How Well Cayman have Managed COVID
The COVID-19 outbreak since early 2020 has brought great disasters to the people of all countries. This is a global pandemic with the widest impact in nearly a century – more than 200 countries and regions have been affected, and the lives of tens of millions of people have been threatened.
In the face of this rare public health crisis, the Cayman government immediately launched the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control campaign.
One of the most important means to achieve better results of epidemic prevention and control is to cut off the spread. In order to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 in the Cayman Islands, multiple protection measures have been implemented in the Cayman Islands to minimize the risk level.
One of Government’s first decisions was to close the sea borders to all cruise and private yacht traffic from 16 March and to restrict land entry to all countries in the Schengen area, China, Iran, Japan, and South Korea, in line with global standards. Airports in the Cayman Islands were first closed at 11:59pm on Sunday, 22 March 2020. will remain closed to international leisure and non-essential travel until at least 1 October 2020. All educational institutions were closed on March 16, 2020. Cabinet had approved funding for the provision of laptops to all government school students for online education. The government further proposed a curfew on March 25 to ban gathering to stop the spread of the virus.
The government has also provided one-time food voucher and further financial assistance to the residents and non Caymanians of the Cayman Islands. There is also an approved special fund to provide financial support to enterprises and exempt on the islands waived tourist accommodation taxes and trade and business license fees, so as to reduce the burden of enterprises. The Medical Officer of Health set up two field hospitals to provide facilities for the treatment and patients and milder COVID-19 cases, in the eventcase the number of cases were to increase and overwhelm existing healthcare facilities. Covid-19 screening is currently available to all of the members of the public for free.
The government has played a crucial role in the battle against the epidemic. The efficient organization and coordination of the government, strict control and isolation measures, and scientific and accurate treatment plan have laid a solid foundation for the success of epidemic prevention and control. The Cayman Islands received the first batch of these vaccines on 5th January 2021 and commenced the COVID-19 National Vaccination programme shortly thereafter.
Premier of Cayman Islands Alden McLaughlin has announced in his New Year’s message that with the expected arrival of coronavirus vaccines, British Overseas territory will be reopening its border to tourists in March.
The beautiful paradise – Caymans in the Caribbean waiting for you!!