DG: New website to resolve travel troubles
(CNS): Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said a new website for inbound travellers has been formally launched, and anyone wishing to come into Cayman in November must now re-apply to this new portal to get clearance and organise their quarantine options. After significant problems with the previous transition of responsibility for this function, the DG told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that this new regime will be more efficient.
Manderson admitted that the move from TravelTime to TravelCayman on 1 October did not go smoothly, and that the number of travellers wanting to come home had overwhelmed the team.
“The civil service aims to provide an exemplary service to our customers. When we do not achieve this goal we will not make excuses; we will not bury our heads in the sand and hope the problem goes away; we redouble our efforts and resolve the problem,” said Manderson, who is head of the civil service.
Outlining the new system, he confirmed that only applications for people who are travelling in November will be dealt with at present, and he noted the growing numbers of applications for inbound travel.
Describing the new website as a user-friendly online gateway, he said it should reduce the need for people to call. He also said that the team had already significantly reduced the time people were waiting when they called to ask questions.
Since the site launched for a test run last week, over 750 travel requests have been received and 287 travel approvals were issued as of Saturday.
“The new TravelCayman site is expected to greatly improve the traveller experience by reducing the need to call or email the TraveCayman team for information,” Manderson said. “The site manages the applications based on arrival dates and quarantine requirements, thereby removing the
need for manual sorting and responding to each query, which streamlines and speeds up the application process. Since launching the site the TravelCayman call lines have been cleared and feedback on the portal has been positive,” he said.
In a press release following his statement in the LA, officials explained that this new portal is a cross-ministerial project and comprises teams from a number of government agencies working in collaboration. Over 140 staff from core government, statutory authorities and government-owned companies have been redeployed to work with TravelCayman, and are assisting with various aspects of the travel management, travel support, health screening and monitoring and compliance requirements.
As the volume of travellers increases over time, the number of staff members assigned to support the project is increasing, officials added.
The deputy governor also revealed that a new travel support team has been created, which is being staffed in collaboration with the Ritz-Carlton, to talk to travellers who have queries or need non-emergency assistance while in quarantine.
The new application process is similar to the system under its predecessor, TravelTime. Anyone wanting to travel to the Cayman Islands is required to register on the TravelCayman site, which guides them through the provision of basic information online. Using the new portal, travellers are able to select their preferred quarantine option and can input details on other people who will be travelling with them.
If the traveller will quarantine with non-travelling household members, their details can be entered at the same time. The site also requires travellers to specify their immigration status.
Once the completed application has been submitted, the applicant receives an automatically generated email advising them when they can expect to hear back from the TravelCayman team. The travel request then appears on the dashboards of multiple government agencies, each of which plays a part in reviewing and approving the travel request.
Customs and Border Control will check the immigration status to confirm that the traveller complies with prevailing policies. Meanwhile, several teams of inspectors will validate that the proposed residential quarantine location is suitable for the prescribed quarantine period.
When all checks have been completed in the system, a Certificate to Travel is automatically issued, and applicable traveller data is passed on to relevant agencies as required. For example, the Health Services Authority would receive a complete list of incoming passengers two days before a flight so that they can register travellers in the system that is used to manage COVID-19 PCR testing and prepare and label the tests that will be required each day.
Travellers who have not submitted an application and received approval to travel from TravelCayman will not be permitted to board a repatriation flight to the Cayman Islands. TravelCayman authorisation is in addition to normal entry and landing requirements.
British Airways has increased its service to the Cayman Islands and is now offering weekly flights from Heathrow, London, to Grand Cayman. The dates of approved flights into the destination are 29 October plus 5, 12, 19 and 26 November and 3 December. Details are not yet available for additional approved flights in December but further information will be published when dates are released.
To book an approved BA repatriation flight, travellers are requested to contact British Airways directly on the BA website.
The public is reminded that although there are no restrictions on outbound travel from the Cayman Islands, non-essential travel is strongly discouraged due to the limited availability of inbound flights. Travellers may therefore have to remain overseas longer than anticipated.
Government has not granted approval for international commercial flights to resume to the Cayman Islands other than the BA flights and a limited Cayman Airways schedule. Travellers who book non-approved flights with carriers are doing so at their own risk.
Travellers are asked to note that currently they can only select their preferred quarantine arrangements via the TravelCayman portal for November travel. This is a temporary measure to allow applications for travellers arriving in November to be prioritised.
Travellers who have already applied for November arrival through TravelTime are asked to reapply through the new TravelCayman portal in order to select their quarantine option.
Questions about inbound travel should be emailed to
TravelCayman@gov.ky
or people can call 743-8463 between the hours of 8:30am and 5:00pm,
Monday through Friday.
Category: Local News, Transport
Site worked great. Applied on Monday. Acknowledged quickly. Approval received 48 hours later. Over 2 weeks prior to travel. 👍👍
So they have 140 staff, and so far have managed to deal with just twice that in applications? What the hell are they all doing?
Being obstructionists, enjoying the power they hold over people and celebrating their incompetence
Why do you think that all 140 people have the same role? Read above article.
*press release
The new website is rigged. I have been trying to put in a request for days. For some reason the plus sign to click to put in a travel request is not even visible on the page. But I’ve heard other people successfully getting through.hmmm. This whole pandemic has opened my eyes to see how corrupt cayman government is.
They know who you are, get an IP address blocker…
Good idea. Thank you.
shhhh… i bet they can read your thoughts as well.. make sure you wear that aluminum foil hat tonight, reallly tight, because they must be able to tell who you are through the website
Sadly we live in time when aluminum hat joke is not a laughing matter. But I won’t waste arguments on you. You seems to got your chip already or nuked your brain so it only works in one direction.
I was reading the archives from 1918-1919 when Spanish flu was rampant. The articles specifically on masks. Municipalities had passed mandatory face mask laws.
Most people complied. A small number resisted, were fined yet continued with their rant against the abiding population about being controlled by Government. I laughed out loud.
Here we are 100 years later, and despite the overwhelming majority complying to mask wearing, the supposed One World Order has still not managed to exercise their control as we watch the mask debate restart in 2020.
What other conspiracy theories should we be worried about next foil hat wearers?
Probably just an issue with your browser.
CIG still using IE.
Like millions of others.
In the rest of the third world.
Lol you need to create your profile first. There are literally step by step instructions as soon as you sign in…
I followed the steps Sherlock
I’m sure you did… not
Worked fine. Most sites you have to set up your personal profile first. What is the issue?
Having been hugely critical of the preceding farce, this has been an infinite improvement so far- application straightforward, approved within 48 hours, ten days ahead of travel. Glad to see the issues addressed.
I think the website is rigged. I have been refreshing the travel request page to see if a plus sign pops up for me to request incoming travel. Other people have gotten through with successfully making a travel request but on mine nothing is popping up to even apply.
You have to simply add the primary Traveller’s information first, on the profile tab.
Did that !
Okay, after saving information under profile tab, and then going to the travel request tab, the green +Add Travel Request Button should appear on top right side of screen.
Who will be held accountable for it not going smoothly Franz? Eric? Tasha? No one? Oh forget it, we already know the answer. Awards time!
Maybe the DG could also explain away why air cargo is taking 4 weeks to clear customs!? Incompetence has become a way of life here. It’s becoming very third world, very unfortunate and not acceptable. Anything touched by his civil service is in shambles and yet he is never held accountable!
I need off this rock but but also need to come back. I can see myself being stuck in the UK until TravelChaos get their act together.
TravelChaos – lol. Perfect description.
The solution for incompetent civil service is a new website? That will not fix the lazy, useless, unhelpful attitude problem.
Actually it did. Got right on, and booking was made. Got to choose my hotel!
No you didn’t! All it does is allow you to make a request – it doesn’t grant applications on the spot.
Wow. Instant gratification much? If the site gave you approval bet you would then complain that it was accessing info on you that it should not be. Relax. Waiting a couple of days will not damage you.
And nothing will fix your ignorance. It must be bliss indeed
Did Franz also tell them about the thousands of unanswered emails?
Thank you Franz for making it at least functional. We know what you are working with. The voter class. Awesome Management.
Incompetence at the highest level, top to bottom.
Used the site yesterday. Worked very for a resident returning in Nov. Now will await the vetting process and approval.
#christmasshoppingtripbooked
#mindyabusiness
#shoplocal
#caymankind
BS. No shopping. Carefully visiting family. Caymanians willing to quarantine on return as required by law.
So does reapplying mean that everyone backlogged from October and before just lost their place in the queue after being on a waiting list all this time?
CNS really needs to demand from Govt at next briefing how many of the 800 in October were Caymanian/PR vs visitors or work permits.
We all know they wont have the information “available” but it should still be asked just so they know we are holding them accountable for such proof/information after all their promises of Caymanians/residents having priority.
how do we know if self quaranteeners are having visits from family and friends???
will keep asking
Que? No comprende
Because the law says you cant. Just because you don’t follow the rules does not mean everyone does not.
You can volunteer to be a 24hr monitor.
Lol, this person needs to get occupied, otherwise he goes nuts. Every 4 comments here is from him, worrying about COVID.
As of today, 0.6% of world’s population tested positive for COVID 19, that includes asymptotic. That is a lot of people, I know, and each life matters. But chances to get infected in Cayman are very low, not because of quarantines, but because of plenty of sun, fresh air and beaches.
2:24am, do you have family, friends, who could help you with your fears? People, please, if yours family member seems to be obsessed with the virus, kindly step in and help..
So I can do the job you get paid to do? No thanks.
Just to be clear Aliens brought this down to earth and are coming to Cayman next week.
and still no pre-testing of travellers before they board their plane to cayman????
This was proposed, however is unrealistic as most Travellers were unable to find any health facility able to return the results within 72hours. There is also the issue of being exposed when traveling through airports, as well as forged results.
more red tape???….clear as mud franz…
This comment thread really proves that no matter what, you can’t please people. I can only imagine the amount of work put into this. When was the last time you all had to manage a global pandemic?
Look, we pay good money for them to work. No more excuses for lazy!
8:58 Pay good money? To who? We don’t pay taxes.
Are you kidding me? I pay for every one of those goofers salaries- including the clowns in parliament. 22% of everything I buy, stamp duty, gov fees all for a of taxes. They are CIVIL servants because we pay for them. But the service and civil seems to have escaped them entirely.
Can you please pay me more? I can’t afford rent in my own country yet work 11+ hours a day. Thank you master.
Can you believe the post office is still closed on Saturdays??
Has anyone received mail from the US yet?
The bottom line is will Version #3 of TravelTime/TravelCayman/TravelUnameit be able to produce a Travel Cerificate at least one week before the date of return travel assuming they have recd the application well in advance.
One week in advance is in itself not acceptable. Surely our sophisticated, highly paid civil service can do better than that!
Highly paid????? LOL
Some of us risk our health every day for the benefit of YOU, yet do not make enough to be able to rent a 1 bedroom shack. Please humble yourself.
Could Mr Manderson “redouble his efforts” to resolve the problem of phones throughout the Civil Service not being answered, or voice mail messages being returned. So far all his efforts since he was first appointed to head the C.S. (a long time ago) have failed miserably.
Last time they answered the phone it was Alexander Graham Bell calling.
Presumably, The Ritz-Carlton will be paid for the use of their staff?!
Or they can get paid by the NAU, you choose.
Not Caymanians. Why would NAU be responsible?
Dat what you believe. Hang tight.
Why should we pay Ritz? Management still owes us back concessions!! Unless it goes directly to staff members, I would consider it working off debt.
When will they give DG Manderson and his team OBE’s and a Knighthood for this latest cock up?
The great news is that the DG is building a mental heath facility just for you.
New Years honours list – suspect we’ll see the DG, Alden and the Gov on it.
Just Another Day in Absurdistan
These are all repatriation flights. Why aren’t they just called that instead of making it seem like the island is open when it really isn’t open for tourism? Very misleading.
Another disaster brought to us by Franz Manderson and his “world class” civil service. Shocking stuff that they see nothing wrong with such incompetence and nobody is held accountable for costly mistakes impacting many lives.
7:54. You mean you read this article and the first though that entered the space above you neck was cock up? Really!! Get help
The entire reopening of our borders has been world class. Find a country that has done it better.
Our boarder is NOT open. Ons shouldn’t compare apples to oranges.
8.50am You again.How many more times need I remind you – its “borders”!.
😂 LOL. Can’t teach an old horse new tricks.
Our English tutoring centres are however open, give it some thought.
And to think people gave me thumbs down for writing April 2021 in August. Here we are going into November and absolutely no indication of opening the border. Which by definition means allowing those who don’t have a right to be here to fly in. I’m not bashing government’s actions, I’m merely pointing out April 2021 is when persons can perhaps think of traveling again without having to seek permission from our government. Maybe.
7:54 you must be living in USA or UK.
Exactly what mistakes are you referring to? Must be the mistake that has cost 0 Caymanian lives.
Why do travelers have to confirm their immigration status? Does government not know?
(Of course they don’t, but that’s a pretty scary state of affairs).
Are you daft? It clearly says it is reviewed by CBC…
And you think CBC know?
Actually, yes. They usually do… they possess records of work permits and can verify whether or not an applicant is Caymanian.
No they cannot. Only the director of WORC can do that and there is no central accurate register of who is Caymanian.
No such thing as a Caymanian either.
November? How about clearing the October applicants first! Many have still had no response despite having applied months ago (and were told by the Premier not to reapply).
He said do not reapply for October travel. Obviously you have not been approved for October. Reapply for November.
“having applied months ago”. Franz said you all don’t make excuses, clearly he lied.
It is a completely different system. Just shut it and reapply like you will end up doing anyway.
They have access to the previous requests, they just refuse to acknowledge them. How about you shut up and get back to processing those requests like you should have done weeks ago.
It sounds like you’re the one who works there?