Vaccine mandate for permit holders lifted

| 12/06/2023 | 23 Comments

(CNS): The legal requirement for non-Caymanian residents and their dependents to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has been lifted. From Friday, applicants for work permits (new and renewals), permanent residency, specialist caregiver certificates, student visas or Cabinet entry permits, as well as dependents no longer need to prove they are vaccinated, according to government officials.

The last restriction relating to the pandemic has been lifted more than month after the World Health Organization (WHO) re-categorised the situation as an ongoing health issue, which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Nevertheless, Chief Medical Officer Nick Gent said that SARS-CoV-2 has been circulating widely and will continue to do so, and that the situation is evolving.

“When the provision for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for work permit holders and permanent residency applicants was created, it made sense as a public health measure at the time,” he said. “However, as we have all seen, much has changed in the last three years since the start of the pandemic. Immunisation remains a vital tool in protecting the population against severe disease, and recency of immunisation is key to maximise the benefits from vaccines.”

Ensuring that recent arrivals to the Cayman Islands have access to vaccines and boosters as a public health programme is far more beneficial than relying on immunisations that have been given prior to their arrival, he noted. “It is important that our public health measures evolve and adapt to ensure that they remain effective in light of the changing reality of the pandemic.”

Border Control Minister Dwayne Seymour thanked his Cabinet colleagues for agreeing to lift the legal requirements for vaccinations. “The decision was made after careful consideration of the advice from the medical officer of health, and the Cayman Islands now joins a number of international countries transitioning to a post-COVID reality,” he said

Those submitting applications to Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) or people seeking student visas through Customs and Border Control can download the necessary applications, which have been amended to reflect the removal of the vaccine requirement, by visiting the WORC or CBC websites.


Share your vote!


How do you feel after reading this?
  • Fascinated
  • Happy
  • Sad
  • Angry
  • Bored
  • Afraid
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Tags: , , , , , ,

Category: Health, Medical Health

Comments (23)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. Anonymous says:

    We left Cayman because of this, and our $25,000 a month spend goes into another economy.

    Well done

    1
    1
  2. Anonymous says:

    Just another ignorant rule finally lifted.

    But I’m sure they will come up with another!

    Signed
    I’m not jabbed

    8
    1
  3. M Ployer says:

    That’s a shame, it was useful to filter out the crazies.

    4
    9
  4. Anonymous says:

    Oh my goodness, this is very BAD news!! Now all the tourists who are not vaccinated and the Caymanians who are not vaccinated for a virus whose variant hasn’t been circulating in the global community are at risk!!

    I really thought we wanted to protect the unprotected! Let’s reconsider and bring the requirement back, its obvious that it’s the work permits that were responsible for introducing this here in the day. They should continue to be punished!

    3
    10
  5. Anonymous says:

    All the Covid19 “pandemic” did was create millions and millions of vaccine sceptics. When a really nasty virus or disease is released good luck trying to get anyone to take your shitty jabs!

    19
    5
  6. Anonymous says:

    So now covid will spread unchecked because the vaccine ‘stops it dead in its tracks’…..oh wait!

    17
    14
  7. Anonymous says:

    So now we’re letting the crackpots back in? ah well, it was good while it lasted.

    7
    33
  8. Anonymous says:

    Big Pharma and their lackeys have achieved the opposite of their intentions-Mistrust in vaccines and corporate science.

    28
    7
  9. Anonymous says:

    about damn time

    29
    5
  10. Anonymous says:

    Great, there goes what’s left of our jobs!

    3
    22
  11. Anonymous says:

    Should never have been made a thing in the first place!

    Safe and effective! what a slogan. Seems it was neither safe nor effective.

    Ya’ll got duped by Big Pharma !

    34
    12
  12. Anonymous says:

    One imagines that if PPM and Sir Alden Lockdown had achieved power, Cayman’s border would still be closed, and with continuation of meaningless 14 day inbound quarantines for who knows how long past sense.

    28
    25
    • Anonymous says:

      Yes. Finally the hoax is over. Big pharma paid governments and media all over the world to block misinformation (truth).

      I hope those forced to take the useless jab sue the pants off their employers.

      36
      16

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.