Eastern Avenue Popeyes Cayman is Ten years old! Our gift to you is the Big Ten deal! Celebrate our 10th birthday for 10 days with 10 pieces of our Bonafide chicken, OR 10 handcrafted tenders, all for just $10 for the rest of April! Always marinated for at least 12 hours, and always bursting with bold Louisiana flavor. Visit Popeyes Cayman on Instagram or Facebook to enter our birthday giveaway too! Limited to two deals per car. Offer valid from 20th-30th April cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Friday, 17 April 2020 News COVID-19 weekly roundup Page 7 Cruise referendum appeal set for 6 May Page 6 Schools closed until further notice Page 8 ‘Porchtraits’: Families sheltering in place Page 16 Curfew extended until 1 May Page 2 Police began issuing tickets to people in breach of soft curfew this week. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 Camana Bay Cinema is currently closed. Stay home and stay safe Cayman. Follow us on social media for Movie Trivia Tuesdays. 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 86°F 75°F HIGH LOW WINDS North to northeast at 10 to 15 knots. SEA STATE Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass Virtual meeting of Legislative Assembly to approve access to pensions JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The hard and soft curfew measures have been ex- tended for two weeks in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the Cayman Islands. Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne said the hard curfew, which was due to expire Friday, would now run until 1 May at least. After consultation with the governor and the premier, he said he was using his authority under the Police Law to renew the curfew to help fight the “hazard” of the coronavirus. The curfew includes a “full lockdown” on Sunday, 19 April, and Sunday, 26 April, as well as a continuation of the overnight 'hard curfew' from 7pm to 5am daily. During those hours, only essential workers, with written authority, and emergency services are allowed on the road. The hard curfew also covers public beaches. The commissioner said that meant there was to be no activity – no snorkelling, no swimming, no walking – on and around public beaches. Speaking at Thursday's COVID-10 briefing, Premier Alden McLaughlin said it was clear that curfews were working and would need to be continued. He announced that Cabinet would extend the ‘soft curfew’ measures with only minor changes to the regulations in place. Exercise times extended The premier said people can no longer drive to exercise under the new measures, with exercise now limited to biking, walking or running from your own home. However, residents will be allowed to exercise every day, except Sunday, in an expanded time frame of 5:15am to 6:45pm. “It is clear that our suppression efforts are working in restricting the transition of the virus through these islands,” the premier said. He said it was encouraging that a month into the crisis, Cayman was not seeing large numbers of people presenting with symptoms of COVID-19. “The hope and the plan is that over the course of these next two weeks, with the coming on-stream of aggressive testing, we should be in a very good place, being able to understand the degree to which the virus has moved through the community,” the premier said. Legislative Assembly session next week The premier said a meeting of the Legislative Assembly is planned for Wednesday, 22 April. He said it would be a short meeting, with a reduced number of MLAs in attendance, designed purely to change the Standing Orders to allow for a virtual meeting. A substantive meeting of the House will be held the next day, with legislators dialling in via video-link. Changes to the Pensions Law, Traffic Law and Immigration Law will be considered and a new deputy speaker will be elected during the session. The intention is to allow a ‘payment holiday’ for employee contributions to the pension fund and to allow people to access some of their pension savings, McLaughlin said, adding that details were still being worked out. Changes to the Immigration Law could allow work-permit holders to continue in their roles once their paperwork expires, given the emergency situation. The Traffic Law changes could allow people to renew vehicle licences, among other things, without the need for a physical inspection. Canada flight Governor Martyn Roper meanwhile confirmed that a flight to Canada was being organised by that country’s government for next week. Anyone who wishes to be on the flight must sign on the Register of Canadians Abroad. No one will be allowed on the plane without first registering on that site. One new case The Cayman Islands has just one additional case of the coronavirus after 54 new test results were announced Thursday. The new case was a contact of someone who had previously tested positive. Cayman now has 61 confirmed cases in total. Of those, 19 are symptomatic, including four people who are in hospital, one of whom is on a ventilator and is said to be improving. A total of seven people have been declared as fully recovered, meaning they have had two negative tests for the coronavirus. A further five are clinically recovered, which means they no longer have symptoms but have yet to be retested. A total of 690 people have been tested. Lee said doctors were using a variety of approaches, including, in some cases, the use of hydroxychloroquine, a drug that has shown promising results in dealing with COVID-19 in limited trials. He clarified that only a handful of cases, of the 61 so far in the Cayman Islands, were not linked in some way to travel. Curfew measures extended, one new COVID case Walkers and runners exercise along South Sound Road earlier this week. Exercise hours are being expanded to 5:15am to 6:45pm, Mondays to Saturdays, but people no longer can drive to places where they want to exercise. 2cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 20201234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Electricity (5) 4 Ancient writing material (7) 8 Lubricate (3) 9 Obtained dishonestly (3-6) 10 Obliquely (7) 11 Extortionate moneylending (5) 13 Fastidious (6) 15 Orderliness (6) 18 Passenger ship (5) 19 Imitate zealously (7) 21 Humbly (3,2,4) 23 Faint (3) 24 Theft of personal property (7) 25 Relate (5) DOWN 1 Unimaginative (7) 2 Celebrated (4-5) 3 Hold sway (5) 4 Commit petty theft (6) 5 Lavish (7) 6 Betray a cause (3) 7 Bright and warm (5) 12 Without precedent (7-2) 14 Unfamiliar (7) 16 A visionary (7) 17 Bequest (6) 18 Peculiar to a place (5) 20 Controlled by (5) 22 Equal footing (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16355 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. TODAY'S SOLUTIONS Puzzle 16355 ACROSS: 1 Power, 4 Papyrus, 8 Oil, 9 Ill-gotten, 10 Askance, 11 Usury, 13 Choosy, 15 Method, 18 Liner, 19 Emulate, 21 Cap in hand, 23 Dim, 24 Larceny, 25 Refer. DOWN: 1 Prosaic, 2 Well-known, 3 Reign, 4 Pilfer, 5 Profuse, 6 Rat, 7 Sunny, 12 Unheard-of, 14 Strange, 16 Dreamer, 17 Legacy, 18 Local, 20 Under, 22 Par. It has now been 30 days since the government put the first of the new rules and regulations in place. After having read the recap from yesterday’s (14 April) press briefing, I feel obligated to say what seems obvious to me but which none of our leaders are saying. When I go out on one of my designated shopping days, I see cars parked in front of residences and I see empty parking lots at retail establishments, office buildings, bars and restaurants. I see folks here and there out exercising and walking their dogs. I see a few cars on the road, not many. I see folks making the best of their current situations. When I sit in my yard, I hear the neighbours playing cricket in their yard. I smell food on the grill and I hear Rooster FM on the radio of a neighbour tending to their garden. I hear roosters crowing, chicks chirping and birds singing. I hear the police helicopter overhead. I don’t hear cars on the road. I see roughly 68,000 people complying with the new laws. I see 68,000 people trying to make do with what they have. I see far more compliance than non-compliance. This should be a source of pride and accomplishment for our leaders. Instead, they are threatening us with complete lockdown for 21 days and the loss of access to the beaches indefinitely. With all this in mind, I respectfully request the return of the beaches to the public: 67,750 people are complying (based on previously reported figures) and should receive access to the beaches and ocean – with strictly defined and implemented rules for personal distancing and groups – as our reward. The government can ticket, fine and prosecute anyone who does not conform. Job well done, Cayman! Stay Home to Save Lives. Brandy Flanagan Almost all of Cayman following the rules To the tourists who regularly visit Grand Cayman on vacation: As the pandemic continues to spread, how about those of us who frequent this beautiful island think about ways we can help Caymanians as they face not only the virus but the economic disaster caused by lack of tourism? If we can afford to visit Grand Cayman, we can probably afford to help. My prayer is that many of us will pitch in with economic help for an island facing catastrophic consequences. I’d hope that there is a coordinated relief effort underway, and if so, is there a way the newspaper could get that information out to us so we can respond in a generous way? If tourists need a selfish reason to do this, think about this: If we don’t help financially right now, there is a strong possibility the Grand Cayman we visit in the years to come may not be as nice as it has been in the past. But I pray that our motives rise above that selfish mentality and we generously give back to a place that has been so kind and giving to us. We have been going to Grand Cayman for several years and we love the island and we especially love the locals. Please join in our effort to give back. Joan Woods Call for fellow tourists to help Grand Cayman The story about the test kits from South Korea [‘‘A wing and a prayer’ – The inside story of Cayman’s Korea deal’, pages 12 and 13] is so inspiring, so Caymanian. I’m not sure that this sort of dealing in good faith between individuals is possible in many other parts of the world, where corporate facelessness seems to be the norm. You set a fine example for others to emulate. Mike Spragg Applauding Cayman’s deal with South Korea Here in Canada we hope to help. Our people and companies have restructured manufacturing outlets to help with our demand, and help others. We are all in this together and must remember to help our neighbours. I fell in love with Grand Cayman and the people there this February when I had the great opportunity to visit my husband who was working there. He has since had to return to Canada due to COVID-19. I have watched and listened to your efforts with this virus with the Cayman Compass and think about you and your people down there everyday. Stay safe, be well. Gloria Henderson Support from Canada The government knows that the supermarkets are the main risk of COVID infection. The split days do little to reduce it. What is needed is an investment to mobilise online ordering and delivery. There are many out of work in the travel and restaurant industry who would rise to the challenge. Hurley’s are up and running but swamped. The government needs to get behind them. Graham Morse More online food shopping needed cartoon Jake Fuller cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2020JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky When Cayman comes out of lockdown, it will be into a new world of heightened sanitation, continued social distancing and ongoing monitoring of public health. Business and government leaders are cautiously optimistic that the coronavirus can be contained and eliminated within the islands, while the borders remain shut to visitors. But they warn that even if that goal is achieved, it will not be a return to business as usual. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is urging countries not to be complacent and to “double down” on the safety measures that are helping to contain the spread of the virus. Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said this week that some countries were in a position to begin thinking about an exit strategy. But, he warned, “You can’t replace lockdown with nothing. You must replace lockdown with a very deeply educated, committed, empowered and engaged community.” Cayman’s exit strategy Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said Tuesday that Public Health England and local health officials had advised that if Cayman can achieve 14 consecutive days with no new positive cases, it will be feasible to begin lifting social distancing and curfew restrictions. McLaughlin added that this would be done carefully and on a “phased basis”. The premier said Cayman’s officials were following what other countries were doing and analysing what approaches had worked elsewhere. Spain and Italy, two countries that have been severely affected by COVID-19, are both proposing phased reopening of their economies as cases begin to decline. “We want to see how that goes; there are major concerns that if you reopen too early you wind up with massive spikes in the transmission of the virus and you have to go back into lockdown again,” McLaughlin said. It was better for Cayman, both economically and from a health perspective, he said, to suffer through the current period of soft and hard curfews, rather than reopen too soon and risk being in and out of lockdown measures for the rest of the year. Any reopening would have to come alongside continued containment measures including social distancing, restrictions on numbers in any one place and possibly the use of masks, he said. “We are considering all of these things,” McLaughlin said, “but because we have bought ourselves so much time we are able to watch what is happening around the rest of the world and see what works, what doesn’t work, what is necessary, what isn’t necessary.” He added that any reopening would come alongside a continued strategy of widespread testing to ensure the virus did not resurface. Business focus on hygiene Woody Foster, chairman of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce, and Theresa Leacock- Broderick, president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, have both made similar statements, suggesting businesses will need to evaluate how they operate before they can reopen. From a customer perspective alone, Leacock-Broderick said consumers would expect to see an increased focus on hygiene. Speaking to the Cayman Compass as part of a live debate last week, she said the crisis could be treated as a “portal” from the old world to the new, with new approaches and new expectations, particularly in sanitation, hygiene and health management. Foster, speaking during the same debate, said there would have to be much discussion about what standards would be required for businesses to reopen, when it becomes safe to do so. “We need to find a way to open up safely,” he said. “It is not going to simply be ‘OK, the hard/soft curfew is over, everybody, go back to work now’. There needs to be a discussion on what that means, how are we going to do that, because we have got to keep people safe.” He said businesses may require some sort of sanitation accreditation or other measures to ensure hygiene and social distancing. WHO advice Ryan, of the WHO, addressed the issue during a press conference Monday. He said people across the globe deserved great credit for sticking to social distancing and stay-at-home orders but warned they could not be eased yet in many cases. “Now is the time for vigilance, now is the time to double down, now is the time to be very, very careful,” he said. “That does not mean that countries cannot begin to create an exit strategy, it doesn’t mean that countries shouldn’t be actively planning to do that…” But he said government should not move straight from lockdown to business as usual. “We are going to have to change our behaviours for the foreseeable future.” He said people across the world had embraced those new rules and, for the most part, there was self-enforcement from a responsible and aware public. “Community empowerment, community involvement and public health intervention through the use of case finding, isolation, contact and quarantine is the alternative to having lock-down,” Ryan said. The post lockdown world: Social distancing and enhanced sanitation could be here to stay cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2020 dartscholar.ky Beyond prestige and financial support for both high school and university students, the Dart Scholarship provides young Caymanians with life-changing experience in the real world of industry. If you’re a high achieving Caymanian student with aspirations to be a future leader and innovator, we invite you to apply for the 2020 programme. A whole new world of possibilities. It begins with a simple application. The Dart High School Scholarship Submit your application by 30 April 2020 The William A. Dart University Scholarship Submit your application by 15 May 2020BY SUTTON BURKE We are living in a bizarre time. We can do our best to stay home, healthy, and prevent ourselves from getting COVID-19, but the stress and fear of the future can make us sick in another way. The more we stress, the more difficult it is for our body to fight off illness, making us more susceptible to contracting the virus. Possessing a small amount of fear can be helpful to motivate us to prepare and protect ourselves. While you might feel quite helpless, there are things we can control. Practise tolerating uncertainty Life contains all kinds of uncertainties. On a daily basis, we forget how much is of the unknown. In a time like now, we can easily become consumed by the fear that trumps all fears, the fear of death. The reality is we are ALL going to die; it’s inevitable. Working to accept that thought and NOT avoid thinking about it is what will help us. Avoidance of reality-based thoughts that bring us discomfort, avoiding what makes us anxious in general, actually creates more anxiety. In current times, this avoidance can look like: overeating junk food, drinking excessively, binge-watching TV, sleeping more, etc. Avoiding feeling anxiety can also take the form of reassurance- seeking by constantly getting other’s opinions on the situation, and obsessively watching the news. An example of building your thought-tolerance muscle: next time you hear your phone beep saying you have a text or an email, set a timer and wait 15 minutes before you check it; sit with the feeling of wanting to know what it says. Do this a few times per day. Eventually those feelings of true discomfort disappear, and what’s left is how to move on and take action with what you really want to focus on in your life. One day at a time Some people are questioning how long this will last – maybe three months, six months, 18 months. Whatever it is, it will be. Just for today, what do I need to do? Just for today, what can I accomplish? Just for today, how can I comfort myself? Just for today, what can I do to ease isolation? Just for today, how can I connect with loved ones? Just for today, how can I take care of myself? Just for today, what can I do to take care of my finances? Just for today, what am I grateful for? Focus on what you can control If we focus on all the things we cannot control, we will lead our minds into a rabbit hole of despair. We can control how we follow the recommendations from the government. We can control how often we look at the news or go on social media. We can control what food we eat and water we ingest, and how often we exercise. We can control our attitudes, and how we interact with people in our households. We can control how we schedule our time, and what we actually accomplish in the day. We can control how we create our own fun. Create positivity amongst the chaos Finding purpose in pain is commonly recommended for people grieving the loss of a loved one, as well as when someone experiences a traumatic event. How can you contribute to our community? Contact people you know who are alone in their houses. Ask an elderly person if you can pick up their groceries when you go to the market. Offer tutoring skills online for kids in your neighbourhood. What organisations are available to donate money to? For some people, these ideas might be very difficult to grasp because of their stress level; and that’s OK, too. We can’t all save the world, but we can save ourselves. Seek professional help if you need it If you are finding your current symptoms of stress, and overwhelm, to be a bit too much; if you are finding it interferes with getting up in the morning, your ability to take care of yourself, taking care of those in your household, and getting your work done, please reach out to your doctor or mental health professional. Sutton Burke is a psychotherapist at Infinite Mindcare, a counselling centre in Grand Cayman offering psychotherapy for teens, adults and couples. The centre also provides specialty programmes for first responders and those suffering with substance abuse. Infinite Mindcare hosts free monthly workshops as part of its Talk Series Live on Facebook. The next talk, on ‘Stress Busters: Tools to manage life on life’s terms’, is set for 9am on 18 April. Accepting our discomfort amongst uncertainty Sutton Burke JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The court battle over plans for a referendum on a planned cruise port in Cayman is set to go ahead via video-link on 6 May. The two-day hearing is expected to involve leading counsel for both parties making their arguments, via video-link from their homes in the UK, to a panel of Court of Appeal judges, who will also appear via video-link from the UK. The hearing was scheduled before restrictions on gatherings and other measures to suppress the spread of the coronavirus were put in place. The date of the hearing was published recently on the Judicial Administration website. Kate McClymont, a lawyer representing Shirley Roulstone of the Cruise Port Referendum Cayman group, said she had been advised that the appeal would go ahead as planned, with measures in place to ensure social distancing. “The current intention is for one attorney for each party and one member of judicial administration to attend in person at the courthouse in Cayman,” she said. It is possible that this could change depending on what measures are in place at the time of the case, she added. The Court of Appeal has published its hearing schedule on the judicial website, listing the Cabinet of the Cayman Islands and the Legislative Assembly of the Cayman Islands as the appellants, and Shirley Elizabeth Roulstone and the National Trust for the Cayman Islands as the respondents in the case. The schedule indicates plans for a two-day hearing starting 6 May. Roulstone, a leading member of CPR Cayman, won a judgment earlier this year preventing the referendum from taking place under the framework the Cayman Islands government had set out in its bespoke referendum law for the cruise port vote. Her lawyers highlighted concerns that the law included no restrictions on campaign financing or using public funds to sway the vote, among other issues. They argued that the wording of the Constitution indicates there must be an overarching law setting out the rules and regulations for referendums to ensure an equal chance of success for both sides. Grand Court Justice Timothy Owen agreed with some of those points and struck down the law in February. Government filed its appeal in March and argued, among other things, that Owen had breached the ‘separation of powers’ between the judiciary and the legislature when he had moved to strike down the law. Asked about the appeal at a press conference Wednesday, Premier Alden McLaughlin said he had not been made aware of the schedule and would need to take advice from Attorney General Samuel Bulgin before answering. Cruise referendum appeal set to go ahead via video-link An architect's impression of how the proposed port could look. 6 news N newsBeaches closed as cases continue to rise JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Each day brings a string of new announcements, new measures and new information as the coronavirus crisis continues to impact all aspects of life in the Cayman Islands. Here we summarise some of the major developments of the past week. Public beaches closed Concerns over people partying on Seven Mile Beach on Good Friday prompted tough new measures to clamp down on social gatherings. All public beaches were closed to the public from Easter Monday onwards. The closure was initially in effect through Friday but was expected to be extended. Prosecutions mount as police clamp down The number of people caught breaking curfew had passed 250 by the middle of this week. At least 50 of those involved people out of their homes on Easter Sunday – which was a ‘hard curfew’ day. Prosecutors are working through a backlog of police files to bring some of those cases to court in short order. New testing strategy planned The arrival of 165,000 coronavirus tests from South Korea last week – part of an overall purchase of 200,000 kits – will enable a new strategy of ‘testing, testing, testing’ to begin shortly. Public health officials are ramping up lab capacity and are expected to begin testing frontline workers from next week. Cayman now has more test kits than it needs and has been working to help supply other islands in the region and beyond, including Bermuda and the Bahamas. Cruise travel ban extended for 100 days The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have extended a ‘no-sail order’ for cruise ships by 100 days or until COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency. Though some cruise lines had unveiled itineraries for next month that included Cayman, Premier Alden McLaughlin said this was “optimistic”. The CDC later made its announcement and the cruise schedules have since been amended to indicate plans to sail in late June. Airports could be closed till Christmas Business and government leaders have acknowledged Cayman’s border closure could go on for much longer than originally anticipated. The premier said Cayman could wait until a vaccine or widespread on-the-spot testing was available before reopening its international airports on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac. Cayman Islands Tourism Association president Theresa Leacock-Broderick made similar comments to the Cayman Compass, acknowledging that the island may not be open to visitors until next year and tourism businesses would have to re-purpose to survive. Evacuation flights arranged With the reality of the closure setting in, more workers are losing jobs and more flights are being arranged to help expats that need to return to their home countries. Two flights are planned to Miami on Friday and two flights to Nicaragua have also been arranged. Flights to Canada are being worked on for next week. Discussions are continuing over flights to Honduras, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, as well as another British Airways flight from London. Cases continue to rise Public Health officials continue to report new cases of the coronavirus in Cayman. Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee said the island was experiencing “clusters of cases” rather than the more dangerous phenomenon of “sustained community transmission”. As of Thursday, there had been 61 positive cases reported out of 690 samples tested. Schools unlikely to reopen this year Both McLaughlin and Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly indicated that schools were unlikely to re-open till September at the earliest. Given the ever-changing situation, the education minister said the schools were closed “indefinitely”, and no timeline could be given for re-opening. Curfew measures continue The fluctuating hard and soft curfew measures remain in place. Between 7pm and 5am every day and all day Sunday, only emergency services and essential workers are allowed out on the road. The rest of the week, people are allowed out for specific purposes, such as to go to the pharmacy or to exercise, but are otherwise required to stay home. Cayman has been split alphabetically and people have been designated three days each week when they can shop, based on their surname. COVID-19 weekly round-up A sign at Seven Mile Beach displays a message for Cayman Islands residents. Cayman's public beaches have been closed since Easter Monday. cayman compass 7 news N news FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2020 Be there for each other. We’ll be there for you. Even if you can’t physically be together right now, it’s important you stay connected to family, friends and colleagues. At Logic, we’re working hard to keep our network strong so you can connect with those important to you. Here are a few things we’re doing: Stay home. We got this. Keeping You Connected - Our employees are the heart of our company and are working hard to keep you connected. Our call center has expanded hours of operation and our technicians are still out on the road making sure your service stays up and running. Increasing Your Bandwidth - We understand you may be using more bandwidth than usual at home. If you need an upgrade, just call us at 745-5555 and we can upgrade you over the phone. Adding News and Entertainment - We’ve opened up some of our TV channels so our customers have access to more news and entertainment. Flexible Payment Options - We’ll make flexible payment arrangements for those who have lost their job. Promoting Education - We’re offering speed boosts for teachers delivering classes from home.RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s private and public schools will not reopen any time soon, according to Education Minister Juliana O'Connor-Connolly. “Schools will be closed until further notice. As we continue to monitor the spread of the virus, it is not possible to provide a timeline," O’Connor-Connolly said Wednesday as she joined the daily COVID-19 press briefing via Zoom video-link. Her statement followed confirmation of six new coronavirus cases in Cayman, taking the local cases to 60. O’Connor-Connolly outlined her ministry’s plans for education in a question-and-answer presentation which addressed concerns parents have been raising since schools were closed last month. “We hope that with continued social distancing and additional methods in place, we as a community may be able to stop the spread of the virus and enable the country as a whole to reopen for business/ school,” she said. Parents have questioned whether students will have to be held back for a year because of the ongoing school closures. “This is dependent on the length of time schools are closed," the education minister said, noting that her ministry and the Department of Education Services are still considering options for re- opening schools. “In addition to education provision, we recognise that students’ emotional, mental health and wellbeing will also be significantly impacted by this pandemic. Given the impact this will have on learning, the resumption of schools cannot be ‘business as usual’. Stress management, establishing clear routines and maintaining effective communication will be crucial for both students and teachers," she added. Asked what measures have been implemented to ensure student learning throughout school closures, the minister said it was not possible to monitor how children are learning in every single household, but said teachers and principals are in contact with parents and students. She said the Ministry of Education, the Department of Education Services and the schools are working to ensure students will be able to make up any educational gaps when schools reopen. Some parents have asked if the ministry would consider moving the summer vacation forward and beginning the new school year earlier than usual. O’Connor- Connolly responded that moving the summer break forward would “critically impact many students who are due to sit external examinations in July”. Responding to questions of what provisions are being made for students with no internet connection, the minister said paper-based learning packets had been provided for such students when the schools first closed. Schools have contacted parents regarding packets, and while most have been collected or delivered, some parents have not responded to the schools, she said. See caymancompass.com for the questions posed by parents and the answers provided by the minister. Schools, like Clifton Hunter High School, are closed and will remain so for the foreseeable future, according to education officials. Education Minister Juliana O'Connor-Connolly ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky While parents of students in private schools question why they need to pay full fees during school closures, the association representing the schools say, without fees, the schools may have to close permanently. In an online chat group, Cayman School Fees and E-Learning, several parents have expressed frustration at being required to pay the same level of fees for what they believe is not a “fair value for money”. “We are not saying that we don’t want to pay fees. We understand that teachers still need to be paid. We are simply asking for more clarity about the fees and the e-learning process,” said Paul Wammer, an administrator of the chat group, the membership of which had grown to more than 270 two days after being created. Wammer said he believes the government’s efforts to suppress the coronavirus have been commendable so far. However, he added, this has resulted in increased financial hardship for parents, some of whom have lost their jobs. “Fortunately, I’m still employed. However, the company has no income, so I’m not getting paid, and I’m still expected to pay my child’s school fees,” said Wammer, who spends $13,000 on annual fees for his daughter, who is in the ninth grade. On Wednesday, the Private Schools Association stated its position on why schools were still charging parents full fees. “Ultimately, the formula is simple; if families do not pay school fees, then schools will eliminate teachers and staff, and private schools will cease to exist,” said PSA president Jeremy Moore. “Each school is different, but private schools in Cayman are not motivated by profit or designed to generate large surpluses that can be reimbursed to parents.” Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly, speaking at the daily COVID-19 press briefing on Wednesday, said the issue of fees is “a contractual arrangement between the parents and the respective private schools," and she urged parents to contact the principals and boards of the relevant private schools. However, she added, “We are nonetheless soliciting a formal legal opinion from the government’s perspective.” Responding to a question Wednesday on whether the government would consider imposing at-cost school fees on private schools, the education minister said, “Government does not mandate school fees for private schools; however, I would give the undertaking to ask my team to research and see what obtains in other jurisdictions to see whether we need to draft appropriate legislation; and if the response is indeed the affirmative, I will give the undertaking to take the matter to my caucus and government to achieve the same.” O’Connor-Connolly added that the PSA had received $1 million in government subsidies, which was divided among the various private schools. Several parents have been calling for properly defined roles and responsibilities for students, parents and schools when it comes to distance learning while the ‘shelter in place’ lockdown is in force. Moore told the Cayman Compass the PSA does not specify guidelines on how private schools should provide distance learning, “because each school provides their own unique learning system, and this type of oversight is not the purpose of the organisation”. He added, “Each school utilises a learning platform based on the resources available to them and the structures they have in place – one size does not fit all.” With each school applying different techniques for distance learning, the level of service varies from school to school, and how that service is used differs from household to household. “The issue is that some schools are doing little to nothing – they send links or assignments to the students, but there is no way for parents to keep track or follow up,” Wammer said. “So, what you have is children who are left to their own devices and who could very well end up just talking to friends online. “Then, there are other schools that provide dynamic, engaging online learning, with teachers who have live video classes, and provide feedback and guidance to parents and teachers.” Under the government’s ‘shelter in place’ measures, domestic helpers/ child-care providers are not classified as essential workers, so are not exempt from curfew conditions. This means that some parents who previously had helpers or nannies find themselves working a full shift, remotely, while also teaching their children. O’Connor-Connolly said there were no standards in place for distance learning for public or private schools, and it is unlikely that any will be set. “Currently, there is no standard requirement, as the personal standards for individual homes differ,” she said. “Online teaching works well ... in household where students have access to computers, internet and support from their parents and guardians.” Asked if private school students could transfer to the government’s public school system, the minister said, “Switching from a private school to a public school may prove problematic for students, as the necessary assessments to ensure the smooth transition would not be able to be conducted at this time. “Teachers may struggle to meet the new needs of students who wish to transfer at this time, without having the opportunity to test and/ or examine previous education experiences. A high influx of students to public schools as a method to avoid private school fees is therefore not recommended.” She added that parents could register their children for the government home-schooling platform as long as they could prove they had suitable resources to facilitate it. Parents question fee payments during school closures “We are not saying that we don’t want to pay fees. We understand that teachers still need to be paid. We are simply asking for more clarity about the fees and the e-learning process.” Paul Wammer , parent Education minister: Schools closed until further notice 8MICHAEL KLEIN mklein@compassmedia.ky The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week extended a ‘no-sail order’ for cruise ships by 100 days or until COVID-19 is no longer considered a public health emergency. The extension followed a CDC ruling that passengers or crew arriving in the US from a cruise ship will no longer be able to board commercial flights. The share price of Carnival Corp. fell sharply on Monday, after the cruise operator announced, in response to the CDC ruling, that it has cancelled all North American cruise itineraries through 26 June. Carnival also cancelled all trips out of New York until the end of this year. Cayman first banned cruise ships starting 16 March. The first ship scheduled to sail to Cayman is now the Carnival Vista, which is set to depart Galveston, Texas, on 27 June. The Carnival Paradise and the Carnival Sensation are set to leave from Tampa and Miami, respectively, on 29 June. While the CDC ruling eliminates any ambiguity for US cruise schedules, it is not certain that these international travel dates are realistic. Even if US- based cruise lines were allowed to sail again in US waters when the CDC order expires, it is not clear that they will be allowed to land in Cayman. At a press conference last week, Premier Alden McLaughlin called earlier cruise schedules indicating a return to Cayman by the end of May “premature”. The CDC said, despite the existing restrictions on foreign travel, cruise ship travel markedly increases the risk and impact of the COVID-19 outbreak within the US. At least 10 cruise ships reported crew or passengers that either tested positive or experienced respiratory symptoms or influenza-like illnesses. The CDC estimates there are approximately 100 cruise ships at sea off the US East Coast, West Coast, and Gulf Coast, with nearly 80,000 crew on board. In addition, there are 20 cruise ships at port or anchorage in the US with known or suspected COVID-19 cases among the crew who remain on board. “There are several public health concerns when crew members become ill while on board the cruise ships,” the CDC said. “As we have seen with the passenger illness response on cruise ships, safely evacuating, triaging, and repatriating cruise ship crew has involved complex logistics, incurs financial costs at all levels of government, and diverts resources away from larger efforts to suppress or mitigate COVID-19. “The addition of further COVID-19 cases from cruise ships also places healthcare workers at substantial increased risk.” The CDC order requires that cruise lines develop operational plans to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and include medical screening of passengers and crew, as well as the training of crew members to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and deal with any outbreaks on board. The no-sail order remains in effect for at least 100 days, unless the US secretary of health officially declares COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency or the CDC director rescinds or modifies the order. Cancelled trips are a major drain on the cash reserves of the main cruise lines – Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Carnival is offering passengers between US$300 and US$600 added credit to future bookings, if they do not request a cash refund. Royal Caribbean is offering 125% credit on new bookings to avoid a full refund. Last week, Carnival revealed in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that support of the industry is unwavering, with almost half of the passengers who saw their cruise cancelled choosing to sail with the cruise line at a later date. When contacted by Carnival, 45% of passengers opted for added credit to a future sailing, and 55% requested a refund. US authorities halt cruise travel for further 100 days Police roadblocks to continue ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky All across Cayman, residents who venture out on their assigned shopping days are almost certainly going to encounter police checkpoints and roadblocks. The increased enforcement falls in line with government’s COVID-19 suppression and containment plan. “The coronavirus is a global pandemic and it affects the lives of every one ... massive lifestyle changes are required,” said RCIPS Traffic and Roads Policing Unit head, Inspector Dwayne Jones. “As a result of this virus, there has been a the police with the authority to carry out various vehicle checkpoints in regard to an established curfew.” This week, police implemented a ticketing system to deal with infractions during Cayman’s soft curfew hours, from 5am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday. Jones said if officers intercept an individual who is breaching the ‘shelter in place’ or ‘soft curfew’ regulations, “then a ticket will be issued to that individual in regards to the breaches”. Jones said the key difference between receiving a ticket and being warned for prosecution depends on which curfew is broken. A person who breaches soft curfew can be issued a ticket and fined from $250 to $750, whereas a breach of the hard curfew, in place from 7pm to 5am and all day Sunday, carries a fine of up to $3,000. Unlike with the soft curfew, breaching the hard curfew can land an offender before the courts, where they also could be sentenced to up to one year in prison. Police Commissioner Derek Byrne reported Wednesday that, since the curfew regulations were put in place on 24 March, 285 breaches of curfew had been recorded; of that number 140 of the cases had been sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution which had issued rulings on 30 of these. So far, four people have appeared before the courts on curfew-breach offences, and one of those was sentenced to four months in prison. Jones thanked members of the public for their cooperation with the restrictions, saying the majority were complying, but he noted there were still individuals who chose to run afoul of the law. “We say to those individuals, please operate within the law, protect yourselves, protect the officers, and protect your environment; this will pass and let’s stay alive,” said Jones. To man the curfews and patrol the streets, the RCIPS has received assistance from hundreds of officers from various uniformed services as well as its auxiliary constables. cayman compass 9 N news FRIDAY, 17 APRIL 2020 FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass At the heart of the community since 1965 The Cayman Compass is now printing on Fridays only Featuring in-depth reporting with the News, Issues, Living, Business & Sport sections Coverage will continue online at caymancompass.com at all times Classified and Display advertising deadline for Friday print edition: Tuesday 10am. E: classifieds@compassmedia.ky New digital advertising options: E: sales@compassmedia.ky for more information Cruise ships moor off George Town last month, before the Cayman Islands government implemented a ban on their arrival. US authorities have now extended a ban on the operation of cruise ships until at least mid- July.Next >