COVID-positive traveller jailed for 4 months

| 22/02/2022 | 52 Comments
Cayman News Service
Cayman Islands courts

(CNS): A woman who boarded a Cayman Airways flight last year when she had symptoms and knew she had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 has been jailed. Stephany Clarke (28) from Jamaica was sentenced in Summary Court on Tuesday to four months following her conviction for breaching Cayman’s COVID-19 regulations.

Clarke travelled to the Cayman Islands last September on KX605 from Kingston. At that time, the rules relating to the coronavirus barred positive passengers from entry and required all inbound travellers to produce a negative PCR test result taken over the previous 72 hours.

The case stirred up significant public outcry at the time, and there was concern that there would be no consequences for what was seen as a serious breach of the regulations.

But on sentencing Clarke, Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez said her case was the worst of all the COVID-19 regulation breaches to have occurred and the only appropriate sentence was immediate imprisonment. However, because Clarke had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing, an original jail term of six months was reduced to four.

According to the Cayman Compass, the magistrate stated in her sentencing ruling, “While the true level of risk from your actions is hard to quantify, it is clear that you did put the passengers and crew aboard the flight at risk of contracting COVID-19… This was a deliberate act with clear intention to deceive… and is the worst case so far.”

It is still not entirely clear how Clarke managed to get on the flight, but it appears that she showed a document with a negative test result to officials in Jamaica and presented a positive test result on arrival in Cayman. CAL has not yet released the results of the internal investigation the airline said it was carrying out to find out how she was able to board in Kingston.

There have been only two previous cases of people going to jail for breaching COVID-19 regulations since they were imposed in 2020. In December 2020, US tourist Skylar Mack and her Caymanian partner, Vanjae Ramgeet, were both sentenced to four months in prison for breaching home quarantine regulations. Mack had removed her GPS wristband and, with the help of her boyfriend, attended a Jet Ski event where he was racing.

Last May, Canadian screenwriter Thomas Michael was forced to serve 30 days when the appeal court upheld his conviction for breaching the rules. Michael had removed his wristband to go to the pool at the accommodation where he was isolating with his family.


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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (52)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Need to put a law saying only certain percent like 6 or 7 % of cayman population can get work permits from one country. Too much people from one Country are NOT good for Cayman. Any fool should know that.

  2. Anonymous says:

    More importantly, who was the brutal Caymanian permit holder that encouraged an economic migrant to disregard and conceal her own illness recovery, and come right away, at all costs? It couldn’t wait a week? What was the employer threatening? The bad actor goes entirely undisclosed, unpunished, and free to be out there doing it to someone else. WORC should put an asterisk beside the catalyst’s name as well.

  3. Anonymous says:

    We the vaccinated are now not worried about covid but that of the absolute horrendous driving standards on island. Fix the dump and actually prosecute terrible drivers instead of this bs.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Just like them cubans showing up in miami some yrs ago….nothing coming outta it…guaranteed…but glad she serving for actions…

  5. Anonymous says:

    Who does this jailing serve?

    Just put an asterisk next to her name/dob/passport details at WORC and send her back to Jamaica. She’s banished herself through this dishonesty, and that should be the career lesson for other guest workers who may attempt any form of expedited immigration shortcut, or hold our laws in contempt.

    Many of us can recall anecdotal stories of Canadian, Australian, and UK work permit holders that may have been apprehended with significant quantities of illegal drugs, even resisting arrest in some cases, and just been given the discreet option of flying home.

  6. Anonymous says:

    jamaicans. Never follow the rules. Ever.
    Don’t use signal lights, park where ever. Even block traffic to talk to one another.

    a nation full of people who think rules don’t apply to them and Inconsiderate behavior

    • Anonymous says:

      Frankly, same could be said of many first world white folk expats, who don’t have any cultural or educational alibi. Let’s can this racially-charged bias please. It has no place in 2022.

    • Anonymous says:

      This is so strange. If you substituted the word Caymanian for Jamaican, it would be equally as true.

    • Anonymous says:

      Jamaicans are the worse in many many bad things being done in these Cayman Islands. So many stupid Caymanian Women having children by them and then crying I am a single parent I need help, send them with their Jamaican men to Jamaica

  7. Anonymous says:

    This is crazy. Jailing a person for being sick WHEN everyone knows that COVID infection is not what it thought to be when this draconian law was implemented, and WHEN the entire world has accepted that living with the COVID is the way to go.

    • Anonymous says:

      WRONG! Knowing you are sick but being willing getting on a flight and coming to a country sick is the crime here. Stop making excuses.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Ludicrous to give her 4 months. Should just be community service.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Overkill. Shame on Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      What’s Jamaica’s vaccination rate again?

    • Anonymous says:

      Shame on us??? Shame on YOU for thinking this behavior is acceptable. She knew that it was wrong and still went ahead with it anyway. Why is it that people like you just expect Cayman to just allow people to do whatever they want to do. We have rules and regulations, don’t want to get in trouble? Don’t break them, simple. Take your head out of your ass and recognize that EVERY country has laws to abide by. We are no different, nor should we allow people to get away with wrong behavior.

      • Anonymous says:

        The real bad guy in this cautionary tale is the unseen anonymous Caymanian permit holder that urged a beholden economic migrant to disregard their personal health and safety over a measly $75 change fee on an airline ticket – and to get here asap, or forfeit their opportunity. No sentencing for them.

  10. Anonymous says:

    And the woman who broke quarantine and went out selling food while she was on bail from the Grand Court on a robbery charge?
    What ever happened to her?

    • CAYMAN BORN says:

      She and her husband was put up in a nice hotel room and bragged on social media how “mi a live up life”. Cayman is a joke.. period.. Our forefathers never expected us to make these people run all over us and take us for fools! A revolution for the true Caymanian is about to happen! Watch and see.

  11. Anonymous says:

    What about everyone not reporting their positive LFT tests in the community? What about the 52 breaches last August?

    • Anonymous says:

      What about? Who cares. If I get caught speeding, I don’t feel pity for myself and say “what about all the others speeding?”.

  12. Anonymous says:

    I for one am breathing a huuuuge sigh of relief now that this dangerous criminal mastermind has been taken off the streets.

    • Anonymous says:

      Should have her deported after serving her time in prison and after CAL takes her back to Jamaica , band her forever from ever flying on C A L again.

  13. Anonymous says:

    Meanwhile, the teenager who escaped from quarantine twice and once from Court is still awaiting sentence!!??

    Does the fact his mother is a senior CS have anything to do with that?

    • Anonymous says:

      Of course not! No way! Never! No chance! How dare you! Damn furriners casting aspersions! A calumny!

    • Anonymous says:

      A good day for justice. For all of those complaining and throwing aspersions at the court. Shame on you for not waiting to hear the facts of the case.

    • Anonymous says:

      It was reported at the time that the teenager was 18 and therefor an adult.

    • Anonymous says:

      To be fair, I believe the young man has “mental issues” which would explain some of the delay.

      • Anonymous says:

        He was remanded to the mental health court as I recall. Not sure the quarantine breach was why he was in court, handcuffed, when he escaped the last time though.

      • Anonymous says:

        11 @ 8:37 am – “Mental Issues” my A$$! He’s allegedly ADHD and we don’t even know that for a fact. In any case, ADHD does not justify him jumping quarantine twice for frivolous reasons and running from Court.

        Nepotism is the real reason he’s not yet prosecuted, not “mental illness”!!

        Prosecute!

    • Anonymous says:

      Because it’s been so transparent in this case.

    • Pew Pill says:

      6.50pm The fact is not one Caymanian has been jailed for this type of offence (Vanjae Ramgeet hardly qualifies), but this must be because they have scrupulously followed all the rules excepting those with influence in the right places.

  14. Anon says:

    Triple vaccinated. I returned from a business trip earlier this month on Cayman Airways. No one in Miami even looked at my (nor my co-worker’s) monitored LFT test paperwork. Which was annoying, because it was such a major pain to register and complete the test. But they did make sure to weigh our bags, and make us redistribute the contents for 1.6 pounds.

    • Anonymous says:

      @6:29am Yeah right..nice to get the little Cayman Airways jab in huh?..Miami is one station you don’t get away with that crap.. try again..

      • Anonymous says:

        No one collected my LFT test paperwork when I was leaving the island. I was flying JetBlue. No one checked it on any of my connections either.

        • Anonymous says:

          The test results are reported to Public Health when you take them. There is no need for any airline to collect them.

  15. Anonymous says:

    So she travelled whilst positive, lied about it, gets 4 in the. But someone who travelled whilst positive and escaped from quarantine not necessary but twice, going to a gym and a nightclub, did zero jail time. Guess which one is the Jamaican and which one the son of a senior civil l servant. Sounds fair.

    • Anonymous says:

      We really need to stop giving passes to Jamaicans. Whenever it is a Jamaican, everyone seems to say oh poor things or that’s how they are. But if it was a different nationality you same people quick to name and shame. That lady knew exactly what she was doing. Its a shame the sentence wasn’t more. They need to understand that they can’t keep doing what they want.

  16. Based Caymanian Pepe says:

    Same as it ever was.

  17. Anonymous says:

    Good for her she wount do it again.people like she give good Jamaicans bad name.

    • Anonymous says:

      So how many non reporting positive LFT tests people has Sabrina had arrested and jailed?
      All bark and no bite. Thank god this vicious criminal is locked up we can all rest easy at night.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Not long enough. Her conduct was an outrage, and is worse than Skylar by any measure. Why has her traveling companion not been prosecuted?

    • Anonymous says:

      Or the Jamaican woman who was out selling food on building sites, or the guy from West Bay also well connected.

    • Say it like it is says:

      4.50pm What happened to the CAL investigation, with two pre checks before boarding in Jamaica there must have been collusion between Ms Clarke and a CAL employee.

      • Anonymous says:

        9.28pm The person that gave her a pass is not a CAL employee. Unfortunately that job is outsourced to a Jamaican company hence the problem

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