Work continues to facilitate evacuation flights

| 15/04/2020 | 79 Comments
Cayman News Service

(CNS): Governor Martyn Roper has confirmed that work on evacuation flights is making good progress and flights to Miami, Canada and Nicaragua will be organised in the first instance to help get expatriates home in the face of the COVID-19 lockdowns. While organising a flight to Jamaica has proved more challenging, he said, work continues to persuade the authorities there to allow an airlift.

Roper also said that another British Airways government charter from the UK is expected in about ten days.

However, people from India currently living in the Cayman Islands will not be able to fly home yet because the Indian government has shut down their airports for a further three weeks. Speaking at yesterday’s COVID-19 briefing, the governor said the full details on potential flights out of Cayman will be revealed once they are confirmed. He also acknowledged that people are concerned about their pets and transporting them is also under consideration.

The premier has noted at previous briefings that organising these airlifts is not as straight forward as people may imagine. In addition to persuading foreign governments to allow planes to land, he has said the risk to the Cayman Airways flight crew who will man these regional evacuations has to be considered.

CNS has learned that this remains a specific concern and staff do not yet appear to have been given any reassurances about testing or how their own potential exposure and resulting quarantine will work.

Other considerations include Caymanians and residents who want to return and the need to get the message to them that a condition of return is mandatory isolation at a government facility for at least two weeks.

However, the premier has stated on numerous occasions that expatriates without work will have to be airlifted out at some point if their former employers are not taking responsibility for them because government will not be able to support all of those stranded here going forward, given the economic challenges that Cayman, like every country in the world, is facing.


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Category: Health, Medical Health, Transport

Comments (79)

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  1. Kishroy mckellar says:

    So what about those who dont have any money to go home..??

  2. Anonymous says:

    People like you why the world in limbo now see it clearly say you don’t love other people but your,self the same people you want,to send home they are the development of Cayman

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Should we assume that those imported Civil Servants occupying now defunct roles have been given seats in these flights?

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Positive, yes. If it is in the best interests of Cayman and Caymanians. That is the ultimate basis foreign nationals are invited to come here, isn’t it?

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  5. Anonymous says:

    Send ALL Filipinos, Jamaicans and Hondurans HOME

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    • Anonymous says:

      Did someone nick yer hubby?!

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    • Anonymous says:

      send al locals to the brac….a magic place….

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      • BeaumontZodecloun says:

        …. and put them up where? The Alexander? At what cost?

        Gee, here’s a novel idea. Why not *gasp* put them the same place as the other sequestered Caymanians??

        Wow! Winning!

    • Anonymous says:

      Even all the ones who work in healthcare and in the supermarkets, fuel stations, pharmacies, police force, etc? It sounds like we need them at the moment.

    • Anonymous says:

      Does that count for half Hondurans too? Even if I’m born here with a native caymanian mother and hold both passports? Damn fool

    • Anonymous says:

      Going to be tough to find a Caymanian to do my gardening and landscaping.

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    • Anonymous says:

      How will that help seeings though it’s the Filipino, Jamaican and Hondurans that are out on the front line working with minimum pay putting their life in the line to help you get through the grocery store in a timely manner. Think before you speak. Honestly. You just can’t fix stupid!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Are you speaking about those who were born in those countries and still maintain that nationality … you would be surprised at how many “Caymanians” are not “born caymanians” .. mine you get what you wish for and the country drop down on top of 4500 people …

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    • Anonymous says:

      I see it clearly that you are one of the most ungrateful human that God has ever created, we are the one’s who are building your country and provides other essential services, I thank God for the very few people that are here who respect us and appreciate us been here, but a scoundrel like you behaving as if the world belongs to you… go take a walk to the cemetery and ask anyone of them, what they carry home?

    • Anonymous says:

      ONly if they don’t have a job

  6. Anonymous says:

    While many countries around the world are sending aircrafts to pick up their nationals our neighbors Jamaica and Honduras are refusing to let their own citizens enter their country. Shame on them.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    how about working on trying to save jobs and keeping people instead of sending them home?
    every person that leaves means less income for cig and country in general.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe we should be taxed rather than CIG relying on work permit fees as income?

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      • Anonymous says:

        please don’t joke about that

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        • Anonymous says:

          That’s coming…

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          • Anonymous says:

            No, we can avoid it in part by not having to feed, clothe, house, medicate and police 15,000 unemployed expatriate workers.

            These evacuation flights will need to be ramped up.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Will have no choice but to be taxed next year. The economy cannot be revived any other way next year. Sad but an economic reality. We are rapidly running out of money and next year the piggy bank will be bare.

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    • Anonymous says:

      There are enough unemployed caymanians to cover the labour losses. No one is sending anyone home. Work permit holders are simply being asked to act responsibly in light of this unfortunate event no one could’ve predicted, and relocate to jurisdictions where more support could be available to them. More than what the Cayman Islands can offer at the moment.

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      • Anonymous says:

        ‘Enough unemployed Caymanians to cover the Labour losses’, you’re serious right?
        Why do you think there are 30,000 plus work permit holders in the first place, and who the hell wants a surly looking, socially inept and snail speed Caymanian server or bar tender cheering up their day?
        No my friend, you neither have the numbers, the work ethic nor the experience to fill every position lost to Covid-19, to believe otherwise is just plain delusional.

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        • Anonymous says:

          While denouncing your hosts, you might spare a moment to recognize that 20,000 of the 30,000 positions you refer to Caymanians as being incapable of fulfilling, may no longer exist.

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      • Anonymous says:

        It will be interesting to see when this passes if Caymanians will finally we willing to take and actually work at the tourism jobs they have for so long avoided resulting in the need for so many expats. When we open again it will be slow going for quite a while and all labor needs can be meet by the local population. This may be the silver lining in this disaster if we can get our population to recognize they need to be working in the tourism part of the economy. Perhaps CIG should start working on a program to assure this happens.

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      • Anonymous says:

        You a real joker 4:48. Living is easy with your eyes closed.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Every person sent back to their home saves cig money. Every country needs to take care of their own citizens

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    • Anonymous says:

      No, everyone sent home is one less person that needs to be housed, clothed, fed, medicated, and policed. They are also one less person competing with thousands of unemployed Caymanians for very limited jobs, and one less potential vector for transmission.

      People who are employed or otherwise able to support themselves without being a burden will continue to be welcome to stay.

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    • Anonymous says:

      It could also mean work for Caymanians who have been unemployed/underemployed if they do desire such jobs.

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      • Anonymous says:

        So many Canadians waiters and bartenders about to leave. Caymanians can have their jobs but will they apply?

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        • Anonymous says:

          Only if it says manager, supervisor, director or CEO in front of the title.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Everyone will get their drinks when bars/restaurants reopen to local patrons. There’s plenty of college-aged Caymanians that can very capably sling drinks and bus tables, and now they are back here working online, unable to travel or work summer jobs elsewhere. We might even prefer them.

        • Chet Oswald Ebanks says:

          Hello,

          An yes to your question, whoever you are posting under anonymous. I for 1 will apply and be trained, if most of these restaurant owners would train me. I was a waiter many years ago, it’s a wonderful job I did and did it well too. Only if some of these employers would give us Caymanians a chance. Instead of making us show up for any interview, and not having any clue, we had a appointment with their manager. One situation to name is XXXX. Remember we Caymanians come from a long line of hard working ancestors. We are not afraid of hard work. I end with this, 99.9% of those who come to these shores. Have no interest in learning about Cayman. Least mixing with us to get to know us. They call us stupid and tell us we have no where to go. So I end with this. Remember this if where you came from on a plane was any better than. My home The Cayman Islands, you would still be there.

          Thank you kindly,

          Chet Oswald Ebanks.

      • Anonymous says:

        how?…work permit board approved every one of these work permits because there was no local to do the job.
        fact.
        what wonderland are we now living in????

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        • Anonymous says:

          You cannot find what you do not look for…

        • Anonymous says:

          No cause your cheaper

        • Anonymous says:

          I agree ! I have lived here for 8 years and every year my job is advertised so that a Caymanian has the opportunity to apply. I once asked a caymanian friend if I should worry about this ever happening as I have a mortgage here. The reply was NO, caymanian people want to be served not serve others !

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          • Anonymous says:

            Did the advert for your job accurately reflect your actual take-home pay (not just $6.00 an hour)? Did your employer honestly describe the requirements and fully report all Caymanian applicants to Immigration?

            Doubt it. Few do.

            • Anonymous says:

              An honest $6 per hour is better than nothing, plus the servers/bartenders can make way more money than some professionals.

            • Chet Oswald Ebanks says:

              No am guessing the job advert was written to attract the expat work force, not us Caymanians.

              Thank you kindly,

              Chet Oswald Ebanks.

    • Anonymous says:

      Savings jobs? Haven’t you heard our leader? That’s not a priority and he can only handle one thing at a time. He’s a man after all. He’s way behind the curve bringing up 1,000 potential deaths. We all know that experts say about those models. Hidden well below the surface are reliable models, but those don’t suit the cause of some. All we had to do was a) follow Sweden’s example, and b) treat our well to do people who are infected with the same urgency and drama we treated those at the George Town complex.

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      • Anonymous says:

        114 died today in Sweden. A new record and 447 new cases. The peak in deaths and cases is now beginning.

        Do not follow the Swedish model.

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  8. Anonymous says:

    The UK has thousands of citizens waiting to return from India. Surely they are working on this. So the ‘pick-up’ flights could cary passengers to ‘drop-off’.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    From living as if there’s no tomorrow to “ government will not be able to support all of those stranded here”.

    Unless CIG arranges all get to their final destinations, not just dumped in Miami, London or Toronto, many without money or credit cards, they risk to become
    the focus of many news channels around the world.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Let’s not get overly dramatic, no one cares about Cayman especially at this time. Yeah it’s a tough call for returning expats, but they must have a plan if they called the hotline to get to Miami or wherever.
      They’re adults they’ll figure it out.

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      • Anonymous says:

        No one cares about Cayman. Haven’t you noticed the media uses anything they can against us. The headlines will read Money Laundering Capital of The World, One of the highest per capita incomes, throws out expats.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Yes it’s time to adult people. Living here so many just party. Reality is a real b!tch huh?

    • Anonymous says:

      Unless they have transit arrangements to a final destination, or are entitled to enter/reside there, Miami, London and Toronto wouldn’t accept them. And no airline is daft enough to take the risk that they will be stuck with the passenger (and a whopping fine) – they will insist on knowing what the transit arrangements are before they accept them as a passenger.

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      • Anonymous says:

        thank you for clarifying. They also must have some cash to complete long journeys. It would be inhumane to not to provide that.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    It’s odd that Jamaica (some 12,788 permits as of Nov 2019) and Honduras (some 1,070 permits in mid 2018) are expecting us to delight them with the favour of selling them our surplus test kit, while they won’t accept the dropping off their own citizens at our cost, using our own aircraft.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Seriously – we need to reconsider our approach to both those countries in the future. When we get to rebuild Cayman we may need to be much more careful as to who we invite in to help! Both governments seem to treat the opportunities Cayman presents as some God-given right to help compensate them for their own destruction of their own countries. Shame, as so many of their people are wonderful.

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      • Anonymous says:

        I think the word for what you’re describing is “discrimination”.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Rebuild from what ?

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        • Anonymous says:

          You have been watching too much Fox News. Boy, you is in for a surprise. Those tourist bookings you taking for July, August, September, October, November – not happening. There is going to be economic devastation across large areas of our economy. Hundreds of businesses are failing or will fail. Then (eventually) we will get to start again, and if we organize it properly, will be much stronger and better than ever before.

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      • Anonymous says:

        But much more are a burden on cig. Many of them are lined up at the NAU looking for assistance while here on a work permit. Many of them leave the HSA with huge Bill’s that we have to pay for

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    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe both countries think we’ve done a poor job of containing the virus.

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  11. Rastaman says:

    Jamaica no problem, just organise a fleet of canoes to come over carrying “supplies” and they can ferry passengers back on the return trip.

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