Premier Wayne Panton, speaking at the Grand Cayman launch of the 2021 census, said the upcoming population count will be instrumental in determining an accurate rate of COVID-19 vaccinations.
Officials today launched the preparations for ‘Census 2021’, set to begin on 10 Oct., with the help of singing and dancing schoolchildren at the Marriott Beach Resort.
While there was levity provided by the George Town Primary School children singing the new ‘Census 2021’ jingle, Panton outlined the serious importance of Cayman having an updated count of its population, “so we can more precisely assess the percentage of the actual vaccinated population. We are, at the moment, working from an assessment based on 2010 data.”
The Cayman Islands government, in determining the percentage of population that has been vaccinated so far, is using an estimated population number of 65,000. Under that estimate, as of 25 May, 65% of the population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 56% had completed the two-dose course.
The census to establish how many people live in Cayman is usually done every 10 years. The last one was taken in 2010, but COVID-19 restrictions last year prevented it from being carried out.
Residents of the Cayman Islands will be counted in October and November, when enumerators from the Economics and Statistics Office will visit households and distribute questionnaires. The total population numbers are scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2022, with the final report expected to be published later that year.
Panton said the census was an “important step towards planning a better future for our islands”, stating that once completed, it will provide comprehensive and current data about Cayman’s population.
He said Cayman could no longer rely on data from the 2010 census when coming up with government policies. “Much has changed since then,” he said.
Panton said an updated count of the number of Cayman residents would also help determine how many jobs were lost locally during the pandemic, and would inform employment-related policies. He added that it would also “help evaluate if the Cayman Islands economy has become more diversified in these times of heightened uncertainty in the global economic environment”.
The results of Census 2021 would also impact updating Cayman’s Development Plan, and help address the socio-economic needs of vulnerable members of the community.
“Census 2021 is not just another statistical activity,” Panton said, “it’s an important tool that will provide current statistical data that will inform and support policies, programmes and initiatives across all sectors of our economy and throughout communities.”
Governor Martyn Roper, who was among the officials attending the launch at the Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort, said the combination of local Caymanians and the many nationalities residing and working in the Cayman Islands made it a unique and special place to live.
He added that the data gathered in the census would help Cayman address the challenges for the COVID-19 pandemic, and he urged everyone to be counted.
According to officials, the census results will provide statistics that can be used to manage resources and supply government with enough information to make meaningful changes for the population, including the development of schools, housing, health facilities, and infrastructure.
From 10 Oct., and through the rest of October and November, census takers will gather data such as the age, gender, nationality, employment status, education level, and housing accommodation of household members who are canvassed.
Panton said participants’ personal data will remain confidential under the Statistics Act, and all the information procured will be used purely for statistical purposes.
He added, “The success of Census 2021 depends on every one of us doing our part in making sure that we are counted. Your participation is essential and will help ensure we have accurate and complete data to inform our national decisions.”
- Additional reporting by Alvaro Serey and Lucy Bergstrom
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I sure hope this does not mean that the new Government is going to wait until after the census to consider opening the borders. We are allowing the holdouts to hold us hostage. At some point they must take the medical risk for not being vaccinated and we have to move forward.
It’s time to re-open. People should be able to choose if they want the vaccine. If they don’t, they are putting themselves at risk. That’s up to them. Don’t make all of the people that rely on Cayman tourism suffer for the decisions of others.
We wont have the expat workers back by then, so a complete waste of time for an accurate assessment. What a bunch of nonsense. Wait a year to when things are back to where we can get an accurate count of perceived population.
Give us a clue as to what may have to happen, or possibly a date as a goal to opening the borders.
Stop hiding and say something.
I do not understand why 33 people are against the census
There is no need for a Population Census if proper Record Keeping/Accounting is being done:
Births, Deaths, Immigration Arrivals & Departures, Visitors, Work Permit Holders, Cancellations of Work-Permits, Overstayers, Non-Caymanians in Prison/detention, etc. With all the modern technology and computerized systems/data bases there is no excuse to not be able to click on a button and see the numbers immediately.
There should be no dead people on voting registers either if proper Record Keeping/Accounting is being done.
Immigration/Border Control knows if there are overstayers who have not left the island, they can easily find them just like how an escaped prisoner is easily found because the island is too small to successfully hide in.
Computers been around for decades now. There is no excuse. Population should not have to help Government to do their Recordkeeping/Accounting, that is ridiculous in these modern times with technology/computers/data bases, etc especially in such a tiny little island nation.
And if some people don’t want the vaccine, they should not be forced to take it. Only in Tyrannical Communist Countries that could happen, not in a “free-world” Country.