Gov’t to shut down bars, restrict restaurants
(CNS): All bars are to be closed as government extends the ban on public gatherings. Restaurants are being restricted to take-out and delivery services, as efforts to contain and slow the potential spread of COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands continue. Speaking at today’s daily briefing, Premier Alden McLaughlin said this latest measure will take effect on Sunday night at 11:59pm and will last for two weeks in the first instance.
Gyms, spas, beauty salons and public swimming pools will also be part of the latest shutdown, which will be enforced alongside the previously announced restriction on public gatherings of more than 50 people. These shutdowns and restrictions will be implemented through an addition to the Public Health Regulations and will be enforced by the police, the premier stated.
He said that despite the ever-growing restrictive measures, government will not enforce a stay-home curfew until there is evidence of the virus spreading in the community. He said it was still a matter of people exercising common sense and following the protocols to prevent them from infecting others or being infected.
But he said these latest measures will help curb some of the dangers, particularly those posed by returning students and hopefully prevent them from gathering in significant numbers when they should be self-isolating.
Hundreds of students who have been and will continue to return home from the United Kingdom and the United States over the next week pose a significant risk. While they are all being asked to self-isolate, they are not necessarily doing so and closing the bars will limit the places where they might be inclined to congregate.
The premier urged young people, who are much less vulnerable to the disease and less likely to get ill, to remember that they pose a major threat to their own elderly relatives and other older people in the wider community if they act selfishly. He said they must isolate until they are sure they do not have the virus.
The premier explained that the country is expecting another 470 students to return from school in the UK this week. He urged those young people not to treat this unexpected break from school “as a Spring break and not to be tempted to gather in large groups, partying the day or night away”. He urged them to understand the threat and said it was important for all of those returning from overseas to stay alone for 14 days.
The need for the community to act in accordance with their conscience and protect each other is a huge part of the current efforts to try to contain the virus in Cayman. Twenty preliminary results that returned Tuesday were all negative. These tests including 19 samples from staff at Health City Cayman Islands and one from an HSA patient. (See full story here.)
While officials said this was good news, the tests must be verified and there is still an inevitability that the virus is in the community. Nevertheless, Cayman is aiming to contain and slow the spread.
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Category: Business, Food and Drink, Health, Medical Health
go on a full lockdown like other countries
take for example Honduras after 7pm no one is allowed on the road
cant we implement something like that where we are more protected?
how about those persons who have night jobs cant they get a break from this exposure
how about all those persons who work in the airport
and those working in ticket offices
we need to realize this is effecting us all and a lot of these companies can afford to make people work from home
not just send home manager and supervisors but make it even throughout
Your are Nuts.
Rey few people on ya making any sense. Let me go back to my hammock, and sit in deep meditation on the way it used to be ya long long ago. Coriiiiinthia bring me de Chiluba pleeease!
Wonderful. Now if they could just legalize weed and release all that ganja confiscated and send it to those of us stuck at home who need it to relax in this stressful time. I guess probably for the best as my food would run out quicker if they did.
The UN Developmental Agency estimates Covid-19 will cost the global economy 1 Trillion dollars. 9 million people die every year from starvation and starvation related disease. Nearly 100% preventable. Doing some math and using the U.S. average (and there some fat people in the U.S.) the average person spends about $2700 per year on food.
1 Trillion/9M= $111,111.00 per starving person. Taking out their annual food costs $111,111-$2700= $108,411 left over X 9 million = $975,699,000,000
With what we are spending on Corona-19 in 2020 alone we could have fed every starving human on the planet, saving up to 9 million people who would have otherwise died and still have $975 Billion dollars left over.
Now that is how you virtue signal properly. Have a great day.
I’d like to know what is the cost of running CUC and all utility companies a month.
Say the figure is 15 million, surely government in their slush fund (so called surplus 140+million) should just pay this and insist that these companies don’t make any profit.
There are several large landlords on island, whom have made quite a bit over the years, the Premier shoild have a meeting and ask them to replace their rent fees, not what the insurance costs or thier staff salaries.
They need to have a meeting with insurance companies to relax fees, especially health and home policies.
A big one sewage fees for commercial properties.
My list will go on but I know nothing by this government will happen, they are happy with their fixed salaries and pensions which they will receive tomorrow, next month and the month after.
It is amazing how all these politicians who during their election promised to help everyone is suddenly so silent.. No a f@ckin word from any of them..
I am wondering about the DEH and garbage pick-up??? It would seem that for the next couple of months commercial garbage will be much less and residential garbage will be much more. Will DEH adjust accordingly?
How many people were arrested at the overstuffed churches this past weekend?
Thank goodness I have my own bar by the pool, whew!
Sincerely,
Crystal Harbour Douchebag
Give us your name so we can kindly ask you to get the f@k out of our restaurants and bar when you walk in!
LOL!! That was funny. That said you can’t blame them.
this is def sarcasm
Has any thought been given to quarantining any resident who returns over the next few days? Lots of empty hotel rooms right now. Govt may have to fork up money to feed them for two weeks, but many are coming from hot spots like the UK!
Self isolation is all well and good, but like the Premier said yesterday, they can’t police everyone. But, put them all in the same place and you can!
Is Post office closing? I looked on the website, but they (helpfully) don’t make any comment, but they do have the 2015 holiday closure hours. Cutting edge!
CNS: We have a story coming up.
I looked on there at Christmas for their opening times but as you say it is stuck in 2015
I forgot to mention.
The Premier has informed restaurants that they can do deliveries, we does he realise that 99% of restaurants will be using thier current staff to keep them employed use thier personal cars, whos car insurance doesn’t cover business use. So all restaurants who do this are breaking the Law.
We have already spoken to our insurance, they can’t provide this coverage unless our staff cancel their policy and open a new one with that company and they will add it the cost is approx $500 per car.
Maybe the Premier needs to insist that insurance companies insist that all insurance companies to immediately add this coverage to these persons.
Oh, please!!!! Are you a taxi driver?
The staff that you worry would take “your money” probably rides bicycles.
Take-outs would most certainly take place, not deliveries.
As a restaurant & bar owner ( soley owned Caymanian for over 30 yrs) at first I was furious, just thingink about my staff and what I am going to do, I then thought about all my other friends who are in the industry who are going to suffer and loose their jobs and possibly go bankrupt.
Most of my staff are Caymanian who have families.
I would like some more clarity on;
How long are we to close, 2 weeks or a month?
This is probably the most important question, so we decide what we do with our staff. I personally don’t want to let one of my staff go and will support them for as long as I can.
Why has other high traffic volume businesses been allowed to stay open? Such as gas stns (why not just allow them to sell gas and not go inside, I hope the stns are sanitizing the pumps everytime someone uses it).
Why churches are allowed to remain open? Let’s be honest here, not many young people go to church these days, it’s mostly the elderly who are more susceptible to catch this virus.
Why liquor stores? People walk in touch bottles, pick up items put them down, again I hope these stores are sanitizing all their items.
Is the government going to erge landlord to give a reduction in rent?
Insist CUC and other utilities give a reduction? Not just a suspension on fees as Everyone will still have to catch up.
All duties waived?
All pensions cancelled?
Ask the banks to give emergency overdrafts or 4/5 year loans without a dumb paperwork needed?
Would the government consider giving interest free loans for these businesses for a period of 5-10yrs?
Has the Premier reached out to the Cubas lead medical science, as they have along with China go a vaccine?
We have had one case in Cayman so far, why doesn’t the Premier look what the UK are doing;
( they have approx 1700 cases and 71 deaths all whom had preexisting conditions, they beleive a possibly 45,000 have already caught the virus and not shown any real symptoms except for a lite cough and probably didn’t even know they had it)
Insisting that persons who have preexisting conditions and the elderly over 70yrs should slef isolate? They have erged and only erged the public to keep in small groups, wash hands.
China has not closed the last temporary hospital and have confirmed they have a virus.
There is no way we can cut ourselves off from the world, so at some point this virus is going to come and we are going to have deaths, most will only have a flu or show no symptoms.
“Survival of the fittest” is a phrase that originated from Darwinian evolutionary theory as a way of describing the mechanism of natural selection.
Hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so we will re open, if not another Caymanian business closes and 15 Caymanians without jobs.
THE COMMENT OF THE DAY!
Survival of the fittest applies to businesses as well. Not just people.
“How long are we to close, 2 weeks?” – my understanding is at the moment – 2 to 3 weeks and then reassess. We are in unknown territory so no one can say for sure
“I personally don’t want to let one of my staff go and will support them for as long as I can” – you sound like a very honorable person for doing this and hope for you it isn’t for too long
“Why has other high traffic volume businesses been allowed to stay open? Such as gas stns” – because it is unlikely hoards of people enter a gas station at the same time so social distancing is possible, where as it isn’t as easy in restaurants and bars.
“Why churches are allowed to remain open?” – truthfully I don’t understand why we have churches at all so they may as well all close as far as I am concerned 🙂
“Is the government going to erge landlord to give a reduction in rent?” doubtful, but would be nice
“Insist CUC and other utilities give a reduction? Not just a suspension on fees…” – once again doubtful, but I think they should be giving 50% off, especially since we are entering their summer months and they will probably raise their rates again.
“Hopefully in the next couple of weeks or so we will re open..” – my thoughts are that the airports and port should remain closed for at least 5-6 weeks, we currently do not have any confirmed cases (depending on Govts next press briefing), therefore if we can all stay socially distant from people and try to contain this, then there really shouldn’t be a reason why we couldn’t open back up for those on Island in a few weeks.
“…if not another Caymanian business closes and 15 Caymanians without jobs” please remember that this is not just happening in Cayman, this is happening world wide. This of Countries like France, Spain, Tennerife China etc. where people are not even allowed outside of their houses, think of all of those jobs people have lost etc. I know we like to look after our own, however this isn’t a issue raised from being hit by a hurricane and only we are affected, this is World Wide.
Stay strong
So bar staff are going to lose their jobs because we can’t trust 400 Caymanian youth not to go out partying instead of self quarantining.
Yes👍🏼
overkill by a longshot…. but it’s what you got to do to help you stack the odds in your favour.
media has talked the world into a global crisis. the average person has a 99.5% survival rate even if they are infected….
No international mail until April 13. What’s next?
Try using e mail. It really works 6:07.
And imagine the surprise when you actually receive your message when using email!
What about packages? Hard to get them thru email.
I don’t mean this just pointed toward you, but you’ll do.
We come from stock which walked for miles as a matter of course, and fished and tended grounds and dug wells by hand. They wanted better for their sons and daughters, and so it was. (and that was the end of the first period…) They made their own everything.
We — collective we — can dig deeper than we have lately, imo. We have to be obsessive about contamination control, and we will probably have to do it for a long time, maybe months.
If the UK Prime Minister can get the banks to do a 3 month Mortgage holiday, why can’t our Premier our Governor seek the same thing from our banks?
I listened to him just yesterday say the banks are all in great shape and they should be..I know the banks got out ahead of him and said that we should contact them if we need help but I am telling you the banks are doing the very least basically telling people that their account is current and wait to see how things work out. I don’t want to wait until I am in foreclosure. I have been with my bank for 20 plus years. They don’t give a damn!
We are not asking the banks to forgive our loans but many of us are without work or on reduced hours and we still have mortgages to pay.
Is the Government going to wait until we are all in foreclosure again?
Governor has no power to do anything in this area. Only power over foreign affairs and defense matters. He has been stripped of his powers by the Legislature.
We will pay a price one day for our short sightedness.
Governor still has power but what’s he going to do. The Premier and this Government will bring us through this, not the Governor nor the UK. I just hope when the looting starts the Governor is ready to do what he needs to and deliver on the part of the process that’s under his remit i.e. RCIPS and stop it. I damn well hope so.
Nobody will admit it, but many of you are feeling a sense of glee with what’s going on. Don’t worry, when this is over we will gradually get back to normal and you can go back to simmering in your hate. And if the shoe fits, wear it.
Alden, please listen to reason. Shut it all down midnight Sunday, even govt. workers, even grocery stores. This is our chance to save our country.
unless you are being sarcastic…..you need to see a shrink
are you insane – shut down grocery stores? Even in countries where there is an ACTUAL lockdown happening, supermarkets are still open
They are protecting us from the Virus that is not here. Awesome !
Please, do not let any flights in from the U.K. they have been massively irresponsible in regards to this virus. If we are going to allow flights from the U.K. everything else we are doing is a flipping waste of time. This is not the time for political butt kissing.
What about boarding school children? For f sake, let them get home to their parents.
But mandatory quarantining for 14 days if they come home.
Boris Johnson is competing with Donald Trump in terms of the incompetence sweepstakes dealing with the coronavirus.
Boris Johnson said last month it was an EU problem, while Donald Trump said last month that it was a “Democratic Party hoax”. God help us all with this type of leadership.
We need real consequences for violating the self quarantine. I know good kids who are violating. When I was 18 to 21 I might Havel violate it myself. But we cannot destroy our economy so some teens can party!
There need to be consequences, and they need to be severe.
there need to be REAL consequences for criminal battery
What about closing the churches…..wait doesn’t pray cure COVID-19……of course it does
I hope the next headline I see is that Alden has told the gas stations to cut their prices by 50%. It is ridiculous that in times of crisis like this they are allowed to continue to rip us off. Come on CIG, gas in most parts of the states is under US$2.00..The price of crude oil has never been this low in years..
This is nothing short of highway robbery and they should be brought in line under the price gouging law…
Cars don’t run on crude. Our gas price should be set by the last wholesale shipment of refined gasoline to the island and it should be completely transparent.
What about the stuff they filled the tank with at double the price that’s still in there?
Price already coming down…Refuel $3.82. It takes time for prices come down as we are not land based like US.
We really should have these kids checked at the airport when they arrive even if it’s just their temperatures. We are throwing out the ones that were already here and bringing back 470 from one of the most hardest hit countries..
Asymptomatic carriers present no clues to what they are spreading. See Europe, Asia, North and Central America for more detail.
@ Anonymous 17/03/2020 at 5:58 pm – and do what with them if they come back with a high temperature? They already have to self isolate temperature or no temperature.
Ignoramus @ 5:22pm.
Closing the bars will help ruin the economy forever?
I am currently USA stateside, but a condo owner since 1984 – a long time love affair with Cayman.
I actually applaud what CIG is doing to be proactive. No efforts will be perfect. No one can truly predict what will happen and what is the best decisions. That being said, what I read from here, I do support. Considerable economic damage is in the near future, but this shall pass, and maybe how things are rebuilt will be better, stronger and more concerned for those who matter (you can define that as you wish).
What the USA has done thus far has been reprehensible. Very little ethical leadership from our current Gov’t. Very similar to what has been going on in Cayman – attention devoted to the rich and lining pockets, not much left for preserving quality of life. I pine for the days I spent at the Royal Palms before it was gone in a fire. Dive boats coming up to shore for 2-3 divers, drop the plank, go aboard with feet washed in a bucket, on to the next resort’s beach… Now the shores are roped off.
We’ll be back as soon as we can. Cancelled a 3 week stay the end of April, but the situation in the USA is getting horrible hr by hr. Next week will be brutal. Assisting two parents who are both 94. All must take care of their loved ones.
Be well Cayman!
What do you expect from agent orange?
Wow, congrats on being able to afford a condo in Cayman with your spare cash when you were 36 years younger. Probably in your 30s or 40s when you bought it I’m guessing. That’s great. Wouldn’t happen to be on the beach would it?
If only you could help out a Caymanian family of 2…… may we stay in your condo until this blows over? My landlord is not lowering rent (which we asked politely and only) and neither waiving the utilities (of course). Help a Caymanian out (also we have no children and no pets, just my husband and I).
I’m sure they want to risk you squatting after. I know I wouldn’t.
12:30. I think you just embarassed the vast majority of Cayman. I cringed.
hmm, I question your relationship with your landlord. I just can’t imagine they wouldn’t work with you if you were a good tenant. Mine had no problem at all!
But I’m an awesome tenant.
Why aren’t we closing the churches!
Anthony Eden.
Well then, stay in there and dont come back out!
Close the bars, stop people’s income, yet keep the buses running. Great idea you idiots, its already here, these stupid restrictions are futile and will ruin the economy forever.
Flatten the curve – google that.
Your logic get’s people killed.
They can go back to their home countries.
I am at home, day 2/14 isolated with my favorite people on the planet, and feeling very grateful for the breath in our lungs. Stay healthy out there!
470 students to return from school in the UK this week – so gov is closing pubs to prevent them from going out. Essentially our fate rests in the hands of a bunch of teenagers and uni kids…. sheesh.
Still St Patricks events going on tonight, tone deaf to reality!
so the 200 repat on every permit is a gift to immigestion
To be sure….
And seriously stupid stubborn people.
Can we please go full lockdown for at least two weeks from midnight on Sunday? Let’s get rid of this thing while we still can!
Yeah, but what happens when we open up again?
This thing does not pass over each country as a cloud would do.
Two weeks is a best guess for some onset of symptoms for any that stand to get it, and to get some preliminary handle on local transmission (to extent it exists). Those last taken ill would still need their own time- maybe weeks to recover…so add a month to that best case for normalization, and maybe 3 or 4 months of watching the rest of the world wrestle with their crises from afar. The planet is going to be offline for 2-4 mos easy.
What thing ?
It will never go away, do you not understand what “this thing” is. It is a virus which will always be around. What we are trying to do is to contain the situation so that 1,000s of people don’t all catch it at the same time and overload health services because they are the people who can not manage the mass numbers of people (they are human too).
I just wish that immigration were being more strict on the people who are still coming in and making sure they know they must self isolate etc as I know of someone who arrived teh other day and went straight to work – they were not advised by immigration that they needed to self isolate, therefore they didn’t feel the need to