Exit tests dropped for all in COVID-19 isolation
(CNS): Along with the end of the mask mandate and the pre-arrival negative tests for travellers, the health ministry has confirmed that exit tests for people leaving COVID-19 isolation have also been dropped. Anyone who tests positive with a lateral flow test result is still required to report their result to public health on exploregov.ky and take a PCR test to confirm before isolating, but at the end of that quarantine period people are free to go about their business without taking an exit test.
In an audio message about the “long-awaited and exciting changes” to the COVID regulations, which begin on Thursday, Health Minister Sabrina Turner said they moved Cayman closer to normality. “We can all agree that arriving to this point did not come easily, and I am truly grateful that the people of the Cayman Islands have remained compliant and patient every step of the way,” she said.
Turner confirmed that mask-wearing will be discretionary, with just prisons and healthcare facilities still requiring visitors to wear masks, and she welcomed the removal of pre-arrival testing and the end of mandated isolation, regardless of status, for unvaccinated Caymanians and legal residents.
But Turner asked people to continue to act responsibly to curb the continued spread of the virus.
“We are happy for relaxed restrictions but we also understand that it does not call for less responsibility. Seek vaccination, for any dose that you may be eligible, to protect yourself and vulnerable loved ones. Practice proper hand hygiene, and choose to enhance your immunity through nutrition and exercise,” she said. “Our Public Health team will continue surveillance and we will actively monitor the spread of COVID-19 and amend restrictions according to the needs of the community.”
According to the latest statistics from Public Health, there are still eight patients in hospital as a result of COVID-19 and an estimated 865 active cases of COVID-19 in the community. There were still 74 new cases reported on Monday and the seven-day rolling average for 28 June was 58.
Listen to the minister’s message below:
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Category: Health, Medical Health
The only people reporting a positive result are those who receive pay for doing said. No way, no how, any low wage worker living hand to mouth would self report. Just not happening.
Meaning that same low wage worker is NOT going to miss work by self isolating. At almost $8 a pop for self LFT tests and a fee of $75 for the mandatory PRC test: clearly, self-testing, self-reporting, and self-isolating is only for people who can afford it.
12.18pm Kirk supermarket has LFT kits for 4.99 and confirmation PCR at Truplex is free. Only country where so much is free yet so many are ungrateful.
In the case of the low-wage worker, it has nothing to do with being ungrateful. Five bucks will buy a struggling single mother and her two children a nice package of chicken. Getting the PCR test still mandates taking time off work for many with a day job because of the clinic’s lagga head hours. No sane person on a low income will self-test and report it, just to be ordered to self-isolate. I gotta agree with 6:37, “No way, no how, any low wage worker living hand to mouth would self report. Just not happening.” Hell, I would not even do it. Given the choice between a nice Burger King sandwich and spending the money on an LFT test, gimme Burger King, thank you very much.
I am vaccinated
I refuse to wear my mask any longer
I notice most people still wear mask, and hopefully it’s because they haven’t learned of the new regulations,
But if unna ga a problem with it, da your problem. It’s law now bobo. Laughing at my coworkers that still masked up and giving me side eye.
Lets hope you open your big mouth to those who feel differently by disparaging them or even calling them stupid sp HR can tamp down your smugness
Do you think if he starts coughing really close to them that it would tamp down on their mask smugness?
Asking for a friend.
MAGA Cayman
You sound like a truly horrible staff member who has no respect for coworkers.
@6:49:
If masklessness is a measure of disrespect, then you must agree that the employer allows maskless workers has no respect for their employees. Should we not say the same of government and the people? Is not the government decree allowing people to go maskless indicative of disrespect?
Such a pointless comment to make.
The Caymas superspreader event and Discovery Day long weekend combined with the bars celebrating as if Covid is over will be super awesome! Thanks, CITA!
Giving the freedumb crowd and CITA exactly what they want ahead of Caymas and a holiday weekend and a diversion from hyperinflation.
What could possibly go wrong?
Leeroy Jenkins mode activated.
https://youtu.be/mLyOj_QD4a4
Well this is the biggest piece of no good common sense rubbish I have ever heard. Imagine we are gonna have people walking around this country spreading Covid-19, and infecting everyone. Am fully convinced now that we have a bunch of clowns running my country, and the care about themselves. What happened to good old common sense PACT Government. You all are no better than the previous PPM and Unity Governments. Time for new elections and please this time. Can those of you who are voting try to not vote in those that care nothing about Caymanians. Caymanians are sick and tired of your crappy promises, about you all PACT Government are for your people. Only persons you all care about are yourselves, and giving away concessions to the rich. But remember this old Caymanian saying. You might do what you want when you want. But not as long as you want. It will only take 1 major hurricane to hit these islands, and then you all so called PACT Government will understand, that your people come first. Be carefull what you all wish for. I have lost all faith in all 19 MP’S. Sad day for Cayman and Caymanians. Everyday more and more expats coming to Cayman living the good life. While your people continue to suffer. You’ve taken away the tourism stipend and many Caymanians have nothing to support themselves. And as for the NAU, they are the most heartless bunch of humans Caymanians have to deal with. We don’t have MP’S who care about us. They only care about themselves. I could go on and on. But I will leave that for all the haters and annoymous to comment on. Good luck, time we start to protest and march. Enough is enough. Let’s take back our country, am.sick and tired our all your lies. Cayman is not for Caymanians anymore. Enough said, so that is that.
Emmm…..not one ex-pat in government. Not one. Now maybe if you allowed status holders the opportunity to run for government, you would see a change in how this island is run. I’m willing to bet that they care more about Cayman and ALL it’s people than those in power do.
You would also get far deeper pool of knowledge and experience in departments and ministries which currently is about as deep as a Cimboco teaspoon (other cafes and restaurants are also available).
Thank you CNS for saying ‘normality’ and not ‘normalcy’. The daftest word ever and it isn’t even a proper word.
Au contrare mon ami: “normalcy” has become a perfectly acceptable, tho lesser-used, alternative to “normality”. Update you decrepit dictionaries and you should be just fine.
I bet you would get reallyyy rankled at my use of the word “coolth” as the opposite of warmth. It would probably take you a while to return to a state of normalcy.
Sabrina, Sabrina, Sabrina, come in from your space walk and next time you leave the capsule step up your oxygen concentration so you don’t suffer brain-damaging hypoxia as its effects are clearly beginning to show.
Your piecemeal, illogical, careless, inconsistent and dim-witthed Covid policies, including denial of fact, have us thinking that you should step down as health minister and perhaps a clear-thinking person can step in. (Although I doubt that such a person exists in the present Cabinet.)
The fact that you expect people–in any meaningful numbers–are going to conscientiously self test at almost $8 per pop at best price, then have to pay $75 for a PCR test to go INTO self-isolation, not to mention the inconvenience caused by the crappy hours the clinics are open for the PCR test, then lose work by self-isolating, casts serious doubt about your cognitive function. As for moi, if I feel really bad I might self test. If the test returns positive, I will be somewhat careful about breathing on others as I go about my normal daily routine. Since the mask mandate is about to end, I may or may not wear a mask. I have had it up to here. If you do not care about implementing consistent, logical and prudent Covid policy, why the hell should I? I am done. Moving forward, “Cave Populo” will be the banner under which I shall proceed. In absence of sensible government policy, the people can do what is prudent to protect themselves.
You are aware you live in a society? Knowing you may be ill and “breathing carefully” with or without mask is anithetical to being a responsible citizen.
We truly live in a society
So you are happy with going about with your usual activities knowing you are covid positive (and not wearing a mask) and could be responsible for giving people a potentially serious illness or causing their death?
People went to jail for giving others HIV by having sex while knowing they were HIV positive. And now you think it’s OK to give unsuspecting members of the public covid just so you aren’t inconvenienced? You selfish ******.
The cult of selfishness and greed is why masks and tests and all mandates were and are needed.
@9:01
Then tell us why government insists on lifting the mask mandates?
Caymas Discovery Day appease the woters and CITA
A dose of reality:
With the lifting of the mask mandate, and considering that actual Covid cases are very significantly under-reported, we are exposed every day to people who are infected and we do so with Sabrina’s and the government’s blessing. Applying your HIV analogy to our government’s Covid no-mask-needed Covid policy–and bearing in mind that HIV transmission usually involves a person who does not know that they are infected–it would be like government saying it is 100% A-OK for everyone to have unprotected sex and exchange body fluids with everyone you encounter. Sabrina and our Government IS certainly saying, even in light of the potential of Covid transmission and people not knowing their status, it is 100% A-OK to have unprotected exchange of breath aerosols and droplets with everyone they encounter.
Fosters full of unmasked and undistanced people today as flu spreads tbrough schools and workplaces. Brilliant timing!
The Panton-PACTless Clown Car: The gift that keeps on giving.
These people are a special kind of stupid.
Morons!
If you report a positive test – the government is going to shove a q-tip up your nose and lock you in your house for 10 days regardless of whether you are testing positive or negative. So this change is meaningless! Absolute none sense.
Many whose guidance are they following? First it was England but then they dropped the rules so to followed CDC and when they dropped their rules they made up their own rules. This flip flopping erodes all confidence in tue decision makers.
This makes no sense.
I don’t think this government has a clue what they are doing.
Partial changes to outdated rules don’t help. Just drop the entire protocol and tell positive people to isolate until they test negative which is common sense. It’s not rocket science! Just do it.
They don’t!
If you go to war wear a helmet.
Oh sorry I thought we were on Monkey Pox
What if you’re still symptomatic and/or testing positive on an LFT? Surely people should stay in isolation if one or both of those applies…?
Supermarkets! Drop the mask mandate now and stop spraying our hands with who knows what!
Crybaby
Dump the Travel Certificate.
If one can travel without taking the test why one need to still register on line with travel Cayman ?. Why can’t people just show their vaccinated cards like when and where they show their passport, Visa and boarding pass ?
All those Travel Cayman jobs would be lost if the only requirement was to show vaccine card upon arrival. 🤨
Because Travel Cayman is now an “Employer”.
This is just plain silly;what with hundreds of inbound traveller’s this could just as easily spiral out of control here.
What we need is real order and direction – Capt. Eugene and Alden to save us maybe?!
Ignoring the spread of BA4 and 5 in the US is madness
Why. There will be a BA 6 and 7 and 172. They will all make it here unless we close the borders again and that’s not happening.
You, personally, don’t need to ignore it, you can take whatever measures you deem approrpriate to try and avoid catching it.
So if you get Covid on a lateral flow test, take a PCR test and if positive you don’t have to quarantine? You can go to work, go to the shops, etc. spread it everywhere?
CITA driven madness.
Are you dense? You still need to isolate, you just don’t need a PCR to confirm you’re negative in order to exit quarantine.
It has nothing to do with tourism. 95% of the people who live here have had enough of our freedoms being restricted for what is now a glorified flu.
4:43 apparently can’t read or maybe it’s can’t comprehend. Either way, article clearly states to quarantine. Only difference is no exit test needed after quarantine period.
Q:How to avoid quarantine if you are not traveling?
A:Never self-test.
Problem solved.
“…choose to enhance your immunity through nutrition and exercise.” Because she and most of the other members of CIG are shining examples of health and wellness.
Now stop the requirement for visitor vaccination. Vax doesn’t stop transmissibility, it only prevents serious illness. So why stop tourists from coming to Cayman because they don’t want to protect themselves. Just ensure Covid travel insurance is mandatory.
One more step towards normal.
The normal you seek is long gone
Still required to report, take a confirmation PCR? Okay then, I’ll get right on that.
What a joke this woman is.
Soooooo will people still be monitored during their quarantine period? Is quarantine even really necessary if there is no exit test, only an initial report test? Just to say “Hey, I’ve got the virus” and carry on as usual. Sounds like a waste of time and resources to me.
Excuse for the continued existence of travel cayman. Notice no mention of it being shut or even reducing staff numbers.
Practice proper hand hygiene, and choose to enhance your immunity through nutrition and exercise,” she said.
Is there a photo anywhere that all 19 of them fits into so we can see their leading by example on nutrition and exercise?
𝐋𝐎𝐋 😂
No lie! I would love to see her grocery cart. Also is she being prosecuted for violating Covid restrictions r.e. Not mask?
I guess CITA is in charge of the health ministry. Anyone care to predict what will happen our covid rate.
It will go up and down just like it did when we had useless ristrictions…
#science
Our covid rate will bottom out, because it will no longer be measured. California is on the cusp of enforcing mitigation measures again, because of their rising cases, hospitalisations and deaths.
I think hospitalisations and deaths should be the new indicator of a problem, and in the absence of both, we can consider Covid-19 — at least for now — in remission.
“But Turner asked people to continue to act responsibly to curb the continued spread of the virus.”
Well, that’s swell. WE are expected to “act responsibly”, but our government has said to hell with it.
Same as it ever was.
The actual rate or the reported rate? Because the reported rate may well go up now that you don’t get locked up indefinitely pending an exit test if you self report.
Well, the new variants are growing infections in the US and other countries no matter how hard the corporate media tries to bury the news.
Bad break for tbe immunocompromised and disabled.
Oh well. Such as it is the times of greed.
@ anonymous 7:52am – And what would you have us do? Go back to closed borders and isolate from the outside world again?
At some point, and that would be NOW, we must shift responsible to each individual. Will everyone behave responsibly? No, of course, they won’t, but we can not continue to live with government-enforced policies that may or may not have made any difference. Look how COVID started here. It wasn’t because tourists brought it in, it happened when we were still under strict entry requirements and it started with a local. Did the COVID policies really help? The truth is we will never know and the truth is it is time for us to move on because COVID is not going to vanish.
The immunocompromised must protect themselves, they must take responsibility for their own health and safety and I have no doubt most do exactly that every single day of their lives. And disabled? If someone is physically disabled, say they have a prosthesis or they are confined to a wheelchair, how does that make them more succeptable to COVID?
Its a mask. Wear it and stop the drama.
@11:31:
FYI: Covid Patient Zero was indeed a “tourist” not a “local”. That person was a male cruise passenger who eventually died at Health City Cayman Islands, also becoming the first person to die of Covid in the islands.
Reference:
CNS article dated 27/03/2020
https://caymannewsservice.com/2020/03/latest-tests-negative-few-people-sick/