A new public holiday is planned for the second Monday in October, after government gave its support to a new ‘national day of wellness’.
The decision follows a private member’s motion in Parliament from independent MP Chris Saunders. It was supported by both the minister of health and minister of finance, and Saunders told the Compass he believes it will be formally introduced this year.
It is the second new holiday added in the past few years, after the establishment of the new Emancipation Day public holiday in May. There will now be a total of 13 public holidays over the year in Cayman.
Saunders had originally been pushing for Cayman to recognise Labour Day, but said he had opted for a different holiday that better reflected Cayman’s history and needs. Though he acknowledged Cayman had benefited from the efforts of trade unions, including through the 40-hour working week, he said it did not have the same history of labour movement as other islands.
“We have a choice. We can become the 180th country on the planet to observe Labour Day, or we can become the first country to recognise a National Day of Wellness,” he said.
The new public holiday will fall on the same day as the US celebrates Columbus Day.
Saunders said it would also break up the long gap without a public holiday between Constitution Day in July and Remembrance Day in November.
But he said it would be more meaningful than just another day off and could be a focal point for free screenings, and could also include fitness classes on the beach, mental health open days or just family games of dominoes.
Describing stress as a “silent deviant” in the community that affected physical, mental and social health, he said the pressures of Cayman’s service economy fell on workers across all sectors.
“The compliance officer working past midnight to meet a final deadline, and the server on their feet for a 10-hour shift in the heat of George Town,” Saunders said. “Those are not different problems; that is the same problem in a different uniform. We have built an economy that is the envy of this region and we have too often asked our people to absorb the cost of that success in their own bodies, minds and sometimes their own health.”
He added, “While this proposed National Day of Wellness won’t stop the stress, it will at least ask us to pause, breathe, and take a self-check.”
Health Minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks spoke in support of the motion, saying it could be designed to highlight public health campaigns.
Minister for Finance and Education Rolston Anglin said he would look to align the school half-term holiday with the new date.
The motion was passed unopposed, but still requires a Cabinet order to move forward.
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