Quarantine to be lifted in four weeks

| 22/10/2021 | 554 Comments
Cayman News Service
Deputy Governor Franz Manderson and Premier Wayne Panton at Friday’s press briefing

(CNS): The Cayman Island Government will be allowing vaccinated travellers and visitors into the country without having to quarantine from Saturday, 20 November. The announcement was made by Premier Wayne Panton on Friday afternoon at a press conference, but it appears that the details of how this next phase of the border reopening plan will be managed have not been finalised.

With press questions severely curtailed and the rapid testing policy still not complete, the shape of the next step has yet to be articulated, though the premier said the goal was to reopen safely, minimising the impact on the health services.

Families travelling with unvaccinated children will still be required to quarantine for at least ten days. But adults who arrive with proof of a negative PCR test and a verifiable vaccine or people from countries with 60% or more national vaccination rates, such as the United States, can submit non-electronic documents from healthcare providers to verify their vaccines and go straight to their hotel or condo, or home in the case of residents.

However, how much visitor numbers will increase remains to be seen, as JetBlue’s twice weekly service from New York and the return of an Air Canada flight from Toronto on 4 December are the only confirmed additions to the existing flights by Cayman Airways and British Airways.

How tourists will be handled if they test positive during their stay has not been addressed and the necessary protocols surrounding the self-sanitation of taxis and buses carrying tourists have not been ironed out yet either. But the government believes the tourism sector will be ready by 20 November.

According to the Deputy Governor, the civil service is focusing on ensuring that its testing and isolation regimes will be able to cope and that the health services are increasing staff across all related areas, from testing to manning the flu hotline. Health Minister Sabrina turner also said that $1 million has been set aside to help people who are positive and required to isolate and prevented for whatever reason from getting paid.

Meanwhile, although rapid home test kits are going to play a critical role in the safe and successful return of tourism, the policy on how these tests will be managed has still not been finalised. Responding to CNS questions about the use of the test kits, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said that officials were “burning the midnight oil on the rapid testing policy” because “we want to get this right”.

Dr Lee said the goal was to create an electronic solution for the reporting of results but he stressed that it will still be based heavily on trust. If government is going to succeed in keeping the economy going, people in their jobs and the schools open, the community must be honest and report the positive results, he said.

20,000 tests have been set aside for the schools, which will be delivered Monday when class resumes after the extended mid-term break. These tests will be free of charge and passed on to parents so families can begin home testing students. The goal is to prevent the need for whole classes or other groups to isolate or schools to close when some students are positive, and to only quarantine those who have the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

An abstract plan about how the country is going to manage living with COVID-19, something Dr Lee said is already happening now, and how we will cope with the increased risk of spread of the virus with the end of travel quarantine was presented by the deputy governor and is expected to be posted on the government website this evening.

See the full press briefing below:


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Category: Health, Medical Health, Politics

Comments (554)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Everyone is so eager to blame this government. I can assure you, you would be complaining about the last government as well. No matter what they would do. But I would definitely rather have this government rather than the last one. FULL STOP.

    No government WORLDWIDE, has been perfect. Nobody knew enough about this to make proper definite decisions. There has been loads of fliflopping ALL OVER. Just look at Fauci for a prime example. He still isn’t getting it right.

    Everyone is still working out kinks. And making changes.

    Get over it

    • Anonymous says:

      I totally agree. In reading some of the comments on here, you would think that the government is to blame for Covid happening in the first place! It’s totally ridiculous.
      I think that the current government is being measured and thoughtful in its approach and trying to balance the reality of Covid becoming endemic throughout the world and getting Cayman ready to reopen and face it. As we move to reopen they will get some things wrong but many things right, as the civil service learns how to operate in the new normal. There is nothing exceptional or wrong in this.
      The alternative is to keep our borders closed forever. However as both Australia and New Zealand have indicated, their zero Covid strategies have failed and they will move to reopen in the near future. We need to stop with the negative comments and move on, constructively.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree. The PPM can never be trusted with power again.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Cayman is so disconnected from the rest of the world.
    We are not dying, we are not wearing masks, the signs are coming down and we are laughing at you.
    But go ahead and bend over for your government. They like it like that. Pathetic.
    It has been like a big soap opera.

  3. Anonymous says:

    It obviously hasn’t dawned on PACT that when the hospital ICU is full of sick people and the US media begins to report rising cases of deaths in Cayman. . . nobody will want to holiday in Cayman. Opening the borders without quarantine is a fool’s errand. People will die. Just hope it’s not you or an elderly member of your family.

  4. Greedy $$ Flow says:

    Cayman must open because we the Elite said so ! Hush unnah Big Mouth and eat unnah porridge!

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you a) get a pay check from the Cayman government b) a pay check from a statutory authority subsidized by the Cayman government c) receive any subsidies or payouts from the government d) receive free services paid rot by the government such as education or healthcare – all of which are funded by the taxpayers and businesses dependent on the economy reopening? If so, then may be you should shut your mouth your porridge.

  5. Anonymous says:

    The Netherlands has a 67% full vaccination rate compared with Cayman’s 75%. The Netherlands also has a vaccine passport system which unfortunately we do not. This is the news from the Netherlands today:

    “The Dutch government is seeking advice from a panel of experts on whether it needs to reintroduce Covid restrictions amid sharply rising infection rates, its health minister said today.

    The Netherlands has one of the fastest-rising infection rates in Europe. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases increased over the past two weeks from 13.43 new cases per 100,000 people to 29.27 new cases per 100,000 people on 24 October.

    “It’s just going too fast. We have to face up to the fact that the numbers are rising faster and sooner than expected,” health minister Hugo De Jonge told reporters in The Hague.

    He said hospital admissions also are rising faster than anticipated when the government relaxed its lockdown last month.

    “The Cabinet will have to think about extra measures,” he said.

    The Netherlands ended almost all Covid restrictions on last month, including an end to social distancing. At the same time, the government mandated use of coronavirus health passes to get into bars, restaurants, cinemas and other public venues.”

  6. Anonymous says:

    Over the past 4 months Public Health has reported 10 – 20 Covid cases detected on quarantine exit testing per 1000 arrivals. All of those individuals had negative PCR tests prior to boarding their flights to Cayman. Without quarantine and exit testing all of those individuals would have been allowed to enter our community to spread the virus.

    Now government is proposing to drop quarantine and is hoping for 1000+ tourist arrivals per day. As the Covid numbers have not changed much in the populations that will be coming to Cayman, we can therefore expect that 10 – 20 Covid infected individuals will be released into our community every day as of 20 November. What could possibly go wrong?

    • Anonymous says:

      The current situation is most likely the result of a few Covid cases being allowed in, whether in a drug canoe or because the quarantine period was reduced to 5 days. When 300 – 600 infected individuals are allowed into our community every month, picture what the result will be.

    • Anonymous says:

      Right, and with an r0 of at least 6 for Delta
      10 cases becomes 60. . . 60 becomes 360. . .360 becomes 2,160. You do the math. And all in a couple of days.

  7. Anonymous says:

    There will be serious consequences, and the “leaders” that made this decision must accept responsibility for those consequence.

  8. Leaderless Caymanian says:

    Pact is run by a bunch of lackies who have sold out to the highest bidder. Pathetic, just pathetic. I don’t acknowledge these crabs as my “leaders”

    • Anonymous says:

      This is by far the worst Government in the past 50 years and that includes the Mac years. Uneducated, inexperienced, and most of them coming into the role with no experience handling significant amounts of money. This is the result of neighborhood popularity contests followed by bartering away complex Ministerial jobs simply for a vote to be Premier. Sad situation. This is a new form of corruption that will be the downfall of the Cayman Islands.

      • Anonymous says:

        Agreed. Look at who formed the goverment.

      • Anonymous says:

        This is the result of the braindead morons who voted in the referendum for an “advanced” constitution that enshrined political parties into our way of life. George Washington warned Americans against party politics. History and current events prove him to have been a sage prophet.

      • Anonymous says:

        @10:07am Nah nothing beats the PPM years..we need another 100 or so years for that..

  9. Daniel Johns says:

    A negative test pretravel, means nothing as the virus has a 2 week incubation period. Does anyone believe in science anymore?? Soooo I leave wherever I am from with a negative test, I arrive in the Islands, and 2 weeks later we have hospitals full of older dying people. Yep grand ideals, and idea.. We can’t buy them out, so let’s get them killed… This is a World Wide Pandemic morons… Cayman Get the body bags ready for the idiots to arrive, with the Gov’ts blessing.. OHHHHHH boy….

    • Anonymous says:

      It is crystal clear that money and power is more important than safety and security of those with no voice

      • Anonymous says:

        And how would the country survive money wise if it never ever opens up? It’s a world wide pandemic as stated, the whole world, including Cayman needs to learn to deal with it as it’s not going anywhere soon. Money will eventually run out….by then the damage will be irreversible.

        • Anonymous says:

          Cayman can open up but with quarantine for incoming tourists.

          • Anonymous says:

            Really, how many vaccinated tourists can come her for 14 days in quarantine just to maybe have a normal 5 to 7 day vacation? Don’t you realize how stupid that sounds? You can’t have it both ways..Nobody can afford that or have the time to do so.

            Get vaccinated, mask up and keep washing your hands..

    • Anonymous says:

      So dramatic. High vaccination rate. Letting in vaccinated travelers. Give it a rest and stop your panic. Wear your mask when you can’t social distance. Stop your stressing as that will kill you before covid.

  10. Anonymous says:

    We need a no confidence vote submitted immediately. The government is so disgusting putting their God the almighty dollar before the people and children of this land but I know Almighty God will intervene for the people sake!

    • Anonymous says:

      You need a vote of no confidence, but not to allow another bunch of new idiots to keep the place locked down

    • Anonymous says:

      If there ever was a vote of no confidence in would be in these anti-vaxxers that have kept us prisoner on this island for this long..

      Almost 80% of the people went out and got vaccinated so that we would have a fighting chance to re-open and move on with covid in our midst.

      Instead of complaining and talking foolishness about no confidence vote, go get vaccinated, wear a mask and fo gods sake wash your hands more than you are doing.

  11. Anonymous says:

    There are a lot of selfish, cowardly men and women in Cayman Islands, so afraid to die that they would rather sell out the youth of this Country and their grandchildren futures by forcing us to remain closed and return to the time of subsistence living than cautiously return to the new World normal, that everyone else has accepted.

    If you don’t want to get sick and die, get a vaccination and lose some weight. Live healthier and take a vitamin. Staying closed to the outside world and destroying everything Cayman was before COVID because you are afraid to get sick or even potentially die is an exercise in pure madness and utter cowardly selfishness.

    “Those who would trade freedom and liberty for comfort, deserve neither” — Ben Franklin.

    Those who pressed so hard to stay closed may in fact get sick. Some may die and when they meet their maker they will have to answer for the mental anguish and destroyed livelihoods they inflicted on their community by staying closed so long.

    • Anonymous says:

      Everyone is so tired of this “battle” of opinions, believes, insults, bullying, quotes, ideas, links, theories, studies etc. etc.

      I wonder how people preserve their sanity in Cayman.

      • Anonymous says:

        Get vaccinated, mask up and wash your hands..Let’s move on. The anti-vaxxers have had their chance. Talking foolishness about bringing down to government because they are re-opening the country is so assine. A few months ago, you didn’t believe covid existed, didn’t believe in masking and refused to get vaccinated…but guess what the PACT government is reopening the country and you have had your chance..live with it and stop complaining, you made your bed, live with it.

    • Anonymous says:

      The libertarian capitalist has logged on. Ben Franklin, lol

    • Anonymous says:

      Amen!

    • Anonymous says:

      One of the best comments on this article.

      The choice is either between relevance in the broader world and moving in sync with the global progress or regressing into a backward isolated island that time has forgotten.

      We must ensure that every young Caymanian has the same opportunity’s that their parents had and more. Freedom for Caymanians!

    • Smh says:

      First and foremost it will be individuals like yourself that will have to answer to the general public why it’s imperative they obey such orders without caution or consideration for both the unvaccinated and vaccinated who are still susceptible to the virus.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Lets do a test run and open to returning residents from Nov 1 and see what happens

    • Anonymous says:

      A voluntary test run was done by the personnel of the drug canoes in September and we can see what happened. How many more people do you want to infect?

    • Anonymous says:

      You see that is the real problem..It’s not the arriving tourists that we have to worry about as we can clearly see that community spread is happening in way greater amount of cases than in travellers.

  13. Anonymous says:

    From the comments on the census article, the biggest threat is not vaccinated tourists in November but unvaccinated census workers taking an hour to ask people ridiculous questions like who is head of your household and how many radios do you have. I mean… who still has a radio and who sends unvaccinated locals to doorsteps for an hour in a pandemic. The November 20 is the first reasonable, first world policy I hav seen this government announce in years.

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes. This door-to-door with census workers policy should be ample evidence that Panton and his minions merit zero confidence in respect of Covid policy. Their sincerity in wanting to protect us from Covid in certainly in question as they pander to the monied elite and sponsor the stupid policy of sending unvaxed potential super spreaders into our homes. The Clown Car is at max capacity with Panton driving pedal to the metal, in the dark, without headlights.

    • Anonymous says:

      Well questions about number of live births and miscarriages are probably more invasive than asking people to make up an answer about how many radios they have.

      • Anonymous says:

        Are we to include radios on our smart devices? Our car radios? How about marine radios in our boats?

  14. Anonymous says:

    Please also bring in a domestic vaccine passport system. We all know worldwide that the spread of Covid and deaths are largely amongst the unvaccinated, unvaccinated should not have the same freedoms as vaccinated, that will drive the success of keeping the healthcare system unburdened. Now Zealand, New York and European countries amongst others with Covid passports for restaurants and other places show this is the way forward.

  15. Anonymous says:

    I take my hat off to groups like the CITA and their lobby partners. They have been successful in their phycological assessment of the relevant player’s within the government and in applying the correct techniques to get their desired outcome.

    • Anonymous says:

      Very good point. Still I feel badly for the Caymanians who will get ill and die though.

      • Anonymous says:

        They have had every chance to get vaccinated

        • Anonymous says:

          There are people that cannot be vaccinated, choose not to be vaccinated and vaccination does not guarantee life, so please shit up with your elitist attitude. Vaccination does not make you invincible and you should still fo about life with hygiene and social distancing so you don’t spread it.

        • Anonymous says:

          Some of the vaccinated Caymanians and residents will likely die as well but I expect from your perspective their lives don’t matter.

      • Anonymous says:

        Everyone needs to stop panicking, it’s been 18 months, time to open with no quarantine like the rest of the world… we will be living with Covid for decades. I’m sure the government have a plan B if hospitals get full like in the UK, being vaccine passports which we should already have in place for supermarkets, banks, cinema etc. anyway, and everyone is already for the last month wearing masks when not at their desks in private sector elevators and offices (and I assume public sector too) and social distancing so we will be fine.

        • Anonymous says:

          The government does not have plan A (apart from doing what the developers and hotel owners tel them) let alone plan B.

      • Anonymous says:

        Who have the had exactly the same opportunity as you and me to get vaccinated but have chosen instead to listen their ‘pastor’ (that all-knowing font of knowledge and medical wisdom) or whatever the equivalent of Fox News is here in Cayman 🇰🇾.

      • Anonymous says:

        What about the non-Caymanians that may get ill and die?

      • Anonymous says:

        Follow the covid safety protocols and this will limits your chances of getting put in hospital or dying.

    • Anonymous says:

      @12:46 yep and feel bad for the PPM that couldn’t get them to open on September 1. You are full of BS. If this government relied on CITA alone we would have been open from last year.

    • Anonymous says:

      The correct techniques – like we will stop paying the indirect taxes that pay for your salary Wayne and that of the thousands of Caymanians employed by the civil service?

  16. Anonymous says:

    Interesting comment from one of the experts advising the UK today –

    “Prof Adam Finn, who is on the UK’s Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said Covid-19 hospital admissions and deaths are rising, and warned against complacency in what he said is a “worsening” situation. Vaccines were not going to be enough to keep the spread under control, and people need to make effort to avoid contact in order to slow transmission rates, he added.”

    It is a good thing that in Cayman the current vaccine rate is going to keep us perfectly safe – or at least safe enough for the hotel owners and developers.

    • Anon says:

      Oh for heaven’s sake. There are 68 million people in the U.K., who will be mainly mixing indoors for the next 6 months due to our foul weather. There’s simply no comparison with Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe if the Uk had done the right thing and not open up too early they wouldn’t have all of the admissions and deaths they have now….I didn’t hear you say anything about the deaths being vaccinated or unvaccinated.

      • Anonymous says:

        All what admissions and deaths? Massively lower than before the vaccine programme was rolled out (the ones you got free from us, btw).

    • Anonymous says:

      The UK will be fine. The latest modeling shows string reductions in cases over the next few months and no need to implement Plan B

    • Anonymous says:

      A lot of people’s vaccines have waned tho…

  17. Anonymous says:

    The biggest betrayal of all we have sacrificed for is the ending of quarantine for people who are not fully vaccinated. That is extreme negligence in my view. Death and disease are foreseeable as a result.

    • Anonymous says:

      Go hide in a closet and stay there! The rest of us will live freely.

    • Anonymous says:

      At Phase 4, the unvaccinated will still have to quarantine. That includes families with kids too young for the vaccine.

    • Anon says:

      Where does it say that? All I can see if that only fully vaxxed will be allowed to skip quarantine.

    • Anonymous says:

      What?? Did you not listen..Only vaccinated people will be allowed in…As far as the anti-vaxxers here , they have had their time and we cannot wait around for them anymore.Let the chips fall where they may.

      The anti-vaxxers can only go to a limited amount of countries now so I guess we will be stuck with them here until the unvaccianted herd is thinned and those that understand that listening to idiots instead of getting vaccinated is wrong.

      • Anonymous says:

        Simply not true – pay attention to what Minister Bryan said coming from the US states that with the lowest vaccination rates and who are not fully vaccinated will not have to quarantine as of 20 November. Check out Mr. Bryant’s statement at approximately 1:21:00 of 1:31:22. The URL is here:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WbAoAlN7U

        • Anonymous says:

          I could be mistaken but I think what he meant is that they are going to accept vaccination cards from any country that has at least a 60% vaccination rate with the first dose. The people entering would still have to be fully vaccinated though. So in other words, they’ll accept vaccination cards from the US but not Jamaica.

      • Anonymous says:

        Stop calling those that are not vaccinated “anti-vaxxers” Jeez. They are unvaccinated. And for the most part NOT because they are “anti-vaxxers”. Idiot.
        And it makes anything you say beyond that less valid.

        Makes me laugh though…

    • Jotnar says:

      Where does it say they are ending quarantine for people who are not fully vaccinated?

    • Anonymous says:

      Death and disease will come to Cayman? Oh my days I never knew it didn’t exist here before! An immortal island where nobody gets sick. Think I have found Nirvana – praise be!!

  18. Anonymous says:

    I see from another source that Covid has now spread to Little Cayman. Hopefully Miss Juliana can do something to limit spread to the Little Cayman. The government plan to drop both quarantine and the requirement for full vaccination on 20 November is going to put the elderly at great risk even if they are fully vaccinated.

  19. Anonymous says:

    Government, on the instruction of the developers and hotel owners, hopes to have tourism arrivals back up to between 1000 – 2000 per day by the Christmas season. If we consider that over the past 4 months between 1 – 2% of arrivals have been shown to be infected on their quarantine exit PCR tests even though all visitors had to be fully vaccinated.

    That is going to change for the worse given that as of 20 November government is dropping the requirement for full vaccination for people coming from US states with the highest infection rates. We should expect between 10 and 50 infected tourists to arrive every day even assuming that the percentage infected does not change with dropping of both the vaccination requirement and the quarantine requirement. That will cause Covid to spread like wildfire in our community. Just saying – really stupid move if public safety is of any importance to this government.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wrong. You have to be vaccinated to come here from the USA

    • Anonymous says:

      The truth is, we will probably have a higher delta infection rate by mid Dec than any originating airlift market. Projections range from 150-800 cases a day peaking from Dec to Feb, depending on universal masking in public, distancing, and work from home.

    • Anon says:

      Where exactly does it say that the requirement for full vaccination will be dropped?!

      • Anonymous says:

        @4:27 Out of the month of the Premier has he announced the reopening last Friday? Did you miss it?

        Open to fully vaccinated persons only.

    • Anonymous says:

      Its not stopping full vaccination – its just allowing US state certification documentation.

  20. Anonymous says:

    I am surprised that there are not more concerns being expressed here that starting 20 November government is going to treat people who are NOT FULLY VACCINATED as if they are. Specifically, Premier Kenneth Bryant stated that at the insistence of the hotel owners government is going to allow people who have had only 1/2 the vaccine doses required to be fully vaccinated to skip quarantine. That will greatly increase the number of infected travelers arriving and will accelerate infections in the community! For those who did not notice this take a look at what Premier Bryant states at approximately 1:21:00 of 1:31:22. The URL is here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WbAoAlN7U

    • Anonymous says:

      According to what Bryant said those with only 1 dose coming from the Texas or Florida or Louisiana where there is a lot of Covid will not be required to quarantine whereas Caymanians returning to Cayman with only 1 dose of the vaccine will have to quarantine.

      • Anonymous says:

        When did you hear Kenneth say this?

      • Anonymous says:

        Not that he said. Listen again.

        • Anonymous says:

          I listened to what was said. It was in the context of which countries tourists would be allowed to come from but it also sounded like they would count partially vaccinated people as fully vaccinated.

          • Anonymous says:

            No – they are counting first dose in the calculation of whether the country of origin is above their 60% threshold.

            The traveler, to avoid quarantine, would have to be fully vaccinated and originate from a 60%+ vaccination rate country.

            He did NOT say that people with only one dose would be allowed to come in without quarantine.

    • Anonymous says:

      One dose is the minimum threshold for a QR in some states and provinces, so it would be difficult to officiate compliance at CBP with a different honor-based standard.

    • Anonymous says:

      Won’t be too long before an outbreak at a hotel which will see it closed. People are going to come to stay at a covid hotel? They could have had long term stayers and high end tourism who are quarantined.

      • Anonymous says:

        I think you over estimate how much the rest of the world is worried about covid. People are moving on.

    • Anon says:

      This is not what was said. They said that 1st dose will count for the quarantine statistics of a country, not that people who have only had their first dose won’t need to quarantine.

    • Anonymous says:

      @10:49pm..Your statement is incorrect. What he said was that countries with over 60% taking one dose were the countries that would be allowed in.At no time did he say say that partially vaccinated persons would be allowed in..Cayman is at 79% with one dose and 76% with doses..do you get it now or would you like me to break it down further for you.

    • Anonymous says:

      I think you need to listen to what he said and put it in context to the question that was asked.

      USA 1 dose rate is it at 67%..this is the measuring stick that is being used not the double vaxxed as he went on to explain about th J & J only being one dose.

      So the people from that Country can come here but because the country has reached that mark. It doesn’t mean that we are accepting those who have not been fully vaccinated.

    • Anonymous says:

      That’s not what he says at all. Listen to the whole thing.

      His “60 percent partially vaccinated” national threshold statistic relates only to the process triggered to verify vaccination records. Nothing more.

      You are scare mongering. Why?

  21. Anonymous says:

    Quite typical of Government – publish “new rules” without any regulations or procedures!!

    Please look back at the 2003 Traffic Law. It includes the requirement for taxi meters. Know why they haven’t been implemented as yet, 18 years later? Waiting on the regulations and procedures to be written!!

  22. Anonymous says:

    Even vaccinated people die and yes I’m vaccinated. And no they don’t all have pre existing conditions. The truth is if you are going to get Covid and die, it doesn’t matter if you are vaccinated. You could be one of the 1000 people that will die or maybe part of the million that will live. It’s a gamble.

  23. Slacker says:

    HAHA, I am returning on the 19th, so don’t have to show up at the office for another week. Gotta love it!

  24. Anonymous says:

    Tourists are not going to come here with so much red tape!

    • Anonymous says:

      I hope that you are right!

    • Anonymous says:

      Oh no. We will miss the spread of more cases. The horror

    • Anonymous says:

      What red tape? Get vaccinated, then all your red tape will disappear!

    • Anonymous says:

      Best news since the press conference.

    • Anonymous says:

      What red tape?!!! They are getting rid of everything that protects our people. What more do you people want???

      • Anonymous says:

        Everything that protects our people? We have community transmission already, thanks to fellow Caymanians breaking quarantine.

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m booking my trip right now.

    • Anonymous says:

      95,000 a night at the Residence at the Ritz over Christmas. Really?
      $500. At Holiday Inn and Sunshine Suites running close to $600. A night.
      The hotel prices are really something to laugh at. Expensive is one thing. Ripping off tourists to make up for 2 years closed is another.
      Good luck with the reopening if the prices don’t adjust. The world is a big place and many islands are open with great deals. You don’t have to offer the great deals, but don’t rip us off.

      • Anonymous says:

        8:27 – how do you know it’s a rip -off, have you seen any recent costs to operate a hotel post lockdown that might correlate to global inflation, almost from the ground up recruiting etc ? Probably no and neither have I, it’s seems irresponsible to condemn them otherwise.

        • Anonymous says:

          Not $95,000 a night, I can tell you that and certainly not $500 a night to run a room at the holiday inn.

    • Anonymous says:

      @ 9:23pm Fingers crossed they go elsewhere.

  25. Anonymous says:

    Quarantine to end in four weeks this is good news, this now means that some of those scrupulous landlords will not be taking advantage of the public with their outrageous costs for quarantine.

  26. Chris Johnson says:

    Has the Government thought all this through. How can you open hotels with a skeleton staff almost exclusively consisting of Caymanians. One Minister has already indicated he will be looking to ensure jobs go to Caymanians. I have no problem with that but if there are not enough employees you can kiss goodby to the tourist industry.

    It cannot be, even an international hotel such a the Ritz Carlton cannot get organized in time.
    I also prophesy a lot of employees switching from one job to another in both hotels and restaurants to seek a higher wage.

    This will lead to increase in cost to the consumer.

    Government would be well advised to see what the Turks and Caicos Islands are doing and the resulting success.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree with the vaccination mandate in TCI and also the curfew to limit spread. However, I hope that we can avoid the 20 times the death rate of Cayman with half the population.

      • Anonymous says:

        Don’t forget the mandatory Covid I insurance that visitors to TCI must have. That is an excellent idea for Cayman to introduce.

    • Anonymous says:

      Correct, and the government is disadvantaging Caymanians with school children.

      What happens when the Caymanian worker is a parent and the whole household is put into quarantine after two children in the class test positive? Or when the whole school is shut with no notice?

      Will hotels and restaurants hire Caymanians with school children?

      • Anonymous says:

        very good point but the government re-opening plan has nothing to do with employment for Caymanians.

        • Anonymous says:

          Oh but it does, hotels like the ritz most likely have all their previous permit holders poised to return. Yes they have interviewed Caymanians (my wife was one of them with a degree and seeking an entry level position) and all she got was ‘we will be in touch in three months’. (They have no intention of getting in contact).

      • Anonymous says:

        The school quarantine policy applies equally to expatriates. Your comment should have read disadvantaging parents with school children. Of curse, they are replacing the class quarantine policy with self testing, but I guess that fact would interfere with your rant.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wat did dey do???

    • Anonymous says:

      How do you know, the hotels are not going to be ready?

    • Anonymous says:

      ‘Has the Govt thought all of this through’ – I’m hesitant as to what you expect for an answer.

      The reality is Chris that although borders are open, open is an ambiguous statement. Christmas and peak holiday weeks are determined by school vacations. The Govt fine print says families with unvaccinated kids will still have to quarantine, – they’re not coming. The remaining percentage of vaccinated adults will be minimal and so therefore perfect for the hotels to enter into a soft period of opening. Other smaller operators will likely remain closed once the prospective returns are evaluated, – It’s all in the language.

      • Anonymous says:

        There is no “government” .
        There’s just a bunch of elected amateurs doing what suits their hopes of being re-elected at any cost.
        Come back Alden and restore some leadership.

    • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

      I think you overestimate the desire of tourists to flock here. I guess we’ll see.

      I would LOVE if we would follow the Turks and Caicos, especially their mandated closing of businesses — ALL businesses — after 12:00 p.m. Stellar.

      I have read no mention of the required traveler insurance, as they have in the Turks and Caicos. I think this is really important.

      • Jotnar says:

        12 midnight curfew might cut the gunshot fatality rate as well, which outweighs the Covid death rate, and reduce the traffic fatalities as well. But we are in Cayman, where people scream blue murder at being asked to wear a face mask. Tell the they cant bar hop after midnight and expect a riot.

    • Anonymous says:

      Rushed inverted work permit applications will fix the Labour problem

    • Anonymous says:

      Unvetted*

    • Anonymous says:

      Chris Johnson says, – ‘I also prophesy a lot of employees switching from one job to another in both hotels and restaurants to seek a higher wage.’

      ‘This will lead to increase in cost to the consumer.’

      Chris, costs have increased globally due to supply chain issues, employee shortages as well as (but not limited to) shipping and transport problems etc. etc. Do you think its really fair to chastise an industry and employees immediately related to it that have been hammered for two years and will inclusively be subject to such inflation ? I’m sick and tired of the trumpet being blown to the tune of the hospitality industry and local operators being expected to always ‘come up with deals’ and the perception of their extortionate rates whilst the white collar industries bill consumers out the a$$ and we’re to be thankful for it.

    • Anonymous says:

      Chris Johnson are you saying that we should follow TCI and their 28 deaths. No thanks.

      Cayman will lead the world in reopening.

  27. Anonymous says:

    People still need a negative test to fly in and we already have widespread Covid here so why is anyone concerned with dropping quarantine for negative people who are vaccinated. Covid will mutate and be here in a decade still. Time to move on from the ridiculous quarantine for vaxed people. Also with boosters the studies show your protection is back to close to 100% so why are we even concerned if a,positive traveler comes in when it’s already in the community anyway?

    • Anonymous says:

      If you paid attention to the Premier’s statement, starting 20 November the government will officially pretend that people who have had 1 dose of any vaccine at any time are fully vaccinated and not require them to quarantine. There is no scientific basis for doing that but it is what their master’s demanded.

      • Anonymous says:

        The government stopped listening to science and public health experts when they reduced quarantine to 5 days. Now they only listen to developers and hotel owners no matter whether the subject is public health or the environment.

      • Anonymous says:

        The government seems to be doing whatever it can to facilitate the spread of Covid.

      • Anonymous says:

        No one said that. Listen again.

    • Anonymous says:

      Vax counter-measure is nowhere near 100% efficacy anymore. Being overconfident in a vaccination for a materially different virus from 2 years ago, is almost as dangerous as not being vaccinated at all. Delta plus is going to tear through the dummies that haven’t been keeping up with current events.

      • Anonymous says:

        @10:48

        Go get vaccinated..If you had done that by now you could be getting your booster which raises the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine against the Delta..Stop listening to Kattina, she is not a virologist, epidimologist or a minister of religion as she claims..

    • Dale says:

      I am so impressed with this press conference and the level of thinking and detail that the Government has put into developing our reopening plan.

      I used to be a huge critic but this press conference won me over.

      The joined up approach between the elected Government civil service public service and private sector has never been more evident.

      • Anonymous says:

        That is sarcasm I hope. Either that or they have started putting the Koolaid into the drinking water.

      • Anonymous says:

        You are kidding right ? Unless you work for CMR I can only guess this was an attempt at sarcasm

    • Anonymous says:

      I understand your point but the current rules unfairly ignore the needs of children and their (vaccinated) parents. Children are an extremely low risk group yet the schools are still closed and will continue to close.

      Perhaps the government should have created fair rules and regulations for children, Caymanians, residents and tourists THEN announced an opening date.

      • Anonymous says:

        Government should have treated everyone fairly by following the science and not the hotel owners and developers.

    • Anonymous says:

      Spoken like a true believer in profits over humanity

    • Anonymous says:

      I’m a tourist. I am triple vaxxed. I have been wearing a mask and social distancing since March 2020. I don’t plan to stop that on vacation. I hand sanitize constantly. I don’t plan on giving that up. I should be more concerned about you folks who are not used to doing those protocols then you worrying about me. I am coming for the beach. I never have housekeeping in except to empty the trash. I do not change my sheets every day, so therefore never saw the need to do it daily while on vacation. I do a simple breakfast in my room. Lunch at a beach bar and dinner at an outside restaurant. I do not want to be inside. That is my whole point of being away in December. I don’t do clubs and the bar scene anymore in Cayman. I did like Royal Palms, but that is no longer. I do not think you have to fret too much over tourists to much, especially those without children.

  28. Anonymous says:

    There is an opportunity for hotels here to offer an insurance policy against the cost of extending their stay if they test positive for covid. Charge 10% of a two week stay. If they opt out, they can’t complain when they have to pony up.

    • Anonymous says:

      Maybe that should be done in every UK and US hotel also for only those from abroad who travel.

    • Anonymous says:

      I am sure that the hotel owners will demand that government pays for infected tourists who have to extend. The deal that they have with government is that come 20 November, the hotel owners and developers get all the profits and the ordinary people of Cayman pay all the costs both in cash and in illness.

  29. Anonymous says:

    No quarantine for vaccinated… BIG mistake. Members of the Reopen Cayman group get ready for lock down and to open your bank accounts for the purchase of respirators

    • Anonymous says:

      Actually the government stated that not only was quarantine being dropped but so was the requirement for full vaccination, particularly for people coming from the US states with the lowest vaccination rates. If you did not see it check out Mr. Bryant’s statement at 1 hour 21 minutes on the Youtube record.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1WbAoAlN7U

      • Anonymous says:

        Stop posting this. That’s not what he said at all. He referred to the threshold for enhanced verification checks to vaccination records being based on the partially vaccinated statistic. Nothing more.

    • Cayman Lady says:

      I totally agree. Premier Panton will go down in history as the premier who brought death by Covid to Cayman. What a foolhardy decision — no quarantine for anybody. What was he thinking? BIG MISTAKE, indeed!

      • Anonymous says:

        Panton…thinking?? Bloody hell, the mindless idiot has unvaxed people going house to house day in day out collecting census data and participating in an excellent way to deliver Covid. Only fools would trust him to protect us from Covid.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Well what a press conference — should have been 20-30 minutes but these buffoons are clueless

    Can’t wait until everything is pack again and covid running thru the vaccinated like wildfire because your vaccine has worn off and boosters are not working. Why a booster ? Your first two shots fake?

    Get ready for deaths and panic

    • Anonymous says:

      Why aren’t you vaccinated?

    • Anonymous says:

      Starting with your unvaccinated ass.

      • Anonymous says:

        My ass is vaccinated. Still, I deem the PACT opening policy and their lack of a concise plan and full transparency the hallmarks of clueless buffoons. The too-brief presser and lack of detailed answers to press questions says all there is to say about PACT’s incompetence regarding Covid policy. The reason they did not have an adequate Q and A session is that they did not want their incompetence on full display. How can they be trusted? PACT certainly have not earned our trust regarding their handling of Covid.

    • Angus says:

      12:35. I guess you have been locked up for too long. I pity you.

    • Anonymous says:

      12:35 get a test quick. You must have a fever.

      Stop being part of the problem.

  31. Jtb says:

    When do they announce the reimposition of quarantine ?

    • Anonymous says:

      Never … Its all over now

    • Anonymous says:

      When the first unvaccinated Caymanian dies.

      • Anonymous says:

        Oh hell no, let them blame Kattina, Dr.T , Izzy, Taura, and Mario for those. Anyone unvaccinated and following that radicalized cult should not ever blame the government..blame your cult leaders.

        • Anonymous says:

          I’m not vaccinated and had Covid here in Cayman. Beyond feeling feverish for a day and having a runny nose, I had no other symptoms. Took my vitamins, got 15-20 minutes of sunshine each day on my porch, ate balanced meals, exercised in the living room and rested. Guess what…I survived and have natural antibodies. People and the government are making this out to be way worse than it is. Yes, some get very ill, no denying that. However, government should be discussing alternative treatments and ways to boost your immune system instead of just pushing the vaccine narrative.

          • Anonymous says:

            Almost 5 million dead people around the world would disagree with you – if they were still alive. Now go back to watching Fox News or whatever cult crackpots you watch.

    • Anonymous says:

      It will be some number of dead constituents. Probably 50 – 100 before their fear of/adulation of/dependence on/reward from the developers and hotel owners is overcome.

  32. Anonymous says:

    Cannot believe that some census workers and government employees are not vaccinated. There is no valid excuse to not be vaccinated and it is unacceptable.

    • Anonymous says:

      I can think of 4 valid reasons.

      1. You are in a very low risk group.

      2. You already have natural immunity.

      3. You want to wait for long term effects to be known.

      4. None of your business.

      • Anonymous says:

        In regard to the census workers, this moronic government has absolutely NO excuse for selecting and sending unvaxed census workers from door to door into peoples homes, day in, day out. This while they refuse to allow people to come into the country unless they are vaxed/tested/quarantined. I just refused to participate in the PACT sponsored lunacy of an in-person census interview. A census official has advised me that the interview can be conducted over the phone. Good enough. MY home, MY rules! End of argument.

      • Anonymous says:

        public health is everybody’s business

      • Jotnar says:

        1. So what – its about reducing the chances of your catching the disease and transmitting it to others, not just about you
        2. Natural immunity! LOL. Unlike anyone ese on the planet? Because of your superior genes? Because Caymanians cant catch Covid? If you have natural immunity you should step forward so the CDC can start developing a better vaccine based on your “natural immunity”.
        3. Fine. Understandable. Just isolate your self so you don’t catch and transmit the disease whilst you are waiting.
        4. But it is my business. Its a public health emergency, where your actions – or inactions – threaten me and everyone else in Cayman. You wouldn’t drive drunk and tell me its none of my business – or perhaps given the rest of your post, your consideration for others is such that you would,

    • Anonymous says:

      Are you kidding ME? I am furious about the woman running up & down Prospect Drive and Marina Drive as an unvaccinated Census Worker going into dozens of homes (because good neighbors always let in the Census worker in the past without thinking…) We CLOSED 2 schools in this area of Red Bay/ Prospect, but let Typhoid Mary go door-to-door??? Huh…. And she gets handsomely PAID!!

      Don’t get me started about unvaccinated Public Works dude spreading Covid to safe Brac and Little Cayman… no one should be visiting the vulnerable Sister Islands that is not vaccinated.

      Thanks elected Government wimps,you pandered to a few anti-vax voters and are causing this spread.
      Ashamed after nearly two years of hard work you let these two dumb policies walk Covid through Cayman.

      Unvaccinated Census workers going door-to-door

      and

      Unvaccinated Cayman Air flights to little Cayman/Brac

      Aaaargh…. Got my booster (but the children in the Brac got none 🙁

    • Anonymous says:

      @11:03

      This was a simple one to handle and Franz dropped the ball here.

      Why on God’s green earth would I want an anti-vaxxer in my home? I have elderly parents living with me and Franz knows better.. Almost 80% of this country is vaccinated, couldn’t he have found people from that group.

      I’m sorry if you show up at my door and cannot prove you are vaccinated, you are wasting my time and the Government’s time because you will not be allowed in.

      For the record, I have no problems doing the census but I will not allow anyone unvaccinated into my house, mask or no mask.

  33. Anonymous says:

    Just so you know who is running the show…
    REOPEN CAYMAN are https://reopencayman.com/about/
    James Bergstrom, Ogier
    Mark VanDevelde, Dart
    Kris Bergstrom, Edgewater Group
    James Bovell, RE/MA
    Mark Anthony, Burger King and Popeyes
    Dale Crighton, Crighton Properties Ltd.
    Marcus Cumber, Lobster Pot
    Woody Foster, Foster’s Supermarket
    Kim Lund, RE/MAX
    Randy Merren, Hurley’s
    Sophie Miles, Milestone Properties
    Paul Pearson, Davenport Development
    Gary Rutty
    Michael Tibbetts, Clearly Cayman
    Kel Thompson, Century 21
    Ken Thompson, Island Taste

    • Anonymous says:

      Half of these are developers and they’ve managed to pressure the CIG into opening.

      You can see how the likes of FIN get the go ahead

      • Anonymous says:

        FIN got the go ahead from the PPM not this government. Joey, Roy and Alden tried to cover up the millions of our money they had given to Michael Ryan and dale Crighton to build it.

        • Anonymous says:

          Do you actually think that this government is any less grovelling than the previous one? Take a look at the opening non-plan.

    • Anonymous says:

      Wow, people who have all tremendously contributed to the success of our islands and the high standard of living we enjoy. What have you done?

      • Anonymous says:

        I suspect that your fingers may have slipped on your keyboard when you typed “tremendously contributed”. Did you not mean to type, “filled their own pockets”?

        • Anonymous says:

          Yes filled their own pockets. They build a housing complex. 90 purchasers pay stamp duty. Gardeners, Airconditioner servicemen, helpers, pool cleaners are required. 90 purchasers buy food, furniture, automobiles, internet, insurance, dine out, send children to schools and camps. I could go on and one, but I see your point – all this money spent by the purchasers end up in the pocket of the developer, right? All labor and services must be free based on your logic. Free in one of the most expensive places to live on earth.

      • Anonymous says:

        Precisely

      • Anonymous says:

        I too enjoy licking leather boots of the wealthy

    • Anonymous says:

      Thanks to all. Good job!

    • Anonymous says:

      I salute all of them.

    • Anonymous says:

      Now that’s transparency. PACT should take note.

      • Anonymous says:

        Government should have been training all able bodied persons for this time. They had the perfect opportunity to do what they always wanted and have jobs for all the locals. Get them off the government tit already. But noooo. Now places are going to have to hire expats and there will be an uproar. Just wait, you’ll see

    • Anonymous says:

      Help me out here and tell me how many people this group employs.

    • Anonymous says:

      Thanks! It’s great to know who is pulling the strings and which businesses to avoid

    • Anonymous says:

      And Ricky the Racoon

    • Anonymous says:

      Do you want to name their children while you are at it, mr or ms anon?

    • Anonymous says:

      Sounds like people vested in the community who employ Caymanians. Glad to have them voicing common sense rather than FaceBook rhetoric.

    • Anonymous says:

      Thank God or the border would never reopen. It is well beyond time. Living in a bubble and shutting off the world is not keeping covid out and is just closing down business after business. It is causing undue stress on families. Time to open.

    • Anonymous says:

      You can add my name to that list, BUT

      Why are they testing healthy people?

      Why are they changing the Covid19 tests?

      Why aren’t we copying Sweden?

      Is anyone liable for the vaccine side affects? People are dying or face life altering issues all over the world.

      Why isn’t the government banning unhealthy junk food, encouraging organic food and exercise for the people to get healthy?

    • Anonymous says:

      10:20 which show? the S**t show?

      All great businessmen but they know absolutely zero about public service or reopening a border. They can’t see safety they see money.

    • Anonymous says:

      @10:20am

      Versus the Christian Civics group to keep us locked down and unvaccinated.

      Kattina Anglin
      Dr. Steve Tomlinson
      Isadora Ferrao
      Taura Ebanks
      Mario Rankin

      I think I will chose the re-opening group.

      • Anonymous says:

        I reject both groups. The re-opening plan to the extent articulated requires a lot of change and refinement. To identify three:
        (1) Only fully vaccinated tourists should be allowed without quarantine (by November it is expected that in the USA younger children will be eligible to get vaccinated).
        (2) Persons attending enclosed spaces at restaurants, bars, cinemas and other entertainment events must be fully vaccinated and wear masks when not eating or drinking and all staff must wear masks.
        (3) If not already mandated, persons must wear masks and social distance at their work places.

    • Anonymous says:

      Top name on that list is also the owner of the Compass – which has published the most rah-rah positive and pro-business rendition of this story that is possible. Terrible journalism. No matter what you think of this decision, that’s not how journalism should work.

    • Anonymous says:

      Marcus representing only Lobster Pot? What about C3 and Clean Gas?

  34. Yossi says:

    This is a travesty. We can visit from abroad but can’t travel with our 3yo son because he could be a super spreader lol. What a terrible joke. Children should follow their parents vaccination status if vax ineligible. Come to your senses Mr Premier!

    • Anonymous says:

      We have to pass through Phase 4 on the way to Phase 5.

    • Anonymous says:

      Travesty? If you cared at all about where you are visiting, you would do everything in your power to ensure that you and yours aren’t bringing virus into the islands.

  35. Anonymous says:

    Boarding school kids have no risk of school closures and can come and go as they please.

    Caymanian kids quarantine with their entire household for 14 days every time two kids test positive or have the whole school shut down anyway.

    Can the next govt stipend please be to send Caymanian kids to boarding schools? Cayman is no longer a place for children.

    • Anonymous says:

      It would actually cost less to send every Caymanian kid to world class Boarding Schools than the true cost of the third world shitshow our costly and ineffective government system has become.

      • Anonymous says:

        What a great idea! Then every Caymanian child can become a world class snob, too!

      • Anonymous says:

        Hear hear!

        The government should offer boarding school to every Caymanian family. Our literacy rate will increase and teenagers would return being employable instead of laughed at.

        It is completely reasonable, sound, and true. The Govt cost we spend now per student in Cayman is a disgrace.

        What a great idea to offer this to any student age 10 and up. We would have to start a tutoring program by age 8 to prepare them to test into overseas schools but it would solve future unemployment and current literacy rates.

        Wake up cayman. Give UP your egos that you can “pass the lemon” in our school system.
        Give these kids a “real” chance!

        Gang membership would drop.
        Parents wouldn’t be constantly absent from work.
        Literacy rates and university attendance would soar.
        No new building to add
        Retire the bad administrators / teachers

        Employable Caymanians return to flourish (instead of laughable WORC and sorry, UCCI sorry- not “yet” in same Uni field….)

        Dime
        For
        Dime a really sound investment in the next generation.

        At least “offer it”
        Better for ALL.

    • Anonymous says:

      People who send their children to boarding schools shouldn’t have had children in the first place.

      • Anonymous says:

        Huh?
        Children love boarding schools, sports, friends, living in a group… I had both = my child wanted to go abroad and explore a bigger world than Cayman. They went and yes we missed them every day, but funny enough, we spoke MORE and more lovingly “online” then any fidgeting meal time at home? Social Media brought us closer!

        Personal choice & thrived and loved it….
        I will say with confidence that my child returned as an “A” student and I truly believe their experience in the UK made them much more mature and also grateful.

        Don’t judge parenting because one adores “hogworts” and another wants to stay home.

        Pros and Cons to both, but Boarding School has many advantages- unless you have done both, don’t judge.

        • Anonymous says:

          The point of the original comment @9:45am is that students in Cayman are being treated unfairly when whole classes are shut because two students test positive, while all adult businesses are kept open.

          The comparison to boarding school students was simply to illustrate that students schooled in Cayman are getting a raw deal under current regulations and deserve better from their government.

      • Anonymous says:

        Exactly. That’s where they send children that they don’t want to take care of like my parents did to me.

      • Anonymous says:

        BINGO

      • Anonymous says:

        Yep, sending kids off to boarding school thousands of of miles away at the age of 8 or 9 is akin to getting a puppy for Christmas and then deciding a few months later to get rid of it because it was too much trouble.

        I’m sorry children are not throwaways because you need to get back to your party life. Many of these children resent their parents for it and in turn do it to their kids when they have them as well. How many parents do you know that were not boarding school kids that are ridding themselves of their kids at an early age?

  36. Anonymous says:

    Currently Cayman is rated level 1 on the CDC website (low transmission). As covid cases inevitably increase here leading to a higher level 4 CDC rating advising people not to visit what is our plan?
    I am not suggesting there are any easy answers regarding opening the borders but just to say “be careful what you wish for”.
    Borders opened, covid runs rampant,Healthcare overun, tourist told not to visit, country worse off than before.

    • Anonymous says:

      For every person who pays attention to CDC recommendations there are 1,000 who won’t.

      Covid will be rampant, yes, but tourists will visit. You know why? Because there is covid where they live too. And people want vacations in the winter instead of being stuck indoors.

      I’m not commenting on whether we need tourists or not but nobody cares about the CDC levels.

    • Anonymous says:

      No reason for Covid to run rampant if protocols are followed.

      • Anonymous says:

        Do you actually believe that even 10% of our usual tourists will pay attention to protocols, let alone the WP holders who are trying to maximize tips?

    • Anonymous says:

      The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Not!! Get vaccinated and live your life. The more people vaccinated in the world, the more we weaken the virus. Simple science. Look at polio and measles for examples.

  37. Anonymous says:

    Has anyone told the tourists that if someone in their group tests positive they will all be in quarantine indefinitely until they all test negative again? Everyone on island can name people who have been in quarantine over a month.

    Tourists, enjoy your stay!

    • Anonymous says:

      But they will NOT be tested here. They will have a pre-arrival test, which will be negative to get on the airplane.

      I dont think there is going to be an arrival test in place. Do unless the vacationer voluntarily tests during their trip, they wont get tested.

      And they will be incentivized not to voluntarily test, as it means they and their group gets locked up indoors.

      • Anonymous says:

        People going to the Brac should be both tested and vaccined,NOT just one of the two. Please Mr Priemer make that mandatory to protect the aging Brackers . Thanks

        • Anonymous says:

          Totally agree particularly as from 20 November government is going to count as ‘vaccinated’ people who have only had 1 dose of any vaccine. People who a year or more ago had 1 dose of a 2 dose vaccine have little if any immunity and are just as likely to spread the virus as people who are not vaccinated at all!

      • Anonymous says:

        Don’t tourists have to be tested here to return to some countries like the US?

      • Db says:

        People returning to the US will be tested in cayman before departing the island because a negative Covid test is required at least 3 days prior to the flight to the US. This will mean if one person in a family tests positive 72 hours before leaving the entire family will be quarantined for…how long?…10 days, 14 days? This information is extremely important. Visitors need to know how this will be handled.

        Will cayman be prepared with rapid tests for visitors or will a PCR test be the only option? If PCR is the only option will visitors get their results back in time to submit their results to the airline before the flight? The US accepts rapid test and these make a lot more sense for exit testing. The US does not accept the results of a rapid test performed at home. Is CIG prepared for this piece of reopening? Have they thought this through?

        My family traveled to Cabo San Lucas in August. Our resort, like most other major resorts in Cabo provided access to on-site to rapid testing. The cost was 30.00 and our results were returned within 30 minutes. The process was simple and well organized. If cayman is to move forward with reopening CIG may want to take lessons from the Cabo government regarding the management of the exit testing requirement for US citizens. I expect other countries have the same requirement.

        CIG must provide specific information on ALL aspects of reopening. At this point everything is very vague.

      • Anonymous says:

        Many travellers will still need a negative PCR to board certain airlines or load up travel certificate to arrive in a foreign country, and/or attend a school. We’ve got to make sure we, as hosts, don’t infect any of these travellers with lazy/voluntary public health policy during their stay. PACT must re-enact mandatory masks/distancing in the public health regulations to safeguard our product.

  38. Anonymous says:

    Only two weeks ago they suddenly shut the schools with no plan. Now they announce the “reopening” with no plan. Maybe it’s too soon to celebrate?

  39. Anonymous says:

    We are placing far too much faith on overseas PCR labs and overseas potentially fake results. Government should at least require lateral flow testing of all arrivals. It would only add a few minutes to the arrival process but would limit some of the flood of Covid heading our way.

  40. Anonymous says:

    Wayne and his government are a disgrace to these islands. Present and “opening plan” without the plan. You can’t make this shit up…didn’t even give our reporters time to ask important questions. These people are high on power and it will soon be their downfall.

    • Beaumont Zodecloun says:

      A “disgrace”. You ever had people’s lives in your hands, son? I have and it’s not a responsibility I would wish upon anyone. Listen to me and understand: In those circumstances, there are no right choices, only varying degrees of collateral damage.

      Now you get down on bended knee if you have the humility and thank God you don’t have those choices to make. I will thank God you aren’t the one in charge also.

      • Anonymous says:

        There are better choices and worse choices. Worse choices generally involve the profits of developers, hotel owners and their ilk before the health and safety of citizens and residents.

      • Anonymous says:

        You failed to address the main point that 7:58 was making and that is this: there were so many blanks in the opening “plan” that is is apparent that Panton and crewe have no plan. They are tapping around in the dark with white canes and hoping not to fall into the pit and drag us all with them. I have had to plan for the safety of people’s and the key word is “plan”. Not having and sharing with the people a concise plan in place well before announcing the opening date IS a monumental disgrace, at best. I prefer to refer to it as totally, irresponsibly, dangerously, recklessly, cluelessly, moronic. What say ye?

      • Anonymous says:

        The best move now for our territory of the Cayman Islands would be for all MPs to form a national coalition Government with experienced ministers to get us through these uncertain times. Wayne and his so called “PACT” gang wanted power so badly that they colluded with a convicted woman beater to form the government, something they said they wouldn’t do. There is no excuse, there is no reason they could not know what they were getting into. PACT members allowed their egos and hunger for power convince them that experience and competence don’t matter. Now, we can all experience the results and it’s early days yet.

    • Anonymous says:

      People get a government they deserve.

    • Anonymous says:

      7.58am Wayne is not the disgrace. It’s who was elected in other constituences that he now has to listen to.

  41. Daniel Johns says:

    I know a few people who are waiting to open, only they are not vaccinated, nor will they be. Trumper’s who believe this is not a danger. So sure, let them in and watch the population dwindle. It is beyond my belief, when in the U S people are dying daily, 700,00 plus so far, but, sure it is a hoax. See what happens when you defund education for over 40 years, you get moron’s, and idiots…

    • Anonymous says:

      If I’m not mistaken Trump actually encourages vaccination and removed many road blocks to hasten the fast development and delivery of vaccines. Stop watching fox news.

      • Anonymous says:

        You are not mistaken. Trump himself has declared that he takes full credit for the development of the main two vaccines. He declares they are good vaccines and safe vaccines. Trump urged people to get vaccinated. There are several YouTube videos and news articles and Tweets with him saying this. So, none of the anti-vax tin hatters are following Trump’s leadership in the vax controversy.

        • Anonymous says:

          Yet polls show that a majority of Republican anti-vaxers are Trump supporters.

          • Anonymous says:

            If they “support” Trump and are anti-vax, they don’t listen to or trust him. What is that all about? Trump loves the CDC approved vaccines. So, who do the majority Democrat anti-vaxers follow?

      • Anonymous says:

        Actually, it isn’t Fox News, it’s CNN and their constant bashing of trump.

      • Daniel Johns says:

        Haaaaaa, Haaaaaa, Haaaaa, faux news continues to push an anti vax stance as well as the other propoganda stations … Drumpt has not been pro vaccinations, he called it a hoax and his cult followed suit.. that is why there are school board members being threatened, etc.. You must be part of the problem. not the solution…

        • Anonymous says:

          What rock have you been hiding under? Trump was the prime mover behind Operation Warp Speed, the government-private co-operative initiative to get Covid vaxes developed and pushed through an accelerated track to FDA approval. You seem to have missed Trump saying the approved vaccines are “good”, “safe”, and Trump urging people to get vaccinated. Crawl out from under that rock and get clued in.

    • Anonymous says:

      Spot on!

  42. Anonymous says:

    Handout capital of the world.

  43. Anonymous says:

    Once we have enough double vaxxed people very sick, maybe they will start paying attention. On the other hand maybe Pfizer or AZ will come up with a new and expensive therapeutic and start allowing their paid shills at the FDA, CDC, social media, and politicians to start talking about it.

  44. Anonymous says:

    Deaths and lock down from Covid coming. Sure as hurricanes coming, judt the matter of when.

  45. Anonymous says:

    Good, but kids under 12 who can’t be vaccinated shouldn’t have to quarantine.

    • Anonymous says:

      Can you’ve plain your logic? Appreciate that having your non vaccinated kids quarantined when you don’t need to is inconvenient, if you have a science based reason that your under 12 s don’t have to vaccinate I would be fascinated to hear it. Because they can catch the disease and spread it, even if they personally are not affected much. If you are vaccinated you are unlikely to catch it from them, but the same we’d not apply to the unvaccinated they come across.

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