Traveller ‘escaped’ from quarantine

| 07/12/2020 | 89 Comments

(CNS): Police are investigating another breach of isolation by a traveller who has been at a government-run facility. The man went missing from what is supposed to be a secure quarantine location on Sunday. Officials who revealed the breach in a release Monday evening did not say how long the man was in the community before he was tracked down or whether he was positive for the virus on arrival.

In a brief statement Travel Cayman said the man will have to complete the required period of isolation back at the government facility, where a thorough review of the security arrangements are underway.

Public Health officials are now contact tracing and said a further update will be provided in due course.

Police are said to still be investigating three other breaches of quarantine by travellers over the last few weeks but there has been no confirmation yet whether Skylar Mack or anyone else will be charged in connection with the breach at a jet ski event on 29 November.


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Comments (89)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    the person will claim mental health and anxiety issues as advised by their lawyer…
    they will get a warning.
    bigger risk is the total ignoring of illegal visitors to people who quarantine at home

  2. Anonymous says:

    CIG and Travel Cayman have failed the people of the Cayman Islands. We can only hope that the vaccine becomes widely available before we have to go back into lockdown.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Isn’t sentencing a visitor to community service illegal, since it would mean forcing someone to work without a permit?

    • Anonymous says:

      It’s community service. By it’s literal definition it isn’t employment.

    • Anonymous says:

      I don’t think that counts as gainful occupation

      • R D Anon says:

        Wrong. The person gain by doing the work which has certain value which apply to in lieu of time served in prison. Gainful employment doesn’t necessarily mean earning dollar$.

        • Anonymous says:

          You big dummy. The labour law specifically states what type of payment can be made in lieu of cash. Its community services per Penal Code nothing to do with paid or remunerated labour.

      • Anonymous says:

        I believe that it came before the courts once before, and they ruled that a permit was required to “work” whether you were being paid or not. Although a court ordered task might be an exception. If I recall correctly, the case that I am referring to was to do with a visitor just “helping” his friend at a garage, for which he supposedly wasn’t being paid.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Well they’re gonna have to face the consequences of putting us all at risk!!! Small fine and maybe a few hours of community service.

  5. Anonymous says:

    Well they’re gonna have to face the consequences of putting us all at risk!!! Probably a small fine and maybe do some community service.

  6. Anonymous says:

    To emphasize how dangerous it is for us to have people not completing a 14 day quarantine, Bermuda now has community spread accelerated by 3 superspreader events. The following is a quote issued last evening by their Premier:

    “In the coming days, I expect the number of confirmed cases to increase; such is the scale of this outbreak linked to a few super-spreading events. I ask all persons to cooperate with contact tracers and get tested if you have been contacted or may be at risk of exposure.

    “Soldiers from the Royal Bermuda Regiment will be supplementing the efforts of the Health team to facilitate even more wide-scale screening for the coronavirus including at our schools and other essential services.

    • Anonymous says:

      That has nothing to do with not complying with 14 days isolation as thats not the system there.

      • Anonymous says:

        If they had 14 days of enforced quarantine/isolation they would not be in the mess that they are currently in.

    • Anonymous says:

      Just as an alternative point the CDC now suggests 7 days quarantine with a negative test, or 10 days without…assuming no symptoms, also studies that show symptomatic people stop being infectious (to others) 6 days after symptoms first start. The 14 days maybe a bit of overkill for anyone without symptoms. Bermuda has tourists, and only required a negative 3 days before arrival and on arrival, with further testing, but limited restrictions on movement within the community.

      • Anonymous says:

        Bermuda also has community spread, school closures and people in hospital including ICU with Covid.

      • Anonymous says:

        Correct! We could easily have pre testing 72 hours before and then isolation for 7 days followed by a negative test.

        14 Days was the recommendation when we did not test!

    • Anonymous says:

      Bermuda now has community spread accelerated by 3 superspreader events. How is that being blamed on tourism? I watched a beautiful event at Pedro Castle the other night and not many people were following guidelines (wearing masks while in crowds or social distancing) and that is exactly how covid spreads. Be smart instead of looking to blame.

      • Anonymous says:

        The superspreader events happened because Bermuda has a lax quarantine protocol that let infected people into the community where they attended events that became superspreader events because the people who should have been quarantined for 14 days were not.

  7. Anonymous says:

    The reality is, most people in quarantine, either at home or a facility, do their time without incident. Just like most people follow the laws of the land, except maybe drunk driving which seems to be a bit flexible on anyone condemning it. Also most people don’t have Covid. I am not supporting these law breakers, just pointing out the obvious, some will break the law. No need to overreact, just deal with it. There are no guarantees in life. Even if we shut everything down what happens when we open up…eventually? Sensible approach to dealing with it, yes, irrational overreaction, no!

  8. Anonymous says:

    The reason there are not enforced stringent fines/expulsions/etc is because the entire quarantine process is open to legal challenge and government are carefully walking a line between virus suppression and total chaos. There are a ton of legal cases all over the world, as well as differing quarantine limits (some as low as 2 days). Once a legal challenge is presented, its game over for this farce. Hence, gov will not seek to overly penalize and simply hope we get thru to the other side (whatever that may be – vaccine, virus dying out, whatever)

    • Anonymous says:

      It actually isn’t. If you don’t want to quarantine, don’t come here. It’s quite simple. Coming here and breaching our safety measures is what is liable for legal challenge, especially if you infect someone with your willful ignorance.

    • Anonymous says:

      Rubbish. I have no idea what you are referring to when you write about ‘tons of legal cases all over the world’, but I am fairly certain that whatever you are referring to is irrelevant.

      Public health laws like ours have been enforced throughout the Commonwealth for more than a hundred years and I doubt that any court in Cayman or the Privy Council would choose to strike them down.

    • Anonymous says:

      Knowledge is one hell of a tool. no wonder politicians aren’t invested in their people having it.

  9. Anonymous says:

    so a local gets jail time for breaking curfew by being in their car but visitors get community service for violating quarantine and mingling in a crowd. These are the issues worth protesting over.

    • Sick and tired says:

      Let me know when and where the protest is happening and I will be there. Over this unjust bs!

    • Anonymous says:

      Which local has gotten jail time solely for breaking curfew? Please provide a link

    • Say it like it is says:

      8.29am So far only expats have been named as curfew breakers, what about this one and the other pending cases, when will they be named?.
      Your “local” must have been involved in more than you claim if he was jailed.

    • Anonymous says:

      Hey everyone, look up to read what an enabler wrote. All speculation and no proof.

    • Anonymous says:

      Same thing I said, if it was me or some other poor caymanian sufferer we would of got hit with both the maximum fine plus jail time.
      I’m getting really sick and tired of the favoritism our government has for these big money people and they’re the reason why the world is so fucked up in the first place.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well he was in a car when arrested and he was breaking curfew too, but weren’t there a number of other offences being committed? It wasn’t just the curfew breach that got him jail time, was it.

  10. Anonymous says:

    How long until we have community transmission?
    Before Christmas I would say.

  11. Anonymous says:

    I’m sure this guy is trembling in fear for the possible 40 hours of community service sentence. Scary stuff.

  12. Anonymous says:

    These people keep on breaking the rules because they found out that the government is a joker and no charges will be laid against them

  13. Anonymous says:

    Nothing to worry about. I tested negative for covid six months ago….

  14. Anonymous says:

    The traveler did not escape. They are not in prison, although one would wonder by the way they treat you. The traveler opted to breach quarantine. As for being a prisoner, why I am I not allowed to receive a razor to shave, my car or apartment keys . These items will not be delivered to your room. BTW, I had a big sharp knife in the kitchen drawer, a lot more lethal than a plastic razor. I could just as easily have had them in my suitcase. A little more sensibility in the ways the facility is managed would help. Why so many security guards? I would argue you don’t need a hallway full of security guards to monitor the “guests”.

  15. ELVIS says:

    Send him to jail. Should be Able to do it there no problem

  16. Anonymous says:

    So why is it taking so long for the other breaches hhmm makes everyone wonder

  17. Anonymous says:

    might as well let them go home if they are able to “escape” from guarded quarantine..

    This whole operation needs to be overhauled so that law-abiding citizens that actually need to travel can do so.

    Forget sending them in front of our useless judges, change the law where the Police can just ticket them. Start it at $10k for each offense and 30 days in jail if they don’t pay it.

    If you arrive here and test positive at the airport, you should be made to go the quarantine facility not to your home..No doing this is irresponsible and opens us up to the possibility that someone will break out and infect us.

    The government needs to understand that internationally this is making us look like a bunch of inept fools and people will still continue to break the rules of quarantine because they know they won’t get caught.

    • Anonymous says:

      Sentencing guidance is supposed to be $10k AND two years. Why do we bother to codify these figures into our laws and regs if our judiciary are just going to make up their own off-script punishments?

  18. Anonymous says:

    Someone needs to be held accountable and responsible for these incidents as it appears the Courts are not prepared to set examples. Why aren’t we naming and shaming these judges..We have to put pressure on somehow. Giving someone 40 hours of community service in a country where she has committed multiple offences which could have possibly endangered many lives is nothing short of ridiculousness. Why wasn’t she fined and once she got out of quarantine be driven to the airport and deported. Does anyone really think we want her here doing community service? Is she going to pull bush on the side of the road or will she get a cushy community service making coffee at the courthouse? Oh gosh, I forgot she loves the doggies…40 hours of walking dogs that should be punishment enough.. not!!!

    Dr. Tasha Ebanks is in charge of this program. I have nothing personal against her but this is obviously outside of her abilities and she needs to be removed and someone with law enforcement capabilities put in charge. We also need to change the law so that any breachers are actually arrested not just taken to a quarantine facility.

    The government is too busy high fiving and handing out placards to themselves and have totally forgotten about us. When was the last time they gave us an update on the current covid situation? Why are they afraid to come in front of the people?

    It’s the last Christmas before election so we will soon see the turkeys, hams and appliances flying out of the stores to purchase votes for the next election. I am waiting until they coming knocking on my door as I have a few good words for them…but I will take my ham as I normally do and put in the fridge first..that’s all I get for another four years anyway..

    • Anonymous says:

      An over used and devalued “Dr.” title does not imply competence in everything.

    • Anonymous says:

      Skyler was interacting with many people. She should have been escorted to collect her belongings and deported just like the Canadians. At least they weren’t at an event!!

      Now she can swan around for a week doing her “community service” and pal around with her friends in the evening.

      And who gets to chose what she does for that community service??

  19. Anonymous says:

    This item brings to mind a quote from a previous Viewpoint. How many people need to get sick here before the numbers coming in are limited to those that can be properly monitored?

    In Australia, a tiny number of people responsible for front-line implementation of the Australian quarantine/isolation programme slipped up. According to counsel for the independent enquiry now examining Australia’s Covid-19 disaster:

    “The failure by the hotel quarantine program to contain the virus is responsible for the deaths of 768 and infection of some 18,418 others… It was a program which failed to meet its primary objective to keep us safe from the virus.”

  20. Anonymous says:

    Its looks like More than Mckeeewa needs to go I suggesting that anyone who gets infected needs to sue CIG and Moses Kirkonnell and his ministry and the Airline who drought the person here.THat should ring their little bell!

    • Anonymous says:

      Sheeesh, these security staff are not themselves serving any quarantine, and it’s been >100’F outside, in the fresh air, where you are handing them heavy cargo! Give me a break. They have no interaction with the inbound quarantining guests beyond luggage delivery and glove disposal.

  21. Anonymous says:

    I was very disturbed by the lack of protocol on the part of the quarantine team at Holiday Inn when my husband was quarantined there. On multiple occasions when I dropped things off, I was wearing a mask, but the staff accepting my deliveries was not.

  22. Anonymous says:

    Back in quarantine???? How about expulsion!

  23. Anonymous says:

    Absolutely ridiculous! Kmt! I wish these Charles in charge would stop walking with their heads in the sand and take note of what’s happening. God forbid but it’s only a matter of time before there is a community spread if this keeps happening.

  24. Anonymous says:

    Shut this Shit down Alden!As you say you would NO More passenger Flights from Miami or the UK!

  25. Anonymous says:

    To the fools who said this couldn’t happen! This is the only person to get caught!

    • Anonymous says:

      As there seem to be no consequences, more people will escape quarantine.
      $10,000 fine ? What $10,000 fine. ?

    • Anonymous says:

      No, he’s the 4th person to get caught. He’s the first one to get caught leaving a government supervised quarantine facility (if you overlook the 14 Cubans who managed to wander away). The real issue is how many others are there, given there seems to be zero actual policing of home quarantine. Maybe none. Maybe hundreds. Who knows. Certainly not public health given that all the ones caught so far have been caught by the public.

      • Anonymous says:

        The subject matter is escape from government facility.

      • Anonymous says:

        Why does this surprise people? People have been away from each other for over 8-9 months. You think they are waiting another 14 days. I doubt it. They are waiting till dusk.

    • Anonymous says:

      So why is it taking so long for the other breaches hhmm makes everyone wonder

  26. Anonymous says:

    Needless to say this was in Prospect the now most deprived constituency in the Cayman Islands. #thanksaustinharris . If any of my fellow Prospect citizens read this we deserve better guys.

    • Anonymous says:

      And how would you know that?

      • Anonymous says:

        How did I know it was Prospect? Because it’s about 300 meters down the road on Marina Drive where I live dude. Junction with Domino Street.

      • Anonymous says:

        I could see it happening 300 meters down the road from my house on Marina Drive pal. Now a waste of public money in them having a 24 hr security guard stationed there. Hopefully the losers involved have to pick up the bill. But given people aren’t getting the full force of the fine I suspect it’s the public who’s paying per usual.

    • Anonymous says:

      #votematthewleslie2021

  27. Anonymous says:

    No one except the fake news media has ever pretended that these facilities are “secure “

  28. Anonymous says:

    1300+ in quarantine/isolation!! No wonder they’re having “escapes” – there’re too many to manage!!

    DR. Tasha, pause the arrivals!! DUH!

  29. Anonymous says:

    All reasons now for max fines!!

  30. Anonymous says:

    Either government and those responsible lock this shit down, or firmer border control measures will be required and demanded. That is our choice. The systems the good. The identification and enforcement of breaches are a joke. It seems we remain awful at enforcement around here, including when lives are at stake.

  31. Anonymous says:

    Look at that……an ppl woulda believe say a good good law abiding ppl come a cayman. The earth surface full a all sort a ppl….and believe it or not they vacay where you live……if I laugh….

  32. Anonymous says:

    Hasn’t Skylar Mack already been charged and given 40 hours of community service?

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m not sure where Sandra got my email address, but that’s what she said in an email to me several days ago. Of course, as the old people used to say “her lips not bible leaf”.

    • Anonymous says:

      She was not charged not even one dollar, she was put in quarantine at her expensive of 2600 ci . That’s the rules,one has to pay if they are not Caymanian and coming to Cayman and isolation at a Hotel

    • Anonymous says:

      I find the extreme leniency on this particular matter extremely odd to the limit of provocation. How can people on this island respect the court’s decision when there is such a gap with the severe penalties incurred in the promulgated text and the verdict ?

      Such a decision strikes me as divisive to the extreme IMHO.

    • Anonymous says:

      She wasn’t fined. She just had to pay for quarantine, $2600. Her punishment was 40 hours of community service.

      Only in the Cayman Islands! Shameful!

    • Anonymous says:

      With her passport withheld so she is forced to stay, as a criminal expat, with no immigration permission or apparent means of supporting herself. How quickly is she expected to complete that community service?

      • Anonymous says:

        That XXXX is a criminal and should be banned from ever come back here. Of course this worthless government could not even get this right but actually adhering to the laws out in place.

        Wish people in these islands would rise up and take a stand!

      • Anonymous says:

        Where is this community service and how quickly is she expected to complete it? Is she being supervised and by whom? What happens after that, is she being expelled like the Canadian couple, if not, why?

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