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, 26 March 2020 24-HOUR CURFEW Residents cannot leave home until 5am SaturdayTemporarily 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 showers. weather Forecast today Cayman Islands 85°F 74°F HIGH LOW WINDS Easterly 15 to 20 knots. SEA STATE Rough with wave heights of 6 to 8 feet. A small craft warning is in effect. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass 3 new coronavirus cases reported JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The Cayman Islands will be under a 24-hour-a-day curfew from 7pm Wednesday until 5am Saturday, Premier Alden McLaughlin announced. The premier said government had been forced to take drastic action because it had been unable to get cooperation from the business community for a workable ‘shelter in place’ order to shut down non-essential businesses. He said there had been requests for more than 20,000 exemptions and it was therefore impossible to put more measured constraints in place. Government leaders will continue efforts to create a more flexible programme by this Saturday, 28 March, in order to allow some businesses to operate. Supermarkets and pharmacies will also be shut during the curfew over the next three days, though staff will be allowed some flexibility to stock up and take deliveries. Emergency services and other essential workers will be allowed to operate on an emergency basis but no businesses will be able to open. A full list of services with exemptions will be posted at www. gov.ky/coronavirus and questions can be emailed to curfewtime@ gov.ky. The premier said, “We know this is a really radical measure but anyone who is paying attention to what is happening in the rest of the world must understand if we get widespread community transmission of this virus, it is going to have devastating consequences.” He said it would overwhelm the ability of Cayman’s health services to deal with it. McLaughlin added that the World Health Organization was recommending “testing, testing, testing”, but Cayman did not have the capacity to do it. The premier said, “We are trying to prevent the community transmission of COVID-19 by restricting the number of opportunities people have for coming into touch with each other and surfaces on which the virus might be living.” He said the closure of the borders from last Sunday meant there could be no new introduction of the virus to the islands after that date. Within the next two weeks, he said, it would be very clear where Cayman stood in terms of the influx of coronavirus through the community. McLaughlin said he recognised the measures were costly, restrictive and inconvenient, but said they were vastly preferable to risking “burying many of our people” and facing several months of lockdown if the virus is allowed to spread. “If we get to 10-12 days from now with no significant increase in numbers or evidence of community transmission, it will have been an incredible feat ... It will mean we will be able to send our children back to school, we will be able to open back businesses, we will be able to have some degree of social interaction again without the fear of this evil lurking in the community. That is the prize I want the whole country to understand we are striving for. We can only do it together.” He added that the land and sea borders would have to remain closed to passengers while the virus raged in other countries. “We have all got to bite this bullet and suck this up for a little while, to get to what I hope is the prize on the other side of this,” McLaughlin said. Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne had extra patrols on standby to police panic-buying during the last hours before the curfew began. He said he expected cooperation from the community during the lockdown, which lasts until Saturday morning. Long lines snaked outside Cayman’s supermarkets and the roads were crowded with vehicles within minutes of the government announcing the expanded curfew. At the press briefing, Governor Martyn Roper said, “We understand how restrictive the current measure is and fully appreciate the impact it will have on people and on economic activity, but we believe it is absolutely necessary, given the public health emergency the world is facing.” Assuming more flexible provisions can be worked out in that time, Cayman will then revert back to the nightly curfew of 7pm to 5am, which was initially put in place from Tuesday night to last 10 days. The premier said the aim was to put in provisions where some businesses could open and to do so in a way that was possible for the police to monitor. He also sent his best wishes to Prince Charles, who has contracted COVID-19, and scotched rumours that he could have caught it from the prince during a meeting in the UK a month ago. New cases Meanwhile, Cayman has three new cases of coronavirus, including one case that was initially declared negative after preliminary tests in the territory. That case came back as positive when it was vetted by the Caribbean Public Health Agency. The patient is still in isolation, Cayman’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said. The two other new positive cases were from people with a travel history, he said. Those patients had a travel history to places where the virus had been reported. It was not clear if they had been in isolation since returning to the island, but Lee said those incidents emphasised the urgent need for anyone who had travelled overseas to self-isolate. In total, Cayman now has eight positive cases and one suspected positive case, which was announced yesterday and involves a patient at the Cayman Islands Hospital with no travel history, that is being subjected to further investigation. “All of the confirmed cases we have are related to travel incidents in one way or another,” Lee said. “We still have one case we believe to be community acquired but the test result is still being investigated.” With additional reporting by Reshma Ragoonath and Kevin Morales. Cayman under 24-hour curfew until Saturday Premier Alden McLaughlin at Wednesday's media briefing as he announces a new 24-hour curfew lasting until 5am on Saturday, 28 March. cayman compass 2 news N news THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020cayman compass 3 THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020 Member Distribution by First Letter of Last NameAssigned Phone Contact H, L, P, R, V, Y345-815-7316 M, W, X345-815-7312 B, C, F345-815-7311 A, D, E, I, K, N, O, Q, U, Z 345-815-7315 G, J, S, T345-815-7317 Kind Regards Michael Gayle CEO After-hours For members receiving care in the USA, call 345 - 949-8101. Selecting Option 3 will direct after hours calls to 1-888-543-1328, our US network provider’s call centre and Option #1 should be selected. You may also email: casemanagment@cinico.ky for assistance. For members receiving care in the Jamaica, call 1-868-798-9627 or 1-876-406-8479 or email casemanagment@cinico.ky For members in the Cayman Islands or other jurisdictions requiring urgent assistance, call 345 - 949-8101 or email casemanagment@cinico.ky We apologize for any inconvenience that these measures may cause, but trust that you will recognize that they are being implemented for the safety of everyone concerned and for the entire country. We do not believe that there is any reason to panic, but we believe that we need to treat this potential outbreak with the level of seriousness that it deserves. We encourage you to follow guidelines set out by the Government, some of which can be viewed on www. hsa.ky. We will provide further updates as the situation unfolds. Dear Valued CINICO Member, We continue to monitor the COVID 19 situation and take comfort in the fact that it seems have been contained thus far. CINICO continues to prioritize the safety and welfare of you, our valued members, our members of staff, and their families, and as such, our social distancing measures remain in place. As indicated in our previous update, our offices are closed to the public. We do recognize that some of our members will need to collect cheques or membership cards and as such, we will open our George Town office for those collections only on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. When the cheques are ready for collection, our Client Service Team will call you so that you can collect on either morning at your convenience. Our Cayman Brac office remains closed to the public until further notice. There will continue to be no collection of premium payments at either of our offices. Payments which are being made by cheque can be deposited in the dropbox outside of our office. Claim forms can also be deposited in the dropbox. Cash payments must be made at Cayman National Bank (CNB). You will need to provide the bank with your name and Member I.D.. Payments can also be made online at CNB, RBC and Bank of Butterfield. We are also making arrangements to facilitate payment by debit card via telephone and will advise you when these arrangements are in place. Should you have any queries, you can call us on 345-949-8101 or email us at info@cinico.ky. Customers on Cayman Brac or Little Cayman can call 938-7310 or email jdixon@cinico.ky. For urgent assistance with medical case coordination matters, members may call the respective number listed below based on first letter of the member’s last name. A Message from the Chief Executive Officer – COVID – 19 Update #21234567 8 910 11 12 131415 16 1718 19 2021 2223 1234567 8 910 11 12 131415 16 1718 19 2021 2223 ACROSS 1 Rebound adversely (8) 5 Solicitude (4) 9 Goodbye (5) 10 Not highly intellectual (7) 11 Specifically (12) 13 Irregular (6) 14 Relative importance (6) 17 Compulsive thief (12) 20 Formal letter (7) 21 Prefer (2,3) 22 To glut (4) 23 Perpendicular (8) DOWN 1 To boast (4) 2 Area’s prevailing weather (7) 3 The press (6,6) 4 Ancient objects (6) 6 Mistake (5) 7 Noisy unruly behaviour (8) 8 Shakespeare comedy (7,5) 12 Unfortunate (8) 15 Illegal trade (7) 16 Obstruct (6) 18 Expel from property (5) 19 Spoken (4) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16336 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 16335 ACROSS: 1 On the spot, 8 Rhine, 9 Cry-baby, 10 Apiece, 11 Seller, 12 Asbestos, 15 One or two, 18 Canvas, 20 Dragon, 21 Foliage, 22 Rogue, 23 Scripture. DOWN: 2 Nerve, 3 Hobble, 4 Subtract, 5 Triple, 6 Liberty, 7 Seven seas, 11 Secondary, 13 Broccoli, 14 Derange, 16 Rhodes, 17 Indict, 19 Augur. Two warned for prosecution RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Police arrested one man and warned two other people for prosecution for breaking the first night of Cayman’s islandwide curfew on Tuesday. Police Commissioner Derek Byrne provided the update on Wednesday afternoon at the daily COVID-19 media briefing at the Government Administration Building. He said arresting individuals during curfew will be a last resort, but in the case of Tuesday’s arrest the individual “turned violent when ... confronted”. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service issued a press release later, stating that officers on patrol had encountered the man just after 8pm Tuesday – an hour into the curfew – as he was walking along Saturn Close in George Town. One of the officers spoke to him and saw he was carrying a knife, and the man began behaving aggressively towards the officer. The 26-year-old man from George Town was arrested for breaching the COVID curfew. Following the arrest, police searched him and found a pepper spray canister, a knife and two spent casings from live ammunition rounds. He was further arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an offensive weapon, being in possession of a restricted weapon and being in possession of an unlicensed firearm. “We dealt with that and that person will be going to court shortly,” Byrne said on Wednesday. “The other two persons understood [and] accepted the lawful orders and they will be dealt with at a later stage. They will be summoned to court to answer for breach of curfew.” The penalty for breaching the curfew is $3,000 and/or one-year imprisonment. Byrne said he was pleased with the response by the public to the curfew, which, as of Wednesday night, was increased to 24 hours, running until 5am on Saturday, 28 March. He said that over the first night of the curfew, 42 people were stopped by officers, but they were deemed “essential” workers and had letters from their employees stating as such. He added that, on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, there had been no curfew infractions. “We are very, very pleased with the enforcement efforts [Tuesday] night and I think it’s down to the cooperation and understanding by all members of the community of the place we are in at this particular time, and requirement for containment at this critical, critical time,” he said. Byrne reminded the public that all movement on all three islands is strictly prohibited and that includes movement by sea. “We have to get this total lockdown and, then, on Saturday morning, review where we are and, hopefully, we are in a much better position then to allow business to be conducted outside of the curfew hours, which will continue until Friday morning, 3 April, at 5am,” Byrne said. McLaughlin urged the public to adhere to the law and terms of the curfew for the good of the nation. “I believe all of us will agree that going through this difficult restrictive period for the next 10 days or so is far to be preferred to many of our people getting sick [and] having to extend this period for I don’t know how long. Looking at other countries, we’re talking 12 weeks, 15 weeks, 16 weeks – burying many of our own people and having no sense of normalcy as to how we live for the foreseeable future,” he said. McLaughlin said if the lockdown strategy succeeds and Cayman gets to 10-12 days from now with no significant increase in the numbers and no significant evidence of community transmission, “it would have been an incredible feat”. He added, “It will mean we’ll be able to send our children back to school. We’ll be able to open back businesses. We will be able to have some degree of social interaction again without the fear of this evil still lurking in the community. That is the prize that I want the whole country to understand we are striving for and we can do this together,” the premier said. One person arrested for breaking curfew The penalty for breaching the curfew is $3,000 and/or one-year imprisonment . Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne speaks at Wednesday's press conference. cartoon Keep your distance - By Caymanman 4cayman compass 5 THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020 For the latest, accurate information on the coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit www.gov.ky/coronavirus or www.hsa.ky/public-health/coronavirus GET THE FACTS For support with your mental wellbeing, please call 1-800-534-6463(MIND) For medical advice and information, please call 1-800-534-8600 or 947-3077news N news 6 JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky There was an eerie stillness to the usually bustling George Town waterfront this week. The throngs of cruise ship tourists in swimwear and souvenir T-shirts were absent and the services of Cayman’s famous white-gloved dancing policeman were not required at the empty pedestrian crossings. Security guards wandered through the alleyways of the Bayshore Mall and Kirk Gallery, past shuttered storefronts and the stacked tables of vacant restaurants. At the water’s edge, a thatch-roofed ice-cream and snack bar advertised a new delivery service. Dive buoys and cruise ship moorings bobbed on the ocean, which had recovered a healthy hue in the absence of constant boat traffic. The aquamarine water tapered off towards the horizon in progressively deeper shades of blue. Along West Bay Road, it was a similar story. A handful of businesses still maintained a skeleton presence amid the empty hotels and eateries. The normally packed car park of World Gym was free of vehicles. A now-familiar printed sign on the glass window informed customers that the fitness centre was closed by government order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The only exceptions were the supermarkets, where customers lined up in long, evenly spaced rows, waiting to be permitted access amid new rules restricting the number of people in the stores at any one time. At Camana Bay, a truck cleared away tables and chairs from the cafes and restaurants. The delighted squeals of children running through the water fountains had fallen silent, the fountains themselves turned off for the time being. At Starbucks on Monday, customers were being permitted to enter in groups of one or two. The seating had been removed, with takeout the only option. Books and Books and a handful of other shops remained open but there were few customers in sight. However, even those stores could be required to close soon as tougher measures get put in place. On the roads, there were still plenty of cars, but the bumper-to- bumper traffic that has caused such concern in recent times was nowhere to be seen. Ghost Town: A portrait of life on lockdown The water fountains had been turned off and Camana Bay was silent on Monday as businesses began to shut down. There were virtually no pedestrians in the capital.There were virtually no pedestrians in the capital. In Starbucks at Camana Bay the tables had been folded away but masked baristas were still serving take-out customers in ones and twos. That too will shut down from Thursday.RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Government has issued a reminder to local businesses that they are obligated to pay employees who have been terminated what they are owed under the law. It follows news of growing terminations in light of Cayman’s lockdown and curfew restrictions. In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Labour and Pensions said, “Employers terminating or temporarily laying off workers as a result of the coronavirus pandemic must upon termination, pay severance pay of one week’s wages, at the employee’s latest basic wage, for each completed twelve- month period of employment.” It explained that the employment period is to reflect any time during which the employee worked for any previous owners of the same business. “Employees are also entitled to any earned vacation leave, sales commission owed, as well as gratuities earned,” it added. Premier Alden McLaughlin, who is also human resources minister, has addressed this issue in several of the daily COVID-19 media briefings. He has gone on record saying that none of the provisions that are in place have suspended the Labour Law and employers must pay employees as required by the legislation. McLaughlin also said that government is exploring possible ways to extend the pay- offs that are given to Caymanians impacted by the closures to expatriate workers who are unable to go home and cannot work. This plan drew criticism on social media. However, the premier said on Monday that Cayman is facing a humanitarian crisis and reminded the public, “we pride ourselves as a Christian country living by Christian principles”. He pointed to two Cuban nationals who came to him seeking help after they were laid off over the weekend and who were only paid for one day’s work. “They are desperate; what should we do about that? Tell them go fish? We have to ensure that anyone who is living here has the basics to provide for a decent existence while they are here,” he said. The Department of Labour and Pensions, in its statement, also addressed the issue of lay- offs, saying it “will make every effort to work with employers and employees during this time to ensure the proper observance of the Labour Law (2011 Revision) and its Regulations”. It also pointed out that in the cases of temporary termination, employers do not need to pay severance to their employees, but outlined exceptions to that rule. These exceptions include if the date of recall is 30 days or more in the future or if no date of recall is given at the time of termination. The statement added that severance shall be payable 30 days from the termination if the employee has not been recalled. In addition, 10% interest per year on the amount of severance must be paid for the interval between the original termination date and the date of actual payment, the department said in the statement. For employees in agriculture and construction, these exceptions apply after six months. Anyone with labour or pension enquiries can call 945-8960 or email dlp@gov.ky. People can also visit the website www.dlp.gov.ky/ to view labour and pensions legislation, FAQs, or use the minimum wage calculator. The department also accepts anonymous reports via a confidential hotline at 945-3073. Employers reminded to obey Labour Law Section 42 of the Labour Law (2011), which addresses severance pay provides the following guidance: 42. (1) Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), simultaneously upon the termination of the employment of any employee entitled to severance pay, the employer shall pay to that employee severance pay calculated in accordance with this Part. (2) If the termination is stated to be temporary, no severance pay need be paid to the employee at the time of such temporary termination except- (a) where the date of recall, if one is given at the time of termination, is thirty days or more in the future, severance pay shall be payable on the date of termination; or (b) if no date of recall is given at the time of termination, severance pay shall be payable thirty days from the termination if the employee shall not then have been recalled; in which case, interest at ten per cent per annum on the amount of severance pay due shall be payable for the interval between the original termination date and the date of actual payment. (3) Subsection (2) shall apply to employees in agriculture and construction with the words “six months” substituted for the words “thirty days” in both places where they occur in that subsection. (4) Where payment of severance pay has been made, with interest where due under paragraph (b) of subsection (2), and the employee is subsequently recalled to his former or substantially equivalent employment or is again hired by the same employer, he shall be considered to be newly hired and his term of employment, for subsequent severance pay purposes, shall be considered to have commenced on the date of his recall or rehire. ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky The brakes on a Mosquito Research and Control Unit plane caught fire at the Owen Roberts International Airport on Tuesday. MRCU Director Jim McNelly said the incident happened when the plane was on the runway. “It was not an emergency landing, the plane was not in flight and had no intentions of doing so,” said McNelly. “The plane had recently been serviced; the pilot was checking aspects of the plane, such as brakes/ braking on the runway.” McNelly said the fire was small and contained. “The brakes overheated and there was a small fire that was limited to the area of the brakes,” he said. He added that a report has been filed with the Civil Aviation Authority. He said the plane is expected to be repaired and available within a week, and that he does not expect there to be any large impact on mosquito control. “At this time and, in large part because mosquito populations are low and it is dry, we don’t expect any impacts,” said McNelly. He said the temporary removal of the plane from service will not prevent his team from continuing their daily duties of suppressing mosquitoes. “As is the case with the rest of the [Cayman Islands government], we have a plan to provide essential services during these difficult times,” he said. “That plan includes the health and welfare of our personnel, as well as the ability to continue to survey and control mosquito populations.” Mosquito plane brakes overheat, cause fire The Caribbean Utilities Company announced Tuesday that it will not disconnect any of its customers who are unable to pay their electricity bills through April. The company earlier stated that, in light of the COVID-19 crisis, it was suspending all disconnections for March and extending credit to customers. In its latest press release, CUC said, “With respect to customer bills, we announced a week ago that disconnections would be suspended for March and that credit extensions would be given to customers who found themselves unable to pay because of loss of income due to the crisis. We are extending the suspension period to include April to allow time for all customers who require assistance to contact us.” CUC said it fully supported the actions taken by the Cayman Islands government “to limit and reduce the impact and uncertainty to the community and we ask that all be calm and patient as we all adjust our lives to respond to this temporary crisis”. It said it is maintaining regular teleconferences with Fortis Inc. and other utility groups to determine best practices in responding to the pandemic. “We continue to work closely with our vendors and service suppliers looking out to the weeks ahead to ensure that our critical supplies and services remain available. We do not at this time anticipate any curtailment of the electricity supply,” the company said. As of Monday, 14 March, all CUC staff that could do their work from home were working remotely, including half of the customer service representatives. CUC said approximately 80% of its normal office- based staff are now working from home. “Customer call response rates declined earlier in the week but by the end of the week were back up to the 90% level,” the company stated. CUC’s field and power plant staff also adjusted their work schedules, with 23% of them working from home and the rest splitting into staggered shifts to increase social distancing. For more information on CUC customer assistance, go to https:// www.cuc-cayman.com/customer- service-online/covid-19/. CUC suspending disconnections through April cayman compass 7 N news THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020 BAFCaymanBAFCaymanofficial @baf_cayman On Tuesday, March 24th the Government of the Cayman Islands issued a mandate that impacts our business and our ability to provide personal services to our valued clients. Accordingly our offices will remain closed to the public until further notice. Premium payments can be made via one of the following methods: Online payment with FirstCaribbean Int’l Bank (select BAF Insurance from the list of payees) Cheque/Bank Draft/ Health Claims can be placed in the Drop Box located downstairs at our cashier’s office. Via online local bank transfer to the account below: Account name BAF Insurance Company (Cayman) Ltd. Bank Name: FirstCaribbean International Bank Account Type: Savings 10417336 (KYD) Chequing: 10417310 (USD) Debit/Credit Cards - Requests to pay via debit/credit cards can be done via email. www.bafcayman.com Customer Service For policy and claims queries, email our Customer Service team at caymancustomerservice@mybafsolutions.com In case of emergency, call any of the numbers below. 925-5676 925-2988 925-9198 916-3543 NOTICEcayman compass 8 I issues THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020 KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky Cayman schools have responded to disas- ters in the past. Emergencies like hurricanes and fires are events administrators know to prepare for. But a global pandemic is a chal- lenge like no other. “This is a totally different thing,” said Jeremy Moore, director of Cayman International School. “Shutting down for one day because of a landfill fire is very different than shutting down for many weeks.” The school launched its remote-learning scheme on Wednesday, 18 March, just two days after the government closed all educational institutions until at least 27 April in response to coronavirus. While Moore said the school had hoped for more time to prepare, he applauded teachers, saying they were stepping up to the challenge. “We had been talking about it, making preparations for several weeks, but it’s a huge challenge to take your entire school and move it from in person, on campus, to an online environment,” Moore said. “So, we had a couple of days together where we collaborated intensely and really trialled a lot of things and put together a pretty solid programme.” The school’s online Home Learning Program uses digital tools like Google Classroom and Google Meets to facilitate group-learning time. For secondary students, Moore said many of these programmes are already familiar. “Our whole secondary school is built through Google Classroom,” he said. “So, it’s much less of a learning curve for all of our secondary students from grade 6 all the way through grade 12.” For elementary students, the switch to distance learning has required more of a transition. Younger students are learning to use platforms like Seesaw for videos and activities, and Clever for content-specific lessons. “Our teachers are making videos, which the kids love. That is just fantastic because they still get to see their teachers. And the teachers will even have a birthday sing-along for students,” he said. For CIS second grade teacher Amanda Brown, remote teaching has required new ways of thinking and approaching student needs. Her students start the morning by logging into the home-learning website where they find a greeting video from their homeroom teacher, the day’s lessons, activities and assignments. Learning incorporates a combination of group, online lessons, as well as independent, offline activities, to allow students to disconnect. “As teachers, we’re trying our best to create meaningful, engaging opportunities for children that utilise a combination of both online and offline activities, trying our best to limit screen time for children and ourselves,” Brown said. “Teachers are able to help students and parents navigate the day virtually by email, messages, and even phone calls. It’s been a learning journey for all of us, but we are making the most of this challenging crisis.” Teaching teams meet virtually as well. Administrators, teachers, counsellors and support staff come together through Google Meets several times a week. At Cayman Prep and High School, classes are hosted through Microsoft Teams, and assignments are facilitated through a virtual learning website, explained high school science teacher Rebecca Wall. Students log in and can then work on assignments at their own pace, using email for feedback and guidance. “Obviously, this is very new for both students and teachers, so as a school, we are reflecting on the feedback we are receiving from both parents and students, and making adjustments as necessary,” she said. Wall has been trying to plan experiments that students can practise at home to encourage hands-on learning and investigative work. “Our students have been coping so well with this dramatic change to their normal lives. My younger students have been sending me some amazing videos of the science investigations they’ve carried out at home,” Wall said. “The older students are becoming increasingly adept at navigating their way around the Microsoft Teams site and exploring its various features.” At Hope Academy, teachers are using a combination of Google Meets and Microsoft Teams, depending on classroom familiarity and comfort with each platform, explained teacher Craig Lang. “We follow our regular class schedule and work virtually with our students in every class. For our younger students, our teachers are in daily correspondence with our students’ parents, facilitating home learning and providing lessons and practice work for each subject. Our online lessons are similar to the classroom lesson structure,” Lang said. So far, he said, most students have been positive about the changes, although many miss their friends and the face-to-face interaction. “Students and teachers alike miss the Schools test distance learning When news broke that all Cayman schools would close for six weeks, from 16 March to 27 April, parents were immediately on alert. The measure, aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19, meant drastic changes and extensive planning for many families. Parents worried about how to balance work schedules with the 24/7 needs of their children. Others have been stressed about childcare costs, often in addition to private school fees, and the feasibility of relying on outside help, when all islanders have been ordered to minimise contact. Kenita Thomas, mother of a 10-month-old and a 3-year-old, said balancing work from home with childcare has been a challenge. Her children aren’t yet old enough for school and they require constant attention. Her husband is a police officer and is considered an emergency worker, who must be out in the public right now to manage the extensive community-control measures put in place. While she supports the government decision to shut down schools, it is impossible to avoid questions over childcare and health. “Will I trust [a nanny] enough to watch my kids? I don’t want to hire anybody just because this is a dire situation. That process cannot be decided in a day to find someone to watch your child,” she said. “I am connected remotely to my office; however, it is challenging because I’m constantly having to stop to deal with one or deal with both.” Thomas is trying to take it day by day and keep her kids occupied with games and activities. Parent Tiyen Miller said he is working to keep his 4-year-old son busy with planned learning and exercise throughout the day. “Having Cal learn from home has certainly necessitated some real adaptability on everyone’s part, but with every challenge comes opportunities,” he said. “We are lucky that Island Montessori has been very supportive by sending us a weekly theme with activities to maintain a bit of continuity to his learning. “For example, it’s been rainforest week in his school programme, and we’ve been able to extend that by doing great projects like designing and building a rainstick out of recycled materials, reading about animals in the rainforest, as well as exploring nature along the Mastic Trail.” He said great resources that cater to children at home have also become available on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Karmen Bérubé, mother of three elementary school-age boys, said she is working to implement daily routines that include exercise and lessons around the house. Parents respond to school, work closures Hope Academy teacher Craig Lang.cayman compass 9 I issues THURSDAY, 26 MARCH 2020 social component to education, where so much of what we do thrives on the energy in the classroom. The lightbulb moments are harder to see online, but there is still a lot of laughter and enjoyment. Online courses are much more independent, which works well for some and less so for others,” Lang said. The challenges created by the online format have highlighted the importance of collaboration. To make the process work, schools and families have had to strengthen support structures. Parents have had to step in and fill roles often carried out by teachers. For younger students, especially, Moore said, parents play an important part in successful home learning. “Elementary and early childhood students rely on facilitation and guidance from their parents to some extent. So, parents have had a huge challenge,” Moore said. “For our nursery students, our teachers are doing sing-alongs and read- alouds and music lessons, and a lot of it is via video. And a lot of it obviously requires parents to be by their side as part of the process.” Managing family and student stress The extra support required has made many parents more appreciative of the work teachers do, Moore said. But educators, as well, have had to become more aware of the stressors students are facing at home. Older students are facing uncertainty about college attendance next year, for example, as many standardised year-end exams, such as the IB, SAT and GCSE, are interrupted. Younger students, on the other hand, are having difficulty processing everything that has happened, said Brown, who works with elementary students at CIS. “Our school counsellors have been incredibly supportive by providing materials and lessons to the children and making phone calls to families who need support,” Brown said. “Some families are facing family crises as well – whether it be a family member abroad who is in the hospital or the family not all together yet, so we’re trying to remind everyone that their first priority is staying well as a family.” To support struggling students, CIS science teacher Bill LaMonte suggested checking in with young people individually to hear their feedback and concerns. He said many have actually felt more freedom in their learning, but they are also feeling the effect of social isolation. “There are inevitably students who struggle to create structures and schedules of learning for themselves. Many of these students were identified prior to the roll-out of the distance- learning programme and then monitored daily,” he said. “Teachers created grade level WhatsApp groups so that teachers could share any problems that arose or solutions that may work. Students who struggled the most were given one-on- one guidance support via conference call, and their parents were contacted to discuss alternate strategies.” Responding to the mental health needs of students will be an ongoing process, as the situation continues to evolve. For now, he said, student groups like Protect Our Future and the Youth Ambassador Programme, which is under the Alex Panton Foundation, are finding ways to support each other remotely. Through online youth panels, currently in the works, he said students hope to address each other’s questions about anxiety and the effects of social distancing. Support measures for public education outlined Minister of Education Juliana O’Connor-Connolly addressed the public on Friday, 20 March, to explain measures being taken to respond to public-education needs. Digital tools, like Zoom, Everest and WhatsApp, are being used to connect teachers and students in government schools. The free version of Zoom allows 40-minute sessions and up to 100 participants, so that teachers can provide regular lessons, the minister said. A survey had been sent out to parents to assess their access to technology, she added. By Friday, she reported 1,600 responses had been received. “Each school has provided educational instruction through a combination of channels, including paper-based learning packages, a daily timetable and access to online platforms,” the minister said. Digital tools being utilised include Raz Kids, EDU365 Everest, Study Ladders, Purple Mash, Oxford Owl, Epic and PowerMath. To ensure students receive their regular school meals, the minister said a voucher and daily lunch programme is being supported by Kiwanis and Feed Our Future. “All primary school cafeteria providers are on board. Feed Our Future will pay cafeteria operators directly using existing protocols,” a government press release stated, adding that the organisation will purchase vouchers from Foster’s and deliver those to schools, and will also collect Kiwanis vouchers. Parents were encouraged to provide their children quiet, distraction-free workplaces so that students can focus on their learning. Top 10 guidelines for parents 1. Establish routines and expectations. 2. Define the physical space for your child’s study. 3. Monitor communications from your children’s teachers. 4. Begin and end each day with a check- in. 5. Take an active role in helping your children process and own their learning. 6. Establish times for quiet and reflec- tion. 7. Encourage physical activity and/or exercise. 8. Remain mindful of your child’s stress or worry. 9. Monitor how much time your child is spending online. 10. Keep your children social but set rules around their social media interactions. (Source: Cayman International School) Things for students to keep in mind during online learning: Purpose: Just like in school, make sure you understand the purpose of different online interactions. Time: Stick to normal routines and re- member that your teachers are available during regular hours. Location: Make sure you’re in an ap- propriate ‘public’ learning space, like a living room or kitchen, with appropriate surroundings and access to necessary materials. Visibility: Remember your interactions with teachers and classmates online are considered public interactions. Make sure you dress appropriately and are available via video or microphone as required. (Source: Cayman International School) “My husband and I are taking the time to assess both our kids’ needs and family needs. We will be in a situation we didn’t wish for or anticipate, as well as our kids, and we need to keep ourselves physically and mentally healthy to be our best for our kids,” she said. “Our plans include a change of schedule, physical activity, family meetings, education, downtime, and how to socially interact from a distance.” While she has had requests for play dates from other parents, she said she is not taking any risks. The family has been socially isolating, as advised by public health officials, to avoid exposure and spread of COVID-19. Instead, Bérubé has suggested virtual play dates. School, of course, is virtual as well these days. She said her boys, who attend Cayman International School, have been provided with technology, such as iPads or Chromebooks, to help with distance learning and families were familiarised in advance with the apps they would be using for classes. While families can also use their own computers if they wish, she said the benefit of the school-provided devices is that they only have educational items on them, so there is no risk of kids becoming distracted by gaming or watching shows instead of studying. During down time, she hopes to keep the children busy with activities like piano lessons, gardening and language learning. “We can’t control what is happening, but we CAN control how we respond and our attitudes,” she wrote in a WhatsApp message. “I never planned to teach my kids, zero desire at all. But it is what it is. So, I can moan about it or take a positive path and see an opportunity.” sures Jeremy Moore, Cayman International School director Tiyen Miller with sonNext >