More gongs for COVID-related work

| 31/12/2020 | 21 Comments

(CNS): Another eight travellers have tested positive for COVID-19, two of whom are symptomatic, in the final batch of 392 test results for 2020, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee has confirmed. Meanwhile, Governor Martyn Roper has announced the award of another 26 Certificates and Badges of Honour for outstanding COVID-19 related work.

The additional cases announced today bring the total number of active cases to 42, with eight of those people showing symptoms of the virus. However, none of them are currently in hospital.

The number of people in isolation, either at a government facility or in their homes is now 620, significantly less than a recent high of over 1,100.

As there have only been private flights arriving in Cayman since the week before Christmas it seems these latest positive cases are among people coming to the end of their 14 days. However, Dr Lee confirmed that they will all remain in isolation until they are considered recovered.

The latest positive cases bring Cayman’s running total of COVID-19 cases to 338, with just two fatalities. Public health officials have now carried out 60,382 tests for the virus.

Announcing the additional awards for outstanding COVID-19 related work, the governor said, “2020 has been a quite extraordinary year and so many people on our Islands have stepped up to support our community. When looking around the world at how the virus is raging, we are blessed indeed to be largely COVID-free apart from a small number of returning travellers, all in 14 days of isolation to manage any risk.”

These awards focus on healthcare workers, teachers and those involved in the procurement of test kits. “This is a larger number of awards than in the past reflecting the unprecedented nature of the global pandemic and the outstanding contribution of so many individuals,” Roper added.

See the full list below:

For meritorious services rendered during the COVID Pandemic:

Education

  • Cayman Islands Further Education Centre Dual Entry Student Liaison/Literacy Specialist – Lorna Blackman
  • Department of Education Services Head of Business Services – Mark Ray
  • East End Special Educational Needs Coordinator – Troy Rodgers
  • Edna Moyle Primary School Counsellor – Amy Hunt
  • George Town Primary School Assistant Teacher Year 4 (1:1) – Briana Welds
  • Lighthouse School Teacher – Carolyn Powell
  • Deputy Principal Red Bay Primary School – Ryan Dale
  • Special Support Aide Sir John A. Cumber Primary School – Esther Rivers
  • Special Support Aide Sir John A. Cumber Primary School – Nuvia Manderson

Health Services Authority

  • Director of Sister Islands Health Services – Dr Srirangan Velusamy
  • Nurse Manager GP Services – Joanna Rose-Wright
  • Director of Corporate Services – Douglas Vinton
  • Director of Support Services Caswell Walford
  • Facilities Manager – Christopher McNamee
  • Clinical Head of Department GP Services– Dr Eryka Simmons
  • General Practitioner – Dr Ricardo Clarke
  • Nurse Manager CCU – Karen Pinnock-Stewart

Procurement of test kits and testing of the public

  • Susan Olde, OBE
  • Matthew Forbes, OBE
  • Vernie Coe
  • Craig Merren
  • Dr Bella Beraha
  • Dr Yaron Rado, Doctor’s Hospital

Cayman Airways

  • CEO– Fabian Whorms

Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service

  • Director – Steven Barrett

Support for children in need

  • Chairperson Feed Our Future – Stacey VanDevelde

The Governor invites members of the community to nominate deserving people to receive Certificates and Badges of Honour at the Queen’s Birthday Party in June 2021.

Names must be submitted to Faye.Kulcheski2@gov.ky before the end of March 2021.


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (21)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Why is it that just about every civil servant got one of these plus bonus pay just for doing their jobs. I was out of work and they weren’t? They got a bonus plus a medal from the Queen. Does anyone else see something wrong with this?

    The governor is doing his best to win over Caymanians to his side. I’m not sure of the underlying reasons but something stinks in the CIG.

  2. Anonymous says:

    “The Governor invites members of the community to nominate deserving people to receive Certificates and Badges of Honour at the Queen’s Birthday Party in June 2021.

    Names must be submitted to Faye.Kulcheski2@gov.ky before the end of March 2021.”

    The award already doesn’t matter anymore because you gave it to 76 PEOPLE IN ONE YEAR. No one will care anymore, and anyone who actually earned theirs has been done a disservice and an insult to be included with the good majority who just did their jobs. Cayman effectively has no honours system now because:

    1) The Order of the Cayman Islands is a joke. No one wants nominate anyone for it, no one wants to be in it. People intuitively grasp that politicians with no honour cannot give any.

    2) The Certificate and Badge of Honour has been devalued beyond recognition or meaning. To give you an idea of how much it has been devalued by, consider that one, maybe two used to be given out every year, maybe every other year, and more recently, it hasn’t been awarded as regularly. In the past few months they gave out 76.

    3) The UK will not give its honours to us anymore, because they will say we have our own system, so we should use it if we feel people are deserving of recognition. Only our system is not fit for recognising those exceptional contributions or achievements anymore – consisting as it does of a joke ‘order of chivalry’ and a certificate and badge which has been made a joke through overuse.

    Whether or not you leave any other legacy, Governor, and Premier, you will certainly leave the legacy of making it impossible for any truly extraordinary Caymanians to get an honour that means anything.

    • Anonymous says:

      Sorry, 77 – 51 originally, and another 26 now.

    • Anonymous says:

      I nominated an amazing Caymanian for the Order of Cayman. I’m an expat. The Caymanians I spoke to couldn’t bothered to nominate anyone. I love Caymanians. Just saying please don’t hate all expats. Just the lawyers (jokes CNS!! 😉)

      • Anonymous says:

        Not hating expats at all. Good for you for the gesture. I’m just making you aware that if Caymanians thought the “Order of Cayman” was worth anything to the people they might nominate, they would nominate them. I don’t doubt they’ll hand out as many of these things as they can to whoever thinks they’re going to impress anyone – plenty of people on this island dumb enough to do that.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Why are 87,000 health workers in the Netherlands refusing the mRNA vaccine?
    Lawsuits to follow. Watch out Roper, Lee and McLaughlin. Questions that you cannot answer truthfully are coming.

    • Anonymous says:

      The Caymans Islands must have given more gongs to Caymanians in the education system in the past 20 years on a per capita basis, than any other Commonwealth Country.

      We must have a brilliant education system here.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Would have thought it better to hand out gongs for being an infamous stinker. We have definitely seen enough of them in 2020. Might be best if the chief stinker himself hands these awards out. But wait, why does CIG see the need to reward people for merely doing their jobs? I guess it’s because a chief stinker is equally rewarded for being an alcoholic and women beater.

  5. Duchess of Fairbanks says:

    Congratulations Mr Barrett for surviving numerous attempts by the beach-bay voodoo Mafia to dislodge you from your position at the HMP Prison a MBE is more fitting to match their nasty intentions Happy new year to you and your family and thank you for your service for keeping our community safe with all the obstacles their members put in place last year.

  6. Catcha Fiya says:

    Since we did a private flight for test kits why can’t we do a private flight for the vaccine and then our great governor can hand out some more rewards and titles to those who organize the Vaccine flight????? let’s keep the UK’s highly contagious variant of Covid 19 away from our shores!

  7. Anonymous says:

    Do these awards really mean anything when you get to keep them even after being convicted of drunken assault?

  8. Gentle Reminder says:

    Wow I thought these awards were for longstanding and continual meritorious service and contribution to the community or society I did not realize that we are now reduced to Trophy and prize Events to those who’s intent was to derive a financial benefit or reward. Congratulations to all those who rightly deserved this award and recognition and thank for your contribution and service.

    • Anonymous says:

      9:13. Sounds like jealously

      Thank you to our COVID-19 heroes.

      I can’t imagine the courage our brave HSA staff had to muster to treat COVID-19 positive patients.

      Well done Governor.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Can we talk about XXXX

    CNS: As soon as we get the judge’s ruling in the Doctors Express case we can talk about his findings.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Should be handing out Oscars.

  11. Anonymous says:

    This is really good news. I see so many familiar names on the list. A good mix of public servants and private sector workers.

    Cayman is strong when all sectors work together.

    Thank you Governor for having the courage to make these awards. They are so well deserved.

    Especially I thank our teachers and our HSA staff.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Craig Merren deserves to be awarded at least a MBE. While it was a team effort without Craig’s persistence it would have taken a lot longer to implement the aggressive testing program that contributed greatly to Cayman Islands success in controlling COVID-19 and there would not have been a surplus of test kits for BOT’s and Commonwealth countries and a charity that donated test kits to an African country.

    • Anonymous says:

      You are sadly wrong. It was only “Olde” that moved the goalposts.

      • Anonymos says:

        So far so good. Well done to all. However the pandemic is far from over. Please don’t let your guard down as Covid has not played its last poker hand just yet. The latest variant could well be the tip of the iceberg.

    • Anonymous says:

      When it comes to being Caymanian or a contributor, you need not look for recognition, you would have to be a special person. While one was busy doing/seeking ways to help out, and not expecting praise or recognition, the coin fell on the floor to be trampled and the sweeper swept it out. As is usual, the bearer of good news is always left out and later on thought about.
      To the two gentlemen, keep on doing good and the light will always shine on your pathway. There will be no hurdles or stumbling blocks on your journey. Thank you to the first initiators who caused it all to happen.

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