$ 4 99 Drive through open 10am - 9pm on Eastern Avenue, or order delivery with the Let’s Eat app. cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 12-18 June 2020 Local 3 pregnant women beat COVID-19 Page 3 Lockdown gives invasive species break from cullers Page 13 Children facing challenges to remote learning Page 14 Love in the time of coronavirus Page 16 Uniformed services join forces during crisis Page 10640-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. Open for outdoor dining starting Sunday, 7 June CURBSIDE PICKUP • TAKE-OUT • DELIVERY PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY: Cayman Compass Ltd. Compass Centre, Shedden Road, George Town, Cayman Islands SEND US YOUR VIEWS OR NEWS: P.O. 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FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass While Cayman recorded less than a 1% increase in the total number of crimes reported last year compared to 2018, offences such as sex crimes and traffic violations were on the rise, according to the latest annual statistics issued by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. “This marginal increase in crime in 2019 is indicative of a growing willingness on behalf of victims to report and the commitment of the RCIPS to investigate crimes which in the past went unreported," police commissioner Derek Byrne said. He noted that the number of murders, rapes, robberies and burglaries recorded in 2019 “were at their lowest levels in the past five years”. However, traffic offences increased by almost 50% last year compared to 2018, with officers issuing 3,094 speeding tickets in 2019. Cayman also recorded a 29% increase in overall sex crimes last year compared to 2018. These included 21 reports of indecent assault on a female – an increase of 84% compared to 2018 statistics. “Increased reporting and awareness of sexual crimes allows better understanding of sexual crimes,” the report stated, adding that the increased recording of such offences enables police to help prevent and deter those crimes, “as well as to catch and convict offenders and support victims”. With the advent of the coronavirus crisis, crime levels in the Cayman Islands in the past two- and-a-half months have dropped dramatically, the commissioner said at a COVID-19 press briefing on 29 May, when he reported that overall crime, excluding curfew violations, was down 33% compared to the same period in 2019. He added that while the COVID-19 hard and soft curfews were in place, violent crime had dropped by 25%, burglaries were down 69%, the number of robberies had fallen by 89% and theft was down 62%. According to the RCIPS annual statistics report, overall violent crime increased by 15% last year compared to 2018, and 57% of those crimes had an element of domestic violence. “The majority of these crimes fall into the less serious violence category, such as assault causing actual bodily harm and common assault. This is mirrored in an increase in the number of recorded crimes, involving domestic violence,” the report noted. There was a 28% increase in the number of domestic-violence referrals and a 33% rise in child-safeguarding referrals dealt with by the RCIPS. “This is in line with steady increases in recent years,” Byrne said, adding that the RCIPS continued to “invest significant resources into addressing crimes that impact the most vulnerable in our communities”. “These increases could partially be attributable to improved recording and understanding of the issues involved on the part of the RCIPS, coupled with an increased willingness on the part of victims to report these crimes and the greater range of services available, such as the Family Support Unit and MASH [Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub],” the report stated. The number of firearm-related crimes increased by two in 2019. “A firearms-enabled crime is any crime that has been committed where a firearm, including an imitation, has been discharged or seen/threatened. In 2019, there were 29 crimes believed to involve a firearm,” the report noted. Those included eight robberies, five threats to kill, two aggravated burglaries, two attempted murders and one murder. Last year, the RCIPS recovered nine firearms – five revolvers, two pistols, one shotgun and one assault rifle. Conversely, the number of drug- related crimes decreased by 19% – 167 incidents in 2019 compared to 205 in 2018. This reduction was attributed to the drop in the number of possession-of-ganja crimes. Offences such as burglary, criminal trespass, robbery and theft dropped by 12% overall. Speeding continued to be a challenge for the Traffic and Roads Policing Unit, which issued 3,094 speeding tickets last year. “This total applies to both exceeding the maximum speed limit in zone (3,063) and maximum speed limit in vehicle class (31). In 2018, the total number of tickets issued for speeding was 2,124, so there has been a year-on-year increase of 970 tickets, or 45.7% in 2019 compared to the previous year,” the report stated. There was a 15.3% drop in the number of DUIs in the Cayman Islands last year – 272 summons compared to 321 in 2018. However, the number of collisions increased by 16.4%, with 2,806 crashes last year compared to 2,409 in 2018. 2019 crime stats: Sex crimes, traffic offences increase Source: RCIPS cayman compass 2 news N news FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020Be 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 more things Logic is doing: Stay home. We got this. Promoting Education - Logic is offering free speed upgrades for teachers delivering classes from home. Providing flexible payment options - We are providing flexible payment arrangements for those that have lost their businesses or jobs due to COVID-19. Community Pledge - We’ve pledged $25,000 to the private sector COVID-19 relief fund, through the R3 Foundation. Charitable Donations - Logic has contributed $14,000 spread across the following organizations - Cayman Red Cross, ARK, Feed our Future, Meals on Wheels, Cayman Food Bank, NCVO and the Cayman Islands Crisis Centre. Connecting our Students- We have been working with the Department of Education to provide connectivity to those students in need. Adding free news and entertainment - We’ve opened a number of channels to all television subscribers. Asymptomatic trend continues RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Three pregnant women were among Cayman’s positive COVID-19 cases, according to statistical data released by Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee. The women have since fully recovered from coronavirus and are among the 107 listed under that category. Lee, responding to queries from the Cayman Compass on noticeable trends in Cayman’s COVID-19 cases, said that the pregnant women who tested positive did not require any special monitoring other than for the virus. The majority of Cayman’s COVID-19 cases continue to be asymptomatic. The national total of confirmed cases, as of Thursday, stood at 180. Lee said, of those cases, 109 never showed symptoms, and nine were admitted to hospital. However, he said of the nine that were hospitalised, six had other medical conditions in addition to coronavirus. Lee, addressing local cases at Tuesday’s COVID-19 briefing, said though there continues to be new positive cases, the fact that so few people had symptoms suggested the virus was “burning itself out”. “Every day since the end of April, all of those people that have come forward, bar possibly one, have not had symptoms; we must assume they have been asymptomatic or had such mild symptoms that it didn’t stick in their memory,” he said. Lee added that in the vast majority of those cases, contact tracing had shown the virus was spread by asymptomatic patients. Cayman has only recorded one death since the crisis touched local shores – a cruise ship tourist who was initially hospitalised following a heart attack. Lee was unable to provide a breakdown of cases by socio- economic standing. He added that it was difficult to look at trends by ethnicity in Cayman, nor is it a categorisation Public Health officials are looking at. Premier Alden McLaughlin has said Cayman is actively “hunting” for the virus through government’s expanded screening programme which had uncovered more cases, most of which displayed no symptoms. Coronavirus is in the community, evidenced by the several cases which have turned up with no travel history, but based on the numbers and local trends, Lee said people returning from travel overseas are far more likely to test positive for COVID-19. “Of those who have tested positive, the following accompanying conditions were seen with decreasing frequency, respectively: hypertension, diabetes, pregnancy, chronic lung disease, cardiac disease, malignancy, chronic neurological or neuromuscular disease, high cholesterol, Parkinson’s, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and arthritis,” he said. While Lee said Cayman is not testing to identify the strain of the virus found here, he did note the Public Health Department has knowledge of the countries from where patients have arrived and who had tested positive. As a matter of government policy, Lee said a breakdown of cases by district in Cayman will not be released, mainly due to the small size of communities and the possibility that patients could be easily identified. Based on the latest figures, more men have contracted the virus than women, with 54% of the cases being male and 46% female. Lee said the mean ages for those who tested positive is 38.7 for women and 42.8 for men. The overall age range for the virus locally is between 9 and 85. Three pregnant women beat COVID-19 Residents arriving from these countries tested positive • United Kingdom • United States • Columbia • Barbados • Nicaragua • Jamaica • Spain cayman compass 3 news N news FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 20201234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Keep hold (5) 4 Fall rapidly (7) 8 Clumsy stupid person (3) 9 Previously mentioned (9) 10 Artist’s range of colours (7) 11 Willing (5) 13 Cooking instructions (6) 15 Idiomatic expression (6) 18 Possibly (5) 19 A sudden inclination (7) 21 Having as profit (2,3,4) 23 After all deductions (3) 24 Combat aircraft (7) 25 Surrender (5) DOWN 1 Helicopter (7) 2 Hotly pursuing (2,4,3) 3 Of extraordinary size (5) 4 Tried and tested (6) 5 Dig up (7) 6 Extinct flightless bird (3) 7 In the present times (5) 12 Immediately on seeing (2,1,6) 14 Ostensible reason (7) 16 Throw out (7) 17 Healthy growth (6) 18 A decorative design (5) 20 Rice field (5) 22 Trite quotation (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16403 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 16403 ACROSS: 1 Cling, 4 Plummet, 8 Oaf, 9 Aforesaid, 10 Palette, 11 Ready, 13 Recipe, 15 Phrase, 18 Maybe, 19 Impulse, 21 To the good, 23 Net, 24 Fighter, 25 Yield. DOWN: 1 Chopper, 2 In full cry, 3 Giant, 4 Proven, 5 Unearth, 6 Moa, 7 Today, 12 At a glance, 14 Pretext, 16 Ejected, 17 Vigour, 18 Motif, 20 Paddy, 22 Tag. While for the most part I have been in agreement with how everything has been handled during this pandemic, I have recently found myself frustrated with the lack of consideration of the overseas students with respect to the mandated two-week hotel quarantine requirement upon return. The anxiety of how this next school year will play out is rapidly building for many parents and students. Understandably, the choice to send our children to boarding [school] is not empathised with, as many hold the views that boarding or overseas studies is reserved for the rich and elite. I assure this is not always the case. There are many reasons a parent decides to send their child away for school; it is not always due to wealth and entitlement. As a divorced single mother and sole provider, I made the decision to send my son to boarding school due to my belief it was best for his future, and my career required much travel. Some students go for behavioural issues or learning disabilities to a school that is better equipped to support them. It is a sacrifice for most families financially to make this decision. Schools are not flexible in the middle of GCSE or sixth form programmes. Many students would be held back one or two years if they tried to enrol here rather than return abroad. There is also not space in our schools for this solution. Options need to be looked into, such as ankle bracelets or apps with GPS check-in. Many of us were able to successfully self-isolate upon returning our students and abide by the rules. The thought that our students will spend Christmas break in a hotel, only to be released in time to fly back, is heartbreaking. There are many students and parents in this same situation on this island, locals and work-permit holders, and our children have never known another country as their home. Please give them and us the respect to be able to self-isolate with their families this upcoming school year. There are solutions other than a $2,600 hotel stay. Cheri Langston Sargassum hasn’t blanketed all the beaches in the Cayman Islands with the blight of foul-smelling seaweeds. We remember how the last sargassum invasion was handled, with people backing the weed from their otherwise pristine beaches to the dump, or washing it down to use for fertiliser for their grounds. Providence or a nuisance? Sargassum is the cresting wave of the future of climate change, which we’re experiencing today all over the world. Nan Socolow 2,700 unemployed tourism workers apply for help So what about work permit holders, nothing? We also work in tourism for this country and is al- ready three months without jobs. – Chikita De la Cruz But nothing it appears for those thousands of tourism industry workers who are not Caymanians. People who came here in good faith, took a low-paid job and are now jobless and broke through no fault of their own. The impact is not just on these fellow human beings who live among us, but on all the local businesses and landlords they can no longer afford to pay. “Let them go back to where they came from,” we hear. That’s possible if they come from Jamaica, Cuba or Honduras, assuming they will even be allowed to return. But flights to the Philippines or India are some $2,000 – an impossible sum for those who had been working for $10 per hour or less. And how will our most important industry be staffed when it eventually reopens if all their trained staff leave? – Norman Linton Governor assures Nicaraguans: ‘We’re doing all we can’ May God help and bless these wonderful people from Nicaragua through these trying times. – Miranda Sylvester How about giving the Ni- caraguan government a week’s notice of delivery of their people (and meaning it) and flying in and dropping them off? Daniel [Ortega] doesn’t care about his people and isn’t ever going to be of assistance. They deserve to go home. – Jadie Forbes I really feel for these people! Let’s hope they will soon be able to return home with the help of our government. Hoping their government will soon open the border that they can have some relief and be reunited with their families – Mary Rankine Health City hopeful over ‘immunity’ transfusions This really is working! – Karla Marshall Passive immunity. That prac- tice has been around for over 150 years. It works. – Kyle Creel All well and good but we don’t, and fingers crossed, won’t, have any need for this. It’s now nearly two months since anyone was admitted to hospital for COVID-19 symptoms. – Steve Bull Rotary Central to launch anti-speeding campaign Or... we could get speed cameras. – Steve McIntosh It is time to slow down, Cay- man. – Viki Hawkins Let overseas students self-isolate at Christmas Online Letters What they’re saying cartoon Welcome someday - By Caymanman Sargassum seaweed a climate-change issue cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020AngelChavez-Ferreira AvaHider ArielleFarley BernardoLoboBarrera CarlAbbott CaylemHill CristinJackson DanielaSuarezMonedero EllenGass EmmaOko EthanCharlton HaydenWood HenriM. JackMcGregor JamesBolland JoeAllom-Perez KylerD. LukeSell NicholasPadron-Sedano NikolasGoldner OliviaLambert Pierre-LouisSokohl WilliamGardner ZoeSulisz GRADUATING CLASSOF2020 VALEDICTORIAN SALUTATORIAN ArielleFarley ZoeSuliz JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Government had allocated almost $30 million in public funds by the end of May to help fight COVID-19. The funds have been used to boost healthcare capacity and to assist those whose businesses have been impacted by the closure of the islands’ borders to tourists, and the temporary shutdown of the domestic economy. Further funds continue to be allocated as the crisis continues. For example, government announced this week it would be offering a $1,000 monthly stipend for the next three months to unemployed Caymanians in the tourism sector. If all 2,700 applicants are approved that payout would cost $8.1 million. The figures below, provided by the Ministry of Finance, represent the main components of the funding allocated by the end of May. $3.7 million: COVID-19 test kits (a private donor covered half of this cost). $1.4 million: Combined cost of personal protective equipment and the expense of running isolation facilities for quarantined individuals at empty hotels. $3.9 million: Financial assistance to those in need. Includes additional funds to the Needs Assessment Unit and one-off payments to seamen and veterans. $8.9 million: Additional funding to the Health Services Authority for masks, gowns and other protective equipment and to cover cost of supplies, staff and new equipment, and the expense of episodic testing programmes. $9.5 million: The total amount allocated for grant funding for small and micro-businesses. The figure reflects the amount approved by Cabinet. Not all of that money has been used as yet. Bars and restaurants reopen The advent of a socially distant social life was the highlight of the week for many. After months of lockdown, bars and restaurants with outdoor seating were allowed to reopen on Sunday. Many businesses erected tents and expanded their establishments in order to comply with government’s criteria. “It feels like a little bit of normalcy returning. Everything’s on the up,” Steve Shienfield, owner of the Market Street restaurant group, which includes Mizu Asian Bistro and The Waterfront, told the Cayman Compass. Premier optimistic about lifting restrictions Virtually all restrictions on movement, business and gatherings could be lifted within a few weeks if COVID-19 testing results remain encouraging, Premier Alden McLaughlin said this week. If new COVID-19 cases continue to be low in number and the majority remain asymptomatic, he said life within the islands could return to something like normal. Gyms and salons will likely be able to reopen, and domestic helpers and carers could return to work. Children could also be allowed to use playgrounds again and inter-island travel may also be sanctioned, he added. Borders remain closed... for now There is still no prospect of the borders reopening before 1 Sept. Even that date may be optimistic. The premier said Cayman was an “incredible success story”, but warned that COVID-19 remains a “killer disease”. “We have got Cayman in a relatively good place locally. We have to now focus on how we reopen the borders without creating a great risk of introducing a potentially more virulent strain and undoing the good work done so far,” he said. Government leaders hope high- speed testing can be used at gateway airports to allow some tourism to resume this year. Thousands apply for tourism stipend With tourism effectively shut down, government is offering a monthly $1,000 stipend for a period of three months to unemployed Caymanian workers in the industry. As of Tuesday, 2,700 people had applied for the stipend. Health City hopeful over immunity transfusions Health City is also set to begin antibody testing. The East End hospital is carefully monitoring global research to determine if blood plasma transfusions – a process which has been used to treat other conditions and is available at the hospital – could be used for the coronavirus. Preliminary research suggests such transfusions can be used to transfer virus- fighting antibodies from a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 to help someone who is critically ill with the virus. Antibody testing to begin The Health Services Authority announced it would begin antibody testing for healthcare workers this week. The tests detect if a person has had a past infection of COVID-19 and developed antibodies which help fight the virus. A public screening programme is also planned to help determine how many people in Cayman may have been infected with the coronavirus since the crisis began. Cayman seeing asymptomatic spread of the virus The World Health Organization suggested this week that asymptomatic spread of the coronavirus is “very rare”, but later back-tracked from that position, saying the research was not yet complete on how the virus is spread. In the Cayman Islands, it appears that people without symptoms can and are spreading the coronavirus. With the possible exception of one patient, no one has reported COVID symptoms since late April, yet there are more than 70 active cases of the virus on island. Governor meets Nicaraguans Governor Martyn Roper met with members of Cayman’s Nicaraguan community this week to assure them his office was doing everything in its power to help get them home. With Nicaragua’s borders shut, the group is stranded in Cayman without income. They lost their jobs amid the COVID-19 lockdowns and are relying on charities for food. Gov’t spending on COVID-19 crisis Where the money has gone COVID-19 weekly roundup cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020Your guide to the new COVID-19 regulations JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky The shelter-in-place rules and restrictions which have dictated our daily movements since the start of the coronavirus crisis are slowly but surely being relaxed. The initial Prevention, Control and Suppression of COVID-19 Regulations were repealed and replaced last week with a comprehensive set of new policies guiding the reopening of various sectors of the economy. The guidelines also eased restrictions on movement and leisure activities. Though the changes have been largely welcomed, confusion remains over what is and isn’t allowed. Here we try to clear up some of the key questions around what you can and can’t do right now. When are bars and restaurants allowed to be open? Multiple bars and restaurants reopened from Sunday for outdoor service only. Such establishments are allowed to provide table service to customers up to 9pm each night. What other conditions apply to restaurants? Staff must wear masks; no seating at the bar; reusable menus are not allowed; tables must be at least eight feet apart. Mingling between tables is prohibited, and customers from different households may sit at the same table but must be at least six feet apart. Can we sit with other families? You can sit with people from different households, as long as you maintain a distance of six feet. Practically, that is going to vary from bar to bar and restaurant to restaurant, depending on the size of the patio space and the size of the tables. Some establishments are restricting seatings to members of the same household, others are allowing different groups to sit around the same large table, so long as the social-distancing regulations are adhered to. Do the alphabet restrictions still apply? The alphabet restrictions do not apply to bars and restaurants. However, they are still in place for supermarkets, gas stations, retail businesses, banks, car washes, post offices, laundromats and money-remittance services. As per the previous guidelines, people with surnames starting with the letters A-K can visit these places Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The L-Z group gets Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Restrictions don’t apply on Sundays. What days can we go to the beach? Restrictions on beach access have been eased, so anyone can visit the beach any day of the week to swim, fish from shore or to exercise. That includes water sports such as kayaking or kitesurfing. Parties or picnics on the beach are still banned. Can I have friends over for dinner? No. It is still prohibited to have private gatherings involving any person outside of the household. What about a backyard barbecue? The regulations do allow for public gatherings of up to six people (subject to social-distancing guidelines); however, this does not include your backyard, which is still considered part of your home. Asked specifically about that issue this week, Premier Alden McLaughlin confirmed that gatherings on private property were not currently allowed, but suggested that could change within the next few weeks. What are the guidelines on fishing? One place you definitely can gather in groups of up to six people is on a fishing boat. As long as social distancing is adhered to on board, boats of up to six people are allowed to fish until 9pm. All boats must steer clear of the wildlife interaction zones, including Stingray City and Starfish Point. What about other types of boating? The current regulations only allow for fishing, so other types of boating appear to be prohibited for now. Boating between the islands is banned and raft-ups are not allowed. What are the rules on wearing masks? Masks should be worn by anyone indoors in a public place who cannot maintain a social distance of six feet, the regulations state. Masks should also be worn in taxis or when ride sharing. There are various exemptions available based on medical grounds. Business owners may bar entry to anyone who refuses to wear a mask without a legitimate medical excuse. Does my child have to wear a mask? Anyone over the age of 2 is required to wear a mask, subject to the conditions and exemptions outlined above. The regulations indicate that further guidelines will be published on the use of masks or cloth face coverings for children up to 10 years old. Those guidelines had not been released at press time. More general guidelines are available here: https://www.exploregov.ky/ coronavirus-blog/when-why-to- wear-a-mask. Is exercise allowed every day now? You can now exercise up to 9pm any day of the week along with up to five other people from outside your household. Exercise can include non-contact sports, like tennis on a strata court, and is limited to a maximum of two hours. Public courts and all gyms, including strata gyms, remain closed. Contact sports like soccer or rugby are not allowed. Are there restrictions on driving to exercise? The regulations don’t contain any restriction on driving to exercise. What are the new curfew times? The hard curfew, when only essential workers and those with written exemptions can be on the road, is now from 10pm until 4.30am. When can I get my hair cut? No time-line has been set for the return of ‘touch services’, like hair and nail salons. Such businesses hope they will be included in the next round of regulations later this month, but this is not yet confirmed and is dependent on the results of an ongoing island-wide testing programme. Are church services allowed? Church services must stay online for now. A traditional Sunday service would breach regulations on public gatherings. Weddings and funerals are allowed, but only with a maximum of 10 guests. Is scuba diving allowed? Scuba diving remains banned for now but Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee has suggested divers with their own gear may be able to get back in the water the next time restrictions are eased. Several scuba operators are working on protocols to allow dive charters to resume. Are children allowed to go out and play together? Playgrounds remain closed and the beaches are technically only open for exercise. Children could exercise together, under the same restrictions as adults, but there is no exemption that would allow less-structured play, for example, building sand castles at the beach. Social-distancing guidelines still apply to all interactions. Fishing, swimming, dining ... without breaking the law Customers practise social distancing at Fidel Murphy's bar and restaurant on Sunday. cayman compass news N news FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020 6JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Cayman may have to take some ‘calculated risks’ to bring tourists back to the destination. That’s the verdict of Marc Langevin, general manager of the islands’ biggest resort, The Ritz- Carlton, Grand Cayman. Langevin told the Cayman Compass he is cautiously optimistic about the long-term future for the hotel and for the tourism sector. But he warned it would be a long road back to the record-breaking visitor numbers seen in recent years. And he said Cayman would have to take some chances to get there. “Government has done an amazing job in protecting the population,” he said. “The unlocking (of the island) is going to have to take the same focus.” He was speaking as the hotel reopened three of its restaurants this week, putting around 100 people back to work. Langevin said this was a small step in the right direction. He is hopeful staycations will soon be sanctioned, to give the hotel some business while the borders remain closed. But he said The Ritz-Carlton and other resorts need overseas visitors back soon. He is confident that there are tourists that want to come back to Cayman this year. “We will see guests back in the hotel, but at what level?” he said. “It is going to depend on technology, on testing, but also on the willingness to be able to make it happen, accepting certain risks when we do that calculation.” Private jets and staycations Langevin believes staycations can serve as a gateway phase to allow hotels and other businesses to iron out their post-COVID-19 protocols. And he said high-spending tourists on private jets could be the first visitors allowed back to the islands – providing a small, manageable group to process and test new entry protocols. He said this would help get tourism back up and running in a phased progression, adding, “It is a natural path that will bring us to the next step.” He added that he expects a “long staircase” of small steps will be needed before tourism returns to anything like pre-COVID-19 levels. With social distancing part of the new reality, hotels will have to subsist at reduced occupancy levels for some time to come. He said group bookings, conferences and conventions were gone for the foreseeable future. “We don’t know how many airplanes are going to come back; we don’t know what the capacity will be with restrictions on the airlines; we don’t know if customers will be willing to go through whatever testing requirements government is going to make," he said. “There is a lot of unknowns and it is evident that we will have to be creative and figure out how we survive in this new environment.” Fewer visitors with the same base costs adds up to a higher price for global travel in the long term, Langevin said. “At some point, somebody is going to have to pay for it. Right now, everyone is accepting a loss. It is a way of surviving, but business will change and pricing will be different as we move forward.” Enhanced reputation The manner in which Cayman has handled the health side of the crisis could ultimately enhance the islands' reputation as a safe place for higher- spending visitors, he said. “We are number five in the world for testing; I think number one in North America, certainly number one in the Caribbean – that is invaluable for customers looking to resume their lives and know they are safe.” He believes the new antibody tests – which show if someone has had the virus and developed a degree of immunity – could also provide an additional layer of security as staff go back to work. He believes many tourism workers may have had the coronavirus already. “I would not be surprised in the hospitality industry, because we are so customer-facing, if a lot of us have been asymptomatic through the crisis.” Retraining workers With hotel and stayover tourism expected to come back much faster than the cruise sector, Langevin said there may be opportunities for Caymanian employees to switch from one sector to another. But he said it would involve a comprehensive government and industry-wide effort to assess skills and experience, and to provide training in a socially distant environment. He added that it was not correct to assume five-star hospitality jobs were easy. “It is not just you (click your fingers) and anybody can work there, it is not true. There is a long path.” He said the COVID-19 crisis offered a chance to rethink the future of the industry and the hotel is keen to play its part in helping shape that future. “I am optimistic because it is the only way I know how to deal with life,” he said, “but I am reserved at the same time. I can see no matter what we do, it is going to take a long time to get where we want to be.” For full video-interview, go to www.caymancompass.com. INTERVIEW: RITZ-CARLTON’S MARC LANGEVIN ‘Risks must be taken on long road back to recovery’ Marc Langevin 7 FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020 Jason Burke Manager Systems Operations Claire Stafford Company Secretary & Data Protection Officer Congratulations Promotions at CUC Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. (CUC) recently promoted Claire Stafford, Company Secretary & Data Protection Officer and Jason Burke, Manager Systems Operations. Claire joined the Company’s Corporate Compliance Department in 2011 as a Corporate Compliance Officer and was promoted to Assistant Company Secretary & Corporate Compliance Officer later that same year. In 2013, Claire was promoted to Manager Corporate Compliance & Assistant Company Secretary. She obtained both a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 1992 and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) in 2011 from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. Claire is a certified Governance Professional (GPC.D) through the Governance Professionals of Canada (GPC) having successfully graduated from their Governance Professional Education Programme in 2019. The GPC is a Canadian professional organisation with the mandate to be the voice of all governance professionals in Canada. Claire completed the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) Level 5 certification in 2019 and serves as Chairperson of the Company‘s Human Capital Committee. Jason joined the Company in 1995 as a Unit Operator Trainee. He transferred to the Production Maintenance Department (formerly the Mechanical Maintenance Department) in 1997 as a Heavy Duty Mechanic Helper and was later promoted to Heavy Duty Mechanic. In 2000, Jason was awarded a two-year technician scholarship and graduated with Associate’s degrees, with high honours, in Industrial Maintenance Technology and Facilities Management & Engineering from Texas State Technical College in Waco, Texas in April 2002. Following graduation, he returned to the Production Maintenance Department in 2002 and served in a number of leadership roles including Manager Production Maintenance, a position to which he was promoted in 2007. In 2013, Jason was awarded a second CUC scholarship to attend the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom. Following his graduation in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honours, Jason joined the Engineering and Business Development Department as a Senior Project Manager. As Senior Project Manager, Jason coordinated the design, construction and integration of a number of major projects including the Seven Mile Beach Substation on West Bay Road, which is scheduled to be completed in 2020. In addition, he completed his ILM Level 5 certification in 2019. CUC is committed to promoting from within the Company and continues to provide opportunities for training, education and career advancement to all its employees.But businesses optimistic industry can recover RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Cayman’s accommodation sector seemed to be on track for another profitable year at the start of 2020, but this came to a screeching halt with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last three months, those within the industry say they have refunded millions of dollars in rental bookings. “That’s been very, very hard when you see all of that money going back out the door,” said Juliet Cumber-Forget, managing director at Cayman Villas, in a Zoom interview with the Cayman Compass this week. She works at one of several condo and villa businesses that have lost revenue due to the border closures and lockdown triggered by the coronavirus crisis. It has also been tough for Jim Leavitt, principal general manager of Grand Cayman Villas and Condos. “We’ve had to refund over a million and a half dollars of rent to guests so far. We’re still refunding. We will probably refund over $2 million of rent. By the time this is all over, it may be closer to $3 million,” Leavitt said in a Zoom interview on Tuesday. He said Grand Cayman Villas and Condos also lost bookings that are normally done at the last minute. “Our company will do, on average, over $10 million of rent a year. And we do probably three- quarters of that from December to July. So you can just imagine how expensive this has been for us,” he said. Based on the Department of Tourism’s room stock statistics for April, condos and villas collectively account for close to 62% of Cayman’s available accommodations. In Grand Cayman alone, the room stock for condos and villas totals 4,174. When the borders closed in March, both Cumber-Forget and Leavitt said the refunds had kicked in immediately. Leavitt said there was no hesitation in giving customers a positive experience through refunds, since that will be key to helping Cayman’s tourism product bounce back. “I think that will pay dividends in the long run,” he said. “From the living standards standpoint, [Cayman] is gold standard in [the] Caribbean. Other islands don’t really have as good of a Department of Tourism that provides a guidance as ours that we have. That Caymankind theme runs deep all the way through all of the hotel, condo and villa sectors and the guests appreciate that,” Leavitt added. COVID challenges and the road ahead Cayman’s border reopening, tentatively set for 1 Sept., is dependent on the results of the expanded coronavirus-testing programme, Premier Alden McLaughlin has said. For accommodation industry members, the longer the delays continue, the harder it gets for businesses to keep its workers employed. Cumber-Forget said the industry needs to be unlocked, so that staycations can help boost the domestic economy. “We understand [the borders are] probably going to be closed longer, but we’re drowning here. You know, we’ve got these properties ready to go. We’ve got people desperate for holidays and staycations because they can’t leave the island,” she said. The premier has suggested that staycations could be an avenue for revenue generation, but there is no indication when the accommodation industry will be released from restrictions to start that process. The situation for Cumber-Forget is getting dire. She has already cut salaries to stay afloat. “I’ve got five housekeepers that have done nothing for three months and if they don’t start working by the end of June, I’m going to have to let them go,” she said, adding her staff are all Caymanian, with 12 employed full-time. Molly Thomas, director/founder of Luxury Cayman Villas, is also feeling the strain. She said she has refunded hundreds of thousands of dollars and, because of COVID-19, her plans for expansion have been put on hold. “We are hoping to recoup a tiny portion of that with staycations. We’re really looking forward to... an announcement from the government of exactly when they may be allowed. We know that everyone’s thinking that’s going to happen soon, so we’re anxiously awaiting a firm date,” she said. Leavitt and Thomas said the staycations will not really move the needle forward in terms of recouping their losses, but it will have a positive effect on the local economy and the community. “It will be a tiny drop in the bucket to recoup some of that revenue... and we’re really focussing on our local community here as our main target demographic, probably for the next six months, the remainder of 2020 to a large extent,” Thomas said. Leavitt said McLaughlin and the government have done well in managing Cayman’s COVID-19 crisis and he believes staycations can help in the economic- rebuilding process. “[Staycations are] all part of just getting the entire Cayman economy going. It is an opportunity for the Cayman residents themselves to have a stake in restarting their own economy,” he said, adding that it does not help the economy for everyone to stay inside and not get out and increase the gross domestic product. “Government’s done a great job. If they will allow the staycations to occur soon, that’ll be self-stimulus right there, with no out-of-pocket costs for the government,” Leavitt said. Cumber-Forget said 2020 marks 50 years since her mother started their family business and while it was hard to see the losses they incurred, she is optimistic that Cayman will thrive. “We have had money coming in,” she said. “I do reports weekly as to what new bookings we’ve had and, obviously compared to last year, it doesn’t compare at all. In the last month, we’ve probably done about 80 new bookings for next year. We do have [bookings] next year from January onwards.” However, she said the main concern is for the rest of 2020. Leavitt believes Cayman can recover. “I think it’s going to take off,” he said. “We have already seen in the United States a four-time increase in the inquiries for beach house rentals on the east coast of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. It’s four times larger than it was last year this time and there are very few vacancies available. I predict the same thing’s going to happen in Grand Cayman. As soon as there’s an official word, our phones are going to ring.” Tourism accommodations pay out millions in refunds Cayman’s current room stock as of April Grand Cayman Cayman Brac Little Cayman Total Condos3,21585403,340 Villas959119431,121 Hotels2,65452782,784 Total6,8282561617,245 Kaia Kamina villa in Cayman Kai operated by Luxury Cayman Villas. Above: Evolution villas in Bodden Town, operated by Luxury Cayman Villas. An aerial view of some of the properties under Cayman Villas portfolio. Juliet Cumber-Forget, managing director, Cayman Villas Molly Thomas, director/founder, Luxury Cayman Villas cayman compass 8 news N newscayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 12 JUNE 2020 FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass e: subscriptions@compassmedia.ky. or visit caymancompass.com to sign up today. t: (345) 949.5111 Have your Friday newspaper delivered straight to your door Only CI$10 a month Minimum sign-up of one month Keep up with the newsNext >