Paths to reopening around the Caribbean Page 3 French Toast Sandwich With Sausage, Ham or Bacon © 2021 Burger King Corporation. cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 28 May - 3 June 2021 Stormy skies • Cayman prepares for above-average hurricane season Page 5 • ‘Ghost’ British Airways fl ights trigger passenger outcry Page 6 Unplugging for a weekend Page 20 Teen hero talks school, life Page 14Matinees (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. 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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 EDITORINCHIEF KEVIN MORALES weather 81°F HIGH 73°F LOW Friday Forecast FORECAST Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with a 30% chance of showers. SEA STATE Moderate with wave heights of 3 to 5 feet. SAT 83°F HIGH 73°F LOW SUN 84°F HIGH 74°F LOW MON 84°F HIGH 73°F LOW TUES 84°F HIGH 74°F LOW WED 84°F HIGH 76°F LOW THUR 84°F HIGH 76°F LOW caymancompass.comfacebook.com/caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass WINDS Southeast at 10 to 15 knots. FIND US ONLINE Caymancompass.com Facebook.com/Caycompass cayman_compass@cayCompassCayman Compass Nurse killed in car crash Kiarah Shikale Perkins, a 32-year-old nurse from the US who was working at the Cayman Islands Hospital, was killed when the car she was driving was involved in a collision with another vehicle on South Church Street, George Town, on Sunday morning, 23 May. The 25-year-old male driver of the other car, who was also injured, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. “The HSA family is deeply saddened with the unexpected and tragic passing of Nurse Kiarah Perkins from the Medical Ward. Kiarah was a vibrant young lady who cared for her patients, was deeply loved by her friends and colleagues and will be greatly missed,” Health Services Authority CEO Lizzette Yearwood said. Three other occupants of the vehicles were admitted to hospital following the crash, and were subsequently discharged. Perkins’s death is the fi fth fatality on local roads this year. Pauline Bodden, netball icon, passes away Cayman Islands netball pioneer Pauline Bodden passed away on Sunday, 23 May, at the age of 59. Bodden, a former national netball player and Caribbean Netball Championship top scorer, has been a part of Cayman’s netball community for the last 48 years, through coaching, advocating and playing. “She was an excellent sports person,” Cayman Islands Netball Association president Lucille Seymour said, adding, “She was one of the best goal shooters in the Cayman Islands. She was a very versatile person, she was a person with a lot of talent and a very pleasant woman.” Quarantine breacher pleads guilty Aaron Ronaldo Montemayor, 19, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching quarantine regulations in Summary Court on Monday, 24 May. Montemayor pleaded guilty to leaving a government quarantine facility on 7 Dec., and to leaving his family’s home, where he had been ordered to remain for the duration of his isolation period, on 11 Dec. His lawyer John Meghoo presented to Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez a letter from a Health Services Authority psychiatrist, outlining his client’s condition, which he said Montemayor had had his entire life. The teen’s mental health issues were not publicly aired in court, but Meghoo said Montemayor had been attending “special institutions” in the US because of them. “He was here on holiday from those schools when the two incidents happened,” the lawyer said. Montemayor was ordered to return to court on 16 June, where it will be determined if the Mental Health Court will deal with the matter. Court upholds 13-year rape sentence The Court of Appeal has declined, for the second time, to quash a 2017 rape conviction against Rohan Anthony Gidarisingh, who raped a 23-year- old woman in 2014 after getting her drunk and tricking her into going to a hotel room with him on the pretext of attending a party there. He raped her twice, using a knife in the commission of the crime. The jury found Gidarisingh, who was 39 at the time, guilty and he was jailed for 13 years. In 2018, he unsuccessfully challenged his conviction. Last month, he returned to the Court of Appeal requesting that his case be reopened, but the appeals court judges found his grounds for appeal held no merit, and he must now serve the remaining nine years of his sentence. Man wounded in West Bay Police launched a search for suspects after a man suffered head wounds in an attack in the Mount Pleasant area of West Bay on Monday night, 24 May. Offi cers rendered emergency fi rst aid to the man before EMS staff arrived and transported him to the Cayman Islands Hospital, the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service said in a statement. The incident happened just after 8:45pm. Offi cers found the victim with “signifi cant cuts” to his head, police said. The man’s injuries were not life-threatening and he was later discharged from hospital. Cayman Classic basketball tournament postponed This year’s Cayman Islands Classic basketball tournament has been postponed until November 2022, organisers have announced. This is the second consecutive year the tournament has been put off because of COVID-19 protocols. “Unfortunately, we have to postpone this year’s event. Due to the existing travel restrictions, the conditions are still not conducive to host the tournament in 2021,” Joe Wright, CEO for organiser Caymax Sports Ltd, said. So far, six schools have confi rmed participation next year at the eight-team tournament: Louisiana State University, Kansas State, Illinois State, Nevada, Tulane and Western Kentucky. OfReg required to name gas stations in quality tests The Offi ce of the Ombudsman has ordered OfReg to reveal the names of petrol stations on which it carries out quality-control tests. The directive came in response to an appeal of a Freedom of Information decision. OfReg had denied an applicant’s request for data from fuel-quality tests that would identify specifi c petrol stations. All gas stations in Cayman are periodically tested by OfReg, which regulates the utilities, telecommunications and petroleum sectors. The test results are currently published on the OfReg website, but not the names of the stations; instead, code numbers are used. OfReg had argued that revealing the names would prejudice the businesses’ commercial interests and could constitute an unreasonable disclosure of personal information. However, Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston disagreed and gave OfReg 14 days to disclose the petrol station names to the applicant. Magistrate criticises drug-lab delays Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez said Cayman is looking like a ‘banana republic’ because delays in analysing suspected illegal drugs at theHealth Services Authority forensics lab is hampering the progress of cases involving defendants charged with drug offences. One such defendant, Jahmar Shakur Watler, has been in custody since early May, but as of 24 May, the court had still not received a drug certifi cate – which confi rms the kind of drugs in question – from the Cayman Islands Forensic Science Laboratory. Hernandez said such delays were unacceptable, stating, “The fact of the matter is that we cannot have people being charged and you don’t have drug certifi cates ... It is making us look like a banana republic and we are not, we really are not. This is not acceptable by any government agency.” Later in the week, Health Services Authority CEO Lizzette Yearwood told the Cayman Compass that the HSA has hired two new staffers in the lab to address the backlog. News in brief Nurse Kiarah Shikale Perkins was killed in a collision on South Church Street on Sunday, 23 May. Pauline Bodden passed away on 23 May, at the age of 59. Ombudsman Sandy Hermiston has directed OfReg to reveal the names of petrol stations on which it carries out quality-control tests. cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021Cayman’s approach among most cautious in the region JAMES WHITTAKER jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky Britain’s Overseas Territories in the Caribbean have taken different approaches to balancing the economic and health threats posed by COVID-19 and the measures to combat the virus, with Cayman among the most conservative. While Cayman maintains a ‘safety first’ approach – a strategy that has paid dividends in terms of one of the lowest infection rates in the region – sister territories are beginning to relax travel restrictions and restore freedom of movement, within and across borders, as vaccination programmes start to make an impact. The British Virgin Islands, which has had only one death from the virus and which until recently had imposed strict quarantine requirements on incoming travellers, has opened up to vaccinated tourists. Anguilla, which closed its borders to manage a cluster of cases last month, has reopened for vaccinated visitors with a seven-day quarantine and a testing requirement. From 1 July, the territory will remove the quarantine and testing requirement for anyone who has been fully vaccinated at least three weeks prior to travel. Bermuda, which reopened its borders in June last year, has introduced a new quarantine requirement for unvaccinated travellers, amid a serious outbreak that has killed 20 people in the North Atlantic islands since April. But visitors and returning residents who have had the jab and who test negative for COVID on arrival are not required to quarantine at all. The latest outbreak in Bermuda now appears to be under control, though the island has suffered a comparatively high infection and death toll, with 2,490 cases and 32 deaths overall. Examples for Cayman Michael Tibbetts, vice president of the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, argues that Cayman can look to the examples of BVI and Anguilla, which have reported a single death between them, for a cautious exit strategy from the lockdown. “Both governments have taken a science- driven approach to reopening by determining that the risk posed by a vaccinated visitor from select countries, including the US, who has been PCR tested pre-arrival and on arrival, is extraordinarily low,” he said. “Combined with the vaccination of high-risk groups in the local population, these countries believe that the risks of cautiously reopening does not imperil their near-perfect records in preventing death from COVID-19.” With low and declining COVID-19 rates in Cayman’s primary source market of the US, Tibbetts believes it is time to consider reopening to vaccinated travellers, as others have done. “While we hope to one day reopen to all visitors, there are now over 130 million fully vaccinated Americans ready to travel. Vaccinated Americans are seeing their options to travel rapidly expand throughout the Caribbean and Europe, and are asking us when they can visit Cayman,” he added. ‘Safe Key’ to manage movement in Bermuda Bermuda is also launching a ‘COVID Safe Key’ app that allows residents or visitors to prove they have been either vaccinated or have recently passed a COVID test. Authorities in the territory, where residents still face certain lockdown restrictions, have indicated the app will allow for the reopening of indoor restaurants and bars, for example. Even as the death toll mounts in Bermuda, the island’s leaders are facing some backlash over restrictions on the freedom of movement and travel. Bermudian journalist Don Burgess, who covers the pandemic for the Bermuda Broadcasting Company, said there were mixed opinions in the country about the vaccination programme and quarantine restrictions. He said government’s recent decision to impose a self-funded mandatory 14-day quarantine on any non-vaccinated travellers, including returning residents, arriving on island, had prompted protests. “Many people feel government is trying to force them into getting vaccinated to avoid paying out all that money,” he said, citing the US$2,800 minimum cost of mandatory quarantine. A team of lawyers, including the island’s former attorney general Mark Pettingill, has initiated a lawsuit that would seek to challenge the 14-day quarantine restriction, among other measures. They argue that restrictions – particularly those that treat vaccinated and unvaccinated people differently – breach residents’ constitutional rights. The lawsuit suggests that mandatory quarantine is tantamount to incarceration and that the threat of the spread of COVID-19 could be managed through electronic monitoring. Burgess said a single ‘super spreader’ in Bermuda, who had not obeyed a quarantine recommendation under previous regulations, had been linked to 81 cases during the recent outbreak on the island. The backlash against the government doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of everyone, and Burgess indicates there are many people who have been vaccinated that are pushing for authorities to take a harder line against those that are unwilling to take the jab and allow more freedoms for those that do. One step in that direction might be the COVID Safe Key programme, which could enable residents to prove their health status. “Vaccinated people, and people who have had a negative COVID test in the past three days, could be allowed certain privileges, such as dining indoors or being allowed to attend large gatherings, like concerts or sporting contests,” said Burgess. Bermuda has had a very different approach to Cayman, which has kept its borders essentially closed to tourists since the beginning of the outbreak in March last year. While Bermuda’s strategy has been Caribbean OTs relax travel limits as vaccinations rise “...there are now over 130 million fully vaccinated Americans ready to travel. Vaccinated Americans are seeing their options to travel rapidly expand throughout the Caribbean and Europe, and are asking us when they can visit Cayman.” Michael Tibbetts, vice president, Cayman Islands Tourism Association The British Virgin Islands, which has had only one death from COVID-19 and, until recently, had imposed strict quarantine requirements on incoming travellers, has opened to vaccinated tourists. PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 7» cayman compass 3 news N news FRIDAY, 28 MAY 20211234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Principal (5) 4 A stew with paprika (7) 8 Betray one’s associates (3) 9 Alone (2,7) 10 Unity of opinion (7) 11 Spacious (5) 13 Evasive (6) 15 Gratitude (6) 18 Northeast African country (5) 19 Having no fixed abode (7) 21 Incorrectly aligned (3,2,4) 23 Donkey (3) 24 In conclusion (7) 25 Total score (5) DOWN 1 Strange (7) 2 About to happen (2,3,4) 3 Legendary story (5) 4 A game bird (6) 5 Bring to light (7) 6 Grow old (3) 7 Sizeable (5) 12 Useless (2,2,5) 14 Melodious (7) 16 Meet requirements of (7) 17 Too (6) 18 Hoax (5) 20 Intense (5) 22 Large cask for wine (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16703 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 16703 ACROSS: 1 Chief, 4 Goulash, 8 Rat, 9 By oneself, 10 Oneness, 11 Roomy, 13 Shifty, 15 Thanks, 18 Sudan, 19 Vagrant, 21 Out of true, 23 Ass, 24 Finally, 25 Tally. DOWN: 1 Curious, 2 In the wind, 3 Fable, 4 Grouse, 5 Unearth, 6 Age, 7 Hefty, 12 Of no avail, 14 Tuneful, 16 Satisfy, 17 Overly, 18 Spoof, 20 Great, 22 Tun. EDITORIAL Have you ever been sexually harassed? Would you know if you had? Have you ever sexually harassed anyone? Would you know if you had? We at the Cayman Compass have started asking some of these questions, and the answers are troubling. The more people we speak to, the more we discover that Cayman is far behind most countries in recognising, combatting and protecting its people against sexual harassment. Too many members of our community are facing unacceptable treatment. Just quantifying the scope of the problem is a challenge, given the wildly contrasting interpretations of what constitutes appropriate conduct. It’s a difficult conversation but one that is overdue in Cayman. Around the globe, the #metoo and Time’s Up movements have forced open the debate and held many to account for behaviour that has been tolerated by us all for far too long. Two-thirds of countries around the world have specific laws protecting citizens against sexual harassment. Here in Cayman, the bill, finalised in 2013, has yet to be passed into law. Time is way up. The McKeeva Bush incident, in which he was convicted of assault against a female bar manager, galvanised the community to campaign for zero tolerance for violence against women. The hashtag #sheissupported took off in a show of solidarity for the plight of women facing all kinds of violence and discrimination in the Cayman Islands. But the turn of events from the early election to Bush returning to the Speaker’s chair has left many disillusioned and questioning the country’s depth of tolerance and true appetite for change. The truth is that this is not about one man or one incident. It is not something that can be solved with the resignation of one public official (though that would have been a good start as the Compass argued in its 11 Dec. editorial ‘Parliamentarians need to hold Bush accountable’ ). Gender-based violence is just one aspect of a multi-faceted problem. What’s really going on is a slew of issues in our society that have been neglected for decades. It’s time to bring them into the light and take a long hard look at what is really happening. Throughout June, the Compass will be tackling one aspect of this complicated problem: sexual harassment in Cayman. For our purposes we are using a broad definition: unwanted sexual behaviour or conduct. Supporting women is not something that can be achieved with a hashtag alone – though the energy and anger that the #sheissupported movement generated is a crucial part of the process. The Compass will propose concrete ways to channel that energy towards real solutions, taking #sheissuported from sentiment to substance. As part of this series, we will tell the stories of the many women and, in some cases, men who have faced sexual harassment, aggression, coercion and abuse at work. If you have a story and you’d like to share it, get in touch with our Issues Editor James Whittaker on jwhittaker@compassmedia.ky or fill out our anonymous survey. Your voices can illuminate the scope of the problem and help bring about meaningful change. Time’s up for dealing with sexual harassment cartoon Police crash - By Caymanman I would like to address the entry restrictions currently in place due to COVID. Many of us long-time visitors to Cayman feel the restrictions should allow anyone with fully completed vaccinations to be allowed to return to visiting our favourite destination. Thousands in the US are primed and ready to help return your economy to where it needs to be. If we’re vaccinated, what’s the problem? My time share misses me! Bruce Tanner My family and I have been coming to Grand Cayman for over 40 years. As a property owner (not a random tourist) and a working physician in the United States, I am incredibly frustrated by my inability to visit my home unless I quarantine for 10 days. This is impractical for working individuals. It has been over 16 months since I have been allowed on island. Despite this, my family continues to financially support those Caymanians who tend our property (even though there is little to do) so that they can provide for their families during this pandemic. I have been fully immunised since early January and yet, despite the science, despite the recent studies demonstrating minimal transmissibility of the virus when vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, and despite the CDC recommendations that quarantines are unnecessary (which you cite in your articles dated 18 May and 25 May), I cannot come to my home unless I quarantine. And, as a fully vaccinated individual wanting to come to my home, I am prevented from doing so, in part because a portion of local Caymanians don’t want to be vaccinated. Most maddening is that the criteria to enter Cayman keeps changing. The anticipated dates for reopening and the percentages of different populations needing to be immunised before quarantines are lifted, remain moving targets. To expect 70% of Cayman’s population to be fully immunised, when that includes infants and children who are ineligible to be immunised, makes this an unattainable goal. Cayman was happy to take my money in the form of transfer taxes and other fees when I became a property owner, yet it continues to block my visitation based on capricious fantasy. Deborah Davis, MD Vaccinated property owner wants to visit Letters to the editor Editorial COVID protocols too restrictive cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky The Atlantic hurricane season offi cially begins on Tuesday, 1 June, and the region is already gearing up for what is predicted to be an above- normal season. Even before the storm season started, there had already been one named system – Subtropical Storm Ana, which formed east of Bermuda on 22 May. Ana eventually dissipated out at sea. This marks the seventh consecutive year that at least one named storm has appeared before the offi cial start of hurricane season. Last year’s hurricane season also started early, when Tropical Storm Arthur formed on 16 May east of Florida. The season ended with Iota on 18 Nov. Following 2020’s record- breaking season that saw 30 named storms and 14 hurricanes, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center this year is forecasting 13 to 20 named storms, of which six to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of at least 74 miles per hour. The prediction includes three to fi ve major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher). The 2020 season was so active that the list of hurricane names quickly ran out, leading to the use of the Greek alphabet. This year, authorities have decided not to use Greek letters and have created a supplemental list of names instead. The Atlantic hurricane season extends until 30 Nov., though storms have been recorded beyond that date. National Day of Preparedness Hazard Management Cayman Islands staff will be out and about on Saturday, 29 May, on National Day of Preparedness activities, and will be at Kirk Home Centre in the morning and Uncle Bill’s in the afternoon. Local hardware stores have been offering items to add to people’s hurricane kits as part of a prize draw, and the winners will be picked on 1 June. “We want to get people thinking about it, because we are right at the beginning of hurricane season,” HMCI’s Simon Boxall said in an interview on Cayman Crosstalk on 24 May. New average NOAA has said there is a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. However, experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020. Weather watchers may have noticed that the ‘average’ number of storms during hurricane season have changed this year, compared to 2020. This is because NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center bases its outlooks on a 30-year period of record, which changed this year for the fi rst time in a decade. Last year, the predictions were based on averages from 1981 to 2010, which were 12 named storms, six hurricanes and three major hurricanes. This year, NOAA is using storm numbers for 1991-2020, and as storm seasons in recent years have been more active than in the past, this means the average number has been upgraded to 14 named storms and seven hurricanes, while the average for major hurricanes (Categories 3, 4 or 5) remains unchanged at three. Based on those numbers, NOAA updates its statistics to determine if hurricane seasons are above-, near- or below-average, relative to the climate record. NOAA stated that the increase in the averages may be attributed to the overall improvement in observing platforms, as well as to the warming ocean and atmosphere which are infl uenced by climate change. “The update also refl ects a very busy period over the last 30 years, which includes many years of a positive Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation, which can increase Atlantic hurricane activity,” the agency said. “These updated averages better refl ect our collective experience of the past 10 years, which included some very active hurricane seasons,” said Matt Rosencrans, seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, in a statement. “NOAA scientists have evaluated the impacts of climate change on tropical cyclones and determined that it can infl uence storm intensity.” ING 04-06-21 Cayman prepares for hurricane season Giant waves from Tropical Storm Eta lash the George Town waterfront in November last year; 2020 saw a record-breaking 30 named storms. Forecasters predict between 13 and 20 named storms for this year. - Photo: Taneos Ramsay • Ana • Bill • Claudette • Danny • Elsa • Fred • Grace • Henri • Ida • Julian • Kate • Larry • Mindy • Nicholas • Odette • Peter • Rose • Sam • Teresa • Victor • Wanda 2021 Hurricane names 13-20 The number of named storms predicted for the 2021 hurricane season cayman compass news N news 5 FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021 1,612.2 765.7 644.2 120.4 Financial & Insurance Services TravelAccounting, Legal, & Other Business Services Other Services Announces proposed dates of upcoming fortnightly British Airways flights NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky The Cayman Islands government has released proposed dates through 23 Sept. for upcoming fortnightly British Airways repatriation flights, while warning residents and visitors to avoid booking non-existent ‘ghost flights’ advertised on airline websites. The scheduled BA flights will land in Grand Cayman from London’s Heathrow Airport every second Wednesday and return to the UK the following day. The government issued a press release on 25 May following complaints from travellers who said they had booked flights on BA which were subsequently cancelled. The release listed the only dates that are being considered for the upcoming arrivals and departures of BA repatriation flights, and noted that once the dates are finalised, the government will issue a follow-up statement. In its release, the government said that the only commercial airlines allowed to fly in and out of Cayman are British Airways and Cayman Airways, and stated, “it has been noted that some airline carriers, including British Airways, advertise and take bookings for non-approved flights (ghost flights) to and from the Cayman Islands. “Given that the Cayman Islands Government has no control over the marketing activities of commercial airlines, and in an effort to avoid confusion with the public, the CIG launched a travel information website www.exploregov.ky which is regularly updated with the latest travel information, including confirmed British Airways flight dates.” The statement added that the government was advising travellers who make reservations for unconfirmed flights “that they are doing so at their own risk and we continue to encourage all potential travellers to check the CIG website or Travel Cayman prior to making their bookings”. Parents of students attending schools and colleges in the UK have complained that flights on the dates proposed by government are already fully booked, leading to concerns that children will be stranded in the UK over the summer months while educational facilities are closed. The government said its officials were continuing to work closely with British Airways “to secure a consistent flight schedule to and from the UK”. The next confirmed BA repatriation flight from the UK is scheduled for 2 June, and will return to the UK on 3 June. In the statement, the Ministry of Tourism said that “while every effort is being made to assist residents in returning home, they should also remain aware that until normal commercial service is resumed, airline seat capacity is limited, and consequently delays in securing a flight home can occur”. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan said in the statement, “We understand the frustrations that travellers must face when it comes to ghost flights, particularly parents of students returning from the UK. Let me reassure you that we are in continual discussions with British Airways on repatriation flights and aim to give as much notice as possible prior to flight departures. I urge the public to check official Government channels before making reservations, as the Ministry has no control over British Airways advertised flights.” Cayman Connection UK, which is associated with the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK, has launched a ‘travel capacity survey’ to attempt to determine how many people who wish to travel between Britain and Cayman from Britain over the summer have been unable to book a flight. The Cayman Islands remains on the UK’s recently launched ‘amber’ travel list, which includes countries and jurisdictions to which people are advised not to travel. If people do travel from Cayman to the UK, they are required to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. The UK’s transport secretary, Grant Shapps, announced earlier in May that the ‘red’, ‘amber’ and ‘green’ lists would be reviewed every three weeks from 17 May, meaning the next revision will be on 7 June. Premier Wayne Panton has said that the Cayman Islands government intends to push for the islands to be transferred to the green travel list, which would allow for quarantine-free arrivals from Cayman to the UK. Inbound from Heathrow (2 June flight has been confirmed) 16 and 30 June 14 and 28 July 11 and 25 August 8 and 22 September Outbound from Grand Cayman (3 June flight has been confirmed) 17 June 1, 15 and 29 July 12 and 26 August 9 and 23 September Government warns about ‘ghost flights’ Future details of the British Airways repatriation schedule can be found at www.exploregov.ky/faqs/covid-19-inbound-travel. Dates of proposed BA flights: cayman compass 6 FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021NOTICE OF INTENT TO FINALISE THE TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ISWMS) ALSO KNOWN AS REGEN REQUEST FOR COMMENTS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING The Environmental Assessment Board (EAB) is providing Notice to the Public of the publication of the Draft Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy (ISWMS) also known as the ReGen project at the George Town Landfill. The public is invited to review and comment on the ToR which has been developed in collaboration with the EAB, which includes representatives from the Department of Environment, Department of Environmental Health, Department of Planning, National Roads Authority, and Water Authority Cayman. The project proponent, Dart, is undertaking an EIA for its proposed energy recovery and recycling facilities at the George Town Landfill. The result of the EIA will be an Environmental Statement (ES) which will help to inform the decision-making process. Your input will be considered in the finalisation of the ToR document which will be available from 31 May online at www.doe.ky or hard copies can be reviewed at the following locations: 1. Government Administration Building, 133 Elgin Avenue, George Town 2. George Town Public Library, 68 Edward Street 3. Teacher Redley Powery Library, 182 Reverend Blackman Rd, West Bay 4. Bodden Town Library, 69 Bodden Town Road 5. District Administration, Government Administration Building, Cayman Brac 6. National Trust House, Little Cayman Comments on the draft ToR may be submitted: 1) in writing during the public meeting, 2) electronically via e-mail to emu.doe@gov.ky, 3) mailed to Department of Environment, P.O. Box 10202, Grand Cayman KY1-1002, or 4) hand delivered, in writing, to Department of Environment, Environmental Centre, 580 North Sound Road, George Town, Grand Cayman. Public meetings will be held on: • 8 June 2021 at the John Gray Memorial Hall between 7 pm and 9 pm • 9 June 2021 at the Harquail Theatre between 7 pm and 9 pm • 10 June 2021 at the Breakers Civic Centre between 7 pm and 9 pm The public meetings will provide an opportunity for Dart, the Cayman Islands Government and the EIA Consultants to outline the project and to invite comments and questions from the public on the draft ToR. Representatives from the Cayman Islands Government, Dart, the EIA Consultants and the EAB will be available to provide information and receive comments concerning the ToR. The period for written comments on the draft ToR opens on Monday, 31 May 2021 and will run for 21 days. The period for written comments officially closes at midnight on Monday, 21 June 2021. welcomed by businesses on the island, it does not appear to have had a significant positive impact on its economy, with tourism spending down 89% for 2020. BVI begins to reopen In the British Virgin Islands, another sister territory, the approach of the islands’ leaders has been much closer to that followed in Cayman, with similar results. BVI has had fewer than 250 total cases and one death from COVID-19. The island reopened its borders at the turn of the year, with strict quarantine protocols that are only now beginning to be relaxed. From 15 May, BVI cut its quarantine to a single day – the time it takes to get the result back from a COVID-19 arrival test – for vaccinated visitors. People who have not been vaccinated are still required to quarantine for seven days and be tested multiple times. Joey Waldinger, a reporter with the BVI Beacon, said he believed the community was largely happy with the measures. He said there had been just 7,000 tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2021, and the industry had been pushing for some relaxation of the rules. “I think right now they are pretty happy with the new measures,” he said. “For a long time there was a feeling that government was not listening to them. The Chamber of Commerce and tourism board were coming up with suggestions and they felt that nothing was being done.” In general, he believes, people are pretty happy with the government’s efforts, particularly in ensuring a low infection and death rate from the virus compared to other countries. The vaccination rate in BVI is relatively low, with approximately 10,000 of its population of 30,000 vaccinated. Turks and Caicos tourism industry thriving Elsewhere, the Turks and Caicos Islands has one of the most successful vaccination programmes. The territory made headlines in April for a mandatory policy requiring all work-permit holders to have the jab, and has now vaccinated 62% of its population. Turks is open to tourism, with no quarantine period and relatively few restrictions. Though it has had a higher infection and death rate (2,402 cases and 17 deaths) than Cayman or BVI, it does seem to have got some economic benefit from reopening. Tourism to the archipelago hovers around 70% capacity, according to The New York Times. The Seven Stars hotel, which now offers a drink voucher along with complimentary COVID-19 tests, is sold out for May and almost sold out for June, the newspaper reported. “It was literally like a tap being turned on,” Ken Patterson, chief executive of the five-star resort told the Times, noting he had never seen such high demand. Caribbean OTs relax travel limits as vaccinations rise Premier David Burt visits a mobile vaccination centre in Bermuda as the island ramps up its vaccination drive. - Photo: Bermuda Government CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 cayman compass 7 FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021Dart to hold three public meetings in June RESHMA RAGOONATH rragoonath@compassmedia.ky The draft terms of reference for the environmental impact assessment for Cayman’s multi- million dollar waste management ReGen project at the George Town landfill is set to be published by 31 May. Once published, a 21-day public consultation period will follow, with the Dart-led consortium behind the project holding three public meetings next month to discuss plans for the site’s EIA. The draft terms of reference have been developed in collaboration with the Environmental Assessment Board, which includes representatives from the Department of Environment, Department of Environmental Health, Department of Planning, National Roads Authority, and Water Authority Cayman. Martin Edelenbos, Dart engineering coordinator, told the Cayman Compass in an interview that the terms of reference is “a road map to all of the investigations that have to be performed as part of the environmental impact assessment”. He explained that the assessment reviews a variety of environmental and socioeconomic aspects that could be affected by the project. “We’re looking at things like air quality, surface water, ground water quality, social issues,” he said. Richard McAree, the project’s environmental social governance programme manager, said the team wants as much public participation in the process as possible, either through the meetings or by submitting questions via the DoE. “The consultation process of the terms of reference relates to the opportunity for the public, either through reviewing it in government public offices where it will be available for viewing, or indeed coming to the three public meetings to ask questions,” he said, adding that questions can also be submitted through written forms at the meetings, via the DoE website or by delivering letters directly to the department. Since the policy, strategy and outline business case for the Integrated Solid Waste Management System went through a period of public consultation before receiving final government approval, the EIA will focus on the design and impact of the nine planned ReGen facilities. “It’s not just the energy recovery facility, the process assesses ReGen in its totality… all nine facilities as part of the overall ReGen project,” he explained. The meetings will be held on Tuesday, 8 June, at the John Gray Memorial Hall; on Wednesday, 9 June, at the Harquail Theatre; and on Thursday, 10 June, at the Breakers Civic Centre. All meetings will run from 7pm to 9pm. The EIA is a two-fold consultation process which commences with the terms of reference and then moves to an environmental statement. Questions and comments coming out of the public consultation on the draft terms of reference are all compiled and reviewed by the DoE in consultation with the project team, McAree explained. “Dart has a consortium of consultants that are working on the technical aspects of this project and the government has a consultant team that supports them in reviewing those and... the EIA documentation,” he said. The final terms of reference will act as a road map for the Dart- led consortium to conduct the necessary studies that will form the basis of an environmental statement, a Dart release on the process stated. The environmental statement will also be subject to a public consultation period before it is finalised. “Next, the Environmental Assessment Board, established specifically for the project, will prepare a final recommendation to accompany the ‘Environmental Statement’ for consideration by the government in making a final decision on the project facility designs and specifications,” the Dart release added. McAree said the entire EIA study process can take up to 12 months, but the project team is looking forward to getting the ball rolling. “There’s a major project plan that flows from concluding the EIA, transitioning straight into planning and boots and shovels in the ground. Our ambition is that we will have operating facilities by the middle of 2024,” he said. He added that COVID restrictions have affected the process in terms of having consultants on island. Usually, the international members on the project team would have been in Cayman for the public meetings, but this time around, he said, the team will be making use of video-conferencing technology for presentations and to allow the public to ask questions. The period for written comments on the draft terms of reference officially closes at midnight on 21 June 2021. ReGen draft EIA terms open for review An artist's rendering of the remediated George Town landfill and new facilities. - Photo: ReGen cayman compass 8 FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021Early-morning risers in Cayman got to experience a total lunar eclipse on Wednesday, 26 May. The ‘super blood moon’ eclipse was visible in Cayman from 4:44am and continued until the moon set at 5:50am. In some countries where the total eclipse was visible, the moon appeared red in colour – hence, ‘blood’ moon – but with the early- morning sky already brightening in Cayman as the Earth’s shadow fell across its surface, the moon here appeared to take on a pinkish tinge. The blood-red colour of the total eclipse was not visible in Cayman because it occurred just as the moon sank below the horizon. A super moon occurs when the moon is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, appearing to be about 7% larger and 15% brighter than usual. Tiyen Miller, of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society, was one of the people viewing and photographing the celestial phenomenon. “We were so fortunate to have perfect conditions to experience the lunar eclipse [on 26 May] from Grand Cayman,” Miller said. “Lunar eclipses are always very peaceful and calming to watch as the moon gradually slides through the shadow of the Earth. “Nevertheless, [the eclipse] was exceptionally soothing to watch as the thinning pink moon gracefully approached the horizon whilst the skies began to glow in the cobalt blue of the coming dawn.” 'Super blood moon' eclipse wows skygazers in Cayman The phases of the 26 May total lunar eclipse, captured by Cayman Compass photographer Taneos Ramsay. cayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 28 MAY 2021Next >