58-hour full curfew imposed from tonight
(CNS): After receiving requests for more than 20,000 people in the private sector to be exempt from a ‘stay in place’ order, the premier has followed through on his threat to impose a full curfew. From 7pm on Wednesday night until 5am Saturday, Cayman will go on a full round-the-clock curfew for everyone except the most essential people. By that time the government hopes to have a manageable ‘shelter in place’ directive worked out.
Speaking at the regular daily press briefing on Wednesday, following news that two more people have tested positive for COVID-19, including one that was a false negative, Premier Alden McLaughlin said that during this limited period of considerable risk, the goal was to try to stop any community spread of this dangerous novel coronavirus.
During this two and a half day full lockdown all businesses will be forced under the law to close, including supermarkets, and only a very limited number of people with jobs in specific categories will be allowed out. Apart from those people who have requested and received exemption, the curfew requires every single person to remain in their homes for 58 hours, starting this evening from 7:00pm (Wednesday 25 March) when everything must shut down, until 5:00am on Saturday, 28 March.
McLaughlin said a ‘shelter in place’ order that people were just going to breach would be almost impossible for the police to manage and would have been futile. A curfew, however, will allow only a very specific group of people out and they will be required to have passes.
The premier explained that government had decided to take this drastic measure to try to prevent any community transmission of the disease, given that it can no longer be introduced from outside, and give Cayman a chance of getting through this with a relatively low number of COVID-19 cases.
McLaughlin said that if people stay home through the next ten days, we still have a chance of controlling the spread and will then have a better idea of where we stand, especially as we do not have enough tests to ever get an accurate picture of the transmission rate. The only way to manage the pandemic, he said, was to stop people mixing during this heightened time of risk.
Given the lack of cooperation from the private sector over closing businesses under a ‘stay at home’ general order, the premier said he had no choice but to force a curfew in the interim.
He said the Cabinet and the opposition will be working on the ‘shelter in place’ order over the next few days. This will be imposed on Saturday, when supermarkets will re-open and people will be allowed to leave their homes, still under restricted conditions but not as limited as the curfew.
The list of job categories that qualify people to apply for exemption during the imminent curfew is in the CNS Library.
Anyone who believes they fall into these categories can contact curfewtime@gov.ky to get a pass that will allow them to be outside during the 58-hour curfew.
See the full press briefing below:
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Category: Health, Local News, Medical Health
I am a caregiver who cares for a register nurse baby, and I can’t go to work, who do they expected to Care for the child, when the nurse is at work, isn’t the child fall in the vulnerable category?
No point in having a curfew till Saturday!!! Do you think this virus is going to jump on the bus and go then??? The U.K. is on lockdown for the next 3 weeks and will be extended thereafter. There are no shops open apart from food outlets like supermarkets only and Pharmacies. There are 12,000 confirmed people with this virus and probably tens of thousands more not confirmed through lack of testing. There are 600 deaths already and rising. Cayman is not immune to this virus!! STAY HOME AND YOU WILL SAVE LIVES!!
After reading 210 comments I came to conclusion that Cayman desperately needs to implement in schools and kindergartens the following courses (adjusted for appropriate age)
1. Interpersonal communication
2. Basic manners
3. Diplomacy
4. Tolerance and acceptance of others
5. How to control emotions under stress
6. How to deal with life’s unfairness
7. How to cope with loss
8. How to express sympathy
Ha ha! Good one!
No. We are in lockdown because employers have shown that profit is more important than employees lives.
Elsewhere it is clear-cut. XXXX
CNS: I deleted your list because the Cayman Islands ‘shelter in place’ rules and regulations will be announced tomorrow and people might get confused if they read a list from elsewhere.
Hear hear keep everyone on lock-down for 10 days to keep our population safe please!!!
I’m currently watching the premier give his briefing. Oh my god Cayman, this is a f******g car crash. From the amateur tv presentation, to the dreadful delivery of our leader doesn’t inspire any confidence in this government or Cayman’s capability to combat Covid-19.
Would you rather that or the lies Trump and Boris spout in their made for camera way? Give me this any time over that. If I want entertainment I will turn on Netlfix. I want facts, the full facts and nothing else, and you feel that you are getting that here.