CMO hints at need to reduce COVID restrictions

| 20/05/2022 | 91 Comments

(CNS): Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Autilia Newton, who last week was urging people to help curb the spread of COVID-19, now says that the risk of increasing infections needs to be balanced with the benefits of a more normal lifestyle. Despite the still high transmission levels, she said consideration needs to be given to lifting restrictions since the spread is not translating into higher hospital admissions or deaths.

According to the most recent figures released by Public Health, 151 people tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on Tuesday, and the seven-day rolling average case number is 115. But with just ten people in the hospital with COVID-19, the main impact it is having on the community is the number of people in isolation. As of Tuesday, at least 1,765 people were unable to go to school or work after officially reporting a positive test.

With so many people locked down, officials from Travel Cayman and the Public Health Department issued a warning on Thursday about breaches of isolation rules. Several alleged breaches of quarantine have been reported that are under investigation, and officials said those in isolation cannot have any visitors or leave their place of isolation until they receive notification from Public Health.

“With an increase in the numbers of persons testing positive for COVID-19, we must remain vigilant and continue our efforts in protecting ourselves and our community,” said Casandra Morris, Director of Travel Cayman.  

There is concern that, because of the tight protocols, the high vaccination rate, and when people do get COVID-19 they generally have only very mild symptoms, if any, for no more than couple of days, people are not testing at all, even when ill, or are not reporting positive home tests to avoid having to isolate, which is fueling the spread.

The need to wait for an official PCR negative test means it can be more than nine days before even those who are fully vaccinated and perfectly well get released from home confinement.

The CMO said in the latest weekly report that the new sub-variants of Omicron are causing the resurgence but this is not increasing pressure on the health authorities, as she hinted that it might be time to review the restrictions.

“The lifting of COVID restrictions in Cayman is also to be taken into consideration when it comes to the increase in infections, as increasing social contacts inevitably increases the risk of spread of infection,” she said. “This risk, which is not translating into higher hospital admissions or deaths, is counterbalanced by the benefits of returning to a more normal lifestyle and the positive effects that this has on the mental health and well-being of the population.”

Between 8 and 14 May, 895 new COVID-19 cases were reported, a 16% increase on the previous week. The positivity rate is at 35% and the daily average positive test number was 128. Six more people were admitted to hospital, one of whom was not in need of care because of COVID but had tested positive during the admission process for an unrelated issue.

See the latest situation report in the CNS Library.

To report isolation breaches call 943-SAFE (7233) or in Cayman Brac 526-8557.

CIG COVID-19 information and resources

Other help and hotlines

Report positive lateral flow test results

See current vaccine and testing schedule

An Isolation Support Line is available to help by delivering groceries or other essential supplies for people required to isolate suddenly, and who do not have other resources and support.

For Isolation Support call 946-3530 or 1-800-534-3530 or email isolationsupport@gov.ky

Operational hours 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am-1pm on Saturday.

For mental health support, the Mental Health Helpline can be reached on
1-800-534-6463(MIND) from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm

If you have flu symptoms contact the 24-hour Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600 or 947-3077
or email flu@hsa.ky

If you are having difficulty breathing, call 911


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Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (91)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    lip service….cig will cling to the idiotic restrictions as long as possible.

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  2. Unhappy Caymanian says:

    Don’t “hint”

    Just do

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  3. Anonymous says:

    Just open the country up, those who are fully vaxxed have nothing to worry about. Those are immune- compromised will protect themselves as they have always done, and those who refuse the vax will have to fend for themselves because you can’t fix stupid.
    We all know that being jabbed doesn’t stop transmission, so accepting non-vaxxed tourists makes no difference, it’s their choice and risk. The rest of us will just get on with our lives.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Logic – but this government has no logic.

      Wayne you are useless.

      vote them out.

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    • Anonymous says:

      exactly – the vaccines, let’s be honest, we have no idea if they really help most of us who are under 70 and in ok shape. Why we stop unvaccainted or make them quarantine is just the most bizarre decision, it makes zero sense.

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      • Anonymous says:

        What the hell do you mean we really have no idea? The data speaks for itself. Conspiracy theorists are so damn goofy.

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  4. Anonymous says:

    Talking out of two sides of her mouth. Smh

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  5. Anon says:

    I’ve had 2 negative LFT at home but still the PCR is saying 27 to 28. So still can’t leave home until I hit 32.

    LFT only seems to be accurate when you fall in the 25 or 26 range. By then you could have infected many people.

    I’m convinced this is one of the reasons why the virus is spreading again.

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    • Anonymous says:

      My LFT was positive but PCR negative same day! Go figure! Then I did LFT day after PCR and positive again!

  6. Unmask the kids says:

    Don’t ask CMO what bears do in the woods. They would have no clue for months on end and when the rest of the world worked it out they would carry on and on as before ignoring the evidence and maybe eventually hint at the right answer.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Just how much longer can CIG keep pushing their Corona narrative? It would have mean either they don’t care or they don’t think at all. CIG certainly needs to get a better internet connection, everyone else can see for themselves just what the entire rest of the world is doing.

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  8. Futile says:

    Get rid of the damn masks for pity’s sake.

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    • Anonymous says:

      If a little mask stresses you out this much I can’t imagine what actual stress would do to you.

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  9. Anonymous says:

    Remove the test to be released this is MADNESS…. I have Covid 10 days ago in the USA I came home to Cayman 6 days ago as my 5 day isolation was up. I passed a rapid test and got on the flight.

    Now if I was in Cayman I would have been locked home for two weeks and then waiting to pass a PCR test which could take weeks or months.

    Wake up CIG….Look what the rest gf the globe is doing.

    Why would ANYONE report a positive test here and risk a month locked up.

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  10. Anonymous says:

    Jesus, the uk and the normal world ended masks and everything ages ago. Cayman still acting like it’s 2020. The arrival testing and quarantine was ridiculous and just to make money charging 25 for a 3 dollar lft. Ridiculous. Covid hasn’t been front page news anywhere except cayman for 6 months.

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  11. Anonymous says:

    I am in my 250-person office all day (no masking by anyone and no worries by anyone — full meetings, gatherings). At Kings gym a few times a week (no masking/worries by anyone). Going to the pub after work tonight, no one masking and no one worried.

    But once a week go to Fosters. Upon entrance, they spritz the “magic spray” on one of my hands, and then for 20 minutes a week while shopping, I wear my mask.

    Need some common sense….end this pretend nonsense. 2 years and 3 months, end ALL restrictions. So frickin annoyed…

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    • Anonymous says:

      vote them out. all about money. not about health.

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      • Anonymous says:

        This was obvious when sabrina turner barged into a local hospital with shades for sure but zero mask no doubt lol a joking debacle to say the least with nullified punishments that lead to silver lined pocket.

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    • Anonymous says:

      I had to pay $189 USD for a Rapid test in New Jersey 3 weeks ago. Pure racket is all going on

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    • Anonymous says:

      Try going to the Port Authority office. Mask on, hand spray, temperature check once inside. Cleaner stood there all day to wipe down the counter top after every use. All this is to protect who? Each customer from each other, the sub-contract security guard and the cleaner as the government port authority staff are mask free behind plexiglass!!!

  12. Anonymous says:

    Who has the money to keep LFT’ing people for COVID-19? This is a financial burden to people who certainly cannot afford regular (or frequent) LFT’ing, whether it be:
    1. Out-of-Pocket,
    2. Employment (Group) Health Insurance Coverage, OR
    3. Private (Individual/Family) Health Insurance Coverage.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Some wouldn’t test at any price, it would seem, because they lack that mental wiring to consider the needs of others. That’s why businesses should set the tone and be verifying to protect their enterprise and ensure a safe work and customer environment. $10 a week is not expensive to do that.

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  13. Anonymous says:

    Asymptomatic, and fully-vaccinated (once upon a time) doesn’t equate to a benign threat level to others. It’s still not a flu. Our booster take up percentage has been really poor.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Yep…..Defo not the flu….I had the flu in 2019…….thought I was gonna die……had the vid, was a pussy Cat. I can guarantee you the flu does kill or at least finish off the old and frail, it just wasn’t mentioned on death certificates in the past when it was only a contributing factor. Old people all need to get the vaccine to blunt covid though….fully agree with that………It’s here to stay, lets get back to normal.

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      • Anonymous says:

        And that’s the point. People have lost sight of just how serious ‘routine’ illnesses such as the flu can be. Most people have never experienced flu, the vast majority having a common cold. Flu (and a cold) can be extremely dangerous to the vulnerable and very miserable to the rest, yet we don’t go into meltdown every year and lock down those who realise they’re not well and stay in bed.
        We are now certain that vaccines don’t stop the spread of Covid, they only blunt the symptoms of those that are symptomatic, so why is it necessary to insist that everyone must be vaccinated to visit Cayman?
        Surely it’s more important to protect yourself than worry that others are less concerned for their personal health. If others decide not to have vaccine protection for Covid, how does that affect you, why are you making it your business? Of course, disclaimers must be made and insurance in place to ensure that those who choose non-vaccination are not a strain on the public health system, but that is already in place.
        Personally, I have received all of the required boosters, yet have caught Covid twice with both infections being relatively mild despite having respiratory vulnerabilities.
        Cayman needs to concentrate on domestic vaccination policies to protect its own citizens and not worry about the safety of those whose medical status should remain confidential.
        Open up, stop this nonsensical panic and get on with living.

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        • Anonymous says:

          Great point. I wonder when the first legal challenge in regard to medical confidentiality will come to bear against the government. It’s nobody’s business if you are vaccinated or not, especially if being vaccinated has no relation to stopping the spread of the virus. In effect, vaccination is a personal protection measure, therefore why does the government need to pry into your personal medical history?
          Do we need to disclose the contraceptive pill, diabetes status, heart medicine, or any other illness or disease prevention?
          I believe there has been massive government over-reach, maybe with the best of initial intentions. But it is time to stop this insane reliance on isolation, quarantine, and vaccination status for visitors. This discrimination makes no sense, it’s not sound science, and it is destroying our reputation and tourism market.

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    • Anonymous says:

      So because others won’t take a booster and protect themselves, everyone else has to mask and accept restrictions?

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      • Anonymous says:

        Yup. It’s nonsense. Take care of yourself and leave us alone. It’s bonkers to keep trying to control this anymore.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Normal should mean LFTing yourself twice a week to ensure you aren’t an asymptomatic positive for everyone you meet. Test negative, then go about your business as you choose. We can’t keep pretending these cheap and reliable tools don’t exist. We’d also reduce to nearly zero community transmissions within a week.

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    • Anonymous says:

      The LFT salesperson has entered the chat.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Plentiful and cheap, and then you have an answer in a couple minutes with good confidence. The people that don’t care if they are spreaders are why we still have to talk about COVID in 2022. Is a return to normal worth $10 a week? Think so, but sensibility is in the minority. There’s a word for those who would rather be sick for a week, or paralyze their employer by infecting their coworkers, rather than spending $10 on prudence.

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      • Anonymous says:

        How many cases at cayman prep and you want to get rid of masks in schools? Fools!
        The kids may not get too sick with covid, but when they go kiss grandma that’s where the real problem begins! Keep masks in schools!

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        • Anonymous says:

          Idiot. First of all, it’s called the “marl road” with good reason. Secondly, none of us with children at Cayman Prep could give a rats ass. No one is sick, even less are dying. Find something else to hide from, Monkeypoks maybe?

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        • Anonymous says:

          All the kids wear masks all the time at Prep. I refer you to the Bloomberg link further down this thread. Covid is here to stay. Do you want our kids to wear their useless germ masks forever????

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        • Anonymous says:

          Yeh because it is really helping to stop the spread. You are processing the data backwards. Masks do nothing, how much evidence do you need?

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          • Anonymous says:

            You know who else is kissing grandma? People who are going to 500 person events and people who work at stores where tourists don’t mask. Let’s move on! Schools aren’t the issue. Covid is here. The whole point of restrictions was to keep hospital numbers down and the numbers are low despite the increase in cases, people aren’t even reporting anyway so the cases are way more than what the gov thinks. We are keeping caymanians in their homes! Locked down for no reason!!! Let’s move on!

    • Anonymous says:

      What you propose is NOT normal. It is madness. Or a sales speech- a speech that you give in order to persuade someone to buy something.

      I have not had a single COVID test.

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    • Anonymous says:

      What good would that do? If you test negative one morning you might test positive 6 hours later? Where did you come up with twice a week?

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  15. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps Cassandra could update us all on the ongoing investigation on to breaches of Covid regulations reported at local healthcare facilities and on Cayman Airways aircraft?

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  16. Anonymous says:

    Stop the madness now, whoever wants to get jabbed, stay home or wear a mask can do so. Those who fell in love with all those mandates can apply at civil service to reap the benefits or go to North Korea to enjoy that kind of lifestyle

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  17. Anonymous says:

    We live in hope that common sense will prevail soon.

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  18. Anonymous says:

    A precursor to some token “changes” no doubt. They’ll be in place by the of the month. Heard it here first.

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  19. Anonymous says:

    End everything. The masks are a pointless comfort blanket unless N95 and lets face it, how many are wearing them?…..Isolation pointless due to it being everywhere and its not going away. It is the new flu. We are simply kicking the can of normality down the road. What’s the point in requiring a lateral flow to fly to Cayman when cases here are the same as most other places. Remember the days when you flew with a cold and the flu. Can you even imagine back in the day, canceling your flights due to a mild flu?? We got to snap out of this now. If you are worried, fair enough, wear an N95 mask.

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    • Anonymous says:

      If more people were LFTing regularly, and conscientious of people’s space, they could wear, or not wear, whatever they want, as far as I’m concerned. Those few dozen thoughtful are in the least concern category.

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      • Anonymous says:

        My pension doesn’t allow me sufficient funds to LFT regularly. I would rather buy fresh fruit than those tests, thanks

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        • Anonymous says:

          Totally agree, never taken a test and would rather enjoy my fruit, veggies and wine, that’s what my pension is for!

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    • Anonymous says:

      I wear a kn95 mask every day as I am a teacher in the states. My entire class has had covid along with 2 support staff. They have all chosen to remove masks. It is optional at my school. I have not had covid or a cold in two years. I have to give the credit to mask wearing.

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  20. Anonymous says:

    Geeeeeeeeeee, thanks Empress obvious, lord of freedom.

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  21. Anonymous says:

    Mandates need to end. I have been to 3 hotels the last two weeks and not one tourist was wearing a mask, cruise shippers aren’t wearing masks. They have more rights than Caymanians who are locked in their homes. These are the people that are suffering most! The residents of the Cayman Islands while tourists roam free. Not to mention the fact that indoor conferences can take place with 500 people but my child who sits in a class of 25 kids is still forced to wear a mask all day! It doesn’t make sense! Let’s end the mandates and let people make their own choices regarding their health.

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  22. JTB says:

    It’s touching that the CMO thiks our politicians have any interest in the science on this. They are driven entirely by the hysterical over-reactions of a bunch of ignorant anti-vaxxers who would prefer to keep our country isolated for ever.

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  23. Anonymous says:

    18 months too late as usual.
    End the oppression now!

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  24. Anonymous says:

    What a flip flopper. How can we have confidence in anything they say. Don’t just reduce, stop everything and let us, the people, decide how we wish to navigate Covid. You all have done enough. Thank you. We now got this.

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  25. Cheese Face says:

    Close Travel Cayman down now please.

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  26. Anonymous says:

    Additionally our differing standards for people – Caymanians and residents included – arriving in Cayman from overseas, who may have just recovered from COVID but have a negative LFT compared to residents who test positive locally and even with a negative LFT if their CT count is not high enough they are supposed to continue isolating defy reason. We did a great job when we had to – now we are no longer being logical. If people want to keep wearing masks – they will.

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  27. Anonymous says:

    This Doctor hasn’t any awareness of what’s going on globally. The virus is irrelevant for 99.9% of us. The data shows this. Vaccinated or not, its a noothing burger. Those in trouble have either massive underlying conditions or obesity or are old/frail – just like every other f*cken disease

    What is wrong with people? Stop watching the news, its not news, it is MARKETING.

    Drop restrictions, stop talking about Covid, get on with it. If you’re wearing a mask, take the damn thing off – you are ingesting far too much CO2…its insane

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  28. Anonymous says:

    Bizarre pre-flight required testing should be discontinued immediately, especially taking into account we allow floating petrie dishes (cruise ships) with hordes of positive people on island with testing requirements.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Coming from the UK we will be on a plane mostly full of people travelling to Nassau who only need a test within 72 hours and don’t need to wear masks. Yet CIG somehow thinks we’ll be breathing different air?

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  29. Anonymous says:

    The CMO keeps sending mixed messages and the public has reached the point where they don’t care for anything that she has to say.

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  30. About time to wake up says:

    Suddenly a public servant remembered that we don’t all get paid to sit and home.

    We must go out and earn a living, learn in school and experience life.

    Thank you for acknowledging what many of us have been saying for months now!

    Reopen the island completely, remove all vaccination and mask mandates, get rid of useless Travel Cayman.

    And while you are at it, cut all duty on fuel and food items to help struggling Caymanians get back on their feet after a challenging 2 years of economic suppression.

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  31. Anonymous says:

    Need to eliminate school mask mandates by start of the next school year. Children need to get back to normal classes.

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  32. Bert says:

    “Despite the still high transmission levels, she said consideration needs to be given to lifting restrictions since the spread is not translating into higher hospital admissions or deaths.” Yes, the rest of the world worked that out months ago, long before the current pointless restrictions were needlessly extended.

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  33. Anonymous says:

    Finally!!!! Someone with some common sense to go along with lots of medical training!

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    • Anonymous says:

      Think she’s bowing to pressure, as she has not been following the science. Is she finally listening &/or reading other opinions & realising our regs are stupid.
      Maybe public health uk pointed out we have not followed their guidance since getting the vaccine.

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  34. Anonymous says:

    END MASK MANDATES TODAY!!!!!

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    • Anonymous says:

      End them last year.

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    • Anonymous says:

      You thumbs down drones can still wear your masks if you feel they work for you. Stop forcing educated people to wear the face diaper.

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      • Anonymous says:

        Sadly the mask is not worn properly, as many expose their nose (I will let you guess the equivalent of what’s exposed if a diaper is not out on properly). Rather negates the purpose if its only partially covering your bits

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      • Anonymous says:

        Based on your comment you clearly are not educated

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  35. Anonymous says:

    Cayman starting to catch up with the rest of the world finally.

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