4 positive virus tests as CIG waits on breach appeal

| 14/12/2020 | 12 Comments

(CNS): The cases of COVID-19 continue to grow among travellers in isolation and quarantine, as government waits to find out if the first appeal before the courts of an isolation breach will see the rule breakers receive a more severe punishment. Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee reported Monday that there were four new positive cases from a batch of 474 tests carried out since Friday, increasing the total number of cases to date to 302.

The individuals who returned positive results are asymptomatic travellers still in isolation at a government facility or in their homes along with 1,281 others. Of the 23 active cases in quarantine, five people are said to have symptoms, though none of these are in hospital.

The number of current cases as well as the number of people in isolation is causing concern for the public, given the recent high profile quarantine breaches and what appears to be rule bending surrounding the protocols and special permissions.

The government is waiting for a decision on an appeal case that went before Justice Roger Chapple on Monday. Skylar Mack and local competitive Jet Ski star, Vanjae Ramjeet, appeared in court today after prosecutors appealed their original sentence of community service and costs.

Shortly before their conviction legislators had amended the Public Health Law to increase the fine for breaching public health isolation from CI$1,000 to CI$10,000 and jail time from six months to two years, as part of its toolbox to prevent COVID-19 from getting into the community. As a result, the sentence has been appealed to try and persuade the court that a deterrent message needs to be sent to the wider community over how seriously government sees such breaches.

A decision is expected tomorrow morning.


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (12)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    It is simple. Get a quick test at the airport before boarding ANY flight. I do not understand why this is not regular requirement by every airline and every airport. I truly feel sad for the couple in Grand who now have to go to prison for 4 months. I understand about making an example of them but gheez! When I think about what I did when I was 18 I am glad that there were no rules broken to this degree. So some get away with it like the 19 year old man and some get zapped. This is not unusual to see happening here in these islands and it is not right. What about the couple who came into the Brac recently and knew they were positive? Who is going to take care of that? Has it been swept under the rug? If this is true, the public needs to know and they also need to know what the punishment will be for people who purposefully endanger others.

    • Anon says:

      I’m in the US – if we’d done this back in March we’d maybe have 300 cases like you ! Keep her entitled a$$ in jail … great job Caymans !

    • Kevin says:

      This is life or death. This is not a broke my arm or smoked weed. The time should fit the crime and this is a DEADLY SERIOUS CRIME.

      Please do not belittle the BREACH!!

  2. Al Catraz says:

    A cluster of 26 new cases of the coronavirus on the Caribbean island of Grenada has been linked to a Sandals resort, Grenada’s Ministry of Health said in a statement Sunday. Sandals Grenada is closed to all new guests while officials test and contact trace resort guests and employees. Grenada officials moved on Monday to impose a partial lockdown amid the island’s new rise in cases.

  3. Elvis says:

    It just keeps growing, playing with fire CIG.
    Why is everyone ignoring growing figures and cartoon isolation
    Measures when we started this so well and have now gone to ****
    Covid cases growing yet we dont care now. What a turnaround as usual from so called leaders. All for a buck

  4. Anonymous says:

    simple question:
    why has the government not mandated testing prior to departure for travellers…..which would reduce the our positive numbers substancially and the risk to the cayman community?

    • Anonymous says:

      Because a resident, particularly a Caymanian, is entitled to be here, and our quarantine system makes Covid status on arrival largely irrelevant.

      Also, good luck getting a test and the results in time for your trip in most of the world.

      • Anonymous says:

        RUBISH – Getting a test before is easy. 72 hours is very easy.

        As for the right to come back NOT TRUE, if you test positive before your flight than you have no rights under the airlines rules to travel.

      • Anonymous says:

        Tests are widely available including in airports! Rapid results can be received in as little as 15 minutes or can opt for the 24-48 hour results from PCR.

        Testing incoming passengers is such an obvious strategy. It shouldn’t be instead of quarantine but to further reduce any chance of virus even entering island.

  5. Anonymous says:

    so people who test positive are allowed to home quarantine?….how stupid is this?
    how is monitoring visitors?…how many visitors did they have before they tested positive?

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