A month without COVID ALSO AVAILABLE WITH TM & © 2020 Burger King Corporation. SEVEN MILE BEACH WATERFRONT WALKERS ROAD RED BAY cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, Friday 14 - 20 August 2020 Local News Decrease in sargassum levels Page 5 Local News COVID-19 takes toll on relationships Page 6 Re-educating Cayman Page 12 Big Shave goes virtual Page 16 Further restrictions to be lifted as Cayman deemed COVID-19 free Page 3 Study ranks COVID masks from best to worst Page 8Matinees (matinee price before 6pm) • Seniors $8.00 (Mon-Fri before 6pm) Additional charges apply per 3D/VIP tickets 640-FILM (640-3456) Cayman Cinema@cbcinema6cbcinema6 SATURDAY NIGHT: For your viewing pleasure, minors under the age of 18 will not be admitted to any film starting after 6pm, unless accompanied by their parent. WHAT’S PLAYING THIS WEEK BLOODSHOT (PG-13) (SUN) 4:15 | 7:05 | 9:30 VIP HARD KILL (R) (FRI & SAT) 4:05 | 9:40 (MON - THURS) 4:05 | 9:40 I STILL BELIEVE (PG) (SUN) 3:50 | 6:35 | 9:40 THE BIG UGLY (R) (FRI & SAT) 1:20 | 7:00 (MON - THURS) 1:20 | 7:00 THE RENTAL (R) (FRI & SAT) 3:15 VIP | 4:25 | 7:50 VIP | 7:00 (MON - THURS) 2:50 VIP | 4:25 | 7:25 VIP | 9:55 UNHINGED (R) (FRI & SAT) 12:55 VIP | 2:00 | 5:30 VIP | 7:30 | 10:10 VIP (MON - THURS) 12:30 VIP | 2:00 | 5:05 VIP | 7:30 ONWARD (PG) (SUN) 4:00 | 6:50 VIP | 9:20 THE HIGH NOTE (PG-13) (SUN) 4:30 | 7:15 | 10:00 MATRIX, THE (R) (FRI ) 12:30 | 9:45 VIP (SAT & WED) 12:30 (MON & THURS) 12:30 | 9:45 VIP (TUES) 12:30 | 6:45 | 9:50 MATRIX REVOLTIONS (R) (FRI & SAT) 6:45 (MON & THURS) 6:45 | 9:45 (WED) 9:45 VIP MATRIX RELOADED (R) (FRI) 3:40 (SAT) 3:40 | 9:45 (MON & THURS) 3:40 (TUES) 3:40 | 9:45 VIP (WED) 3: | 6:45 | 9:55 MY SPY (PG-13) (FRI & SAT) 1:00 | 3:30 | 6:40 | 9:15 (SUN) 3:30 VIP | 6:40 | 9:15 (MON - THURS) 1:00 | 3:30 | 6:40 | 9:15 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 30% chance of showers and possible thunder. Forecast today 90°F HIGH WINDS East to northeast at 5 to 10 knots. SEA STATE Slight to moderate with wave heights of 2 to 4 feet. Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass weather Cayman Islands 79°F LOW 623.2290 SAVANNAH 7 MILE BEACH 945.2290 623.2782 SAVANNAH 7 MILE BEACH 947.2782 COME DINE WITH US PICK-UP | TAKE-OUT | FREE DELIVERY AVAILABLE (Delivery times 8am-2pm & 5pm-9pm ) A month with no COVID-19 cases Cayman has now gone 31 days without returning a positive COVID-19 test result. No new cases were reported on Thursday and there are no active cases. Cayman remains with 203 positive cases since the global pandemic began, with 202 people fully recovered, and one death – an Italian visitor who arrived on the Costa Luminosa cruise ship earlier this year. To date, 32,212 tests have been conducted in the Cayman Islands. There are 228 people who remain in isolation either at their homes or a government facility. The last two positive results reported in Cayman came on 13 July. The Pan American Health Organization announced Wednesday it had upgraded Cayman’s COVID-19 situation from ‘sporadic cases’ to ‘no cases’. Shots fired during attempted robbery A masked robber fired a shot from a handgun into the ceiling of a gas station in East End just before 9pm Tuesday during an attempted robbery, police said. Police said the man, armed with a handgun, entered the store and demanded cash. He fired a shot into the ceiling, but made off without any cash or items being stolen. No one was injured in the incident. The man was seen running along Sea View Road heading east towards Austin Connolly Drive. The gunman was reportedly wearing a dark-coloured hoodie and a black mask. Anyone with information on the incident can call the Bodden Town Police Station at 947-2220. Man charged for nightclub assault A 28-year-old North Side man has been charged with assault after videos of a woman being punched were circulated on social media. The charge stems from an incident outside a nightclub on Canal Street, off West Bay Road, on 31 July. The assault was captured on two separate clips, and then shared across several social media platforms. In the videos, a man can be seen punching the victim to the ground twice. A spokesperson for the RCIPS said the man was arrested on 5 Aug. and has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He appeared in Summary Court on Monday and was released on bail. Government schools release key dates for start of academic year The Department of Education Services has released a schedule of key dates and important activities for the upcoming start of the new academic year. These dates mark key activities, such as when each school will reopen for new students and regularly enrolled students, when Year 11 and 12 students will receive their final exam results, and the orientation days for all new and transfer students. These dates are relevant to all government primary and secondary schools on all three islands. See the full schedule on caymancompass.com. Government considers new underwater network cable Government has issued a request for information tender for a new submarine information and communications technology cable. The aim of the tender, according to the Ministry of Commerce, Planning and Infrastructure documents issued together with the RFI, is “to kick off industry consultation on a new submarine cable infrastructure”. The RFI was posted on government’s procurement portal and runs until 18 Aug. At present, Cayman uses the MAYA-1 underwater cable, which also provides services to the US, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, and the Cayman Jamaica Fibre System, which is a direct link between those two countries. Cayman’s population dips by nearly 3,500 Cayman’s population is down almost 3,500 since the borders officially closed because of COVID-19. Between 23 March, when the airport closed, and 2 Aug., 4,521 people left the country on emergency evacuation flights. Over the same period, however, 1,037 people returned to Cayman, according to data provided to the Cayman Compass by the Ministry of Employment and Border Control. That’s a net loss of 3,484 people. That figure does not include the Friday, 7Aug. flight which transported around 60 Nicaraguans back to their home country. The Compass previously reported that 12,500 people left the island in the last week of regularly scheduled flights before the border closure. The vast majority of those are believed to be tourists returning to their home countries, though there were also some residents who decided to pack up and leave as the economic reality of the pandemic started to become clear. News briefs: COVID-prevention measures have paid off as Cayman marks 31 days without a positive case. cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020More restrictions could be lifted next week RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Cayman could see a further lifting of COVID-19 restrictions as early as next week after a month of no new coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the Pan- American Health Organization this week changed Cayman’s transmission level from ‘sporadic’ to ‘no cases’. However, while Premier Alden McLaughlin welcomed this change in status, he said government will not be letting up its guard when it comes to keeping Cayman safe from the virus. “I am gratified that Cayman has now been declared COVID-19 free by PAHO, one of a very few countries in the world to have achieved that status. This is testament to the careful thought, expert advice and effective execution of the Government’s strategy, coupled with the cooperation of the general public,” he said. On Thursday, head of the Premier’s Office Roy Tatum confirmed to the Cayman Compass that conversations on further reducing restrictions commenced this week. “It is expected that Cabinet will consider this issue next week,” he said. “The decision will be based on the advice of Public Health and [Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee]. The announcement by PAHO is significant as it recognises what those of us who live here are starting to believe – that we have won the initial battle against COVID-19.” The premier, in response to queries from the Compass Thursday, pointed out that the challenge to Cayman’s continued success in staying COVID-free is ensuring that those arriving from overseas do not re-introduce the virus. “We therefore will have to insist on very strict rules regarding isolation. We are working hard on trying to put in place a system which will allow for proper monitoring of people in self- isolation, but we’re not there yet. Until then, the rules on isolation will have to continue to be strictly enforced,” the premier said. As of Thursday, Cayman had no new cases, as the 220 COVID-19 tests reported since Wednesday all came back negative. Lee told the Compass, via an emailed response to queries, that PAHO’s announcement was a positive step in Cayman’s COVID-19 battle; however, he remained cautious. “The news of PAHO updating Cayman’s status to reflect the length of time that we have been without COVID-19 cases is very welcome. At the same time, I note with concern the fact that there have been recent outbreaks of the coronavirus in New Zealand and Vietnam following long runs declaring ‘no cases’,” he said. New Zealand had gone 100 days with no new cases, but earlier this week went back into lockdown after four members of the same family, with no travel history, tested positive for COVID-19, and by Thursday, 13 other people had tested positive. In Vietnam, by 24 July, the country had gone 99 days with no locally transmitted cases, but since then 438 cases have been reported. Lee: No time to relax Cayman’s last two positive results were recorded on 13 July, and there have been no active cases since 24 July. A total of 203 cases of coronavirus have been reported in Cayman since the virus was first confirmed locally in March. However, Lee cautioned that the possibility of positive cases still looms. “Cayman has continued to operate a degree of international air travel since our first airbridge in April, which presents an ongoing risk, albeit mitigated by our isolation efforts – we continue our cautious approach. The current Public Health Regulations still stand, although they are under constant review,” he said. At present, Cayman remains in suppression level two (minimal suppression), which includes a certain degree of restrictions. The next level is level one (all clear) where all restrictions are lifted. Governor Martyn Roper, in a brief statement to the Compass on Thursday, welcomed the news of PAHO changing Cayman’s transmission status. He said it puts the country in a “comfortable position” compared to many jurisdictions within the region and across the world. “The change in the PAHO transmission level for Cayman is clearly good news and well-deserved international recognition of the success of the government’s strategy in tackling COVID-19. Everyone in our community can be proud of their contribution in carefully following guidance, especially early on during the lockdown, which was a challenging time for everyone on our islands. That hard work has paid dividends,” he said. While the governor was pleased with the transmission status change, he urged the public to continue to follow current health guidance. Thus far, health officials have only recorded one COVID-19- related death, that of an Italian cruise ship tourist in March. He was the first COVID-19 case to be recorded in Cayman. The islands’ borders were closed shortly after his death. Last month, government unveiled plans to reopen borders on a phased basis, beginning 1 Sept. However, on 7 Aug., the government announced an extension of the border closures until 1 Oct., a decision that was supported by the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce. The total number of people currently in isolation, either at a government facility or in their homes, is 228. On Wednesday, Government Information Services confirmed that no press conference will be held this week. Government last held a COVID-19 briefing on 17 July. What do the various WHO/PAHO transmission levels mean? Cayman is the third British Overseas Territory in the Americas region to achieve the ‘no COVID-19 cases’ transmission level. The other two territories are Anguilla, which has recorded a total of three cases, and Montserrat, which has reported 13. According to the World Health Organization, this change in transmission level is achieved when there are no reported cases for a certain amount of time. It is one of four levels – the others being ‘sporadic’, (one or more cases imported or locally acquired), ‘clusters’ (most cases of local transmission linked to chains of transmission), and ‘community transmission’. 30 Jan: World Health Organiza- tion declares a global emergency. 3 Feb: Cayman Islands gov- ernment holds its first COVID-19 press briefing to outline readiness and measures in place. 10 Feb: Cayman issues travel ban for mainland China. Other countries are later added. 26 Feb: Cruise ship MSC Meravi- glia, which had reported a crew member isolated with flu-like symptoms, denied entry to Cayman. 29 Feb: Italian passenger from cruise ship Costa Lumi- nosa suffers heart attack and is taken to Health City Cayman Islands. 3 March: Government suspends all non-essential travel for all public-sector staff and officials. 6 March: Government waives custom duties on hand sanitisers, protective face masks and surgical gloves. Supermarkets begin announcing rationing of cleaning and hand-sanitis- ing products. 12 March: The Italian cruise ship passenger becomes the first confirmed case of coronavirus in Cayman. 13 March: Health City closes for two weeks and staff are quarantined and tested. Government issues ban on public gatherings of more than 50 people. 14 March: Italian patient dies. Health Services Authority opens dedicated flu clinic. 16 March: Schools close. Mandatory 14-day isolation order is- sued. Cruise ships banned. 22 March: International airports closed, initially for three weeks. Cargo flights and air ambulances allowed to operate as normal. 23 March: Daily 9pm-5am curfew imposed. No more than two people allowed to gather in public. Mail services halted. 24 March: First suspected case of community transmission of COVID-19. 28 March: Daily 7pm-5am curfew introduced. 30 March: ‘Alphabet days’ estab- lished for residents to shop and bank. 5 April: All-day lockdown on Sundays. 6 April: Daily curfew extended to 7pm-7am. The first repatriation flight ar- rives on island with pharmaceuticals, per- sonal protective equip- ment, test kits and 58 Caymanian students. 7 April: 165,000 test kits from South Korea arrive on island. 13 April: Beaches closed. 8 May: Field hospital set up. 16 May: Wearing of masks manda- tory. Beaches reopen for exercise. 18 May: Sunday 24-hour curfew lifted. 19 May: Construction sector reopens. Daily curfew changed to 8pm-5am. 7 June: Beaches fully reopen. Bars and restaurants reopen and public transport resumes. 19 June: Antibody testing begins. 21 June: All curfews lifted. 13 July: All active COVID-19 cases are fully recovered. 19 July: Nightclubs reopen. Public gatherings extended to 50 people. 21 July: Government announces borders to reopen on 1 Sept. with guidelines and restrictions. 7 Aug: Cabinet extends border closures to 1 Oct. Cayman clears 31 days without a positive COVID case COVID-19 timeline Cayman has gone a month without a new COVID-19 case, but its international airports remain closed until at least 1 Oct. Source: www.exploregov.ky 31234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13 1415 16 171819 20 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Pastoral (7) 5 All the same (5) 8 A spin-off (2-7) 9 To spoil (3) 10 Spring (4) 12 League (8) 14 Earnest entreaty (6) 15 Uncertain (6) 17 Chopped cabbage salad (8) 18 Saucy (4) 21 Devotee (3) 22 The genuine article (4,5) 24 Set of beliefs (5) 25 Imply (7) DOWN 1 Confused sound of voices (5) 2 Surpass (3) 3 Be ominously close (4) 4 Link together (6) 5 Maintain one’s position (3,5) 6 Impending arrival (9) 7 Theft (7) 11 Immediately on sight (2,1,6) 13 Carefully considered (8) 14 Peaceable (7) 16 Annoy persistently (6) 19 Lovers’ meeting (5) 20 Self-satisfied (4) 23 Signal for action (3) The Compass CROSSWORD PUZZLE The Compass UNIVERSAL KAKURO Puzzle 16457 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 16457 ACROSS: 1 Bucolic, 5 Still, 8 By-product, 9 Mar, 10 Leap, 12 Alliance, 14 Prayer, 15 Chancy, 17 Coleslaw, 18 Pert, 21 Fan, 22 Real McCoy, 24 Creed, 25 Suggest. DOWN: 1 Babel, 2 Cap, 3 Loom, 4 Couple, 5 Sit tight, 6 Imminence, 7 Larceny, 11 At a glance, 13 Measured, 14 Pacific, 16 Harass, 19 Tryst, 20 Smug, 23 Cue. I noted your article, ‘Cayman falls short of pool safety standards’ [Cayman Compass, 7 Aug.]. As the Cayman Islands Aquatic Sports Association, we applaud the Cayman Islands for adopting the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code safety standards and urge our government and the Department of Environmental Health to implement it in its entirety. We caution, however, that even with the full scope of the international code implemented, the focus must still be on waterproofing all residents of the Cayman Islands. In our minds, there are three things which need to happen: 1. Fully implement the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code. 2. Expand the concept of water safety to include the beautiful Caribbean Sea which surrounds our country. We are unable to put up a protective fence along our shores so while fully implementing the International Swimming Pool and Spa Code is an important step to take, so too is ensuring that all of our residents can swim. 3. Require certified lifeguards be on duty at pools and public beaches during peak hours, certain other hours and as needed for events. We thank you for the opportunity to express our views and stand ready to collaborate with the government and to support their efforts to make all water- based activities safe and fun for all. Michael Lockwood President, CIASA Raznovich: Same-sex rights not open for political points Then let’s talk about religious rights. How the practices of so many religions are outlawed here. But y’all ain’t ready for that one. Oh no. – Annikki Brown How dare you compare bigotry against blacks to the LGBT cause. You really don’t know what the hell you are talking about. And I support the Domestic Partnership Bill. – Olson Anderson The only rights are the will of God al- mighty! Anything else is against nature and is an abomination. – Anthony Gordon That’s a mad doctor. He should take his nonsense to his home country, talking about Nazis? And disrespecting our politi- cians that we voted for? You are out of line, Mr. Barrister. My daughter is a lawyer and she is very respectful of everyone, even my cat. – Miranda Sylvester Wow. Politicians should not consider what the voters think? And what an insult to what the Jews and blacks went through! Disgusting! – Cameron Castillo Despite the predictable naysaying of Bryan, Saunders, and Suckoo, it’s Dr. Raznovich who will be found to be on the right side of cartoon No Bites - By Caymanman Cayman must ensure water safety for all What they’re saying Online history, not them. Being a true leader means making the hard decisions, doing what’s right, even if unpopular. Doing what’s right in this case means spreading fairness and equality, not hiding behind public opinion surveys of people who are as small-minded as they are. Do these spineless politicians really believe that the reason most of the developed world has accepted gay marriage is because a small minority, gays, estimated at 5%, overwhelmed the other 95%? No! The reason it happened is because a great many people outside that minority saw injustice and realised they must do the right thing. These die-hard politicians will perhaps remain unrepentant to their last breath. No matter. Gay marriage – yes, ‘marriage’ – will arrive on Cayman, probably a lot sooner than many are expecting. And guess what? Cayman will survive it. And prosper because of it. Wait and see… – Mark Riviera Cayman continues COVID-free streak Well, this where the problem lies. As long as we do not open up for tourism, we should be safe. Hold your breath when we try to open up. Alden, please lock us down in a flash with no delay. God keep us safe. – Eva Tomlinson We could go a whole year with- out a case but it still won’t be going away, even with a vaccine. – Ben Whitty Also need to be reminded that viruses can lie dormant in a host for a long period of time. – Howie Okabayashi New Zealand went 100 days and is back in lockdown now. – Nina Rodgers cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020 .com TOP STORIES ON 17,789 Pageviews 1 13,854 Pageviews 2 12,834 Pageviews 3 8,142 Pageviews 4 6,008 Pageviews 5 Government extends border closure to October Cayman listed as level 3 on US travel advisory list Drug smuggler's memoir makes waves in Cayman Which way now for cruise tourism? More than 4,500 people left Cayman since borders closedSargassum clogs a Grand Cayman shoreline in April last year. 8 million Metric tons of sargassum recorded in July 2020, compared to 12.6 million the month before. ANDREL HARRIS aharris@compassmedia.ky Four million metric tons of sargassum seaweed have vanished from the Atlantic and Caribbean regions, leaving researchers puzzled as to the reason for the decrease. A sargassum-outlook bulletin, released on 31 July by the University of Southern Florida and NASA, shows an unprecedented drop in sargassum blooming throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. “In all regions combined, the total sargassum amount decreased from 12.6 million tons in June to 8 million metric tons in July, lower than July 2018, July 2015 and July 2019,” stated the bulletin. The report noted that since 2015, the month of July has often produced far more sargassum than in June. However, this year was different, but no reason was given for the lower amount. Instead, the bulletin said, “The bloom may continue to decrease in the coming months.” Since April, Cayman has seen sporadic infl uxes of sargassum. In June, coastlines around Grand Cayman were smothered in the seaweed. Last month, as with much of the rest of the region, there appeared to be a signifi cant decrease in the amount of sargassum reaching local shores. In 2019, the majority of sargassum in the area developed in the central and western Caribbean, putting Cayman at the centre of the tidal currents which carry the seaweed. However, this year, satellite photos show most of the development in and around the lower Lesser Antilles. NASA has released satellite images that show moderate-to- low concentrations of the seaweed developing throughout June and July. “The eastern Caribbean will continue to see large to moderate amounts of sargassum in August to September 2020, with many beaching events,” reads the bulletin. “The western Caribbean will experience less amount of sargassum.” The seaweed is expected to continue to drift westward into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Millions of tons of sargassum vanish cayman compass 5 N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020More than 100 divorces filed RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Relationships by nature are stressful but throw a pandemic into the mix, add a dash of hefty re- strictions and the result is a cocktail for heart- break, as some couples are now discovering. According to statistics from the family division of the Grand Court, 102 divorce applications have been filed since January this year. In addition, Family Resource Centre staff have referred a number of couples for counselling due to COVID-19 conflicts. While Cayman’s divorce rates in recent years have been high, with a record 316 filed in 2018 and 297 filed last year, it is difficult to say definitively that the applications in 2020 were a direct result of COVID-19. However, FRC programme facilitator Anne-Marie Gray-Diaz acknowledged that COVID-19 has placed a lot of additional stress on couples. At the FRC, she said, challenges for couples varied depending on their circumstances during the pandemic. “It either helped to strengthen relationships in some cases, but in others where there were already some underlying issues, that stress of COVID [as well as] being together quite a lot [has] exacerbated conflict that was already there, or exacerbated certain issues that already existed,” she said in a recent Zoom interview with the Cayman Compass. Challenge of love in lockdown Gray-Diaz explained that in some cases the conflicts couples experienced during lockdown, and even now with some restrictions still in place, can lead to domestic violence. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has not yet released its domestic violence report covering the COVID-19 lockdown period, so statistical data is not readily available. However, Gray-Diaz said the Alliance to End Domestic Violence, of which the FRC is a member, did a “great job” at educating the public, talking about the signs to look for and how to create safety plans. “There was a lot of good work that was done during that time, just to make sure that people didn’t feel trapped and that they could find solace and they could find safety,” she said. While there were constraints and challenges for couples, Gray-Diaz noticed that, based on interactions with her clients and assessments from colleagues, some parents opted to push aside their conflicts. Most of the parents focus on supporting their children, she said, thinking about how can they survive life during COVID, and asking, “‘How do I parent my child as well as support them with crisis schooling?’ I think there was so much overwhelm... on being a parent and that was what [they] were really hyper-focussing on.” It was because of that focus, she said, that parents were trying to figure out their children’s issues and not dealing with their own relationship problems. Gray-Diaz pointed to her own relationship, which faced some strain due to COVID-19 conflicts, and noted there were changes due to all the ups and downs. “The thing that really helped to bring us closer together was that we had a lot of empathy for one another and our individual experiences,” she said. She was empathetic to her husband’s experience as frontliner who had to go out and work despite restrictions. “He was very empathetic to the fact that I was expected to stay home, to suddenly transition to working full time while also taking care of a toddler,” she said. Gray-Diaz suggested that having that empathy can help resolve some of the conflicts that couples may be experiencing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and Cayman’s borders remain closed. She hastened to add that if those conflicts escalate to violence, then help must be sought. Happy medium For mom Lynda Hicks, finding a happy medium helped her and her husband through the difficult periods. “It (surviving the lockdown) 100% strengthened the relationship. It took us to a whole different level of knowing what’s important and what’s not. Best thing ever is not to be mad at the same time,” she said. The restrictions turned out to be “awesome” for her family, she added. “I’ve been married 25 years, but [I’ve} never seen [my husband] have to sit in the house for so long. It was like a vacation, but he hated it,” she said via in an interview on Facebook Messenger. Hicks said after about a week, her husband returned to work. However, her happy ending from the lockdown restrictions was her relationship with her 23-year-old daughter, who moved in with her parents for a while. “She turned from a snippy teenager into a baker and we were stuck together, and we learned so much about each other. I hate to say it, but I’m glad it happened,” she said. Gray-Diaz has urged parents and couples to sign up for the Gottman Institute newsletter which provides helpful guidelines and tips on relationships. COVID-19 takes toll on relationships COVID changes the face of dating in Cayman RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky COVID-19 has changed many things, including how people interact and socialise, and it is impacting Cayman’s local dating scene. For single women like Nicole (not her real name), finding love in a small community like Cayman has proven to be challenging, and looking for romance during a pandemic has made it a lot harder. Usually a social butterfly, Nicole said, COVID-19 has changed how she approaches relationships. “I think, as someone in their late thirties, it’s always been hard [dating], especially on this island. I believe the statistics show that women do outnumber men here, so, I was single long before COVID, and I think COVID just added an extra layer to that to make it more difficult,” she said in an interview with the Cayman Compass. Online dating increases Trends globally, especially in the US, have shown an uptick in the use of online dating. A recent TIME magazine article titled, ‘The Coronavirus Is Changing How We Date. Experts Think the Shifts May Be Permanent’, pointed to increased social media hook-ups in heavily impacted cities. “Home, alone, and in some cases without a job, single people are spending more time swiping right on dating apps to find love, particularly in the cities hardest hit by the virus: Bumble reports a 21% increase in messages sent in Seattle, 23% increase in New York City and 26% increase in San Francisco since March 12, a day after the World Health Organization labeled the coronavirus a global pandemic,” the article stated. Nicole said she and her close single friends have also turned to social media and dating apps in their quest for love. However, she said that approach has its drawbacks. “There’s been a pickup in online dating, but online dating here in the Cayman Islands is really difficult because it’s such a small community of 60,000-plus population. If you’re going to go on an app like Tinder or Bumble or something like that, you’re definitely going to see somebody you know. You’re a lot more apprehensive to even put your name or your face out there because so many people would know you anyway, because of the small island,” she said. COVID concerns Nicole said being able to connect with someone has been difficult because there is concern over contracting coronavirus. “I think we’re really too early in the coronavirus pandemic to even say that this won’t come back as a second wave and that we might not end up, who knows, in the next six months or so back in another lockdown again. So, it’s just that kind of real apprehensiveness. You’re not really quite comfortable with meeting someone or actually even seeing somebody right now,” she said. Apart from the physical challenges of online dating, Nicole said, there are issues such as ‘catfishing’. She said one of her friends fell victim to someone who pretended to be someone they were not. “They weren’t really sure that the person they were talking to was actually real, because, now if you put your faith in online dating”, she said, with just a picture and a phone number for texting “you’re not sure if that person is actually the person they say they are”. The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University is conducting research on how COVID-19 has changed relationships and dating. It is collecting data through online surveys. In a preliminary release from the ongoing study, Kinsey executive director Justin Garcia said researchers have found that “under the stress and distance created by the novel coronavirus’s spread, nearly half of the adults surveyed reported that their sex life has declined and that they are currently less sexually active”. Nicole said she is hopeful that Cupid’s arrow will find her soon, but for the time being her focus is on survival. “You start to focus really not on necessarily finding a partner, but just making sure that you’re safe and secure and that you’re able to weather... the pandemic,” she said. Nicole urged fellow single women empower themselves and take pride in their independence. “I would just encourage everyone, whether it be a pandemic or not, just don’t settle for anything less than you believe that... you are worth,” she added. Note: Nicole requested anonymity to share her story. Finding love under the shadow of a pandemic RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Relationships by nature are stressful but throw a pandemic into the mix, add a dash of hefty re- strictions and the result is a cocktail for heart- break, as some couples are now discovering. According to statistics from the family division of the Grand Court, 102 divorce applications have been filed since January this year. In addition, Family Resource Centre staff have referred a number of couples for counselling due to COVID-19 conflicts. While Cayman’s divorce rates in recent years have been high, with a record 316 filed in 2018 and 297 filed last year, it is difficult to say definitively that the applications in 2020 were a direct result of COVID-19. However, FRC programme facilitator Anne-Marie Gray-Diaz acknowledged that COVID-19 has placed a lot of additional stress on couples. At the FRC, she said, challenges for couples varied depending on their circumstances during the pandemic. “It either helped to strengthen relationships in some cases, but in others where there were already some underlying issues, that stress of COVID [as well as] being together quite a lot [has] exacerbated conflict that was already there, or exacerbated certain issues that already existed,” she said in a recent Zoom interview with the Cayman Compass 102 Divorce petitions since January 2020 diana arch ed collecting om the tive el re e” l that soon, ocus is y not on er, but e safe Note: Nicole requested anonymity to share her story. Anne-Marie Gray-Diaz, of the Family Resource Centre cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020Customs law fails to consider spouses in asylum provisions KAYLA YOUNG kyoung@compassmedia.ky As the Cayman Islands debates the meaning of marriage and partnership, Cuban refugee families have been fighting for their own right to family life. At least three Cuban adults who successfully petitioned for asylum in Cayman have been denied the ability to add a spouse as a dependent to their immigration status, due to the wording of the Customs and Border Control Law (2018). The denials have resulted in an indefinite legal headache for families and fears of separation from loved ones. The issue arises from section 111(3) of the law, which establishes that successful asylum applicants may add to their status a dependent child under the age of 18 who is already present on island. The section does not include mention of a spouse, a legal issue that Customs has been aware of for more than a year. Customs and Border Control did not respond to requests from the Cayman Compass for comment. In April 2019, one affected asylum grantee, D. Martinez, formally contacted the Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration, and later the Human Rights Commission, to explain his situation. “To date, [Immigration] have not been able to determine with a legal argument the way my wife and son can stay on the island,” Martinez wrote the commission. “Immigration asked me to request a work permit [for] my wife to solve the problem, explaining that they are not clear about the solution. … They recognise that certainly by human rights law my family must be by my side but [they] do not have a law that supports [that].” While the Human Rights Commission has advised that asylum grantees are required to be treated equally to nationals, refugees remain in a separate category, which includes distinct identification documents, that sets them apart from Caymanians, permanent residents and work- permit holders. “The Commission considers there to be a prima facie conflict between [section 111(3) of] the law and s. 9 of the Constitution – Right to Private and Family Life, as well as the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, of which Cayman is a signatory,” wrote former HRC chairman James Austin-Smith to Wesley Howell, assistant director of Customs and Border Control, in May 2019. “As it stands, the Commission considers that should the Law be challenged in court on the basis that it is unconstitutional, such a challenge would be successful.” In an email to the Compass on Thursday, the commission confirmed that amending the law to comply with the constitutional right to family life remains a legislative concern. “The HRC has repeatedly been assured by the Ministry of Employment and Border Control that a relevant proposed amendment to the Law and related policy are on the Ministry’s legislative agenda,” the email said. Premier Alden McLaughlin, the minister who oversees the matter, did not respond to a request for comment. The Governor’s Office indicated it was consulting with Attorney General Samuel Bulgin on the issue, but a response had not been provided by press time on Thursday. ‘We don’t want handouts’ In the meantime, spouses of asylum grantees remain stuck on repeatedly extended visitor visas that do not permit them to work or seek benefits. Another affected refugee, A. Serrano, explained that he has been with his wife for seven years, more than two of which have been spent fighting in Cayman to reunite their family, including a daughter in Cuba. Serrano, who was granted asylum in Cayman in March 2018, brought his wife to join him on the island in December of that year. Since then, she has remained on a visitor visa, with no route provided by government to become legally established as a resident alongside her husband. The denial of her residency has forced the couple – and other affected Cuban families – to rely on a single income, complicating their efforts toward establishing financial independence in their new country. “We don’t want handouts,” Serrano explained. “We want them to respect our rights.” His wife’s inability to work legally has been just one financial stressor for Serrano, who lost his job at Margaritaville, currently under investigation for non- payment of pensions, earlier this year. Like other Cuban asylees, he has discovered that holding refugee status can complicate or delay qualification for social- welfare programmes, such as relief payments offered to Caymanian tourism workers or support provided through the Needs Assessment Unit. Cuban refugees do not qualify for rental support in Cayman, for example, as they are not considered Caymanians. Refugees described further issues with public offices not recognising the identification documents provided to them by the Cayman Islands government. Others said their Cayman Islands IDs had been turned away by local banks, the airport and other entities, unfamiliar with the handwritten government documentation provided to them. The barriers to find work and carry out basic tasks have made assimilating to life in Cayman all the more difficult for refugees. “Who am I here?” asked one man. “You’re not Cuban. You’re not Caymanian. You’re not anything.” Note: The Compass is not using the refugees’ full names out of consideration for their families in Cuba. Cuban refugees petition for marriage rights in Cayman Cubans wait outside the Immigration office to request food vouchers. A. Serrano, pictured with his wife, in Cuba. A Cayman asylum grant stamp, which establishes the right to reside and work in Cayman. “To date, [Immigration] have not been able to determine with a legal argument the way my wife and son can stay on the island.” D. Martinez , Cuban refugee cayman compass 7 news N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020AUGUST 202 Cayman refugee IDs and Cuban passports.Gaiter masks and bandanas provide least protection RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky Researchers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, have tested the effectiveness of a variety of masks, using a simple droplet experiment to determine which coverings offer the best protection against the spread of COVID-19. According to the study, published in the American Association for the Advancement of Science magazine last week, neck fleeces or gaiter masks (a tube of fabric that can be pulled up to cover the face), knitted masks, and bandanas proved to be the least effective of the face coverings that were tested. The researchers found that wearers of neck fleeces transmitted more droplets than people who were not wearing any mask. These coverings had a transmission rate of 110%. “We attribute this increase to the neck fleece dispersing larger droplets into several smaller droplets, therefore increasing the droplet count,” the report said. Folded-over bandanas only halved the droplet rate. Conversely, the fitted N95 mask had a 0.1% transmission, making it the safest mask to wear. Due to limited supplies, many countries have sought to keep these masks for medical professionals. Cotton masks were also found to be quite effective against droplet transmissions, showing the least number of droplets outside of the medical-grade masks. The report, authored by researchers Emma P. Fischer, Martin C. Fischer, David Grass, Isaac Henrion, Warren S. Warren and Eric Westman, looked at the effectiveness of 14 different masks, including three-layer surgical masks, valved N95 masks, cotton masks and bandanas. In Cayman, masks are mandated inside public spaces. The World Health Organization recommends the wearing of masks to guard against the spread of COVID-19. However, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that “masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19”. “People can infect themselves if they use contaminated hands to adjust a mask or repeatedly take it on or off,” he said in a 5 June report. The Duke University researchers, who created a device harnessing the power of a laser and a cellphone camera for their experiment, said, “In effect, the mask acts as a temporal low pass filter, smoothens the droplet rate over time, and reduces the overall transmission.” How they did it In the experiment, users wore a face mask and spoke in the direction of an expanded laser beam inside a dark enclosure. “Droplets that propagate through the laser beam scatter light, which is recorded with a cellphone camera. A simple computer algorithm is used to count the droplets in the video. The camera was used to record a video of approximately 40 [seconds in] length to record droplets emitted while speaking,” the report said. The first 10 seconds of the video served as baseline. In the next 10 seconds, the mask wearer repeated the sentence “Stay healthy, people” five times, after which the camera kept recording for an additional 20 seconds for observation. For each mask and for the control trial, the protocol was repeated 10 times and a computer algorithm was used to count the number of particles within each video. In explaining their findings, the researchers said for the bandana the droplet rate is merely reduced by a factor of two and the repetitions of the speech are still noticeable. “The effect of the cotton mask is much stronger. The speech pattern is no longer recognizable and most of the droplets, compared to the control trial, are suppressed,” the report said. Study ranks COVID masks from best to worst BEST Fitted N95 without valve Surgical mask Polypropylene-cotton mask 2-layer cotton, pleated-style mask (various types) N95 mask with exhalation valve 2-layer cotton, Olson-style mask 1-layer Maxima AT mask 1-layer cotton, pleated-style mask WORST Neck fleece Bandana Knitted mask Fitted N95 RELATIVE DROPLET COUNT TYPE OF MASKS 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Surgical Poly/Cotton PolyProp Swath Cotton5Cotton2 Valved N95 Cotton4Cotton1Cotton3 Knitted Bandana None Fleece MaxAT Duke University researchers tested 14 different masks. 1) Surgical mask, 3-layer; 2) N95 with valve; 3) Knitted mask; 4) PolyProp, 2-layer polypropylene apron mask; 5) Poly/Cotton, Polypropylene- cotton mask; 6) 1-layer Maxima AT mask; 7) 2-layer cotton, pleated-style mask; 8) 2-layer cotton, Olson-style mask; 9) 2-layer cotton, pleated-style mask; 10) 1-layer cotton, pleated-style mask; 11) Gaiter-type neck fleece; 12) Double-layer bandana; 13) 2-layer cotton, pleated-style mask; 14) N95 mask, no exhalation valve. cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020Kattina Anglin, pictured with Truman Bodden Law School director Mitchell Davies, displays a printed copy of her law degree, which was emailed to her during the pandemic. After years of drug and alcohol abuse, Kattina Anglin is living a reformed life and has earned her law degree. JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky When Kattina Anglin tells the story, she imagines she can still feel the principal’s hands on her back, literally pushing her out of the school gates. She was 14 and pregnant when she was formally expelled from the Cayman Islands High School. But she didn’t take the punishment lying down. She bought a copy of the Education Law and campaigned to be re-admitted to school. “I didn’t see anything in there about not being able to go to school if you were a teenage mother,” she said. Anglin believed the law gave her the legal right to an education and she returned to school for the new term. The principal disagreed and escorted her off the premises. With the law in hand, she went up to the government administration building, the Glass House, and refused to leave until she was re-admitted to school. The pressure paid off and she was allowed to complete her senior year. The lesson stayed with her and kindled an ambition she held throughout her tumultuous life – to become a lawyer. “I was not the first teenage mother to get thrown out of school, but I was the first to go and get a copy of the law and ask them to let me back in,” she said. The story has been both an inspiration and a weight she has carried ever since. Until recently, whenever it came up, it was in the form of a well- meaning reprimand. “My mother would always say to me, ‘Why did you go to all that effort to get back into school if you were just going to throw your life away?’” she said. For the better part of three decades, Anglin struggled with drug and alcohol abuse. For a while, she was homeless. “Everybody would always talk about how smart I was and how I should have been a lawyer,” she said. It was a reproach as well as a compliment. Divine intervention The chances of a professional career seemed long gone until what she describes as a “divine intervention” changed her course in life. “I was walking along Birch Tree Hill. I had on a pair of size 13 slippers I had gotten from an old man and I had a conversation with God. I said, ‘I have been a real bad manager of my life, I am going to hand it over to you and let you fix me.’” That was five years ago. Anglin says she hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol since that day. In 2017, she signed up for the entry exam to enter Truman Bodden Law School as a mature student and was accepted to pursue her law degree. In May this year she completed her final exams, filing her assignments by email from home in the midst of the pandemic. And last month, she got the news she had been waiting her whole life to receive. She had passed with honours. “I went straight up to my mother’s room and I said, ‘Mama, I’m a lawyer.’ She said, ‘I’m so proud of you.’ “She has lived this with me. She has spent many nights praying for me,” Anglin admits. Now she is starting an administrative services business and preparing to take the professional practice course – the next step towards being called to the bar in Cayman. She hopes she can use her qualifications and her understanding of all walks of life in Cayman to help others. ‘There is always hope’ She also hopes her story can serve as an inspiration. “Over the last couple of years, I have looked back on my life and realised how much of a volcano, tornado, hurricane, earthquake life I was living,” she said. “There was always something reacting or exploding. “Five years ago, I had just spent the last of my savings. I was broke, I was homeless, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and I was walking on the road thinking I had blown it for the last time. “I was so far down in a hole and so many people had given up on me… I had given up on me, too.” She added, “If enough people hear my story, maybe they will understand there is always hope. As long as you are alive, there is opportunity for change.” Mitchell Davies, director of the Truman Bodden Law School, said Anglin’s success showed it was never too late to pursue your academic dreams. The school has a mature student entry exam aimed at people who may have the intelligence and the analytical skills to study law but lack the formal qualifications. Rhian Minty, who was her personal tutor for three years of law school, said Anglin had “blossomed” during her time at the school. “She is a real tough cookie,” Minty said. “She has always been incredibly receptive to learning but she really found her confidence in her second year here. “Because she has had such a journey already, she is equipped with the tools she needs to succeed.” Anglin hopes that her story of surviving addiction and obtaining her law degree can be an inspiration to others. In 2015, after decades of drug and alcohol abuse, Kattina Anglin began getting her life back on track. She is pictured here cleaning a beach as part of government’s Christmas NiCE work programme. ‘As long as you have life, you have hope’ “My mother would always say to me, ‘Why did you go to all that effort to get back into school if you were just going to throw your life away?’” KATTINA ANGLIN 9 news N newsCompanies by Index Weight List AList B 1Microsoft CorpMicrosoft Corp 2Apple IncApple Inc 3Amazon.com IncAmazon.com Inc 4Facebook IncFacebook Inc 5Alphabet IncAlphabet Inc 6Visa IncJohnson & Johnson 7Procter & GambleBerkshire Hathaway Inc 8JP Morgan Chase & CoVisa Inc 9UnitedHealth Group IncProcter & Gamble 10Home Depot IncJP Morgan Chase & Co B ERKSHIRE H ATHAWAY INC. SIDDHANT JAIN JAISWAL Facing existential crisis, it is only natural that human perspective will change for better or for worse. Although the pandemic is first and foremost an existential public health threat, it also likely represents the dawn of a new economic world order and a reshaping of the global economy. Today’s new environment offers an opportunity for companies, governments and civil society groups to think critically about what their role might be in creating a more resilient future. The investment industry is not immune to this either. One critical way of thinking on how to create resilience is ESG investing. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance-related parameters used to assess how companies are interacting with all their stakeholders and society in general as part of their business processes. The term ESG was first used in a December 2004 report titled, “Who Cares Wins.” The focal message in the report was that, ultimately, successful investment depends on a vibrant economy, which depends on a healthy civil society, which is ultimately dependent on a sustainable planet. Even though ESG does not have a set framework in place, the following three primary considerations need to be considered by a company to achieve a sustainable planet: • Environmental framework. This will pertain to tackling issues on air, land, water and the ecosystems. These issues can be tackled through better utilisation of resources, adhering to carbon credits, and executing environmental reporting or disclosures. • Social framework. This considers the impact that companies can have on society. A company can promote and be part of social activities such as managing employee relations, having diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, adhering to health and safety, and protecting human rights. • Governance framework. This focusses on how a company is run. It addresses areas such as corporate risk management, board accountability, protecting shareholders, and reporting and disclosing Information. ESG investing seeks positive returns, not at the expense of the planet or good behaviour, but because of good governance, care for the environment and concern for society. The philosophy argues that focussing on those will create demand for a company’s products and thus improve long-term success. ESG investing has sometimes been used interchangeably with sustainable and responsible investing – an umbrella term which emphasises financial returns as a secondary consideration after the investors’ moral values have been accounted for in their decision-making. But because so many of the definitions are elastic and change over time, I recommend focussing on the intentions of ESG investing rather than getting hung up on specific labels. Whilst the financial metrics have traditionally been the major criteria for choosing investing opportunities, the consciousness about integrity and ethics of companies and the impact of their policies on the social and environmental ecosystem have begun to change that norm. Living in a rapidly changing world, and thanks to technology, investors now have greater access to information. Various sources and methods are now being used by both value-motivated and values-motivated investors in evaluating the impact to the environment, society and governance across companies. One such source is the S&P 500 ESG Index, which is designed to measure the performance of companies meeting the ESG principles using an ESG scoring methodology. This score is expected to have an impact on a company’s growth, profitability, capital efficiency and risk exposure in the investment process. Some of the score criteria revolve around excluding companies that either directly or indirectly are invested in tobacco or controversial weapons or are performing poorly on the United Nations Global Compact score, which promotes the principles of human rights, labour and anti-corruption. In contrast, to be included in the S&P 500 index, a company should be US-based, have a market capitalisation of at least US$5 billion, be highly liquid, have a public float of at least 50% of its shares outstanding, and its most recent quarter’s earnings and the sum of its trailing four consecutive quarters’ earnings must be positive. Let us take a look at the two lists A and B in the table. These represent the S&P 500 and S&P 500 ESG indices. By just glancing through these lists, can you identify which one of them is the ESG index? You can forgive yourself if you had difficulty choosing the correct list. The correct list is A. Eight of the top 10 companies in the ESG index are the same as those in the S&P 500 index. As of 30 June 2020, the S&P 500 comprises 500 companies, representing an adjusted market capitalisation of more than $25 trillion. Of these total companies, only 310 form part of the ESG Index, representing an adjusted capitalisation close to $19.5 trillion. A whopping $6 trillion, representing 25% of the S&P 500 market capitalisation is excluded from the ESG Index. This goes to show that, just because a company is performing well on its financial parameters, it does not mean it is doing well on its non-financial parameters as well. This is why focussing on the non-traditional risks is equally important. Given the rigorous compliance and due diligence requirements for a company to work towards a strong ESG score, there was a lingering misperception that ESG considerations adversely affect financial performance. In recent years, some investors have felt so irritated by the pious tone of the ESG sector they have joked that the ESG abbreviation should stand for “eye- roll, sneer and groan”. Such derision, though, is looking hollow now. In terms of performance, for January- June 2020, the S&P 500 ESG index beat the S&P 500 index by 1.7%. This is impressive given that the objective of the ESG index is not to outperform the S&P 500 benchmark. An ESG lens teases out all sorts of risks that are not necessarily apparent in conventional financial analysis. A high ESG score may be a good signal of good executive teams, which may translate into being better long-term custodians of investor capital and stronger long- term returns. This screening may be the reason that the S&P ESG 500 index has outperformed its parent index in the recent sell-off. Companies obviously want to survive the current crisis but increasingly their customers and their employees are asking them not only whether they can survive, but if they can also become more resilient to future shocks and more respectful of the planet that they operate on. ESG is an increasing force in the investment industry and one that many investors treat extremely seriously. Real money is at stake. ESG is a theme that is becoming not just a luxury, but indeed a necessity, in the present- day scenario and cannot be ignored. Please note: This article is not suggesting that ESG investing is right for each investor. You should consider the above information not as a de facto recommendation, but as an idea for further consideration. As always, consult your financial professional before making any investment decision. Siddhant Jain Jaiswal is a member of the CFA Society of the Cayman Islands. Investing with a purpose – the ESG way Eight of the top 10 companies in the S&P 500 ESG (list A) are the same as in the S&P 500. cayman compass 10 B business FRIDAY, 14 AUGUST 2020Next >