TM & © 2020 Burger King Corporation. Delivery now available on Eastern Avenue cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Friday, 1 May 2020 Living Using music as a tool to cope with stress Page 14 Business A crisis like no other Pages 18 and 19 Saying goodbye to loved ones during COVID-19 crisis Page 5 Business closures, job losses mount Pages 6 and 7 Policing lockdown by land, air and sea Pages 16 and 17 Phased reopening ahead Post offices reopen this week as Cayman gears up for gradual easing of restrictions. Pages 2 and 10 Photo: Taneos RamsayPRINTED 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. WINDS East to northeast at 5 knots or less. SEA STATE Smooth with wave heights of less than 2 feet. weather Forecast today Cayman Islands 89°F 77°F HIGH LOW Hundreds of staff at hotels owned by Dart Enterprises are being offered temporary leaves of absence, or in some cases being laid off, as the economic crisis facing the tourism industry deepens. In a statement Thursday, Dart said it had hoped its commitment to cover 10 weeks’ pay for staff at its three major hotel properties would have been enough to weather the storm. But government has now indicated that Cayman’s borders could be closed for several more months and that tourism is unlikely to pick up before the end of the year. Dart’s hotels – the Comfort Suites, The Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa and The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman – have been shuttered since early March. Dart said in the statement that it was working with the Ritz and Kimpton hotels to “adjust employment arrangements” after the initial 10-week pay period ends in May. “We are offering a voluntary leave of absence with paid return flights to employees from overseas who are able to return to their home countries. For those without that option, we have agreed a relief pay package for June that include minimum wage, health insurance paid in full and two daily meals, to be reviewed on a monthly basis until the hotels reopen,” the statement said. For staff at the Comfort Suites, the picture is slightly different. The hotel is currently being used as an isolation facility for returning residents. The Comfort Suites franchise runs out in August, and Dart is planning extensive renovations with a view to reopening with a new look for the 2021 high season. Dart said staff are being offered comprehensive severance packages, with full health insurance through the end of the year, and will be encouraged to apply for jobs once the new management company begins recruitment. “There are no easy solutions to the deep and complex issues facing the tourism industry, both here in Cayman and in our main overseas markets,” said Dart CEO Mark VanDevelde. “We recognise how difficult this is for the hard-working individuals whose livelihoods depend on international visitors being able to travel. We hope these packages help reduce financial hardships to a degree, and we will offer practical support wherever we can. We look forward to the day when our borders re-open and we can extend our hospitality to guests from overseas once again.” Dart hotels begin staff furloughs The Kimpton Seafire has been closed since early March, along with Dart's other hotels. 73 cases in Cayman As of Thursday afternoon, the Cayman Islands had 73 cases of the coronavirus. No new results had been announced by press time Thursday, as the daily briefing was postponed while government finalised regulations that would usher in the first phase of the reopening of Cayman’s economy. The number of samples being tested daily increased significantly this week, with a laboratory at CTMH Doctors Hospital joining the Health Services Authority lab in carrying out testing. Between them, the two hospitals can handle hundreds of tests a day, and mass testing of frontline healthcare workers has begun. Doctors Hospital this week also began drive-through testing for frontline staff. Worldwide, the number of people infected with COVID-19 has topped the 3 million mark. Phased reopening of businesses planned Premier Alden McLaughlin this week announced that the gradual reopening of businesses in the Cayman Islands would be carried out in a series of two-week phases, beginning on Monday, 4 May. However, he warned, the progress of those phases is dependent on the results of ongoing COVID-19 tests. Already this week, Cayman saw the reopening of post offices – one on each island – for two half-days a week. From Monday, if all goes according to plan, a number of other industries will reopen. The premier said money- transfer companies would be allowed to begin serving customers again from Monday, if they can meet social- distancing requirements. Pool maintenance workers are also likely to be among those who will be able to go back to work. More details of which companies can open will be forthcoming late this week, the premier said. As part of phase two of the plan, more companies can be opened, and it will be likely that the wearing of masks in public will become mandatory. Seymour controversy Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour found himself in the spotlight this week following a report on Cayman Marl Road on his wife, Tiffany Seymour, posting a photo on Instagram that appeared to show her exercising at her home with her fitness instructor, apparently in violation of soft-curfew regulations. When asked about the report by Cayman News Service journalist Wendy Ledger at Monday’s daily press briefing, Seymour called her “brave” and “stupid” for asking the question and responded by referring to Jesus riding a donkey, or “jackass”. The Marl Road story had run with a headling ‘Jackass of the Week’. The next day, Premier Alden McLaughlin apologised for the exchange between Seymour and Ledger, saying it had set off a “firestorm”. He defended the health minister, saying Seymour was guilty of nothing and, while denying that the curfew breach had occurred, asked how Seymour could be expected to influence his wife’s actions. Seymour then apologised to the country for his response. In a statement issued Wednesday, the RCIPS announced the police were investigating the curfew-breach allegation. Weekly COVID news roundup 2cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 1 MAY 20201234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Type of propeller (5) 4 Middle East country (7) 8 Record of ship’s voyage (3) 9 Probably (4,2,3) 10 Member of state (7) 11 Carrying a weapon (5) 13 Small amount (6) 15 Associate familiarly (6) 18 Boxing match (5) 19 Entertainment industry (7) 21 Fat (9) 23 Tune (3) 24 Overthrow (7) 25 Specialised market (5) DOWN 1 Ask earnestly for (7) 2 Politically conservative (5-4) 3 Dance in triple time (5) 4 Predilection (6) 5 Show of boldness (7) 6 Prefix meaning lack of (3) 7 Eminent (5) 12 Peak in European Alps (4,5) 14 A salad plant (7) 16 Grotesque (7) 17 Upward progress (6) 18 Concentrate (5) 20 Frequently (5) 22 Massage (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16367 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 16367 ACROSS: 1 Screw, 4 Lebanon, 8 Log, 9 Like as not, 10 Citizen, 11 Armed, 13 Trifle, 15 Hobnob, 18 Fight, 19 Showbiz, 21 Corpulent, 23 Air, 24 Subvert, 25 Niche. DOWN: 1 Solicit, 2 Right-wing, 3 Waltz, 4 Liking, 5 Bravado, 6 Non, 7 Noted, 12 Mont Blanc, 14 Lettuce, 16 Bizarre, 17 Ascent, 18 Focus, 20 Often, 22 Rub. We are suffering, all together, this long-lasting shutdown. I’d like to put a proposal on the table: not to release the lockdown but only to make it more bearable for everybody. Understanding that it is not possible to drive anywhere with the purpose to go to exercise and that you may only walk and work out, my feeling is that it might be possible to reopen public beaches for exercising, walking and swimming – observing, of course, social distancing in a more effective way than in public roads, as beaches and ocean are larger than walkways. Nobody can work out bringing a sun umbrella or towel, and parking at public beaches would remain not allowed. I’d like that the government (that is acting very well, anyway) [think about] this proposal. Carlo Bucci As a long-time visitor (starting in 1989) knowing the ‘Old Cayman’, I still have many friends there, all these years later, with my heart and soul living there. Someone sent this to me, and I thought I would pass it on with a little of my input. We fell asleep in one world and woke up in another. Suddenly Disney is out of magic, Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn’t stand up anymore, the Chinese Wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty. Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love. Suddenly you realise that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for. The world continues its life, and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it’s sending us a message: “You are not necessary. The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine. When you come back, remember that you are my guests. Not my masters.” Like all things, this will pass, and when it does, the beaches will still be gorgeous, the food fantastic, and Caymanians true to who they are. Until then, stay smart, stay home, save Cayman! Evelyn Cannata One of the first things I noticed when I arrived to live on Grand Cayman was the culture of exercise and the number of people busily either running, cycling or swimming. There was sports activity everywhere. The first event I watched was Stroke and Stride and I was amazed at the participation level and competitiveness on display. Every other month, there seemed to be another running, cycling or swimming competition with participants across all levels. Everyone has their favourite sport. Mine is swimming. I was lucky enough after arriving on-island to fall into a group of swimmers who met weekly and swam various long distances in the open sea. It was our exercise and our meditation, a mindful release from life’s problems while staying fit and healthy and coming face-to-face with fish of various colours and sizes! I believe the premier is a keen cyclist and we hear Dr. John Lee extolling the virtues of running during his excellent daily briefings. I have begun to wonder if swimming is represented on the council of leaders making the decisions to allow or disallow an activity? While I understand the premier’s irritation at the flouting of lockdown rules by a small minority of beach users, is it fair to punish the entire swimming community who wish only to practise a COVID- 19-safe, naturally socially distant and healthy sport in the ocean? We have seen how calmly the majority of residents have adapted to the rules enforced upon them. There must surely be a way to let the adults on the island display their social responsibility and reopen the ocean for active swimming. Paul Keane Your article on Cayman Islands’ air pollution (‘Cayman’s air is not as clean as we might think’, Cayman Compass, 24 April 2020] is of great importance, and the two comments made by your readers are also spot-on. I would add that the authorities in the Cayman Islands should do more in terms of urban planning in order to reduce the main drivers of air pollution in Grand Cayman, including: 1) Charge the cruise industry a higher fee that covers the cost of implementing (and actively maintaining) improvements to air quality, given that cruise ships represent a huge contributor to this problem (as shown in numerous data-based studies around the globe). 2) Improve public transportation, with dependable bus service spanning the entire residential regions, and invest in vehicles that pollute minimally. As in all developed markets, a good public transport system reduces substantially the daily use of private vehicles. 3) Adopt a more comprehensive urban-planning strategy, in line with Cayman’s economic growth plans (i.e. more affordable housing, widespread and effective recycling of household and industrial trash, etc.). The other suggestions are mentioned in two comments following the [online version of the] article. Thank you for your time and attention on this important matter. Ricardo Radwanski Let swimmers back in the ocean Learning new appreciation in the COVID-19 world Maintain the lockdown but open the beaches Suggestions to reduce air pollution in Cayman Letters to the editor cartoon Jake Fuller cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 1 MAY 2020Announces the following attorneys-at-law have been made up as Partners of the firm with effect from 1st April 2020. Anya Ritch A graduate of the Law School Anya articled with the firm which she joined as a qualified Attorney in 2010. Anya is a sought after adviser in relation to a broad range of corporate and investment fund matters, regulatory, and licensing issues, intellectual property and vessel and aircraft registrations. Amanda Wong Bodden Deborah Drummond Catherine Tsang Shaun McCann Bhavesh Patel Following his degree at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford Bhavesh qualified with Herbert Smith Freehills and joined the firm’s litigation department in 2017. Bhavesh is categorized as a ‘Future Leader’ in Who’s Who Legal’s Litigation Guide for the Cayman Islands and is listed in Legal Week’s Private Client Global Elite. He is an overseas member of the Chancery Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, RISA Cayman, and serves on the INSOL Younger Members Committees. And the following two Partners join the firm as lateral hire Partners A graduate of the Law School Amanda was called to the Bar in England and Wales in 2007 and as an Attorney in Jamaica in 2008. Prior to joining the firm Amanda worked as a litigation attorney in Jamaica. Amanda has developed a successful practice covering all aspects of commercial, real estate and local land law, licensing and regulation for business operations and estate planning. A graduate of the Law School with an honours degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Labour Economics, Deborah articled with the Attorney General and was called to the Cayman bar in 2006. After an impressive career in Government during which Deborah rose to the position of Deputy Financial Secretary for financial services she joined the firm in 2015 where she heads up the firms regulatory department with particular emphasis on international compliance. Catherine is a corporate, capital markets and funds Partner with over 20 years of legal experience in Hong Kong advising on public takeovers, privatisations, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and pre-IPO investments. Cat also has an established track record advising on capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings and secondary offerings for both state-owned and privately-owned companies in China and overseas, whether as issuer's or underwriters' counsel. Before joining the Firm, Catherine was a partner at White & Case and prior to that she practised at Slaughter and May, Freshfields and Paul Hastings. The Eminence Grise of the family law bar, Shaun McCann, joins the firm’s newly formed matrimonial and private client department as a lateral hire partner. Shaun received a BA in economics and an LLB in law in 1986 from the University of Auckland, and commence practice in the Cayman Islands in 1992. Shaun has been described in Chambers as “one of the best litigators in the Cayman Islands” and specializes in family law, multi-jurisdictional commercial litigation, and multi-jurisdictional banking and insurance litigation. ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Saying goodbye to a family member or friend who has died is an emotionally taxing experience during normal times. But that stress has been magnified with the new challenges brought on by crowd- control measures that prevent more than a handful of people attending a funeral during the COVID-19 crisis. This was the harsh reality the family of 14-year-old Ashley Shillingford had to endure, after the high school junior passed away suddenly from a brain haemorrhage. The week prior to her passing, government had ordered all schools closed, social-distancing policies were announced, and the country was bracing itself for an impending lockdown. “She passed away on 22 March and we had the funeral on 15 April,” said Angeline Shillingford, Ashley’s mother. “By then, we were already in full COVID mode.” Ashley was beloved by students and staff alike of Cayman Academy, the school she had attended for much of her young life. She also was part of a large and extended family in the UK, the Caribbean and the US. And when her parents, who are both employed with the Health Services Authority, announced the funeral arrangements, many of their colleagues expressed interest in attending the service. Current government protocols dictate that only 10 family members, seven pallbearers, one member of the clergy, and the staff of the funeral home can physically attend funeral and burial services. “We knew that if we had a regular funeral, it would have been quite sizeable, so to restrict that to 10 people was just mind-blowing,” said Angeline Shillingford. The family approached Bodden Funeral Home which, with the help of a Seventh-day Adventist video crew, live streamed the funeral service. It was broadcast across several social media platforms and was seen on at least 661 devices at the same time, with each enabling multiple people to watch the proceedings. “The government requirements have severely impacted the number of people who can attend in a traditional way, and has made us have to retool and rethink and evolve with the times,” said Scott Ruby, general manager of the funeral home. Since the COVID-19 suppression methods were introduced, Ruby and his team have held several funerals, each of which has been affected by the shelter-in- place measures. “We had a funeral just recently, and they didn’t want any [live streaming],” said Ruby. “Actually, they were quite fine with the 10-people service, and we went to the grave and we had 10 people there as well, and when I think of the gentleman who we buried, it was kind of him anyway – very straightforward, very dignified – and a memorial service afterwards.” Ruby said other people have opted for full-scale streaming of both the funeral service and the burial. He added that while video streaming can sometimes raise logistical issues, it also presents several benefits, one of which is that people can now view the funeral service of a loved one, even if they are on the other side of the world. “I felt like we were able to say a proper goodbye to Ashley,” her mother said. “We had a beautiful service. We were able to involve so many people who wanted to be involved, using a combination of video tributes and live tributes as well.” Ruby said since the outbreak of COVID-19, more people have opted for cremation. “You don’t need a casket for that, you don’t need a burial vault for that – it gives you a luxury of time that you don’t have with a deceased person who needs tending to,” said Ruby. “With a deceased person, you have to bury them sometime, you just don’t have an infinite amount of tomorrows, but with ashes, you do.” In Ashley's case, a memorial service is being planned for when the curfews are lifted. Ruby said no one knows for sure what the ‘new normal’ will be like, and so he is encouraging everyone to show their appreciation to their loved ones before it is too late. “I hope that in all this, we all learn to prioritise a little bit more,” he said. “Maybe those trips that we can’t make to go see people and be social, we will make later when we can be social again, and remember that your final goodbyes should be happening before someone passes away.” Ashley Shillingford, right, with her family. Saying goodbye to loved ones during COVID-19 lockdown cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 1 MAY 20206 news N news High-profile casualties include Atlantis Submarines and Royal Palms JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Taking a snorkel trip with Don Foster’s dive shop. Enjoying an afternoon at the beach at Calico Jack’s. Plunging beneath the sea’s surface on a submarine with Atlantis and finishing it off with a night at Royal Palms. It could be a Trip Advisor list of a great way to spend a day in Grand Cayman in the middle of peak tourist season. Instead, it is a roll-call of some of the first business casualties of the coronavirus. Because of the border closure, the tourism industry and, therefore, some of the island’s best-known businesses, have been among those hit first and hit hardest. The Cayman Compass reported on the loss of Calico Jack’s and Don Foster’s last week. Royal Palms publicly announced that its temporary closure had become permanent, after 22 years in business, on social media at around the same time. “Saying any more at this time is just too painful,” the business said in a Facebook post. There has been less publicity around the closure of Atlantis Submarines – another long- established tourism business, but the company’s liquidators confirmed to the Compass this week that it would be closing its doors. “The Atlantis business was impacted by the COVID-19 restrictions and particularly the closing of the island to tourists,” said Christopher Smith of RH Restructuring. “With no prospect of the position improving in the short term, the directors and shareholders took the difficult decision to place the company into liquidation.” Those are the most high-profile casualties. There are likely to have been many more. Projection of more than 10,000 job losses An economic impact report prepared for the Chamber of Commerce last week indicated likely job losses of between 10,000 and 14,000 by the end of the year, depending on how long lockdown conditions continue. At least 1,400 people were laid off between 13 March, when the cruise-ship ban and social- gathering restrictions came into effect, and 17 April, according to a Chamber survey of more than 300 businesses cited in the report. Many of those surveyed said they would have to let more employees go in the coming weeks. The first wave of impacts is being felt by businesses that depend on cruise tourism the most. Shaun Ebanks, of K’Man Sun Splash Watersports and a former head of the Land and Sea Co-op, said many small operators would have quietly shut up shop without so much as hanging up a sign. Bigger businesses are not immune. Chris Kirkconnell, of Kirk Freeport, which has been forced to shutter its 20 duty free and jewellery stores because of the curfew order, said lay-offs, some temporary, some permanent, had been unavoidable. He hopes to be able to open a handful of stores if and when the domestic economy reopens, but he acknowledged there was a danger that some could close permanently. “We are really anxious to see if and what business there is locally so we can gauge what the next 6-8 months looks like,” he said. “We do have a good local market, but cruise and stayover is the majority of our business.” The current plan is to open around five stores, with the rest remaining closed until Christmas at least. “I think there is definitely going to be some permanent loss of stores,” Kirkconnell said. Small operators look to refocus For water-sports businesses and tourism operators that depend heavily on high volume from cruise ships, there is little prospect of any business for the rest of the year. Ebanks, whose K’Man Sun Splash company specialises in Stingray City and Sandbar tours, said there was a silver lining in government’s loan and grant programme for small and micro businesses that can refocus on the domestic economy. “I have been working on a new business plan because, in my opinion, our business is dead in the water for a long time to come,” he said. “I don’t see tourism, especially cruise tourism, getting back to the level it was at for the next couple of years. Even when this virus goes away, people are going to be broke and stuck with bills they can’t pay.” He said he was collaborating with a handful of other operators to come up with a business plan. “I know government has had thousands of applicants for grants,” Business closures, job losses mount as economic crisis deepens Going under: Atlantis submarine tours has gone into voluntary liquidation. An Economic Impact Report prepared by FTS for the Chamber of Commerce projected massive job losses with the number of unemployed escalating the longer the lockdown goes on. Don Foster's Dive closed down last month.cayman compass 7 N news FRIDAY, 1 MAY 2020 he added. “It really shows, if there was any doubt, that we depend on the cruise industry.” Dive operator hopeful of local business One small business hoping to push through on the local market is West Bay scuba diving operator Divetech. The business, famous for its signature pink boats, believes it can survive on Cayman’s thriving dive community until the tourists come back. Jo Mikutowicz, who owns the business, said, “Divetech is going to open as soon as we can. I am keeping all my staff and, hopefully, we will be able to forge ahead. “A lot of people have been cooped up inside, so I think diving is going to be more popular than ever, once people are allowed to do it.” She said she was more confident than some that the tourists would be back. “Business will return and, when it does, we will be ready,” Mikutowicz added. She is not a lone voice. Another business leader sounding a confident note is Jim Mauer, who runs the Westin resort. Once the crisis is over, he expects business to come back quickly. Though he acknowledged people would have less disposable income, he said there was “pent-up demand”, and if Cayman can weather the storm and come out with its reputation as a safe destination enhanced, he believes the islands will be well positioned to bounce back. “Our hotel has done well over the past 10 years and expects to do well over the next 10 years,” he said. The success of tourism, particularly over the last three years, has helped enable the Westin to keep its staff paid through the closure. Mauer said that would continue through to June at least. Future of tourism Mauer has not ruled out the possi- bility that visitors could return in the latter half of this year. Currently, the airport is closed until at least 30 May and, though he acknowledges that is likely to be extended, he said the situation was changing constantly. While he believes it is correct that the industry will not be back at full throttle until 2021, he said that does not necessarily mean there will be no visitors this year. “We are prepared to open if and when that is an option,” said Mauer, who also runs Sunshine Suites. “We understand it will be very limited, obviously, and with appropriate testing, until at least December.” He said keeping staff on the payroll was an investment in the hotels’ best asset and would mean they were committed and ready to go once the doors reopen. The hotels are also working internally on new procedures around disinfecting rooms and re-organising public spaces to prepare for what post-COVID-19 tourism might look like. He said guests would expect an evolution in cleanliness, among other things. “The question isn’t when do we get back to normal; the question is what is the new normal and how do we prepare for it?” Handel Whittaker, Calico Jack’s “Calico Jack’s is a tourism prod- uct. There are no cruise ships, there are no planes even. We have built up a strong local fol- lowing but most of that is from within the tourism industry. It wouldn’t be financially feasible to continue... “I am on Cloud Nine to see how many people that we have touched and how meaningful Calico’s was to so many people. Calico Jack’s is responsible for many marriages and maybe even a few divorces. It will live forever in my heart.” Mervyn Cumber, Don Foster’s “It has been a labour of love... with this virus and the closures [of the border], it is almost like a tsunami. It is impossible to continue with the reality that it could be the end of the year before we have any business on the horizon.” Royal Palms statement “Regretfully, the Royal Palms Beach Club has permanently closed. We would like to thank our staff and patrons for a won- derful 22 years. Saying anymore at this time is just too painful.” 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. In their own words: Some of Cayman’s best-loved businesses say farewell The loss of some of Cayman’s best- loved businesses was mourned like the loss of a loved one. At Calico Jack’s last week someone had laid a wreath at the foot of the statue of Captain Morgan. Royal Palms has closed its doors after 22 years.MASH boss urges victims to reach out for help RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Local authorities have seen a dip in domestic violence and child abuse reports since the start of Cayman’s shelter-in-place and curfew regulations. While a fall in statistics may look good on the books, the head of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), Kevin Ashworth, said he believes it is a sign of a deeper, more sinister situation for victims of abuse. “If reports aren’t coming in, then, of course, we don’t know what we don’t know and that’s the key concern. We’re not naive enough to think that incidents have suddenly stopped because of COVID or reduced because of it, necessarily. I think it’s just the access to reporting is the issue,” Ashworth said in a recent interview with the Cayman Compass via Zoom. He pointed out that while international trends point to spikes in abuse, here in Cayman that’s not the case. He said the current situation with COVID-19 protocols can recreate a dangerous scenario for people trapped in abusive relationships. “Without doubt, the lockdown situations and the self-isolations and stay-at-home protocols do increase risk for domestic abuse,” Ashworth said. “Certainly, ongoing survivors of abuse will then be placed in a situation where it wouldn’t be as easy for them to get out of the abusive situation; certainly, to make the reports that they need to make.” What the numbers say Last year, domestic abuse and child safeguarding referrals in Cayman hit record reports, crossing the 1,000 mark. For many who work with victims, this increase was seen as a positive development because it showed that more people were willing to seek help. Ashworth said, prior to the implementation of shelter-in-place protocols last month, MASH was seeing high levels of domestic-violence reports, Concerns grow despite drop in number of domestic violence reports with monthly averages of more than 200. In January 2019, 276 domestic-violence referrals were received; in January 2020, there were 230. In February and March this year, reports totalled 214 and 219, respectively. “We are seeing a slight average decrease in referrals, and I say only slight. In 2019, there was an average of 232 domestic violence [a month] referrals to the police, during the first three-month period, January to March, and in the corresponding period this year, we’ve seen 221,” Ashworth said. When it came to child safeguarding, the MASH unit saw an average of 97 referrals per month for the first three months of 2020, up from an average of 83 a month for the first quarter of last year. With most of those referrals coming from schools, the numbers have dipped slightly in recent weeks as students now are being home-schooled and, like domestic- violence victims, they too are shut in with their abusers. “We have seen referrals again increasing, not to the same levels as we would see under normal conditions,” Ashworth said. “We are receiving the referrals. It is reassuring, obviously, that we haven’t just had a massive downturn in those referrals. They cross all the boundaries of emotional abuse, physical abuse and some sexual abuse referrals.” He believes the drop in reports is linked to the lack of access to support services during the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that survivors are sheltering in place with their abusers, so their ability to report is hampered. “Just as an example, if somebody wanted to have a private conversation on their cellphone or make a report to 911, it would be extremely difficult in an abusive relationship where you might be sharing the same room or certainly a smaller accommodation, as [opposed] to having some privacy to make that call,” he said. If someone is in an abusive relationship where calls or messages are monitored, then they “would resist making any reports anyway, certainly under present circumstances”, Ashworth said. Added to that, he said, are the limits on support services in the community that they would ordinarily have access to. He said many of the local support outlets, apart from the emergency services, are temporarily suspended or their staff are working from home, “and therefore the turnover of support, certainly the efficiency of that support, in relation to any requests for assistance, might not be as quick as it has been in the past”. Those support networks also include faith-based organisations – churches which have also not been able to hold regular services and meetings, he added. Despite these obstacles, Ashworth stressed the importance of reaching out for help. “If you are suffering from domestic violence, you’re not alone. There is help out there and, as any other normal circumstance outside of COVID, if you have a situation that you need emergency assistance, then please ring 911 and we will make sure that we get the appropriate assistance to you,” he said. With COVID-19 protocols set to continue, Ashworth said the decline in reporting means there need to be innovate approaches to helping survivors. “We are still getting far too many reports of domestic violence. Domestic abuse has been a problem for a number of years and will continue to be so, and obviously we’ll try and address it in as many different ways as we can,” he said. The Alliance to End Domestic Violence, a multi-agency committee that was formed last year, has been working on alternate ways to help victims make reports, such as a text-messaging alert. “They could maybe just send a text message which would be silent, hopefully. But again, the text message would be traceable. So, we’re looking at how we can do that safely with the survivors,” Ashworth said. He said there have also been discussions about an ‘intervention before crisis’ process where somebody could go into a pharmacy or a supermarket or an outlet that is open and use a codeword to get help. “From a police perspective, obviously, we would urge caution with that ... We would have to get a lot of buy-in from the business community and, certainly, some consistency with the business community to make sure that when somebody does come in and uses the codeword or uses a certain phrase that was recognised by the staff,” he said. Ashworth added that a live webinar with multi-agency presenters and facilitators is being planned, which will offer victims tips and hints on getting help. Why Attend the Truman Bodden Law School? 1. The TBLS LLB is a Qualifying Law Degree which means that our LLB graduates are eligible to pursue postgraduate legal professional training in the UK and other common law jurisdictions. TBLS is unique amongst Caribbean law schools in offering an English LLB qualification (the award of the University of Liverpool) as an internal programme of study. 2. In March 2019, TBLS successfully underwent a revalidation process with the University of Liverpool, ensuring a continuation of the affiliation between the institutions until at least 2025. 3. All full-time lecturers at TBLS enjoy Recognized Law Teacher Status of the University of Liverpool in recognition of the lecturers’ law teaching experience at degree level. 4. The LLB and LLM degrees (full and part-time) are the award of the University of Liverpool. The University is a member of the elite “Russell Group” of universities in the UK (the equivalent of the US “Ivy League”). 5. The affiliation between TBLS and the University of Liverpool has been in existence for over 30 years. The Liverpool Law School was founded over 100 years ago. 6. The content of all TBLS courses is within the control of the TBLS Course Leader. 7. Lecture and tutorial groups are small, thereby enhancing the learning and teaching experience. 8. The LLB degree is an undergraduate qualification which means that you can enroll on it without the need to firstly obtain a Bachelor’s degree. 9. TBLS is a department within the Legal Portfolio and falls under the overall responsibility of the Attorney General. 10. For qualified Caymanians, TBLS offers the postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, an award of Oxford Brookes University, following successful completion of the Professional Practice Course. For application forms email: kady.daley@gov.ky or visit our website (www.lawschool.gov.ky). For All applications should be emailed to: mitchell.davies@gov.ky (LLB); scott.atkins@gov.ky (PPC) and laura.panades@gov.ky (LLM) The closing date for the receipt of all applications for the 2020-2021 academic year is Friday, August 31st, 2020, apart from applicants required to sit the mature entrance examination for whom the closing date is July 9th. THE TRUMAN BODDEN LAW SCHOOL OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS The Truman Bodden Law School of the Cayman Islands (TBLS) invites applications for enrolment on its LLB, LLM (in International Finance) and Profes- sional Practice Course programmes for the academic year commencing September 2020. TBLS is affiliated to the University of Liverpool and Oxford Brookes University, UK. Inspector Kevin Ashworth 250 200 150 100 0 Monthly DV & CS Referrals 2020 JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 230 214219000000000 1169877 DV CS Domestic violence resources 24-hour Crisis Centre line943-CICC (2422) Kids Helpline649-5437 (KIDS) MASH Unit244-6000 Estella’s Place walk-in centre, 2nd floor, Crown Square, Eastern Avenue623-4825 Department of Children and Family Services, 3rd floor, Commerce House, 7 Genesis Close, George Town 949-0290 Average monthly figures Domestic violenceJan-March 2019232 Domestic violenceJan-March 2020221 Child safeguardingJan-March 201983 Child safeguardingJan-March 202097 89Next >