Leader of the Opposition Roy McTaggart has welcomed the upcoming lifting of the mask mandate and pre-arrival COVID testing, but is calling on government to deliver a timeline on plans to remove remaining restrictions, including a ban on unvaccinated tourists.
In a statement issued Monday morning, McTaggart said the changes to regulations issued on Friday were “a reasonable first step to removing the restrictions on those living in our Islands while also improving the ease for visitors to travel here and help regrow the tourism sector”.
But he added, “Like many places, the Cayman Islands will continue to disallow unvaccinated tourists, other than unvaccinated children, from travelling to our Islands. As more countries begin to allow entry to unvaccinated travellers, particularly within the North American market, we will also need to revisit this.
“Tourism cannot return to ‘normal’ levels without us accepting unvaccinated tourists. I do hope that Government will provide all of us with their plans or thinking, including a potential timeline, for removing the remaining restrictions.”
Currently, the only unvaccinated individuals allowed to enter Cayman are Caymanians, residents, those with close ties to the islands, a child travelling with vaccinated companions, or a child visiting those with close ties to the islands.
The opposition leader noted that the initial announcement on Friday night of the lifting of the mask mandate and pre-arrival COVID testing was made by publishing the changes in the official government gazette. No government press release was issued to the media and no press briefing was held to announce the changes, which come into effect on 30 June.
McTaggart, in his statement said, “The Government has not indicated whether other changes would follow and, if so, when.”
He also called on government to “seriously redouble its efforts to get boosters in the arms of those who have not yet received them”.
Almost 92% of the population has had two doses of vaccine, but only 36% have had a third, or booster, dose, he noted.
Related Videos
Cayman government continues to prove to the world how incompetent they are. When an unvaxxed Caymanian can travel abroad and back (to countries with zero restrictions and higher chance of catching c19) and cruise ship passengers can enter without quarantine but homeowners still have to quarantine for 7 days makes absolutely zero sense. Would have been smarter to keep the testing requirements (every 3 days or so) and eliminate quarantine so people can get out and spend their money while simultaneously ensuring negative status. If we’re spending as much as we do to travel and stay in cayman we don’t mind spending the $40 on testing on island.
They continue to kill the tourism industry. How many businesses are they going to lose before they stop with this nonsense? What will be left? The only country in the world that is acting like the don’t know the science after 2 years. Cayman is going to keep losing tourism to other islands like Aruba that only require an entry test even for the unvaxxed with no tests after entry test. UK govt dropped everything months ago. We need smarter people in government like this opposition guy.
Government you are doing exactly as you should for your people!!!
Please continue to protect your people and ignore the selfish demands of tourists!!