, childish jokes in the house at the expense of our gay community. Now we are supposed to feel sorry for him because of mean online comments, for which the posters should be arrested?

    https://tinyurl.com/vf8rv68

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  23. Anonymous says:

    Punishing the law abiding people instead of the ones breaking the laws is what Cayman does. It is not culturally acceptable to enforce laws here for obvious reasons.

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  24. Anonymous says:

    The solution of locking everyone up in order to save the lives of those over seventy and those with serious conditions has got it backwards. The government should isolate the group that is at risk (those over 70 and those that have serious conditions) rather than healthy people that are not at risk.

    There are probably 3000 people over 70 in the Cayman Islands. A 1 bedroom apartment for each of them would be about $1000 per month. Food would cost an additional 1000 per month. That would be 3000*2000 per month or 6 million dollars per month. In comparison, if 20,000 people are out of work on average making 3000 per month, that is 60 million dollars, an order of magnitude greater.

    Of course, it isn’t possible to take older people out of their familiar surroundings and put them in an unknown apartment. However, it is possible to send each of them a check for $2000 with the agreement that they would self-isolate for a period of several months.

    6 million dollars a month would be well within the means of government, and this would allow everyone under 70 to go back to work and get the economy restarted, something which is costing probably over a hundred million dollars each month.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So sad how heartless you are. I’m sorry you’ve been so ill treated that you have no compassion.

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      • Anonymous says:

        When granny is forced into eating cat food or nothing because there’s little to no money we’ll ask where is your compassion? When starving people around the globe die of starvation because people have stopped giving because they’re broke themselves, we’ll ask where is your compassion? When an abused spouse or child can’t leave the house or call the police because the abuser is right there, we’ll ask, where is your compassion?

    • Anonymous says:

      Spot on. Quarantine the vulnerable people who might actually die from covid-19, let everyone else go about their normal business and economic lives. that should have been the policy response from day one, instead we’ve aped this insane plan to nowhere which might yet bankrupt us all.

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  25. Anonymous says:

    Could we have an article about Minister Seymour please? There is a real discussion to be had….

    CNS: I have posted the rest of this comment here.

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    • Anon says:

      6.09am Sorry,but you should have prefaced your comments with “Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman”.

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      • Anonymous says:

        12.13pm Why? Having trouble remembering the names of the three islands or just love to see them in print? Or is it that your mean streak is showing through and you’re taunting Jon Jon?

    • Anonymous says:

      How about an article on the government’s attempt to criminalize speech they don’t like. Would have thought that this would be of particular interest to a media house like CNS.

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  26. Anon says:

    It is a Caymanian tradition to enjoy the Easter holiday on the beaches. The Premier should take this into account as it is to be expected we would have a lot more people on the beach this weekend. According to the Police Commissioner and his helicopter patrol there has been no significant abuse on the beaches over the last few weeks.
    By all means close the beaches tomorrow as a reminder, but permanent closure is completely unjustified and would be a knee-jerk reaction that would make life even more difficult for the vast majority who do not have exemption passes to wander around at will.

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  27. Anonymous says:

    How are people going to catch the flu on a beach? There is a huge amount of ultraviolet light, and plenty of breeze. In addition, it is healthy for everyone’s immune system to get out and sit in the sun or have a swim. This is completely counterproductive.

    There is ample evidence now that this is no more than a severe flu, and many sites have been linked in other articles showing it. We need to have some common sense now, isolate the older folk, and get on with our lives.

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    • Anonymous says:

      5:05 it is not a flu virus and should not be treated as one. This has been stated many many times.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Here is the original scientific report that identified the virus.

        https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2001017

        The virus is a coronavirus. This is the type of virus responsible for the flu. Or are you claiming the original research report is incorrect?

        CNS: Coronavirus and influenza are both viruses but they are not the same thing. Here’s an article that explains it.

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        • Anonymous says:

          5:45 what CNS said. It’s a virus alright but not of the influenza variety. Maybe someone should have been paying more attention in GCSE science lessons at school..

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          • Anonymous says:

            He pays attention to FOX News for his education.

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            • Anonymous says:

              FOX or CNN
              CBS or ABC
              same drivel.

              Please wakeup they are all spouting the same nonsense.

              CNS: Serious question: what do you consider a reliable news source?

    • Anonymous says:

      CNS I know the troll will complain if you don’t post its false narrative but really, it is past time.

      CNS: This is an issue that I weight all the time. Such views are drawn from internet bubbles. At least if they are aired on CNS there is push-back.

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    • Anonymous says:

      OMG where the hell have you been that you know nothing???

  28. Anonymous says:

    I think maybe it is time for us to take pictures of people breaking the regulations and posting on social media. The government can’t police everyone but the community can. We had BLUE Spot now we should have #whycantyoustayhome… Honestly this will get the point across.

    CNS: Would you post pics of people breaking social distancing laws on beaches or congregating at residences?

    CNS: I’m reluctant to give a blanket yes or no. We’d decide on each photo.

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    • Anonymous says:

      12:31 Yes! At this point sod peoples privacy. Or blank out their faces if you must. They will know who they are and I bet others will know who they are even with their faces “protected”. Shame is a very powerful tool. Unless you have someone so stupid and arrogant that they just don’t care. But I think it would be a good start. These people are ruining it for everyone else who is abiding by the laws.

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  29. Anonymous says:

    Welcome to Cayuba

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  30. Anonymous says:

    As we continue Full-Steam-Ahead destroying people lives and livelihoods, please no one talk about this anywhere. Firstly, is just _not nice_, and secondly this kind of information and facts SHOULD NEVER BE CONSIDERED when making policy decisions that is progress of totally destroying people’s lives. We are much better off to ONLY focus ON counting and reporting the amount of dead that could be as a direct result of the corona.
    Let’s not look at ANYTHING ELSE at all so we can keep the country in lock down until 2021 to be really really really sure we killed the corona off so we can return to our danger-free utopian lives.

    Infections

    COVID-19: Approximately 1,709,014 cases worldwide; 501,615 cases in the U.S. as of Apr. 11, 2020.*

    Flu: Estimated 1 billion cases worldwide; 9.3 million to 45 million cases in the U.S. per year.

    Deaths

    COVID-19: Approximately 103,536 deaths reported worldwide; 18,777 deaths in the U.S., as of Apr. 11, 2020.*

    Flu: 291,000 to 646,000 deaths worldwide; 12,000 to 61,000 deaths in the U.S. per year.

    https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-disease-2019-vs-the-flu

    Especially don’t talk about this:

    https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S2

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    • Anonymous says:

      It is amazing that there are still Covidiots that equate this to a bad flu as they defy legal curfew orders and organize beach boozeups that ruin that recreational outlet for everyone else. 21% of cases with outcomes are deaths, and many of the 79% recovered only did so with extended professional intervention. Do some reading.

      https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

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      • Anonymous says:

        I know,. facts are like krypotonite to doomsday freaks.

        Case and point, Worldmeters DOT F*ING COM!

        And we are amazed why we have people wandering around with a plastic bag over their heads tied with a noose around their neck….. See 11:25 for a perfect example of how you get there. My exact point, don’t listen to the CDC or Hopkins to get expert information on the subject and make decisions. Go to worldmeters.com Just a hint, but at some point you will have to let some air in that plastic bag around your head….

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        • Anonymous says:

          Hopkins uses the Worldmeter.info aggregated data, but you do you.

          “Worldometer is a provider of global COVID-19 statistics for a wide audience of caring people around the world.

          Our data is also trusted and used by the UK Government, Johns Hopkins CSSE, the Government of Thailand, the Government of Pakistan, Financial Times, The New York Times, Business Insider, BBC, and many others.

          Over the past 15 years, our statistics have been requested by, and provided to Oxford University Press, Wiley, Pearson, CERN, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), The Atlantic, BBC, Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, Science Museum of Virginia, Morgan Stanley, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Kaspersky, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Amazon Alexa, Google Translate, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the U2 concert, and many others.

          Worldometer is cited as a source in over 10,000 published books and in more than 6,000 professional journal articles and was voted as one of the best free reference websites by the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world.“

    • Anonymous says:

      yep..very true..but what happens if our hospitals get over-run???

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      • Anonymous says:

        Why would hospitals get overrun if high risk individuals practice isolation and social distancing?

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        • Anonymous says:

          Because if it were graded in practice, few out there would get a passing personal microbes containment score. That’s why community transfer needs to fall to zero for some time before any all clear can be sounded.

          • Anonymous says:

            That made no sense. Please don’t try again, it’s the elephant in the room and you won’t find a logical answer to the question.

      • Anonymous says:

        They are all empty

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, Idiot.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Thank you. Its fear mongering more than anything. Forced global recession.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Sint Maartin – 50 cases 8 deaths. Bahamas are similar.

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    • Anon says:

      Thank you, thank you for bringing facts, not fear into the discussion. But unfortunately critical thinking is not permitted during an “emergency”.

      And most of all, let’s base our decisions ONLY on the alarmist models from 1 month ago. NOT the hard data that has forced the CDC to adjust the models downward over and over…

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    • Anonymous says:

      10:10pm if there ever was a case for quarantining someone based simply on stupidity and ignorance you should be arrested and placed on Owen Island until this is over..

      ;

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  31. Anonymous says:

    Jon Jon need to be checked out by McKeva mental health doctor I saw no reason for him
    to have the breakdown I witnessed today something more is going on- Maybe he also need a leave of absence from the job it seemed that he is having a problem coping with the job

    ” In over his head”

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    • Anonymous says:

      He is getting a fair amount of stick on here and social media. He was not covering himself in glory for his performance as health minister, even before the crisis. But the daily pressers have exposed how little he is appearing to contribute or how little he is trusted by the Premier, who leaves all the hard core health questions to the CMO and leaves the Minister to try and fill his time at the mike with prayers and his “translations”, which have become a source of mockery rather than his intention of outreach. However you would think that he would have a thicker skin as a politician. If not, then maybe you are right – best for his own sake that he steps down.

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      • Anonymous says:

        He did claim on air last week to have been appointed by God, and equated that those who would take issue with his performance are taking issue with the Lord’s Will. That is next level crazy.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Yet he’s the person who tossed around the “Gaypril” term last year, which set off several days of hate speech sessions in the LA, and those wasted sessions contributed to our blacklisting. If anything should be prosecuted in a legal context, it is that!

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      • Anonymous says:

        Be that as it may. Sad part is many of his critics wouldn’t be capable of doing a better job themselves, expatriates included.

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    • Anonymous says:

      What an idiot you are. Take a leave of absence during this time? Nope. That’s a stupid idea. He may have gotten “emotional”, but that does not warrant him taking a leave. You people are insane. You have so much hatred for individual people who you clearly don’t know that you would rather watch the country and the government fall a part because you refuse to SUPPORT the people elected. Now is not the time to cause any divisiveness, now is the time for unity. This unity is different to others, as we have to stay home. What we do now will define us going forward. Stop the hatred. Start to support.

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      • Anonymous says:

        His party wasn’t voted back into power, and he wasn’t elected to be any Minister, let alone two. We had no say in any of the private deal terms hatched between leftovers of PPM/CDP parties from last election. That’s not hatred, it’s fact.

        • Anonymous says:

          We had no say in moses being deputy premier. Still he’s there. So. Not sure what you’re point is.

    • Anonymous says:

      He’s having a great “Gaypril” so far.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You have no clue about the long, stress inducing hours that our officials are working to try and ensure that none of your family members die! So politely tether your response and focus on the mental health that looks back at you when you stare in the mirror. Your blissful ignorance might have been helpful pre-covid but not in the world we live in today. Have you volunteered any of your time to help those in need or is insulting an official the peak of your benevolent charitable contribution.

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    • Anonymous says:

      He will be okay once he gets through the month of Gaypril.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So don’t watch him. Do you people get off on tearing this man down? Says more about you.

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  32. Anonymous says:

    I’ve disagreed with the logic behind the strategy here and other places because the outcomes from one place to the next do not often correlate among other reasons that make the effort seem futile. California for example locked down 2 days before New York and look at the difference. 2 days? I don’t think so. I watched a video a couple of days ago from Jamaica. People were still in the street markets selling and buying. Hundreds if not thousands of them in Kingston. Japan is still open with extremely low numbers. Their numbers are tiny compared to ours when you look at the population and they’re high density. Experts don’t agree….Experts change their strategy day to day. It makes no sense. The virus seems to do whatever it wants and if the curve is pushed down the experts take credit and if it doesn’t it turns into a blame game.

    With that said, I’ve been following the rules to a tee because it is the strategy that we’re going with and I follow the rules and hope for the best. Closing the beach to everyone rather than targeting the violators is a real blow. It was the only thing we had left to do and the beach we went to everyone was following the rules otherwise we’d leave and go to a different beach. With finances getting crushed, bank accounts empty, seclusion, the misery index is rising very fast and I don’t see an end to this. Does anyone really expect the test results next week won’t find new cases? I pray I’m wrong.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t really see any end in sight either. And the comments made by the premier make things exponentially worse…. he talks about “disastrous results” and how things are much more worrying by the day, how we are basically all going to die. I’m surprised we don’t have people walking into the ocean thanks to his remarks, he creates sadness, fear and hopelessness along with the rising numbers we are experiencing, despite the 99+ percent of us staying home and isolating.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    Alden can’t make that decision unilaterally. You are fine to go to the beach on Monday.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    so this proposal will only apply to public beach areas???
    what happens if i sit on a private beach in one of the closed hotels??
    i urge everybody and the lawyer to fight this nonsense from cig.

    they have a free (money making)simple solution:
    no drinking on the beach
    no sunbathing
    no groups more than 2.

    problem is this would require law enforcement by the police…..so yep, we’re screwed.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Why are you looking for loopholes in a strategy brought in to safeguard the health and well-being of everyone in the Island instead of simply getting on with it like the rest of us?
      People like you will this to drag in longer and make it more uncomfortable than it needs to be.

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      • Anonymous says:

        because i will never accept a system that punishes the innocent and ignores the transgressions of the guilty. the police need to do their job.

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  35. Anonymous says:

    Why isn’t anyone talking about reality here?? There is a bigger picture no one seems to be looking at. this is not a plague this is nothing worse than the flu I don’t care what bullshit government is telling you otherwise, there is no reason to be fear mongering, more than 80% of the people will only have mild symptoms or no symptoms and perhaps 0.1% of the people might die, that’s nothing!! Compared to the financial loss to society?? Come on folks let’s look at the big picture here, why are we shutting down an entire economy — for what?? this makes no sense wake up people !!! I say keep the people who are at high risk of getting the virus and dying (likely caused by an underlying condition and not actually dying of the virus) — keep those at risk quarantined in their homes with their caregivers, and everyone else should be able to get back to work!! Sounds like the Premier has decided that this is going on indefinitely, our borders are not opening our businesses are not opening our curfew will never stop this will never end, and the economic toll is not worth the cost of a few lives who otherwise would likely die anyway! do you realize the millions and millions of dollars this is costing us?? for what?! ONE person has died! We are a population of 65,000 people and we have 58 cases with ONE death — does anybody really think this lockdown is worth that? If we remain locked down there is no herd immunity happening we need to let this circulate in our population like any normal virus does and then we have an immunity to it but with a lockdown this will never die off the virus will continue looking for a host so this makes no logical sense… this is not a killer virus as the powers that be want you to believe. hellooo!!? …let’s get a grip on reality folks people need to be standing up for themselves for the community and saying let’s get back to work NOW, or this country will never recover! It will never be the same.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You really, really don’t get it.

      Firstly, check out what exponential means.

      Secondly, if you haven’t noticed, most of the world is in meltdown too. On a micro level it may seem big to you, but look a but further out. We rely on the USA, and they’re pretty screwed now, ergo we’re screwed too.

      You’re right, it’s not a killer virus, it’s just made up nonsense. That’s why there are frontline nurses and doctors dying in the USA, UK, Spain, Italy, China and everywhere else.

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    • Unbelievable says:

      I pray no one in your family contracts this “bullshit” and lin turn lose their lives.

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    • M McLaughlin says:

      Excellent comments, without the herd immunity we are screwed and stuck in quarantine. We know this so the the CI government knows it also, I suspect it’s just a waiting game now on the US or UK for them to act.

      The more healthy people that come in contact with the virus, the better and the less chance the elderly or more vulnerable will have in catching it once it runs its course, which normally 2 to 3 weeks.

      Just keep the elderly and more vulnerable isolated.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Since it’s a hoax – Go volunteer to work in an isolation unit

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      • M McLaughlin says:

        It is a hoax in the sense that it’s being over sensationalize by a mental midget like you.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Me and a lot of people totally agree with you. If we said this publicly we would be hung in the streets. This virus is a war, there are always casualties of war. Agreed that a major of world’s population will be absolutely fine and survive and yes people will die, but the fall out from this virus on the global economy will be far far more damaging (as we have already seen and it’s only been a month) than this virus itself. Social unrest all over the world will soon come, we simply cannot continue to live like this for the next year.

      Sacrifice a few million to save billions. Harsh, yes.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I don’t see how any lives will be sacrificed. If anything, lives will be saved by going back to work and leaving the elderly at home. The elderly are much more likely to end up with the flu with this quarantine. The reason is that it is impossible to prevent people from coming or leaving the island forever. Some of them will carry Covid-19.

        If the hope is being saved by a vaccination, then note that the current flu vaccinations can reduce your chances of getting the flu by as much as 60 percent. How will that stop Covid-19?

        https://www.healthline.com/health/flu-shot-side-effects

        • Anonymous says:

          The flu shot is not 100% effective as there are a lot of different flu strains & each year they make an educated guess as to which strain might be prevalent. With Covid 19 the vaccine would be specific to that virus. Do you understand why quoting percentages is irrelevant if you don’t understand what the vaccine is?

  36. Anonymous says:

    Comments on CNS made a Minister cry at a >>>COVID-19<<< press conference because they were insensitive and mean.

    Wow.. wow, WOW!.

    Folks, please don't be inconsiderate and rant about your financial crisis here, we have people's FEELINGS being hurt in here. Have some empathy and understanding will you? How can you be so self centered?

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    • Anonymous says:

      Like the Premier said, only Jesus Christ can bring people back from the dead. So yes we are saving lives not worrying about profit and reward at this time.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Well it’s not *ALL* about “rewards” and “profits” it you blistering tard?

        What about saving one’s house and children college funds? Try to think outside the goddamn fishbowl you live in.

        • Anonymous says:

          College funds? Worried about college now? Sincerely believe you don’t see the true picture. Let’s say you don’t have to worry about the college fund for another year. Further, even with a college education, you still need a job at the end of the day. What good is a degree without a job to apply it.
          I get you think I’m a piece of shit. Quite frankly I don’t care what you think of me. Name calling is elementary at best, I hope you don’t teach your children to have that type of approach to others.

  37. Anonymous says:

    Why do folks spoil it for others. I just walk to the beach on my own. Have a quick swim on my own. Nowhere near anyone. Quickly leave and go home. Not harming anyone or myself. These idiots who congragate in groups are spoiling healthy habits for all. Shame on them!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yep, and those idiots that were meant to be self isolating have screwed it for everybody by going out and getting the virus into the general community.

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  38. Anonymous says:

    Idk whose feelings hurt more. Mine cause a few fools ruined the beach for me or John John’s because he’s got public criticism.

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    • Anonymous says:

      People are hemorrhaging their savings, losing their jobs, businesses and livelihoods, but let’s not lose track of what’s really important at these press conferences. The emotions of Ministers and people being meanies online {who should be arrested}

      THAT is worth getting all choked up about. Not your measly financial problems or that you may lose your house because of this hysteria.

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  39. Anonymous says:

    It would be interesting to know how many of the people that were in breach of the rules were also under the influence of alcohol. It might well be that the decision to classify the liquor stores as essential is at the root of many of the other problems that the Premier is rightfully concerned about.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I can tell you, it is certainly possible to unwind responsibly with a relaxing beverage at home, without convening an illegal Covidiotfest – passed off as exercise – that results in the closure of the beaches for everyone.

      More importantly: why were our police unable to point to the CCTV cameras at governor’s, and give everyone a “warning for prosecution” for breach of curfew?

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    • Anonymous says:

      I honestly believe that classifying the liquor stores as essential has contributed to the other problems that we are experiencing. How can something that is, in some cases a contributor to road deaths, caused broken homes and ruin the health of individuals be identified as something that is essential?

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      • Anon says:

        7.27am The essentiality if I can coin a word, is the desire of the wealthy and influential owners of the liquor stores to continue making profits regardless of the consequences.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Using that logic the Premier can then close the grocery stores to get rid of the obesity problem.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Unfortunately like any community there are alcoholics that live here.When someone is physically dependent on alcohol they can have DTs when they detox which can cause death in extreme cases. The treatment for DTs are sedatives which have become in short supply in many places with a large number of people using ventilators. I think the government wants to ensure these precious resources and hospital beds are available for those who Covid.

      Also, if people are forced to start making there own alcohol they might end up poisoning themselves or someone else if they don’t know what they are doing.

      No matter what the government does sadly some people are going to break the rules. This is just human nature.

  40. Anonymous says:

    So only millionaires can go beach now?

    Yeah they gonna test the entire island and lock down the beaches and the entire community.

    Come on that’s what we all want right?

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    • BlackLock says:

      ya and only people with sense will lock down and avoid others to protect themselves, the rest of us and the few of us adhering to this – and not contract coronavirus. You’re comment is foolish – if only the virus discriminated on IQ….

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    • HDB3 says:

      f you want a beach house, NOBODY is stopping you!

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  41. Anon says:

    It is significant that no mention was made of the concerns raised at the last briefing that certain Covid-19 positive individuals who were supposed to be in self quarantine had been seen out and about in the community, despite the CMO issuing a strong warning at that briefing detailing the penalties for this offence. It was even more significant that neither the Premier or the CMO today issued any denial that such offences had occurred or advised that anyone had been warned for prosecution. It seems we have a classic cover up.

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  42. Anonymous says:

    It’s unfortunate that people seem to be congregating on the beaches rather than using them to exercise and I sympathise with the government’s frustration and understand why they feel the need to shut the beaches down. That said, I found today’s press conference very troubling for a number of reasons. I am starting to believe that the Premier had sincerely hoped that we had a chance to contain this virus such that we would get to a point where there were no new cases and that then he could soften the curfew measures and allow business to resume. The problem is, it is clear now that this is not going to happen. Even if a two week hard lockdown was imposed. And we can’t keep doing this in perpetuity. While encouraging people to work at home, keeping the borders closed and banning large group gatherings, are policies that will need to be in plwce for some time, we simply can’t deny people the ability to earn money to feed their families forever. At some point in the next four to six weeks we are going to have to bite the bullet and accept that we are going to have to live with this until there is a vaccine (and that is assuming an effective one can be found within 18 months and that is not guaranteed). Even with some sort of wide-scale testing procedure, we need to accept that 20 or even 50 people might die of this here over a year. That’s tragic, but being under house arrest for six months is not a real option. We are not a state of millions of people. We are not likely looking at hundreds or thousands of people dying in any scenario where people are practicing even a reasonable amount of social distancing.

    Secondly, and even more disturbingly, is the increasing popularity of the idea of arresting or charging people for spreading “fake news”. The fact that the Governor and the Minister for Health are supporting the arrest of someone for essentially sending a stupid whatsapp message suggesting that the governor had organised a flight to get his wife home, or arresting people for posting mean things as comments on CNS is extremely disturbing. Mr. Rankin’s comments may have been rude, unfounded and untrue, but the idea that he ought to be charged for sending a voicenote to his friends sets a dangerous precedent. Prosecuting someone for being an idiot may be tempting but surely this not compatible with the values of a free and democratic society. Mr Roper, you know better than this.
    As for Mr. Seymour, I sincerely felt bad for him as he is clearly trying to do his best in challenging circumstances. That said, he should have a little thicker skin as a veteran politician. Yes, people have left rude comments, but again, suggesting that they ought to be arrested for them is absurd. These are indeed serious times, and people are scared, they have already lost or might lose their jobs. They are stuck here and can’t get home. Or they are Caymanians worrying about how to feed their families.They are confined to their houses and subjected to rules that sometimes seem arbitrary. They are frustrated.

    Some construcive criticism for the Minister (please don’t arrest me for it), but people want to understand what’s happening at the hospitals. They want to know things like whether we have ventilators, what our policies are on treatment. Whether we have any remdesivir or hydroxychloroquine. They want to know the circumstances surrounding the quarantined positive cases. If you are going to defer to Dr. Lee on everything related to your ministry that’s fine, but maybe people want more time at the conference spent on things that matter to them, like can they get back to work and is there going to be a pension holiday, than hearing scripture and unintelligble translations. I realise you are trying to raise people’s spirits. As you noted in your remarks, some people appreciate this and if you want to keep doing it go ahead. But don’t threaten to arrest the people who don’t want to hear it and criticise you for it. This id a free country and you are better than that. Remember that most people here appreciate your efforts and try to practice the same patience and tolerance that you are preaching to your audience.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Great Post.
      And you are 100% if we practice good social distancing and testing we could keep the numbers low, maybe a transmission rate of 1:1. It is sad that we have to say this but as you say we can not wait for a vaccine for years.
      If we can keep the curve flat and the hospitals are not over loaded that should be the goal not live like prisoners for 6 to 12 months.

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      • Anonymous says:

        This is a very sensible comment. In addition, there is ample evidence in several places that these lockdowns are not needed – Sweden, Japan, etc.

        Public health officials should not be allowed to make myopic decisions for a country based on inflated estimates that are constantly being revised. They obviously have no idea of the health effects of the economic devastation to a significant part of the population. This probably arises from the fact that they have not lost their jobs, savings, or businesses.

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    • nauticalone345 says:

      I completely agree with your comments here! Well said!

      I might add a suggestion to the officials – designate some of your Deputies and other Health Care Professionals to sit in for you for a few days, to allow for some rest.

  43. Anonymous says:

    Take it as read that the beaches will be closed indefinitely. This is the excuse the gov wanted.

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    • Anonymous says:

      i will never accept that. not from the ppm

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    • Anonymous says:

      They should close them as people clearly don’t know how to utlise them at this time.

      Discipline. We all lack it living in the caribbean. Comes with the territory I suppose.

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  44. Anonymous says:

    Yet again a few selfish and arrogant people ruin it for everyone else. I agree with this decision but hope that they don’t close the beaches indefinitely. Many of us are abiding by the laws. Food for thought would it be a good idea to implement the following:

    1. Ticket anyone who is seen drinking alcohol on the beach. You should only be drinking in your own home. Drinking on the beach encourages socialisation and stupid behaviour (plus its not exercise!). I love a good glass of wine and or a bottle of beer as much as your average young Caymanian but this is just irresponsible and unnecessary.

    2. Require everyone to carry ID. I know the police couldn’t check everyone but it would reduce some people meeting up with friends who don’t live in their house holds. Fine them if they are doing so. You shouldn’t be meeting up with people outside your household.

    3. Split the beach up like the supermarkets and grocery stores. So by last names 3 days for A-K, 3days for L-Z). Go back to my previous point of having ID on you. If you are out on the beach the wrong day.. BOOM have a fine! Again the police wont be able to check everyone but if they station some officers at popular beach access points (Palms, Cemetery beach etc) it would reduce the numbers.

    Come on Cayman! I miss my friends and beach parties as much as everyone else but meeting up with people at the beach is irresponsible. Even if there is just 2 of you this is still a risk. We have been so lucky up till now to still have the beaches open for exercise. The sooner we comply and stomp out this virus the sooner things will start going back to normal. It really isn’t difficult.

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    • Anonymous says:

      To add to this, all movement – exercise, food pick up, etc should be tied to the alphabet system. Walk around your yard for the other days. If you are such an exercise person, do a workout in your living room, bedroom or patio. Order and collect food for two/three days. This way anyone found outside not on their designated day receives a ticket or warned for prosecution. Easier for the police to control.

      • Anonymous says:

        8:28 those are good ideas also! I think booze shops should be delivery only. People can still get alcohol but don’t risk mingling in public in order to get it. I got a delivery from Jaques Scott the other day which worked well!

        They really need to crack down on joggers on the beaches also. They don’t distance! Everyday I have people pass feet from me. A new scientific report came out stating that joggers and cyclists need to keep an even wider distance (cant remember exactly but its more than 2m/6ft) because they sweat and are breathing more heavily than people who are just walking. Thus are more likely to pass on the virus. Really irritates me. I try to avoid them if they are coming towards me but you cant always do that if they run up behind you..

  45. Anonymous says:

    Mr Premier, how can you say people who live by/on the beach can access the beach- please be reminded their property ends at the high water mark- so why are they allowed on the beach when we have to stay in our yards-

    The beach is not a part of their property, if they can access the beach than we should all be allowed to-

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    • Anonymous says:

      No, “they” own the beach down to the sea. “We” have a right to use the beach from the sea to the vegetation line. “They” cannot leave their property under the new rules. “We” cannot walk onto their property under the new rules. The rules make sense in the circumstances. Blame the idiots that ruined it for everyone, not the people who are able to call a section of beach their yard.

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      • Anonymous says:

        The proprietor owns down to the mean high water mark, which is 1ft. above mean sea level. You are correct, the public has the right to use the beach up to the edge of vegetation, or permanent structure, within the terms stipulated in the law.

        Regards,

        Licenced Land Surveyor

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    • Anonymous says:

      The crown owns 12 feet from the water if im not mistaken.

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      • Anonymous says:

        You are mistaken. The crown owns the sea floor. Everything above is owned by the landowner (who in the case of the Public Beach happens to be the crown, but is generally privately owned).

        CNS: This is wrong. I found this on Trip Advisor but cannot locate where this document from the DoT is now. If anyone knows, perhaps they could let me know.

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        • Anonymous says:

          CNS, you are mistaken. Please see licensed land surveyor at 10.28. Private landowners own the beach. It forms part of their block and parcel number. The public’s right arises through Prescription, not ownership.

          CNS: Licensed Land Surveyor at 10:28 said pretty much the same thing as the DoT in the link provided:
          The proprietor owns down to the mean high water mark, which is 1ft. above mean sea level. You are correct, the public has the right to use the beach up to the edge of vegetation, or permanent structure, within the terms stipulated in the law.

  46. Anonymous says:

    poor jon jon feeling hurt he had tears in his eyes and wasnt coming on the show. r u a moron acting like a child grow up jon jon u r an embarrasment

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    • Anonymous says:

      Although i dont necessarily like all the preaching involved in his speeches I like bullying even less. I feel bad for the man if all the negative comments are truly getting to him. These are hard times for all of us and no one should be made to feel awful. People should tone down the criticism as it solves nothing. Compared to the rest of the world our government are doing a fantastic job of trying to contain the spread. In these difficult times a little kindness goes a long way.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I agree. We should stop being mean to the man since he clearly cant handle it. And he should stop making it easy for the bullies by taking up time on a serious press conference about a health crisis affecting everyone with bible readings (the Cayman Ministers Association has that slot right at the beginning), history lessons (his version of what languages were spoken by Jesus was amazing in the true sense of the word, as well as completely irrelevant) and above all his translations – a nice idea originally to show solidarity, but long since morphed into nonsense – how many Latin speakers does he think we have on the islands? Waiting fr the Klingon next.

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  47. Anonymous says:

    Communist Caymankind

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    • Anonymous says:

      If you dont like the rules, you are more then welcome to leave the island, what is implied is for your own safety.

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      • who cares? I do. says:

        These comments are not made only by expats, so where are you going to send the Caymanians?

    • Anonymous says:

      If that’s what it is to you @ 6:35pm then it is what it is!

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  48. Anonymous says:

    Ok, so 57 people have gotten the virus and one Italian guy died. How many people have recovered?

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  49. Anonymous says:

    Where are the tickets for breaking the curfew rules? Hand them out liberally. It will only take a couple of dozen for the message to be received.

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  50. Anonymous says:

    Good. Dat wuh yuh get.

    Too many mental defectives who think they know better that everyone else & think that they’re more important than everyone else.

    A small few ruined it for the rest. Happy Easter.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You are an idiot. It was already ruined for everyone.

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      • Anonymous says:

        No me. I’m enjoying the long weekend. I’m not doing the things I would normally do for the Easter holiday, but I’m eating nice meals, having some drinks, taking long walks with my wife during which we have great conversations, watching some movies, doing some reading, and getting up late. And I’ve slept later the last few mornings than I have in years! I feel sorry for you if you can’t find the simple pleasures available during this time.

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        • M McLaughlin says:

          Simple pleasures?

          At this point 6, 12 or 18 months waiting on a vaccine, is not an option and will only further destroy our economy, destroy lives, cause other underlying issues like stress, unnecessary hardship, domestic violence, divorce, crime, suicide and a myriad of societal problems, that this government is not prepared to handle.

          The Caronavirus deaths will be pail in comparison to the deaths and problems that may result from the coming economic collapse.

          There’s you simple pleasures, Mr. simple pleasures.

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          • Anonymous says:

            You’re crystal ball prediction that “caronoavirus” deaths “will be pail” (lol by the way) in comparison to the deaths an problem that “may” result from the coming economic collapses is not based on anything but intuition, wishful thinking or gullibility to the Trumpian narrative that the cure can’t be worse than the disease. You have no idea a) how many deaths would have occurred without widespread social distancing in the world; b) what the economic fallout would have been with the increased number of deaths if wide-spread social distancing hadn’t been adopted; c) what the economic fallout is going to be now after social distancing. You and your ilk are just guessing. Luckily, sane minds in the word disagree with your kind. Thankfully those sane minds include the government of the Cayman Islands.

      • Anonymous says:

        Sounds like you need to be on one of those evacuation flights out of here..

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    • Anonymous says:

      The law obviously only applies to those who obey it. I saw a group of Caymanians camping in South Sound, next to where Crow’s Nest used to be. I don’t know if the police have chased them away yet, but seriously – the absolute disdain for the law is astounding.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Maybe you should have taken pics and video and called the police during your observation. The police can’t be everywhere and they need evidence not hearsay.

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      • Anon says:

        6.45pm Likeley it was one of the clusters who felt it was safe to self isolate on the beach as no-one else would be there, and even if they were caught the police/HSA would only say “tut-tut please don’t do it again”.

      • Anonymous says:

        Caymanians, you say? did you check their id’s, birth certificates etc..Let’s not be petty and bring culture into this..

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