On-island testing dropped for vaxxed tourists
(CNS): Visitors to the Cayman Islands who are fully and verifiably vaccinated against COVID-19 and arrive with a negative anti-gen test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus will no longer have to take lateral flow test during their stay, in a move government hopes will help attract more guests back to the islands. The change also applies to vaccinated residents who are not positive for the virus and is part of a package of relaxations in the rules relating to the pandemic.
The maximum number of people allowed at gatherings has been increased to 1,000 outdoors and 500 inside; bars and nightclubs can return to their normal licensing hours, and unvaccinated travellers will now only need to quarantine for seven days provided they remain negative. Inter-island travel testing has also been removed for the vaccinated as well as testing for entry into gyms and sports venues.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Premier Wayne Panton said the relaxation of the COVID-19 regulations was because of the falling case numbers, which he claimed were due to the measures that had been adopted, as well as the advice from public health experts.
Panton said the changes will have a positive impact on the economic recovery and help resume a level of normality to life.
“They are important to us,” he said. “We believe that relaxing these regulations will mean more business for gyms and more children will be able to participate in outdoor sporting activities. These new regulations are good for business and good for families.”
The premier nevertheless urged people to take personal lateral flow tests if they planned on being in crowds or visiting vulnerable people or the elderly and to get vaccinated. He asked everyone who tested positive with an LFT to do the right thing and report it, and he stressed the need to continue being responsible and keep each other safe, regardless of the relaxation in some rules.
“I assure you that all the COVID-19 measures this PACT Government takes are for the health, safety and well-being of our community, visitors and our people,” Panton said.
“I want to reassure the public who may find further relaxation of the restrictions in some way uncomfortable that we are continuing to monitor the global responses to this pandemic; we are continuing to follow the science, and we will make changes to the critical response plans based on the best advice and information available to us,” he added.
Speaking about further potential changes, Panton said that when the caseloads reduce, there will be more lifting of restrictions but that would be based on advice from Public Health, as it was important to protect the healthcare system as we observe a decline in cases of COVID-19 infections.
“We do want to make changes as soon as we are advised it is safe to do so. We are not interested in trying to inconvenience people for the sake of it,” Panton noted.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Samuel Williams-Rodriguez said that discussions were underway to examine the current isolation rules for people who are positive and the possibility of reducing the times that people are in quarantine.
He noted that there are currently eight people in hospital, seven at the HSA and one in Health City Cayman Islands. Three patients are in ICU on ventilators, and all eight are unvaccinated, he said, as he urged people to get their shots.
Although no daily case numbers were given by officials at the press briefing, Dr Williams-Rodriguez confirmed that the isolation numbers had dropped significantly. As of yesterday, there were 2,406 active cases, which is less than half the number this time last week.
Asked about the recent addition to the number of people who had died with COVID-19, Dr Williams-Rodriguez said that this was a person who had died in January and had not been tested for the virus while alive but it had been detected during a postmortem.
See the full briefing on CIGTV below:
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Category: Health, Medical Health
New Zealand is being referred to as the Hermit Kingdom by some famous commentators. We are not far behind with our nonsensical restrictions. Remove all restriction.
Time to follow the Uk and end all testing and restrictions.
Hallelujah – I will now be spending my 3-week summer holiday in Cayman, eating out, diving and shopping. If cruise ships weren’t returning, I’d be planning 1 or 2 more trips on top of that one!
What about returning residents? Why only visitors?
“The change also applies to vaccinated residents who are not positive for the virus and is part of a package of relaxations in the rules relating to the pandemic.”
Kirks is charging 12.99 for a quart of strawberry’s. That is with 3.00 dollars off. So actually 15.99
Marco Archer was the only true Finance Minister we had, the rest are accountants at best. Ministry of Finance should be dealing with inflation, but…
I’m sure their profit margin is the same as when it was 6 bucks a quart. Do some research on world economics. It’s not kirks making more profit. Generally I say 120 per cent of uk prices is about correct for cayman
A kg of strawberries at Waitrose, near enough to a quart for those of us living in the 21st century, is £11. So not too far off. But either way, that is an awful lot of strawberries.
A pound of strawberries at Walmart is $2.50 ($5.55/kg). Just because they are expensive in the UK doesn’t mean they should be expensive in Cayman. Same for gasoline.
I’m wondering the same thing too. At what point will the government address inflation. They may not have noticed it because their pockets are deep, but the average resident is struggling.
Kirks is charging 8.99 for a three pack of Romaine lettuce.
YIKES!
Lettuce pray for a reduction in prices. Our salad days are over otherwise.
“Rest assured, the measures we’ve put in place are working”.
Checks world meter, Cayman in the top 13% for the worst infection rate with some of the strictest measures on the planet.
Shhhh!!!!! It’s tourist season!!!!!
Did I read this correctly? So now you need a PCR to enter instead of a video monitored LFT? What is the time frame? Day before? 72 hours? Only way to get a same day PCR in most of States is an extremely expensive private lab. Cost is prohibitive.
Where did you read that? Because that’s not what the regulations say.
It was on the original version of the above article. The wording has now been changed from “PCR” to anti-gen.
Again, read the regulations, not “articles”.
Where does one read the regulations?
http://www.gazettes.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/gazhome
Our beaches are disappearing, we have a substantial number of the population in quarantine, hotels are disgustingly expensive, the roads are frighteningly blocked with traffic most hours of the day, we have a flip floppy Government, US inflation is adding on to our already expensive gas, grocery and dining prices, town is now a lackluster concrete jungle. Cayman has gone to the dogs. I can see visitors becoming less and less interested in coming, then these islands will really be doomed.
And the Port website shows thousands returning on cruise ships beginning in March, possibly filling our streets with thousands of Covid infected zombies wandering aimlessly around and adding to an already terrible traffic problem.
To what end?
Streets are already full of Covid infected. The cruisers coming ashore will at least have had an LFT within 24 hrs – the guy standing next to you in the queue at Fosters, probably not. I don’t like what cruise tourism does to our island at all, but the problem now we have endemic Covid is not their infection status.
Oh stop it. What part of “World-Class” don’t you understand?
Some people are just never satisfied.
Gas is going down
Up50%,down 2%
Gentrification in progress
Not so long ago, Caymanians were the ones considered “land rich,” explained academic and author Roy Bodden, but few saw the value in coastal plots where they couldn’t grow crops like corn or cassava for sustenance.
As early as the 1950s, Bodden said Commissioner Andrew Morris Gerrard warned Caymanians about the consequences of selling off their “birthright” — the land — for “a mess of pottage.”
Cash in pocket, however, provided instant economic gain. That era brought one of Cayman’s first great land transfers and ushered in the islands’ first beachside resorts, like the former Beach Club Colony.
“They thought, great. This is a windfall for us. This is the time for us to get wealthy. Because every Caymanian had land,” Bodden said. “Now they’re cashing in to the exclusion of the Caymanians, particularly the young, middle-income, upwardly mobile Caymanians who cannot afford property prices.”
What Cayman is experiencing now, Bodden said, is akin to gentrification — the effects of a “frontier society” where lax regulations and a desire to make a quick profit have separated generational communities from the land.
“There are two Caymans,” Bodden said. “There’s one Cayman for the wealthy. The other Cayman is for the poor… People are living in shacks and shanties off the beaten track. Because nobody sees them, we think they don’t exist, but they very much exist.”
More here in this brilliant article from Kayla Young:
https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2022/01/cayman-foreign-investors-identity-crisis/
Now having identified the problems what we need are balanced solutions. Bodden had his chance to do something about it, he was even a Government minister or the equivalent. Yes, we do need to identify the underlying issues but endless talk about that still leaves the problems unresolved.
So sick of hearing these would be communists carrying on about the rich being rich and pitting the poor against them. Complain less and work harder. That’s how the rest of us got ahead.
And our “transparent” government wants to close a major road in town. Why? Who benefits? Not the average hard working Caymanian they claim to represent. Who then? Developers? MLA’s with interests? DISGUSTING!
Congrats to Dominica Republic. Their government has finally seen the light. They have abolished all mask and vaccine mandates. PACT better wake up and start respecting people’s rights – what they do with their bodies. Please remove all these rediculous mandates. We are not guinea pigs. At least a percentage of us have held our ground and faith in God. We did not bow. Many of the noble expats left the island. https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/dominican-republic-first-caribbean-country-drop-covid-restrictions-4
You crybabies have no idea what true oppression or human rights abuses actually are.
Stockholm syndrome?
Insightful comment. Way over the head of most. I’ll be watching you.
You are most definitely not a Caymanian, let alone a “born Caymanian”. Do us all a favor and shut up.
They are a one term government so they might as well do whatever they want to do and then give themselves a big bonus on the way out.
How long after getting the booster(3rd shot) will we need to get the 4th shot booster ?
Unlikely a 4th dose will be necessary of the current vaccine. It’s likely a future dose will be necessary once a year of a different vaccine much like the flu shot.
Yes.
Did I misunderstand this announcement or were children left out AGAIN???
How was this a lessening of restrictions for children? Even if you want to vaccinate your seven year old (which is not even a debate I’m starting here but let’s just pretend for a minute) you give them 2 jabs over a course of 8 weeks then wait 2 more weeks to be fully vaccinated, which is early May and occurs after the next two school breaks are complete. They’ve probably already had covid once or twice this year but the big win is supposed to be that they won’t have to do a Day 2, 5, or 7 LFT when they return from travel this summer??? And in the meantime kids wear masks all day at school and are likely doing LFTs practically every day just to go to school anyway?
Depressing.
“Mummy, daddy, I done with my corn flakes, can I have my LFT now? “
Exact phrase uttered at my house. It’s super effed up.
If it’s not the vaccine deterring visitors, then the prices will surely do it. We say we want to attract wealthy tourists, but not even they want to spend so much. It is WAY too expensive here, but of course cig will never believe it to be the reason people aren’t coming. Why come here when you can get a luxury villa much cheaper in The Bahamas?
Who are we to blame for creating the most successful reopening plan in the world?
Come on negative posters.
Because Cayman is not the Bahamas for many reasons. Diving is only one of them.
Yes, The Bahamas has proper beaches, natural beauty, good golf, casinos, pre-departure US passport clearance …
Have you actually seen the Bahamas??? You get what you pay for.
Have you seen Cayman? Lol dump
Not yet, still in quarantine.
Yes, you don’t get what you pay for, like Cayman really.
Booked spring break trip today. +15K to GC businesses.
Booked 3 trips today. Barbados, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos for my family of four. At least one of them would have been to GC, but the prices elsewhere for 4 star reservations and airfare were more in line and so were the covid protocols. Maybe in 2023 will we return depending on how prices fall in line with other destinations. To us, a beach is a beach, hot weather is hot weather, as long as the family is together and we aren’t getting raked over the coals for a family trip.
Hookers and good weed are much easier to find in Jamaica as well…
And so are actual tourist attractions
Good for you. Just don’t say that TCI is any cheaper. 😀
Seven Mile Beach is going to be a huge disappointment and enjoy finding a spot on what’s left of the decent beaches when thousands of cruise tourists are here beginning in March because quality beaches are now few and far between.
Now lift the rest of these restrictions so we can go back to the the old normal – not the new normal! I know some of you want to cling on to this pandemic as long as possible but Covid is over.
Keep wearing your mask as long as you want if it makes you feel better just don’t ask me to participate in this madness anymore. Good luck living under your bed.
Yet another world class expert in epidemiology! We are blessed to have you here!
Yeah, we want to flatten that curve!
Only 2 more weeks.
Dump the masks PACT you bunch of clowns!
Pot, meet kettle.
When are these clueless idiots going to finally get it?
With BA looking to charge an extra £1377 to change a Prem Economy ticket by two days, (that’s a 100% increase). With a hotel tariff explosion and the loss of Caymans only beach of any substance disappearing. Car hire, food, drink, and entertainment prices going off the planet. And a myopic government that believes Caymanians will step up to fill every vacancy, and give the customer service high paying guests insist upon without a meaningful minimum wage, this place is doomed to fail.
Then ask fully vaccinated tourists to pay £130- £200 each for a PCR, (if you can find an express provider at Heathrow) is the final straw.
A LAMP test or LFT is more than adequate to board a plane under those circumstances, after all, you’ve been relying on them for the 2, 5 and 10 tests.
As a long term visitor and past property owner in Cayman, I’ve had enough of the delusion that Cayman is something special when placed against other worldwide holiday destinations. I love Cayman, but it’s absolutely not in the same league as many and dollar for dollar represents very poor value for the huge sums needed to get there.
yet you’re still on a Cayman news site to…?
On a Cayman news site to submit into public discourse the reality of the world outside of the Cayman bubble.
Is that to difficult for you to grasp, or don’t you realise that the ‘news site’ is actually on the World Wide Web and open to all?
The poster was trying to help you, Bodine.
If you’re “over” Cayman, then why do you care?
OK, OK, it is because I still have properties in Cayman my wife doesn’t know about.
And a bank account and a few dollars profit I made from selling that property in the Cayman Islands, invested in a Lil hedge fund with my buddy.
Couldn’t agree more, particularly on the change to PCR testing from lateral flow. If it was good enough before why isn’t it now?
The regs say a certified LFT is accepted. Get your facts straight before going on your rant.
And don’t forget the now rude attitude of people as per below comnents. Very sad.
Now let’s drop the restrictions for the unvaxxed too
Nah, I’m happy to get rid of selfish people from Cayman so let’s not.
“…the health, safety and well-being of our community, visitors and our people…” STARTS WITH FIXING THE DUMP!!!!!
Preoccupation with Covid while The Dump’s poisons slowly killing each resident 24×7 and visitors during their say is mind boggling.
ONE CAN’T ESCAPE THE DUMP’S POISONS! There are no filters, face masks or vaccines to protect you, your children, your fetuses! You can’t see it, but very cell in your body CAN “feel” its detrimental effects.
Don’t forget about open-air wastewater pools.
This. 100%. But does not seem to be profitable.
Have the rules changed for vaccinated persons from countries with less than 60% vaccination? Or do they still need to quarantine?
they forgot to say about quarantines, LOL
They told you what had changed. That was not mentioned. Make your own assumptions, it’s not that difficult.
Can anyone state what science was followed that showed an unvaccinated 11 year old poses no risk and is allowed to land and not quarantine? While a vaccinated adult needs to quarantine for 7 days because they are coming from a country with a vaccination rate less than 60%??
But do we still have to wear masks and have a test before you fly in? If so why? Why is cayman now the only place in the world still imposing these ridiculous rules when omicron is harmless to the triple jabbed
People still have to test to go to the USA and Canada and other countries so it’s not too much to ask. However they should give you 48 hours for a PCR/LFT to deal with the ridiculous cayman airways delays.
Your jabs efficacy expires after 12 weeks. Making it irrelevant. You need to stop thinking you are bullet proof because you have had three of them . Getting back to normal means just that . Forget about obsessing over injections.
This is a common misconception. It’s true that the vaccine, even boosted won’t prevent an infection. This is due to the false pretense of using antibody count as a marker for immunity. Vaccine antibodies do not bind to Omicron, or they completely ignore it.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2022/02/17/do-not-underestimate-the-consequences-of-sars-cov-2-escape-the-omicron-example/?sh=2b9d7cb83e1e
However, the long term T and B memory cell provides longer lasting protection against severe effect of being infected. This means you will be infectious to other people for a shorter amount of time, recover quicker and possibly prevent your own death.
Source:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41421-022-00373-7
All in all, it’s definitely worth getting the full 3 dose course of vaccine.
What ever happened to getting back to normal and lifting all mandates?
Come back in 2025
Finally holy moly. Welcome to the 21st century
Who they trying to kid? They’ve only done this so they can bring damn cruise ships in.
yup, you’re probably right, such a shame. Hopefully, the cruises will be few and far between.
You’re going to be so disappointed when you see the March calendar on the port’s website
I have just been in BVI. Cruise ships in every single day. Mind you, occupancy rate isn’t very high so numbers not as bad as they were 3 years ago.
What is life like now?
Seniors afraid to go out unless masked, sprayed & outdoors.
Three year olds saying ‘ do I need my mask?’ To go into a shop.
Four year old saying ‘we need to do my flow test’ to go to school.
Sad 😢
I think we are in for a rude awakening.
Covid is not done with us yet. Next round we will feel too much comfort in our vaccines and immunity and with our guards and protections down we will be easy pickens.
The virus is fighting to 1. Find a way around our systems of detection 2. Find a way around vaccines.
By summer it is projected to have accomplished both.
You can line up your negative thumbs down now but be warned. The only thing saving us right now is the vaccines. If they can bypass it we will see numbers climb like never before.
God help us.
Right on cue.
“(CNN)The BA.2 virus — a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant — isn’t just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html
The new narrative
God help you.
Don’t breed
My favorite No Doubt song.
The virus doesn’t want to kill you. It wants to survive. The vaccines help them survive cause you do too.
The virus doesn’t “want” anything. Its not capable of thought or desire. Although Ju Ju wouldn’t want to admit it, its a pure example of Darwinian evolution. And whilst a vaccinated host is unlikely to die, thereby providing more opportunity for the virus to infect others, the flipside is that vaccinate dpeople are less likely to contract the virus in the first place. So not as clear cut as you suggest.
If there is a god (deliberate lower case) why does he infect his people with disease? Doesn’t sound like a decent bloke to me. More like a tyrant. Thankfully there is no god. Only Richard Dawkins.
Oh yee of little faith! The noodly appendages of the Flying Spaghetti Monster will smite thee!!
The virus is fighting to evade our detection systems – you do realise a virus isn’t capable of sentient thought, and even a Darwinian approach would only respond in a variation based on response to detection systems if the government were actually responding to detection?
Made a couple of million. End it. Was the same as the airport drop off
This is good news, just wish thiese boneheads would give us a heads up. I just hade to be tested 6 times in 10 days for the cost of $180. I would have waited. Clueless morons wasting our time and money.
Yup, I spent $125 on the medical insurance and $90 on the LFT tests. I could have waited a few weeks, also. They didn’t even collect my card on the way out.
As per usual, about four updates behind themselves. Today’s announcement should have been to remove ALL restrictions. No more mask mandates, no more security guards spraying hand sanitizer to enter grocery stores, no more masks in schools (!!!!!!!), no more testing unless people roll in to the hospital with COVID symptoms.
We all know that a lot of (intelligent) people did not report their positive LFTs. Whether these people did the right thing and stayed home until they were better (note – this does not require a two-week quarantine) or said “screw it” and continued on with life as per usual, it did not result in death and destruction to the population, overwhelm HSA, etc. This tells us that it is time to lift these oppressive restrictions and let us go back to normal.
Look elsewhere. UK – back to normal. US – basically back to normal. Did anyone watch the Superbowl or the countless other sporting events and concerts. Not a mask in sight (or a very small handful).
Time to move on with life!
Yes! Move on! Ignore world news!
South Korea reports 109,831 new coronavirus cases, by far the biggest one-day increase on record
CNN)The BA.2 virus — a subvariant of the Omicron coronavirus variant — isn’t just spreading faster than its distant cousin, it may also cause more severe disease and appears capable of thwarting some of the key weapons we have against Covid-19, new research suggests.
New lab experiments from Japan show that BA.2 may have features that make it as capable of causing serious illness as older variants of Covid-19, including Delta.
And like Omicron, it appears to largely escape the immunity created by vaccines. A booster shot restores protection, making illness after infection about 74% less likely.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/17/health/ba-2-covid-severity/index.html
Do bars and restaurants still close at 12?
No, alas, they are back to normal. You can bet they will all come back with a crashing bang also.
How long after getting the booster(3rd shot) will we need to get the 4th shot booster ?
2nd para says ‘…and vaccinated travelers will only need to quarantine for seven days’ – is that right?
CNS: No, sorry! Unvaccinated.
Well this is fantastic that they are finally lifting the testing requirements. But what about the unvaccinated kids from 12 to 17? How is a 12 year old more of a risk than an 11 year old? The vaccine schedule for kids is different in Britain than the US. If you have natural immunity you have to wait several months before they can get the vaccine. And children get the vaccine 8 weeks apart not 4 weeks like the US. In the US only a little more than 50% of kids that are 12 and older are vaccinated. It makes no sense why they wouldn’t let unvaccinated kids 18 and younger take on same vaccine status as their parents. They are leaving out a huge amount of families with older kids.
Never mind that mandating vaccines is pointless and discriminatory considering vaccines neither stop infection nor transmission. It’s completely baseless and certainly isn’t following any science. Those same kids and adults who live here are living with exposure everyday. Many of them, maybe most at this point have protection from natural immunity.
Who knew we had so many experts in epidemiology here?
You do know what epidemiology is don’t you? You know it’s about numbers and projections, most of which have been proven to be highly inaccurate?
Perhaps you meant virology, the science of viruses, and not imagined numbers.
8:26, you may be surprised that Dr. Google has been awarded a work permit here.
Is that your pitiful argument?
I’m not finance major either, but I’m pretty sure raising interest rates to 50% will have a deleterious effect on people with mortgages and not do anything to help those who don’t have mortgages.
First para is it now just a negative PCR test or can you still use the negative Azova virtual LFT test pre arrival?
CNS, please double check the facts on this. Listening to the premier, he said nothing about pre-departure testing policy changes for arrivals. Certified lft results from the day before departure are still the requirement.
Thanks PACT, for doing the best you can when we really are winging it.
So when I enter Kings Gym to go up the empty staircase I have to wear a mask, but when I enter the crowded gym with hundreds of heavily breathing people I can take it off.
Just shows how silly and illogical these pointless protocols have been.
Do I still have to have my hands sprayed with the magical liquid when I enter Fosters?
That’s just water at this point.
Yes, but I recommend you add a sanitizer to that liquid after you enter and touch the green bananas
The obsession with spraying our hands everywhere we go is ridiculous at this point. Are we still in 2020? The virus is airborne and does not spread on surfaces.
I love the airport. Spray our hands a million times and then you all end up standing close together instead of socially distanced.
Madness!
Airborne and ventilation systems in buildings recirculating the particles because no upgrades were done.
What is the logic to limiting outdoor gatherings to 1,000? Just stupid, pointless and arbitrary.
Might as well say a gazillion.
The vaxxed tourists are actually mostly property owners here. Who in their right mind would pay $1000 per night for a hotel room on an island with little to do other than look at the diminishing beaches and construction projects?
The other Caribbean countries offer more per dollar to the average tourist than this one does.
5:03 about $500k tourists in 2019. I expect we will have 200k this year and 600k next year.
These changes are consistent with previous changes which have all been highly successful. We move slowly and in stages. Only a fool would throw open the doors.
There seems to be a sufficient number of them willing to do just that.
100% correct.
1000? A room looking at the highway in ritz is 3000 minimum. Suites or ocean front are 7000 at best
This means a fool and his money are soon parted.
Ritz is an overpriced monstrosity.
Plus “resort fee”! If you want to stay there more cheaply, buy Marriott/Bonvoy points when they’re on special offer and use them to book a room.
I have been coming to Cayman for over 20 years 2-3 times a year. I skipped 2019 due to price (couldn’t justify the prices). Went to Bermuda and Jamaica that year. I didn’t come during the pandemic obviously and I won’t be coming this year because the prices are outrageous. Airfare over $1,000 and hotel rates are double/triple what they used to be. Even what used to be considered the inexpensive hotels are now over $400 a night. No thanks. Can’t justify paying that for a non-existent beach. There are a lot of Caribbean islands that are offering great deals. I can travel to many places now for what Cayman is charging for airfare alone. Good luck with attracting the wealthy visitors, you lost this repeat guest and family.
Ripoff Island
W/ nothing to do.
Drinking and Diving
My kind of party
$1500 per night
At Sunset House
Worth every penny.