Under new COVID-19 regulations, the 1,000-person limit on outdoor public gatherings has been lifted, but the indoor mask mandate remains in place.
The amendments to the regulations, which came into effect today, 28 April, mean that street parades and processions, as well as outdoor sporting events, can go ahead without Cabinet’s permission and with no restrictions on the number of participants or spectators taking part.
The size limit on indoor public gatherings has been increased from 500 to 750.
Addressing the continuing mask mandate, Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Autilia Newton, in a statement issued this morning, said, “While we acknowledge that some countries have lifted mask-wearing requirements, we have to consider and assess the implications for protecting our population and healthcare system. Mask-wearing is still required for indoor events where a distance of six feet cannot be constantly maintained, especially since we have noticed a recent increase in new cases over the last four weeks.”
During the week of 17 to 23 April, Public Health counted 460 new COVID-19 cases, compared with 373 positives one week earlier.
There have been calls in recent weeks for the mask mandate to be lifted, including from the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce, who say scrapping that requirement should be the way forward, given the islands’ high vaccination and low hospitalisation numbers.
According to Public Health, last week nine people were in hospital for COVID-related issues, with one new admission that week.
Masks on planes
The new regulations also specifically address the wearing of masks on aircraft, noting that anyone on board an aircraft in Cayman, including the captain and crew, must wear a face covering.
Planes are now listed among the types of public transport, which include buses and taxis, on which face coverings must be worn.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness, announcing the new regulations, pointed out that even though US-based airlines have been removing the requirement for passengers to wear masks on board domestic flights, international inbound flights to the Cayman Islands will still require passengers to wear masks during those journeys.
The regulations, however, allow a captain or crew member who is not engaging with passengers to remove their mask.
The regulations will expire on 30 June.
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Hmmm can these rules get any crazier?
Hypothetically speaking: I’m flying from DFW to Grand Cayman. The first leg of my flight is from DFW to MIA, on this flight I do not need to wear a mask. At the airport, in MIA I do not need to wear a mask but when I get on the flight from MIA to GCM I’m required to wear a mask. How is this helpful? When you factor in the wait time at DFW to board the flight, and the layover in MIA I’ve spent 7-8 hours hanging out with a bunch of people indoors and on a plane without a mask but putting my mask on when I make the 1.5 hour flight from MIA to GCM is somehow going to prevent COVID from making it’s way to Cayman? SMH
Now let’s once again talk about the different requirements for cruise passengers vs residents or visitors arriving by air. Cruise passengers are not required to apply to Travel Cayman, they are not required to have a negative COVID test one day before disembarking from the ship, yet air passengers must get permission to travel and must be tested one day before they set foot off the flight to Cayman. I will NEVER understand or accept that this practice is acceptable. The rules should be the same for air arrivals and cruise arrivals. Figure it out PACT! Stop treating the visitors who spend the most money like second-class citizens while allowing unlimited cruise ships to arrive with thousands of people crowding the streets spending little money.
As for masks – there is no reason to continue the mask mandate unless everyone is required to wear a proper fitting KN95 or N95 mask. Cloth masks that have not been washed in days or weeks or months (ewwww) are basically worthless. Surgical masks might help a little but not if they are worn below the nose. And we have a health minister that doesn’t follow the policy and then apologizes for her mistake. Give me a break.
And don’t get me started on how unfair it is to force families with kids ages 12 and over to have their kids fully vaccinated before they can visit without quarantine. I support the COVID vaccine, I believe it helps but I do not support forcing parents to vaccinate their 12-17 year old kids. This rule alone continues to keep Cayman closed to many families wishing to vacation here. Until this rule is dropped tourism will never return to normal.
OK rant over
Well said!
Good job Cayman – continue to protect your people because obviously you can’t rely on others to be reasonable, compassionate, understanding & respectful.
If you must impose restrictions to keep your island and it’s residents safe, please do so!! Rational tourists will surely understand your position.