Please submit your claims via your Generali Portals or email globalservice@generalihealth.com. Remember to sign up for wire transfer payments for claim reimbursements. For queries: 345-747-2000, 1-877-618-7016, 1-905-669-7353 or email caymanservice@generali-healthcare.com. Dear Valued Members and Providers cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 75 CENTS | Funding local journalism | Thursday, 19 March 2020 $3 million earmarked for COVID-19 Page 4 Mortgage, credit card payment deferrals offered Page 9 Police launch high-visibility patrols Page 12 - Photo: Taneos Ramsay $3 million earmarked for COVID-19 Returning students to be isolated in empty hotels Page 2Temporarily closed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. Box 1365 Grand Cayman, KY1-1108 Cayman Islands Telephone: (345) 815-0095 Email: newsdesk@compassmedia.ky ADVERTISE WITH US: T: (345) 949-5111 E: sales@compassmedia.ky W: caymancompass.com PUBLISHER KATHLEEN CAPETTA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF KEVIN MORALES Partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of late night showers. weather Forecast today Cayman Islands 86°F 75°F HIGH LOW WINDS East to northeast at 10 to 15 knots with higher gusts. SEA STATE Rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution over open water. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Hundreds of returning students will be temporarily housed in hotels in Cayman to allow them to isolate without impacting their families. Premier Alden McLaughlin said the measure was being put in place as an option to prevent entire households from having to be isolated. He said this was a particular concern where there were essential workers in the family, for example police officers or nurses. Health officials have warned that anyone returning to the island must self-isolate for 14 days in case they have been exposed to the virus. If they return to their homes, their families must isolate as well, which would risk taking essential staff out of service. The special measures for students, many of whom will be returning from the UK or the US where the virus is present, are optional. It will mean they cannot be in physical contact with their families and have to be transported directly to the participating hotel. In cases where younger children are returning from boarding school to the home of an essential worker, the premier said the worker would be offered alternative accommodation as the hotel sites will not be able to accept young children. McLaughlin said government wanted to ensure its citizens could return home during this “global crisis”. And he thanked hoteliers for offering their support to ensure they could do so without the risk of taking much-needed frontline staff out of the workforce. He said three hotels had offered support, but did not name them at this point, with logistics being worked out. He said there would likely be two facilities – one for students who may have been exposed and did not want to put their families through the inconvenience of home isolation, particularly where family members were needed in frontline roles. Another location will be for essential workers who had not been potentially exposed to the virus but may need to stay separate from family members who have returned from overseas and are in isolation. Hundreds of young people are expected to return to Cayman over the next few days, with the airport set to close to air traffic on Sunday. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said isolation was imperative for returning students and other residents and their families. “For students returning home, this is isolation. It is not a group activity. It is something you have to handle on your own for the safety of the island,” he said. Stipends The premier also announced a stipend to all Caymanian bus, taxi and watersports operators of $600 to cover the month of the airport closure. He said they would reach out to everyone on the list of licensed operators. “They don’t need to do anything.” He confirmed that teachers would continue to be paid. “There are no civil servants that have to worry about their salaries,” he said. He praised the business community for their response. Butterfield Bank has offered a mortgage holiday to its customers and several hotels, including all of Dart’s properties, are continuing to pay their staff despite closing their doors for now. Governor Martyn Roper said talks were continuing to maintain an “air bridge” with the UK during the shutdown. This would be for supplies, equipment and possibly emergency personnel but not travellers. McLaughlin was in talks with British Overseas Territories Minister Baroness Liz Sugg Wednesday morning. He said it had been agreed that Cayman was best placed to operate as a hub for the other territories, using Cayman Airways if necessary to distribute resources to those territories. In response to questions from the public, Lee explained that there is no current evidence that pets can spread the virus. Cayman’s first, and so far only, coronavirus case was confirmed Thursday. The victim – a 68-year- old Italian man who was taken from a cruise ship to Health City with heart problems – died from complications associated with the virus on Saturday. Around 30 hospital staff who had come into contact with the patient were placed in isolation and tested for the virus, and the East End facility was closed temporarily as a precautionary measure. Health officials announced Monday that 19 of those tests had come back negative with others still pending. There are 44 cases that have been tested and are awaiting review. A further 20 tested negative and are awaiting confirmation of those results from the Caribbean Public Health Agency. Government has put in place drastic emergency measures to prevent the virus from spreading rapidly in Cayman. Bars, gyms and restaurants will close to customers from Sunday. Cruise lines have been banned from the island since last Monday and that will be extended to include yachts. Public gatherings of more than 50 people are outlawed. Cayman will close to all passenger air traffic from 11:59pm Sunday for three weeks. After that, no one will be allowed in or out of the country, save for in exceptional circumstances. Returning students to be isolated in empty hotels The special measures for students, many of whom will be returning from the UK or the US where the virus is present, are optional . Premier Alden McLaughlin makes a point at Wednesday's COVID-19 press briefing at the GIS studio at Government Administration Building. 2Get the Cayman Compass delivered to your door. Starting Sunday, 15 March Subscriptions: $10 per week or $35 per month. Email Demi Bush at dbush@compassmedia.ky or visit caymancompass.com to sign up today. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass Working from home? Don’t want to leave your house? cayman compass 3 THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2020123456 7 89 1011 12131415 16 17181920 2122 23 123456 7 89 1011 12131415 16 17181920 2122 23 ACROSS 1 Brief survey (3-7) 8 Hidden store (5) 9 Green leaf vegetable (7) 10 Enormous (7) 11 In the lead (5) 12 Sanctuary (6) 14 Against (6) 17 Make reparation for (5) 19 Innovator (7) 21 Small pebbles on seashore (7) 22 Plant with ray flowers (5) 23 Energy (3-2-3-2) DOWN 2 Mysterious (7) 3 Stealing (5) 4 An unsurpassed statistic (6) 5 Sense of slight (7) 6 Lift with great effort (5) 7 Tempt to do wrong (4,6) 8 Produce an impression (4,6) 13 Nervously tense (7) 15 Apparent (7) 16 Maintenance (6) 18 Current (5) 20 Of a former age (5) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16330 The numbers in the black cells are clues. Numbers above the slash are across clues. Number below the slash are down clues. The goal is to enter digits 1 - 9 in the white cells to add up to the number clues. You cannot enter any digit more than once when adding up to clue. YeSteRDAY'S SOLUtIONS Puzzle 16329 ACROSS: 1 Euclid, 4 Proper, 9 Curacao, 10 Basil, 11 Satin, 12 No doubt, 13 Eager beaver, 18 Culprit, 20 Label, 22 Thorn, 23 Earlier, 24 Hidden, 25 Heyday. DOWN: 1 Excess, 2 Carat, 3 Incense, 5 Rabid, 6 Pasture, 7 Relate, 8 Go one better, 14 All told, 15 At large, 16 Scotch, 17 Flurry, 19 Rinse, 21 Build. cartoon Jake Fuller NAU gearing up for application influx RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Government has tapped into the National Disaster Fund to the tune of $3 million as it readies to provide support for Caymanian workers facing the breadline due to the collapse of the tourism industry. Premier Alden McLaughlin, speaking at Tuesday’s COVID-19 press briefing, said Cabinet allocated the $3 million from the fund “to be able to deal with contingencies arising out of the crisis”. He also announced that a one-off stipend of $425 will be paid to all seamen and veterans in addition to their normal $850 ex-gratia payment. Recipients of permanent financial assistance will also receive additional support. “Government will also make a one-time stipend payment on 30th March to families who are currently in receipt of food vouchers to accommodate additional supplies. Currently, government supports 311 families with food vouchers. Government is expecting a doubling in the number of families currently supported and are budgeting to cover a three-month period,” he said. There are currently 1,026 recipients of permanent financial assistance, and 841 seaman and 81 veterans receiving ex-gratia payments. As thousands of workers face the reality of unemployment, largely due to the coronavirus restrictions on cruises and flights, the premier said government will be ramping up the Needs Assessment Unit to expedite applications. He said the applications will be processed using a means test. “We are gearing up so they can handle those applications by phone or by email rather than having to have the face- to-face assessments that go on. So, persons who are struggling will go through the same sort of means testing to determine whether or not they qualify for the assistance,” the premier said. McLaughlin, who is also community affairs minister, said the NAU is not just preparing in terms of budget, but also human resources so it can manage the expected influx. He added that, while it was “anybody’s guess” how many Caymanians will seek support, government is prepared to redeploy staff to make ensure the system can handle the “unprecedented” situation Cayman is facing. $3M set aside for COVID-19 support $3 million Withdrawn from National Disaster Fund ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Police officers responded to reports of a gunshot being fired on the outskirts of the Rock Hole community on Monday night. Shortly after 7:30pm, the Firearms Response Unit was dispatched to McField Square, at the junction of School Road and Gresscott Lane, George Town, a spokesperson for the RCIPS said. “Officers attended the locations and made checks in the area,” said RCIPS media officer Jodi-Ann Powery. “No injuries were identified, and no illegal activities were seen while the officers were present.” The matter remains under police investigation. Anyone with information can contact the George Town Police station at 949-4222. Police respond to report of gunshot Police have named the man who was stabbed to death in North Side on Sunday as 27-year- old Marvin Xavier Conolly Armendarez. A 36-year-old-woman arrested in relation to the incident remained in police custody Tuesday while investigations continue. A press release from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service stated that the court had granted an extension request to continue holding her in custody on Monday. Victim of fatal stabbing named NAU statistics • 1,026 on permanent financial assistance • 311 families on financial support Premier Alden McLaughlin 4Premier pledges help, says employers have to do their part RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky With further restrictions imposed on bars and restaurants, thousands of expatriate workers have lost their jobs and may be stuck in Cayman as many countries close off their gateways back home. Premier Alden McLaughlin, speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, said government is looking at all aspects of the growing number of unemployed work-permit holders on island and the borders that are being shut internationally in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is very much a humanitarian crisis and if people have nowhere to go and can’t get there, obviously, we have to look after them. But we would hope that their employer does look after their staff,” he said. He said the matter of workers not being able to fund their way back home is also being looked at, and while a repatriation fee is paid to immigration, that can only be utilised in special circumstances. “Employees need to step up and take responsibility for buying a ticket if that is what’s keeping the person from going back. The more difficult question is, we have some of these airports around the world closing down, and it is very, very difficult for people to get overseas,” he said. The premier said the Cayman Islands government is going to have to continue assessing the air-traffic situation and its implication on foreign workers. “Because, obviously, these people still need a roof over their heads. They need to be able to live, they need to be able to eat. So, we are going to obviously have to do an assessment of how many of those are in that situation and, in conjunction with their employer, seek to find some way to manage them,” he said. With the Owen Roberts International Airport closed off to visitors, and cancellations growing, the premier said, accommodation for impacted workers may not be a problem. “In very short order, they’re going to be a lot of hotels with no guests, so finding a room for people in a contingency like that should not be that difficult,” he said. He urged employers to do the responsible thing and reach out to government if they have employees in this situation. “I think, probably, the best department would be the community affairs ministry and departments that fall under that, and we will look at the matter,” he said. As for businesses engaging in unscrupulous acts concerning their employees, McLaughlin reminded them, “The Labour Law is very much in effect.” He noted that nothing that has been done thus far suspended the provisions of the Labour Law. “So, any employer who behaves other than in accordance with the Labour Law is in breach of the Labour Law,” he said, responding to reports from employees that they were being forced to take their vacation days and sick leave while the COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Governor Martyn Roper said he has been working with the UK to provide a gateway for impacted workers who can pass through London to get home, as well as the possibility of waiving the transit visa. Those discussions are ongoing. Cayman facing ‘humanitarian crisis’ with expats With hotels and restaurants closing down and Cayman's tourism industry in free fall, many expatriate and local workers are finding themselves without jobs. cayman compass 5 news N news THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2020ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Island-wide coronavirus- containment measures have forced Cayman’s court system to enter ‘level 3 procedures’ of its emergency continuity plan. “In light of the very real risk that COVID-19 cases may arise in the Cayman Islands, and risk of the pandemic spreading in our islands, as part of the Cayman Islands Government’s Continuity of Operations and safety measures to keep our staff and public safe, Judicial Administration is now taking proactive measures to reduce crowds entering our premises on a daily basis and to limit unnecessary human contact,” said Suzanne Bothwell, the court administrator, in a letter posted to the main court building’s front door. The emergency plan, which took effect on Tuesday, 17 March, focusses on social distancing through the reduction and relocation of several non-essential services, the staggering of court appearances by alphabetical surname of defendants, and increased sanitation measures. People collecting funds from the court must now do so online or visit the new collection location. “Court Funds will be suspending collection of Court Funds cheques at reception in the main building,” said Bothwell. “Court Funds Maintenance clients are once again invited to immediately migrate over to our convenient online banking transfer service which was launched in 2019 and to which all court funds maintenance clients were invited to subscribe.” She said for people who do not have online banking, cheques can be collected on the fourth floor of the former Scotiabank building in George Town, but only on Mondays between 10am and 2pm. For people looking to make a payment for issues such as speeding tickets, the courts will now allow them to make the payments even if they have not been registered in the system. “Traffic tickets are still to be paid on time,” read a post on the court’s website. “New hours of operation for the Finance Centre (Kirk House, Albert Panton Street) is 9am to 1pm. Customers are advised that even if your ticket has not been transferred to the Court’s Officer from the RCIPS, that, with immediate effect, court staff will process the ticket upon production to allow payment.” Another part of the emergency plan will now require defendants before the summary, criminal and traffic courts to appear on a staggered system based on their last names. People whose surnames begin with the letters A to M are to attend court for 10am, while people with last names beginning with N to Z are to report to court at 11am. “For the time being, jury service continues for pending (trials); however, larger jury accommodation is being provided, and we are now making decisions regarding whether or not the next session, April 1, will, in fact, proceed,” said Bothwell. Other aspects of the emergency plan include requiring people to use hand sanitiser when they walk through the court entrance. Several doors in the court building are now propped open to allow people to pass through publicly accessible parts of the courts, without touching door handles. Other warnings advise people who are sick or have flu-like symptoms to stay out of the building. For more information on filing criminal court documents, legal aid and family maintenance matters visit www.caymancompass.ky. JEWEL LEVY jlevy@compassmedia.ky In order to help safeguard Cayman’s elderly and vulnerable population from COVID-19, the government and private sector are stepping up protection measures. Retirement homes are remaining open so seniors can continue to be cared for, and home visits by district medical staff will continue, according to the Health Services Authority. However, the authority is advising elderly patients with appointments at district health clinics to remain at home for their own safety unless they require urgent medical attention. All patients in need of medication for chronic conditions are advised to call the district clinics for refills, which can be dispensed monthly. The Acute Care Clinic at the Cayman Islands Hospital will also run as usual, from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8:30am to 1pm on Saturdays. The HSA announced Tuesday that it was cancelling all non- essential appointments at its George Town General Practice Clinic, effective immediately. Government is also bringing forward this month’s payday to Wednesday, 18 March to assist local veterans, seamen and those on permanent financial assistance. “The decision is in recognition of the extra and anticipated expenses that are likely to be incurred by these individuals and their families in buying additional supplies,” government said in a press release. Visits by relatives and members of the public to local retirement homes have been halted in an effort to isolate the elderly residents from the virus. A sign on the doors of The Pines Retirement Home says that all visits are suspended until further notice. The Department of Children and Family Services also has cancelled until further notice public visits to Kirkconnell Community Care Centre on Cayman Brac; and the Golden Age Home and Maple House on Grand Cayman. Older people and vulnerable individuals have increased susceptibility to the upper respiratory complications caused by coronavirus, so keep them apart from the general population can cut down their chances of becoming infected. The Department of Children and Family Services is exploring alternative methods of maintaining contact between residents of the facilities and their families. A department spokesperson said staff members are keeping residents engaged through a variety of indoor and outdoor activities within the facilities. This isolation measure will be reviewed periodically and will be lifted once the threat is known to have diminished sufficiently, according to the department. Meanwhile, establishments are asking the wider public to respect special shopping hours set up for the elderly, disabled and pregnant. At all Foster’s supermarket locations, for example, a designated shopping hour has been established from 6am to 7am for the elderly and those with disabilities. Commenters on Foster’s Facebook page have suggested implementing a discount plan for the elderly or scheduling a time later in the day for shopping. At other stores, like Kirk Market in George Town, designated check- out lanes have been established for older customers. At Kirkconnell’s Market in Cayman Brac, manager Courtney Morrison said although the shop is out of such items as alcohol wipes, hand sanitisers and Lysol, the nursing homes and hospital have stocked up, as have many residents. “We have done all the specific guidelines that the government has requested. As for assisting elderly, the shop already has in place a delivery service on island to anyone who wants groceries,” he said. Market Place manager Monaliza Christian said the Brac shop is open as normal to the general public. For the elderly, vulnerable and those that may be in self-isolation Efforts ramped up to help protect elderly from virus Cayman's courts are taking measures to reduce the numbers of people attending the court rooms at any one time. Court activates emergency plan Emergency continuity plan Paying a fine: Visit collections counter Court Funds: Sign up with court’s online banking system Summary Court appearance: Last names A-M at 10am, N-Z at 11am If sick, stay home. A large sign outside the Pines Retirement Home warns visitors not to enter. 6Follow Cayman Compass online at caymancompass.com or our social media pages to keep abreast of the coronavirus crisis. We are working online as a precautionary measure in light of the coronavirus threat & will keep you updated. For editorial inquiries, please email newsdesk@compassmedia.ky For Compass Print inquiries please contact sales@compassprint.ky CLASSIFIEDS: classifieds@compassmedia.ky (employment, notices, bereavement, rentals/sales residential, community announcements, miscellaneous) SALES: sales@compassmedia.ky (display ads, real-estate companies for residential/commercial properties, online ads, e-newsletters) CALL US 949-5111 I issues S sport N news B business L living For advertising requests, please contact us at the address below (accepting debit, credit, online payments – no cash) Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass WE ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS cayman compass 7 THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2020The Health Services Authority is cancelling all non-essential appointments for the George Town General Practice Clinic, effective immediately, to protect “patients and minimise potential transmission of COVID-19”, the HSA announced Tuesday. All patients with appointments will be contacted to reschedule, the authority said in a statement. The acute care walk-in clinic in the General Practice building will remain open at this time, from Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and with extended hours on Saturday, from 8:30am to 4pm. “Our George Town General Practice Clinic is always busy and therefore has many people within a close proximity to each other,” said HSA CEO Lizzette Yearwood in the statement. “Cancelling these appointments will help us reduce the number of patients in the clinic at any given time, therefore lessening the chances of spreading any virus.” She added, “Many of our patients at the district clinics and those we treat at home are the elderly and vulnerable population, therefore HSA will continue these services to ensure those persons are still receiving care. Patients in the districts are strongly advised to remain at home if they do not need urgent medical attention.” Healthcare at the district health centres and assignments to satellite services, including for the Fairbanks and Northward prisons, retirement facilities and private homes, will continue for now, health officials said. Patients who require refills of chronic medications are advised to call 949-8600. At this time, the pharmacy can accommodate dispensing one month of medication, the HSA said. Anyone experiencing flu symptoms should first call the Flu Hotline at 1-800-534-8600 or 947-3077, and a healthcare professional will conduct an initial triage over the phone. If a caller requires further medical attention, the hotline will refer them to the Flu Clinic located at the Cayman Islands Hospital. People can also email flu@hsa.ky with any questions. JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The boss of Cayman’s biggest resort says he and his staff have been “blown away” by the “unprecedented” gesture from owner Dart Enterprises to cover staff salaries through the expected duration of the coronoavirus crisis. Marc Langevin, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, said he’d had sleepless nights since the beginning of the epidemic over how he could keep staff employed. Speaking from the empty lobby of the five-star hotel on Wednesday, Langevin said his staff could breathe easy knowing their salaries were covered for 10 weeks as part of Dart’s support package. “I still can’t find the words of appreciation. It is an amazing package,” he said. Langevin said the decision had taken a weight off the shoulders of all of the senior management at the resort. He said they could now focus on seeing how they can help the community, as well as positioning the hotel and Cayman’s tourism product to reopen swiftly, once the crisis passes. Dart has put similar measures in place at all its hotels, which include the Comfort Suites and the Kimpton Seafire Resort, to ensure staff can be paid, even with no guests coming in. The Westin Grand Cayman has done the same for its staff during the air-travel closure, which starts Sunday and runs for an initial three weeks. Langevin said hotels were laying off staff all over the world in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which has paralysed global travel. “We have an owner that is fully invested and understands that if we want to rebound fast and furious, we need those ladies and gentlemen and that leadership team that has made the resort a success. “It is an amazing, mature and generous position that they took. Now I can start to think more positively about how we rebound,” Langevin added. He said he was walking around the hotel with “new eyes” considering protocols, including electric doors, that could make guests safer in the new world of intense hygiene and social distancing. He believes Cayman has an opportunity to come through the coronavirus crisis quickly and establish new measures and new protocols that make guests feel safe. And he is confident that guests will want to come back. “I have no doubt that there are people waiting behind the door right now,” he said. Cayman Airways will give the country a competitive advantage when it is time to rebound, he believes, by bringing passengers from whichever areas are cleared for safe travel. Right now, Langevin said, his main focus was his staff and the wider community. He praised the swift action and “amazing maturity” of Cayman’s leadership and the moral principles behind the decisions, despite the economic risk. “What they did inspired me,” he added. “It is impacting my own leadership to understand there is a sense of morality. Business is important and I love to do business. but every day we all have to think, what is the right thing to do.” The hotel currently provides a meal a day to its staff and will reconfigure its kitchen and health protocols to continue to do so. Langevin is looking at ways to expand that to a wider community, potentially including children who depend on school meals. “We are blessed to be able to survive in a decent manner and now the question is how we give back,” he said, adding, “We are in it together, how do we go through it and become a stronger society?” He said Hurricane Ivan had been a disaster for the country but had brought people together and left him with fond memories of how people shared and cared for each other. For the wider public, he said, it was about trusting government’s decisions and following the guidelines to the letter. He said people had to make sacrifices, but it was not the same as Ivan when there was no water or power. “It is going to take sacrifice. You have to stay home, watch Netflix and eat ice cream... that is the sacrifice we are asking people to do and it is manageable.” Only urgent appointments will be seen at the George Town General Practice Clinic. Some of the last guests get ready to check out of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Ritz-Carlton manager Marc Langevin is confident Cayman can come through the current crisis and rebound stronger than ever. General Practice Clinic cancels non-essential visits Relief and optimism as hotels prepare for closure 8 news N newscaymannational.com COVID19 what we’re doing Dear Valued Customer As COVID 19 impacts our community, we’re committed to supporting your banking needs while taking the necessary precautions to minimise the spread of the virus and protecting you and our staff. We’re actively keeping our team updated on preventative practices and preparedness plans; following the handwashing and sanitising guidelines, and we’re cleaning and disinfecting our premises and ATMs continually throughout the day. In the spirit of Customer Care, we encourage you to make use of our electronic banking services as far as possible. You can easily make bill payments, bank transfers and Electronic Funds Transfers via online banking, free of charge, as well as making deposits and getting cash from one of our many ATMs throughout our Islands. Deposits can be made at any of our ATMs at; • Elgin Ave Lobby • Buckingham Square • Camana Bay CSC • Countryside CSC • Centennial CSC • Cayman Brac CSC Please carefully consider your banking needs and choose an option that best allows for the required social distancing to help control the spread of the virus. If you do have to visit a branch, we will be controlling the flow of clients into our offices to allow for social distancing we ask that you kindly stand three to six feet behind the person in the line ahead of you. We continue to monitor this situation closely and thank you for your support and community spirit. Please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 9498300, by email at cnb@caymannational.com or you can send us a Facebook message. In addition to lowering personal lending and mortgage rates, which will become effective on 23 March, Butterfield Bank announced new measures to provide customers in the Cayman Islands with temporary assistance from financial difficulties caused by the COVID-19 health crisis. Butterfield will introduce a three-month automatic payment deferral on all residential mortgages and personal loans in good standing. This means customers will not be making principal and interest payments for the next three months and any penalties will be waived. This will assist customers who may be facing lower incomes or cash inflow at this time, the bank said in a press release. Butterfield will also introduce a payment deferral on credit cards for two months beginning in May, so that customers can skip May and June monthly payments without incurring any late fees. In addition, business customers with remaining loan principal of up to $2 million, who are facing difficulties, can pay interest only on their next three monthly loan payments with no penalties. Business and corporate clients with loan values greater than $2 million who wish to discuss credit and payment arrangements should contact their relationship managers, as these arrangements are typically more complex, the bank said. Mike McWatt, Butterfield’s managing director in Cayman, said the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on tourism and hospitality, and its knock-on effect on employment has been sudden and significant. “We understand that the situation will make it difficult for some of our customers to service their outstanding debts. To make things easier for families and businesses, and to help the local economy recover more quickly post-crisis, Butterfield is taking these urgent, substantive steps to ease the financial pressures on customers in Cayman,” he said. “We are working as quickly as possible to implement these changes, and we are here to support our customers throughout this crisis and beyond. We encourage anyone facing financial challenges to reach out to us so we can work on solutions together. We will continue to review these initiatives and will provide timely updates to customers,” McWatt said. Customer need to be aware, the banks said, that the measures will result in an extension of the loan terms as interest on the outstanding balance, that is payable during the deferral period when no loan or interest payments are made, will be added to the outstanding principal amount. This means that a payment deferral will increase the amount of interest paid over the life of the loan. Customers who wish to maintain their current payment schedules and amounts should contact their relationship managers or the bank’s loans department on (345) 949 7055. Butterfield announces mortgage, credit card payment deferrals RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Opposition Leader Arden McLean has given his support to government’s ongoing efforts to suppress the spread of COVID-19. However, he has called for more cooperation from Premier Alden McLaughlin and his administration when it comes to keeping opposition members in the loop so they can disseminate information to their constituents. Speaking with the Cayman Compass Tuesday, McLean said as a member of the Hazard Management Executive Committee, he was appraised last week when the committee met. Since then, he said, no other meetings have been called, but he has reached out to the premier. “There have been no responses, so we’ll see what happens. But I can’t go out there and get politics involved in this at this stage. There will always be time for politics,” he said. McLean said he has been receiving updates through the news briefings, like everyone else. Premier McLaughlin addressed this at Tuesday’s briefing saying that the decisions that are being taken are either Cabinet decisions or executive decisions that are taken by the governor. “While we can have a consultation regarding these matters, these are decisions, the making of regulations and so forth, [that are] matters for the Cabinet, so the opposition is not involved in that process,” he said. McLean said he believes that the steps being taken by government to control COVID-19 are necessary, but he said government needs to utilise the MLAs much better during this health and economic crisis. “We are the ones who are in the communities, who know our communities. We are the ones who know best what the community entails and, in that sense of assisting, they are not utilising us. Then we just have to do it on our own,” he said. He said opposition MLAs are doing what they can “to try and prepare people for this and prevent them from contracting this disease”. McLean said he and his colleagues have been distributing informational material in their constituencies and checking in with the elderly. “I just want to encourage people to follow the information from the professionals who talk about maintaining distances, washing hands frequently to protect oneself, and stay away from large crowds because we don’t know how bad this is going to become really,” he added. McLean said he and his colleagues are concerned about the country being almost totally shut down and people are out of work. He said he is looking on keenly to see how government is going to assist the Caymanian people. He urged work permit holders who have been laid off to leave as Cayman needs to preserve its supplies and resources. “I’m hoping that that will happen and people will, if they are no longer essential staff. There’s always room for them to come back,” he said. McLean urges gov’t, opposition effort in COVID-19 response Butterfield will introduce a three-month automatic payment deferral on all residential mortgages and personal loans in good standing. cayman compass 9 news N news THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2020Next >