Arrest made after home isolation breached

| 08/10/2020 | 119 Comments

(CNS): One family in home isolation has been moved to government quarantine after a member of the household breached the isolation rules by meeting another person just outside the geofenced limit. Officials said the monitoring team responded rapidly and the visitor has also been detained as the authorities tackle this first threat under the new system to the wider community of transmission of COVID-19 by a traveller.

Both the traveller who breached the isolation protocol and the visitor have been warned that they will likely be prosecuted, but officials said the matter is currently under investigation and a completed file will be sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for a decision.

According to a release from public health, the breach happened in very close proximity to the traveller’s home, and when the mobile compliance officers and the RCIPS responded, one of the suspects was arrested for obstructing the police.

“Public Health wishes to remind the public of the serious potential health risks to the community when persons in isolation breach their quarantine, and also when residents assist in any such breach of isolation,” officials stated. “The public and travellers should be reminded that if found in breach persons will be warned for intended prosecution and are liable, on conviction, to a fine of one thousand dollars and to imprisonment for six months.”

CNS has asked where and when the incident occurred and whether or not the individual visiting the resident in isolation will now be quarantined.

No further details, including the age or gender of those involved, their category of approved traveller or when and how the arrived, have been revealed.


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Comments (119)

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  1. Average age of Covid death older is greater than other causes says:

    From this morning‘s times. Take away here if we need to protect the vulnerable and let everyone else get on with their lives.

    If life expectancy is the concern there easier ways to address it: Better eating, more exercise, let’s smoking, less stress etc.

    >>>>
    Saturday October 10 2020, 12.00pm BST, The Times
    The average age of those who have died from coronavirus in England and Wales since the start of the pandemic is 82.4 years old.

    Using data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), researchers at the University of Oxford found that the median age of a Covid-19 fatality was slightly higher than the median age of those who died of other causes over the same period, which was 81.5.

  2. Sucka Free Cayman says:

    lockdown these islands Alden this so called rich people self quarantine is a complete joke Infections at Red Bay because the government has not been truthful about passengers coming off this BA flights and private charter activities and have been telling lies about it. How come we have only one prosecution and so many breaches.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Can CNS tell us is there a warning beep or flash the tells the wearer of the iMSafe bracket that they are within a certain distance of the geo fence like 5 feet? While this person definitely violated the self quarantining agreement I think it’s only fair that you get a warning as the device is may not be perfectly calibrated.

  4. Anon says:

    Are you completely stupid???!!!

    Do you not know about incubation periods despite it being mentioned countless times in the Govt briefings.

    • Anonymous says:

      Incubation has nothing to do with finding the virus on a PCR test!

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually it does in the sense that a person can be infected and it can take several days for the viral load to increase to a point where the virus can be detected on a PCR test.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Name and shame! For those of us who would also like to be able to eventually take a trip, these completely ENTITLED morons have put that in jeopardy. Name and shame!

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s not government’s or anybody else’s role to incite mob intimidation of individuals, whatever they may or may not have done. Now put that pitchfork away and go and be a brave little anonymous vigilante elsewhere.

    • Anonymous says:

      How do you figure they put that in jeopardy? Do you think their trips are going to affect worldwide covered rates?

      You’ will only be able to take a trip once the government stops the moronic quarantine policy.

      Unless you want to spend two weeks sitting in your living room every time you come back from a weekend in Miami.

      It’s not like your lockdown has ANY effect on the world at large…

  6. Anonymous says:

    Make them pay for the quarantine of themselves and their families and if not Caymanian, deportation after quarantine. Most of us are being sensible. We don’t want the virus and don’t want to spread it if we are unfortunate enough to get it. We have far too many lawbreakers here locals and expats.

  7. anon says:

    What if the meeting was just inside the geofenced limit?.How would that be picked up?.

    • Anonymous says:

      It wouldn’t. Which rather shows how dumb the person was. And how much the system depends on trust.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Bermuda has a moderate health risk for travel and the Cayman Islands has no travel health notice.They are also still wearing masks and social distancing and they had 102 deaths. Remember in Cayman everyone knows each other so would the people talking about opening up be okay with the 102 dead? Remember those most likely will be your friends or family.

    https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html

  9. Anonymous says:

    https://www.moh.gov.jm/covid-19-clinical-management-summary-for-wednesday-october-7-2020/

    Notice that the majority of Jamaica’s cases were imported.

    https://www.insider.com/the-bahamas-scraps-mandatory-visitor-quarantine-for-covid-19-testing-2020-10

    As for Bahamas, everyone has to wear masks in public places. However, the restrictions isn’t lifting until November so let’s see how well that works out. They’ve had to close down before so Bahamas is an example of how it doesn’t work not how it works. If they’re not closed down again by November 20th, then we can look at them as a shining example. If I was a betting person, I would bet they’ll be closed by Nov 30th unless a vaccine is developed.

    • Anonymous says:

      Bahamas was not closed down again totally to the people with homes there, private yachts and planes.

      Also some of the islands remained open.

      If you could get out of you bubble cell and see the rest of the world you would see what is really happening and not just what’s on the BS news.

  10. Anonymous says:

    The Police and the Government needs to set precedent here and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. If their punishment is to move them into a hotel suite then more will do the same thing.

    Set an example Cayman. This will be the only way to ensure that this program will work..

  11. Anonymous says:

    If anything this proves the Government’s quarantine system/plan works. The perpetrators were swiftly caught and locked up.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Why are they quarantining people who test negative? Stupid.

    • Anonymous says:

      Troll!

    • Anonymous says:

      Ummm… because you can test negative during the incubation phase? Have you read anything about the disease and testing for it during the last 6 months?

      • Anonymous says:

        It is NOT a disease, it is a virus.

        CNS: From the CIG website:

        What is COVID-19?

        The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan City, China in 2019. The COVID-19 virus (which is called SARS-CoV-2) is a member of the coronavirus family (a group of viruses) that has never been encountered before.

        • Anonymous says:

          LOL I definitely do not get my knowledge from the Cayman Islands Government (CIG)…

          From the WHO Website:

          Why do the virus and the disease have different names?

          Viruses, and the diseases they cause, often have different names. For example, HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. People often know the name of a disease, but not the name of the virus that causes it.

          There are different processes, and purposes, for naming viruses and diseases.

          Viruses are named based on their genetic structure to facilitate the development of diagnostic tests, vaccines and medicines. Virologists and the wider scientific community do this work, so viruses are named by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).

          Diseases are named to enable discussion on disease prevention, spread, transmissibility, severity and treatment. Human disease preparedness and response is WHO’s role, so diseases are officially named by WHO in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

          ICTV announced “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” as the name of the new virus on 11 February 2020. This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003. While related, the two viruses are different.

          WHO announced “COVID-19” as the name of this new disease on 11 February 2020, following guidelines previously developed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

          WHO and ICTV were in communication about the naming of both the virus and the disease.

    • Anonymous says:

      Thumbs down people are cowards and weak.

    • Gina says:

      Because there have been quite a few who tested negative early on but were positive when re-tested.

    • Anonymous says:

      Just be thankful we don’t get quarantined for asking idiotic questions.

  13. Anonymous says:

    COVID-19 not an excuse for unlawful deprivation of liberty – UN expert group on arbitrary detention.

    In its newly adopted Deliberation No. 11, the expert group establishes a set of guidelines to prevent arbitrary deprivation of liberty during public health emergencies, stressing that any control measures “must be publicly declared, be strictly proportionate to the threat, be the least intrusive means to protect public health and imposed only while the emergency lasts”.

    States should refrain from holding persons
    👵👴🏻 of 60 years and older,
    🤰pregnant women and women that are breastfeeding,
    🤕🤒 persons with underlying health conditions as well as
    ♿️ persons with disabilities,
    in places of deprivation of liberty where the risk to their physical and mental integrity and life is heightened.
    https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25876&LangID=E

    The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has a mandate to investigate allegations of individuals being deprived of their liberty in an arbitrary way or inconsistently with international human rights standards, and to recommend remedies such as release from detention and compensation, when appropriate.

  14. Anon says:

    So now it begins. We will start seeing the predicted failure of this quarantine plan. We are now going to see the hysteria of quarantine breachers, the extensive man power and cost to chase down breachers, the legal and court costs, then the filling of our spacious prison with the prosecute to the fullest attitude. International opinion will not be admiration of how perfect Cayman is with covid, but rather of frustration and avoidance. This is not what Cayman needs, it cant afford to pay for all the administrative efforts this plan will cause, it cant afford to lose international financial support. Yes, Cayman does not need covid either, but it is time to be smart and apply what we have learned about covid. Covid can be reliably detected with careful repetitive testing, 7d prior to arrival, on arrival and 4d post arrival. Charge this to the traveler not the Cayman government. Limit the amount of flights, there is a happy medium between zero arriving flights and the >10 a day we were seeing before. Encourage the use of masks in indoor public spaces. These are much less restrictive and thus will be more likely to be adhered to then complete isolation even for 14 days. It is time to quit using the irrational argument of complete death if we dont have total lockdown, it is time to be smart and reasonable to limit covid and revitalize our economy. Those that believe we are fine and dont need tourism money are incredibly foolish and are denying the facts of loss of savings, pensions, jobs,businesses, and homes.

    • Anonymous says:

      How about prosecuting those who contravenes Development and Planning Regulations therefore commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of five thousand dollars?

      Start with FIN project that is in breach of planning approval.

      You can’t selectively and arbitrary enforce laws and regulations.

      • Anonymous says:

        A $5000 fine is hardly going to deter Michael Ryan. Given his connections with the government does he even need to go in to quarantine when he returns to Cayan for brief visits?

    • Anonymous says:

      Well said…..And we can just follow on what other Islands have done.

    • Anonymous says:

      Private sector strikes again.

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m gonna guess Trump fan?

    • Anonymous says:

      An immediate 6 month prison sentence will avoid future breaches. Then the costs that you are worried about will not be needed.

      The fines should be increased to at least cover the cost of prison.

  15. Anonymous says:

    People have become so self-centered, selfish and self-entitled. Most think that laws and rules don’t apply to them.

    This will be a common theme when we get people in. Another lockdown will be an absolute disaster for Cayman and all the businesses that scraped by the first one.

    • Anonymous says:

      People who think that laws and rules don’t apply to them already here.

      Projects that are in breach of planning approval and are liable to a fine of KYD5,000
      ✅ FIN project
      ✅ Balboa Beach building on iron shore
      ✅ removal of primary habitat on a site off the Queen’s Highway

      Feel free to add more..

      Can’t enforce laws selectively

      • Anonymous says:

        More directly relevant, visits by a personal trainer during lockdown, arriving in the country without TravelTime authorisation despite being told it was an absolute requirement and the Premier saying the policy would be strictly applied, then allowed to stay anyway? How about the home isolation exemptions granted to those arriving on private aircraft well before the geo fencing rules were introduced?

        There is a reason some people think that rules and laws don’t apply to them. Because they dont.

    • Crabs in a bucket syndrome says:

      This sentiment is not just a consequence of this pandemic, it was endemic in Cayman well prior to this. Case in point, developers flouting the law.

  16. Anonymous says:

    And in Bermuda….they are managing things without the community hysteria that seems to be driving Cayman into a frenzy!
    How come Bermuda is able to do pre flight and arrival testing and allow minimal quarantining and still keep it under control and here we have one minor infraction and Cayman world loses it’s mind? It’s time for a reality check!
    Think about it. This person who is in quarantine had a Covid test, which I am assuming was negative. Yes they were dumb, lots of people are. But was there a real danger for a community outbreak? No!!
    The real danger is that our government is unable to see past its own insistence of a 14 day quarantine when many other jurisdictions have shown that pre-flight and arrival testing provide a realistic way of managing visitor arrivals with minimal quarantine required.
    Our government’s inability to think rationally will mean they are happy for ALL tourism related businesses to die, before they show any flexibility. Why wouldn’t they? It’s not their money or sweat equity that is being destroyed every day we remain isolated.

    • Anonymous says:

      Go to Bermuda and check it out. Let us know what you find out.

      • Anonymous says:

        Thanks but don’t need to! There’s this amazing thing called the Internet which allows you to talk to people who are actually there and read their latest news stories on sites just like CNS! So far it’s working for Bermuda. They have found a way of limiting Covid AND to restart their tourism economy. I encourage you to go and see for yourself.
        I get people are afraid but Cayman isn’t being as clever as people think it is. The pension money influx into our economy will dry up as we approach the end of this year and then what for anyone who is involved in a tourism related business?
        The Global Citizen program is going nowhere fast. No one is pushing this initiative like they should be. Government is really dragging its feet on opening up the economy. The original start date was 1st September and then it got pushed to 1st October which turns out not to be a real opening but just a “pilot” program for residents and people who own property here. Government is doing what it does best, when it is allowed to – absolutely nothing! It is going slow on purpose because there is no real plan to enact yet. People were right Alden really has no plan.
        Cayman is less like the global leader about Covid that people on CNS boards like to portray and more and more like the ostrich with its head in the sand, hoping that things will get better and the danger will go away.
        Sadly it won’t. Covid is here for a long time and we need to learn (quickly) how to live with it while limiting the impact on our lives. A Vaccine isn’t going to make it go away and will not be 100% successful at protecting people. It’s not the magic bullet that our leaders are counting on and it likely won’t reach everyone in our tourism target markets for another 12 to 18 months.
        So we have a choice. We either remain with our heads in the sand or we can start to think about how to really open up to tourism again. Right now Bermuda’s model is working for them. What’s your idea?

        • Anonymous says:

          You can’t trust the internet. Go instead. Please.

          • Anonymous says:

            You are coming across as such a reasonable, intelligent, caring and kind human being!! – Not!
            It must be tough to have all that pent up negativity and sarcasm inside of you.
            While you ruminate on trusting the Internet at some point in the future, the rest of us will get on with figuring out how to bring back tourism which is an essential part of our local economy.
            Have a wonderful weekend!

        • Anon says:

          Well said, I just wish our fellow residents can move past the fear and look objectively at covid. We see initially 62% of residents were hesitant to open, but now under 15% feel that way. Come Cayman our livelihood depends on this, avoidance is not a viable plan.

    • Anonymous says:

      100%…You have my vote.

    • Anonymous says:

      Rubbish -the reason that government is wisely insisting on the current 14 day isolation plus testing is that it is the only protocol that has been proven to work in preventing the importation of the virus over time. It is also the only protocol that is consistent with the science.
      What is irrational are the calls for government to substitute magic dongles and unproven and unscientific protocols for a system that works.

      • Anonymous says:

        So what does science say a PCR test 7 days after possible exposure is the most reliable time to test a person!

        Why did the WHO Bermuda for their system?

        Why are St Lucia and Bermuda listed as the same level 2 as us for travel advisories ?

  17. Anonymous says:

    LMAO! …like did they not really think this would happen… please

    • Maria says:

      Not surprised this happened, as we have a quarantined family in our neighborhood —and they’ve been in for over a week, but not once has public health or anyone from CIG been here to even see if they were there!!they might not even be wearing the monitor bracelets, but who would know? And as no one has ever laid eyes on them before, no one knows them at all.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Well hopefully this whole family and visitor are paying for their isolation experience themselves and not government. That would be punishment enough!

    • Anonymous says:

      Assumption assumption assumption. Innocent until proven guilty.

      “States should refrain from holding persons of 60 years and older, pregnant women and women that are breastfeeding, persons with underlying health conditions as well as persons with disabilities, in places of deprivation of liberty where the risk to their physical and mental integrity and life is heightened.” (COVID-19 not an excuse for unlawful deprivation of liberty – UN expert group on arbitrary detention. UN HR Office of the High Commissioner. . )

      • Anonymous says:

        Except the detention is not arbitrary, and those undertaking it have consented to it as a requirement of being allowed in.

      • Anonymous says:

        Why are you posting this BS about “States blah blah”. This is Cayman NOT the states and we can do whatever is necessary to continue to protect the wider community.
        If people don’t want to quarantine don’t come here or if people leave, they know what they will be returning to. It is that simple.

  19. Anonymous says:

    This is why anyone coming in needs to be put in government quarantine none of this home isolation. You want to come back here you have to go into gov quarantine simple.

    • Anonymous says:

      Impractical given how many flight routes they want to reopen.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yep you stay locked up then…..How long for do you think? 2 more years?

      • Hubert says:

        2 more years unless a vaccine is developed for release next year.

        • Anonymous says:

          You do realise that any vaccine is not going to be more than probably 50-60% effective. That’s the going rate for annual flu jabs, this will be no different…then what do you do, stay locked down forever?

    • Anonymous says:

      When people understand that locals no longer benefit from this government’s “big moves” to bring in more money into the country, they will see the bigger picture.

      Socializing losses but privatizing gains has been the plan of this government long before coronavirus germinated, spread, or mutated.

      The “soon-come” plans are not in your best interests. And the saddest part is these politicians can’t even see that they are just much pawns as the locals are in this unjust game of chess, where the rich and well-connected win every time and can just change the rules when they aren’t.

  20. Anonymous says:

    Please take note: Isolation is your nice comfortable home/suite; or if in breach of what you agreed to, isolation in a 10×10 government facility. Oh, and you get to pay for the privilege of ‘doin your own ting’. As for the additional penalties because of your selfishness that make it free for people that work with the community (government) trying to make thing safe for the wider set of people that live here, they should be bigger, but this government can be generous.

    It’s not that hard you selfish b4stards.

  21. Anonymous says:

    10 years for each offense on conviction plus a 500k fine.

  22. Anonymous says:

    They should have to pay for quarantine now asking with the fine and prosecution, we shouldn’t be footing the bill for their selfishness.

  23. Anonymous says:

    the most mind numbingly idiotic mission in human history

    • Anonymous says:

      Except for the fake moon landing

      • Anonymous LC says:

        Yes! They did such a good job with the fake moon landings, you can see the landing sites with a telescope!

      • Anonymous says:

        and Elon Musk’s plan to launch 42,000 StarLink satellites as if the sky belongs to him only and all humanity needs is faster speed to play video games at low cost, further augmenting youth’s brains to create generation brain damaged generation. Just look around and see if there is one (!!!) youth who is not staring at his phone.

  24. Anonymous says:

    No government is doing their best but there are idiot violators of the law like urself.
    Stop smoking and stay home rest yourself.

  25. Anonymous says:

    Let’s not forget that the large handful of people that were caught socializing in close proximity at RP on Good Friday and NEVER prosecuted (not even fined) were the ENTIRE reason Alden closed the beaches.
    However, if they had done what they warned (prosecution/fines) that would have made an example of them and the beaches could have stayed open.

    Seems like the excuse was that they couldn’t be sure who exactly was in breach of the rules. My view was that they were ALL in breach and as I said, make examples of the fools.

  26. Anonymous says:

    If they aren’t citizens or residents they need to be sent packing after the isolation…send a signal.

  27. Anonymous says:

    I hope that they identify the error made in approving home isolation for that person and ensure that that particular mistake is not repeated.

    • Anonymous says:

      Most likely a Republican visitor or one of the ‘not so local’ ‘locals’.

    • Jotnar says:

      What error? They explained the rules, they set the gei fence, someone breached the rules. It’s not likely that the same people will be afforded the opportunity again. Unless of course you are inferring that it’s a particular type of person, or possibly a nationality or economic group, that should be collectively denied home isolation because of the actions of one individual?

  28. Anonymous says:

    The current penalties are not a deterrent. Increase the penalties now!

    • Anonymous says:

      Penalty ONLY IF convicted!! Only warned of an intention of prosecution. This will never happen
      “warned for intended prosecution and are liable, on conviction” Just HOW is this a deterrent when we know they only got a slap on the wrist and were moved to a government facility. BFD

    • Anonymous says:

      Get rid of the quarantine and just do the 7 day pretest, arrival test, 4 day test. Makes more sense and less issues.

  29. Anonymous says:

    But personal trainers are allowed. There is clear precedent!

  30. Anonymous says:

    If it can be established without any doubt that the rules were breached then all involved should be prosecuted to the full extent possible. It has unfortunately become necessary to send a clear and unequivocal message that breaches of the quarantine rules will not be tolerated.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with you – BUT…if the wrong doer is a “Personal Trainer”, then precedent would say that they get off scott-free!!!!!

  31. Anonymous says:

    So was he arrested just for obstructing the police and not for breaking the quarrantine? Also what kind of rubbish about likely to be prosecuted”. If he broke the law he should be prosecuted ! Our healthcare personnel are working around the clock to keep us safe and really do not need these extra problems to keep these thoughtless lawless buffoons safe. If you all can’t follow the rules perhaps you should not bother to come. Leave the space for law abiding visitors.

  32. Anonymous says:

    Cue mass hysteria

    • Anonymous says:

      Exactly, but if they were found to be witches or warlocks then we should get the wood and stakes ready. You just can’t ever be too sure so why take a chance.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Hah hah, prosecuted my ass. Just like the curfew violators, right?

    • Anonymous says:

      You are aware many people have been to court over the breaches?

      Whilst the sentencing has been lenient, people were prosecuted.

      • Anonymous says:

        and convicted with a resulting criminal record that will make them unemployable in large parts of Cayman’s economy. That ought to make people think but some find it impossible to think beyond what they want in the next 2 seconds.

        • Anonymous says:

          And the entire community should pay for that lack of concentration, perhaps….

        • Anonymous says:

          I know a couple of people who got convicted – a fine, and no conviction recorded I am afraid. And both of them could afford to pay the fine without too much thought – no deterrent there.

  34. ELVIS says:

    This is the problem with a great system Cayman has in place to protect its people of the island.

    STUPID PEOPLE.

    • Anonymous says:

      You just mean people, as we’re all inherently stupid. We just are.

      Doubting that? Think of the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.

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