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Cayman considering CDC’s revised guidelines, and others, on isolation policies

29 December 2021

Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton says the Cayman Islands is “taking into consideration” new guidelines by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on reduced isolation requirements for COVID-positive individuals, as well as guidance from other entities internationally.

On Monday, 27 Dec., the CDC announced that it was shortening the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19, to five days, if asymptomatic or if symptoms resolve. If symptoms, such as fever, continue, the recommendation is to continue to isolate until the symptoms disappear.

The CDC also updated the recommended quarantine period for those who have come into close contact with people with COVID-19, stating that if they received a booster shot, or if they were fully vaccinated within the preceding six months, they do not need to isolate, but should wear a mask around others for 10 day and get tested after five days. Unvaccinated people or those who were vaccinated more than six months earlier, who have been exposed to COVID, should quarantine for five days, the CDC now advises.

Newton, in response to media queries on whether Public Health was considering revising its quarantine and isolation policies in light of the CDC announcement, said, “Public Health relies on evidence and guidance from several international institutions, including WHO, the UK Health Security Agency, ECDC [European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control] and CDC, on best practices for COVID-19 management.

“We are reviewing current testing and quarantine arrangements to ensure that these are the best possible fit to the rapidly evolving situation. We are aiming to strike the right balance between safeguarding the life of people and ensuring that the country is still functioning as effectively as possible. With this in mind, the CDC’s new guidance on isolation times will be taken into consideration alongside other sources to find the best proposal for the Cayman Islands.”

The current COVID rules in Cayman state that people who test positive for COVID must isolate for 10 days and then be tested again. However, if a PCR test has shown that a person has the Omicron variant, they are required to isolate for 14 days, although Public Health may release vaccinated individuals if they and their household test negative on day 11.

While no new statistics on COVID cases in Cayman have been released since Christmas Eve, on that date, there were a total of 3,605 active cases, including 103 confirmed or suspected cases with the highly contagious Omicron variant.

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As of 24 Dec., there were six COVID patients in hospital.

New figures covering the Christmas period are expected to be released later today by Public Health.