JetBlue is the first airline to return to Cayman

| 14/10/2021 | 20 Comments
Cayman News Service
JetBlue aircraft

(CNS): JetBlue is set to be the first international commercial airline to return to the Cayman Islands since the airport opened to commercial travel again last month. While Cayman Airways and British Airways continued to keep the islands connected to the rest of the world through the COVID-19 pandemic with their repatriations flights, other commercial carriers have yet to return since the formal border closure was lifted.

The next phase of the tourism reopening plan should have happened today but was delayed because of the re-emergence of community spread of the coronavirus. In light of this, American Airlines has delayed its planned return until next year.

However, JetBlue will be operating a flight to Grand Cayman on Saturday from JFK in New York. “It’ll be the first commercial flight outside of Cayman Airways and British Airways that has been flying recently,” Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said in a Cayman Compass video report yesterday evening.

The minister has also said that, ahead of the full reopening without quarantine requirements, government plans to lift the mandatory verification of vaccines via a QR code. He said that the risk of verification forgery is slim from Cayman’s main market places and is outweighed by the fact that in the US especially, getting formal verification is proving to be almost impossible for residents in some states.


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Category: Local News, Travel

Comments (20)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Caymanians can enter unvaccinated because they are an entitled people. Being indigenous has its perks.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Yes, and this Caymanian entitlement is absolute B. S. This will be the cause of our major COVID related problems down the road if rule is not changed.

  3. Sam says:

    While there is clearly disagreement in the cabinet the government at this point is pretty likely to go to zero days quarantine for vaccinated travelers by December. The point that the tourism minister said on the Resh Hour which while scientifically irrelevant is still a useful way to understand things – COVID is already present in Cayman so it is not like vaccinated tourists are going to be the only source of COVID.

    Cayman will have to deal with outbreaks. It will be scary for sure. Still if you are vaccinated or a child the risk of COVID is not much greater than that of the flu. If you are an unvaccinated adult you are taking full responsibility for your own demise.

  4. Anonymous says:

    ,,,’the risk of forgery is slim from Cayman’s main market places….”?? What a crock of shit!

    With the US being the main “market place”, is Kenneth Bryan really serious when he says the risk of forging covid tests is “slim”? Clearly he didn’t read recently about the worker in NYC selling fake covid tests to all and sundry! Hmmm…she or some of her customers could very well be on Jet Blue’s first flight!

  5. Anonymous says:

    After the press briefing, they will only be allowing in Caymanians and residents without a digital format for the CDC verification card, therefore tourism is still shut down. Another game, another move of the goalpost. Will announce the border reopening next week. Why bother!!?

    • Anonymous says:

      Until quarantine for vaxxed removed, we are not really open for tourism. Only a trickle would be willing to spend their first 7 days of vacation (more like 8.5 to 9 days) locked up in hotel room or rental accommodation.

      Just announce a frickin date, instead of just announcing a date (next week) when we will announce another date.

      I fully suspect until any opening date we will have increased community spread and the government will again pull the date.

  6. Anonymous says:

    when?

    • Anonymous says:

      American Airlines not coming till next year tells you all you need to know.
      If the border is opening, it needs to OPEN for tourists, Caymanians and residents without a quarantine and accept the CDC card.

      • Anonymous says:

        There are nutters amongst us that will only be satisfied when there are absolutely NO public health protocols in place.

        We know their leaders and we see their bots all over this site.

      • Anonymous says:

        All of the major airlines that are eager to compete for airlift in our market, will receive the same bankable gov’t info early next week, and will make their business adjustments from what you’re seeing for schedules today. Some are already adjusting in anticipation.

  7. Anonymous says:

    weak and risky move not ensuring visitors will be vaxxed…

    but hey…not much makes sense this wonderland.

    • Anon says:

      The announcement is that QR code would not be necessary to verify vaccinations. Requiring QR codes was unreasonable because of so many many different health authorities with their different methods to track vaccinations. Likely that many have other verification methods. For example ‘Docket’ app is used by some U.S. states.

      • Anonymous says:

        The Province of Quebec are only using a loose honour-based online attestation of first dose as their hurdle for a QR public-access code. A government-backed forgery, essentially.

    • Anonymous says:

      If you would only READ the only unvaccinated persons who can enter are CAYMANIAANS

      http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/13108558.PDF

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