Cayman Compass - 8 October, 2021

© 2021 Burger King Corporation. King Stackers are here Dare to stack! Each patty is a quarter pound of flame-grilled beef. Single Double Triple cayman compass Your most trusted news source Established 1965 $1 | Funding local journalism | Weekly, 8-14 October 2021 The great debate The issue of mandatory vaccinations is dividing Cayman Public feedback Page 4 The Parliament debate Page 5 Who must get vaccinated? Page 6 Impact for civil service Page 8 Photo: Taneos RamsayMatinees (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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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 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 9 new community COVID cases reported Nine new local cases of COVID-19 have been reported, including eight schoolchildren, in the latest results, made public on 6 Oct. There was also one positive case involving a traveller, health ofﬁ cials said. This brings to 128 the total number of active COVID cases in the Cayman Islands. Of those, 60 are symptomatic. Among the eight students who tested positive, one was from Red Bay Primary School and the others from John Gray and Clifton Hunter High Schools. Cases of COVID have now been reported in several local schools. As well as the three mentioned above, cases have also been conﬁ rmed in George Town Primary, First Baptist, Prospect Primary, Triple C and Cayman Academy, as well as at two pre-schools. Since the ﬁ rst local case in a year was reported early last month, more than 100 community- transmission cases have been conﬁ rmed. The latest update on COVID results noted that, of the 10 cases reported on 6 Oct., seven were unvaccinated. 74% of estimated population complete two-dose vaccine course As of 6 Oct., 108,231 COVID-19 vaccinations had been administered in Cayman, with 55,433 (or 78% of the estimated population of 71,106) receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 52,632 (74%) completing the two-dose course. Additionally, 166 people have had a third, or booster, dose. For more news connected to the latest COVID developments, see pages 4, 5, 6, 8 and 12. Plans under way to bring rapid COVID-19 home tests to Cayman Government plans to introduce new regulations that will pave the way for the use of rapid lateral ﬂ ow COVID-19 tests on island by the Health Services Authority and the private sector. These tests, which can be self-administered at home, can determine, within minutes, if antigens, or proteins, from the COVID-19 virus are present in a person’s body. Health Services Authority Medical Director Dr. Delroy Jefferson, in a press release issued 6 Oct., said the HSA would incorporate lateral ﬂ ow testing as part of its COVID-testing regime, and would also provide validation for tests beyond these rapid-result kits. Chief Medical Ofﬁ cer Dr. John Lee has endorsed the tests for fast identiﬁ cation of positive cases, which the government hopes will enable individuals to proactively stay aware of their COVID-19 status, and reduce the need for people to attend a health care facility for initial testing. Gov’t: Assistance to be given to quarantiners in local outbreaks Health Minister Sabrina Turner said in Parliament on 5 Oct. that the government would be announcing plans this week to assist people who are in mandatory quarantine because of the recent local COVID-19 outbreaks. Hundreds of people across Cayman have been required to isolate since the ﬁ rst local transmission case this year was reported early last month. Since then, there have been dozens of positive cases, many involving school children. Turner said help would be provided for those in quarantine whose employers are not paying them during their period of enforced isolation. The minister, speaking during a debate on mandatory vaccinations, said this was not “welfare” but a means to temporarily assist those who suddenly ﬁ nd themselves in quarantine and without a wage. Police seek public’s help in locating wanted man Police have appealed for the public’s assistance in locating 22-year-old Michael Lopez, who goes by the name of Lopez Watler. He is wanted in connection with ﬁ rearms incidents which took place in July this year in West Bay. Lopez is considered to be dangerous and police advise that he should not be approached by members of the public. Police said in a statement on Monday that Lopez is from West Bay but is also known to frequent the eastern districts. He is described as having light brown complexion, brown eyes, and long brown hair with facial hair. He is of slim build and approximately 6’2” tall. Lopez is being sought for an incident on 10 July at about 9pm in which two shots were ﬁ red along West Church Street, near the West Bay Post Ofﬁ ce. No one reported injuries or damage to properties in the nearby area. During the investigation, two spent rounds were recovered by ofﬁ cers. He is also being sought in connection with an incident that same evening in which the vehicle involved in the West Church Street shooting was located at a residence on Birch Tree Hill Road, and several rounds of ammunition were recovered along with a ﬁ rearm magazine. PAHO/WHO appoints new representative to the Cayman Islands The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization has appointed Ian Stein to be the representative to Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. He is based in Kingston, Jamaica. According to a press release from PAHO/WHO, Stein possesses “substantial experience in developing and maintaining partnerships for health, the management of health crises and a broad range of public health topics including immunization, early child health, health promotion, environmental health and HIV/AIDS”. Since joining PAHO in 2004, he is said to have served in key leadership roles, including in external relations and partnerships, and for viruses such as COVID-19 and Zika. Fake Compass email circulating A fake email purporting to originate from the Cayman Compass is being sent to some users with a candw.ky email address. The email, which uses the Compass logo, mirrors the Compass daily newsletter and invites readers to click on a link relating to “boarder” reopening. This email did not originate from the Cayman Compass and readers are warned that clicking the link could put them and their associated electronics at risk. Rapid lateral ﬂ ow home-testing kits for COVID-19 may be available soon in Cayman. news in brief cayman compass 2 N news FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2021Disclaimer : FIN Grand Cayman features and amenities are based on current development plans and concepts and are subject to change without notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-based fees or homeowner fees. GRAND CAYMAN’S ART DECO ICON IS OPEN AND READY FOR OCCUPANCY Priced from US $2.5M Reserve your private tour and discover the last word in luxury + 1 345 526 7777 fin@fingrandcayman.com FIN.cayman fingrandcayman Owners are moving in, the pool is lled and ready for dips, the wine lockers are stocked, the Teslas are charging and the boats are wet. All that is missing is you! Three (3) residences remain for sale, a single level home with two oversized terraces, and two multi-level penthouses complete with private rooftop garden and plunge pool. Book a viewing today to discover why FIN is the Last Word in Luxury. Disclaimer : FIN Grand Cayman features and amenities are based on current development plans and concepts and are subject to change without notice. Some services and amenities are subject to service-based fees or homeowner fees. GRAND CAYMAN’S ART DECO ICON IS OPEN AND READY FOR OCCUPANCY Priced from US $2.5M Reserve your private tour and discover the last word in luxury + 1 345 526 7777 fin@fingrandcayman.com FIN.cayman fingrandcayman Owners are moving in, the pool is lled and ready for dips, the wine lockers are stocked, the Teslas are charging and the boats are wet. All that is missing is you! Three (3) residences remain for sale, a single level home with two oversized terraces, and two multi-level penthouses complete with private rooftop garden and plunge pool. Book a viewing today to discover why FIN is the Last Word in Luxury. cayman compass 3 FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 20211234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 1234567 89 101112 13141516 17 181920 212223 2425 ACROSS 1 Unanimous (5) 4 Person highly approved of (4,3) 8 Possess (3) 9 Situation fraught with hazards (9) 10 Steadfastly loyal (7) 11 Make formal request (5) 13 Central African country (6) 15 Loose from moorings (6) 18 Small-scale reproduction (5) 19 Fiasco (4-3) 21 Slight possibility (3,6) 23 Review savagely (3) 24 A stretch (7) 25 Uncontrollable fear (5) DOWN 1 Godparent (7) 2 Assist in some endeavour (4,1,4) 3 Evil spirit (5) 4 Overly eager for action (4-2) 5 Without consideration (7) 6 Look at (3) 7 Devout (5) 12 Written with malice (6-3) 14 Porpoise-like sea mammal (7) 16 Colossal (7) 17 Pang (6) 18 Elk (5) 20 Exorbitant (5) 22 Dandy (3) The Compass Crossword Puzzle The Compass universal kakuro Puzzle 16811 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 16811 ACROSS: 1 Solid, 4 Good egg, 8 Own, 9 Minefield, 10 Staunch, 11 Apply, 13 Rwanda, 15 Adrift, 18 Model, 19 Wash-out, 21 Off chance, 23 Pan, 24 Expanse, 25 Panic. DOWN: 1 Sponsor, 2 Lend a hand, 3 Demon, 4 Gung-ho, 5 Offhand, 6 Eye, 7 Godly, 12 Poison-pen, 14 Dolphin, 16 Titanic, 17 Twinge, 18 Moose, 20 Steep, 22 Fop. MPs pass bills mandating COVID vaccines for non-Caymanians Just want to say I am fully vaxxed. I did it right away. I did it because it was the right thing to do for my community. I think mandating it for some is truly against community building and certainly puts distance between people. Just don’t see the point of forcing people. If some decide they should be exempt, I hope COVID respects their decision. – Regina Eccleﬁ eld They are trying to do their job to keep as many people out of the hospital or from getting seriously ill as possible. Mandating it for expats is easier because it is their choice to remain in this country and they can include it as part of immigration processes vs Caymanians having a right to stay here. Yes, there is a difference between a Caymanian and an expat in terms of rights in this country and there will always be. – Andrew Bush The vaccination isn’t my issue, my issue is the fact the individuals may lose hours or pay at work for these quarantine situations. – Jessica Sukar Saying that a vaccine mandate for Caymanians is inhumane, but imposing it on expats, simply shows that Cayman does not consider expats humans. – Corona Eccleﬁ eld All the negative comments. Remember the people of the Cayman Islands voted these leaders in and they have made their choice for this country. The government will not hold you down and force the needle in your arm. You will be the one to go and get it. So remember you have a choice. If you don’t like their decision just leave and ﬁ nd another country that their rules are more pleasing. God bless the Cayman Islands, their people and the leaders. – Izzy Banegas Premier: Gov’t to give month’s notice before reopening borders Since veriﬁ able vaccinations equate to a tiny number of people who could visit without quarantine anyway what difference does it really make? Until CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) cards are accepted like they are everywhere else, none of this matters because no one can actually get here without a long quarantine. This is why American Airlines gave up and said see you in February. – Lisa Jarvis Unless their attitude to COVID fundamentally alters, any opening will be followed by a quick return to lockdown as cases occur. They don’t seem to get it that COVID can’t be eradicated, just managed. – Katy Collins At this point, who would ever believe him when he issues that month’s notice? – Drew Mcarthur Thank you, Mr. Premier! Some of us Caymanians do appreciate all you are trying to do for us! Looking forward to a peaceful Christmas with my family and friends! – Reena Medina It will take us years to get our lost tourists back. What a sad state of affairs this is. – Ann Smith So any families travelling with children are not going to be coming here til ‘phase 5’? Gee, when might that be? – Sara Harbison Mackay Gov’t: Assistance to be given to quarantiners in local outbreaks Seriously. Can no one see how much worse being in a hospital bed will be than being in isolation? If you don’t have amazing health-care coverage, get vaccinated. – Nicole Apthorp Trusting that this also applies to sole traders who end up in 14-day isolation and suffered loss of wages. – Decia Foster I have heard of so many families that have and are in mandatory quarantine, and their job refuses to pay them. We need government to do something about this since it’s the government making everyone quarantine. Now families are struggling without weeks of pay. What is supposed to happen? – Yunaisis Perez It’s just so unnecessary to quarantine whole families who test negative with vaccinated parents for 14 days just because they ‘may’ have come into contact with a positive case. The hospital is not overrun, everyone who wants a vaccine has had one. Cayman needs more realistic and sustainable policies. – Aria Ebanks-Carrera Does this include all those families from George Town Primary School whose parents did not get paid for three weeks of being put [out] of ofﬁ ce due to being forced into isolation/quarantine? Who are just returning back to work this week and are struggling now? – Brittany Smith AA cancels December return, ﬂ ights to resume in 2022 Cayman have to get their act together, they may never recover from this. Too many lost businesses and people will go elsewhere for vacation, and if they love it there they won’t return, and by the time they do there will be nothing for tourists. Sad and crazy. COVID is going nowhere anytime soon. They have to learn to live with it and do what the rest of the world is doing, which is vaccinate as many people as possible to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. That is realistically all that can be done right now. – Julie Blount What they’re saying Would you favour or oppose businesses requiring people to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to do the following ? Travel by airplane Indoor gatherings of 100+ people Place of employment Stay in a hotel Indoor restaurant /bar Gyms/ exercise studios Movie theatre FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE FAVOUR OPPOSE cayman compass ONLINE POLL 65% 35% 58% 42% 57% 43% 55% 45% 53% 47% 56% 44% 55% 45% cayman compass 4 news N news FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2021Lawmakers pass bills mandating vaccines NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky With the passage of two bills mandating COVID-19 vaccinations, several categories of expatriates living, or applying to live, here will be required to be inoculated against the virus. All government members voted in favour of passing the Customs and Border Control (Amendment) Bill and the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment) Bill on 5 Oct., following two days of lengthy debates. The members of the Opposition voted against them. After the bills passed, Governor Martyn Roper issued a statement expressing his support for them. Under the new legislation, COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandated for work-permit holders and their dependents who are being granted new permits or renewing them, as well as people legally and ordinarily resident in the Cayman Islands for at least eight years, including those applying for permanent residency (for the full list, see page 6). Gov’t: No mandatory shots for Caymanians The original wording of amendments to the bill had also included Residency and Employment Rights Certiﬁ cate holders who are spouses or civil partners of Caymanians and their dependents, and children and dependents of Caymanians seeking permission to enter Cayman; these were dropped from the bill at committee stage. Deputy Premier and Minister of Border Control and Labour Chris Saunders, who tabled both bills, said the decision to exempt children and dependents of Caymanians and RERC holders with links to Caymanians from mandatory vaccinations had been made after receiving feedback from members of the public. During the debate, government members said no Caymanians, nor their dependents or children, would be required to be vaccinated. The government had been accused by opponents of the bills of widening the scope of the demographic that would be required to be vaccinated beyond expatriates renewing or being granted work permits, as had been inferred earlier by ofﬁ cials. Two ‘Freedom of Choice’ protests have been held – on 2 Oct. outside Government House and on 4 Oct. outside Parliament – by Caymanians and expats objecting to mandatory vaccines. Former Premier Alden McLaughlin, the MP for Red Bay, during the debate on the Immigration (Transition) Bill, gave a number of hypothetical examples of people he said would be impacted by the bill, such as a Jamaican family who had bought a home here who were about to apply for permanent residence or a wealthy investor, who, if for any reason they could not or would not be vaccinated, would be forced to leave Cayman. Both he and Leader of t he Opposition Roy McTaggart queried the speed at which the government had brought the bills – with 10 days rather than the usual 28 days of public consultation. They also asked why, when at least two law ﬁ rms – HSM Chambers and KSG Attorneys at Law – had stated that the legislation would likely face legal challenges in the form of judicial reviews, the government had decided to go ahead with such “draconian” measures that would lead to divisiveness within the local community. McTaggart, in his comments, urged the government to pull back the bills, stating, “Education and persuasion rather than mandating has served us very well to date.” Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, during the debate, said that, as head of the civil service, he would not be requiring mandatory vaccinations for Caymanian civil servants, including frontline workers, but provisions may be put in place mandating vaccines for non- Caymanian civil servants (for more, see page 8). Attorney general: Bills are constitutionally sound Attorney General Samuel Bulgin, who advised the government on the bills, outlined their legal standing, saying the government has a mandate to protect the people of the Cayman Islands in light of the pandemic. “The more the community spread continues… the greater the urgency on the government to have [mandatory vaccinations],” he said. Since the ﬁ rst community transmission case in a year was conﬁ rmed in Cayman early last month, more than 100 local cases have been reported, mostly in schools. Bulgin said there was no question that there was a “pressing social need” and sufﬁ cient justiﬁ cation for the government to introduce mandatory vaccinations, as any administration has the right to impose requirements on work-permit holders if it is in the public interest. He added that it was the government’s view that the vaccination measures being introduced by these bills “are quite reasonable and represent a proportional response to what is now clearly a daily growing problem that needs to be tackled head on in the most aggressive way – no room for wavering, no time for dithering”. Saying that the measures being taken would mostly affect Cayman’s “very transient population”, he added that the government felt a court would not ﬁ nd the requirement for mandatory vaccines for that part ‘Freedom of Choice’ protests were held on 2 and 4 Oct. by Caymanians and expats opposed to mandatory vaccination. – Photo: Taneos Ramsay PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 6» 74% The percentage of population that is fully vaccinated cayman compass 5 news N news FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2021NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Parliament this week passed two bills – the Customs and Border Control (Amendment) Bill and the Immigration (Transition) (Amendment) Bill –that mandate COVID-19 vaccines for certain categories of non- Caymanians in the Cayman Islands. Here, the Compass take a quick look at what the changes entail. Who does this impact? • People renewing or being granted work permits, including temporary ones • Those amending work permits to add dependants • Individuals applying for a Certiﬁ cate for Specialist Caregivers • Those applying for or renewing student visas • People who are legally and ordinarily resident in the islands for at least eight years, including those applying for permanent residence • People applying for Residency Certiﬁ cates for Persons of Independent Means (those who are investing at least $2 million in developed real estate), and holders of this certiﬁ cate who are applying for permanent residence • - Surviving or former spouses or civil partners and adult dependents of holders of Residency Certiﬁ cates for Persons of Independent Means or holders of Certiﬁ cates of Permanent Residence for Persons of Independent Means, who are applying for such a certiﬁ cate/ permanent residency in their own right • Those applying for Certiﬁ cates of Direct Investment (which requires an investment of at least $1 million in a employment-generating business), and surviving/former spouse or civil partner applying for such a certiﬁ cate in their own right • Holders of Residency Certiﬁ cates (Substantial Business Presence), which refers to owners of at least 10% of a business on island • Spouses, civil partners and dependents of people holding residency certiﬁ cates for persons of independent means and certiﬁ cates of direct investment • Those receiving entry permits from Cabinet. What if I’m arriving on island to work but haven’t been able to get a vaccination in my home country yet? Under the new rules, an unvaccinated person and any unvaccinated dependents must sign a declaration stating that they will complete an approved vaccine course and provide a vaccination certiﬁ cate to WORC/Customs and Border Control within 40 days of arrival on island. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of the work permit. Are there any exemptions allowed? Yes, some exemptions are allowed. These include people who can provide a medical certiﬁ cate which certiﬁ es that a vaccination would be injurious to their health or to the health of a dependent. The medical certiﬁ cate will need to be reviewed and a decision taken by the government’s medical ofﬁ cer of health. The new legislation does not apply to government employees, although Deputy Governor Franz Manderson has said it is likely the civil service will adopt similar rules regarding non-Caymanian civil servants. The medical ofﬁ cer of health can exempt certain people from the requirement to provide a vaccination certiﬁ cate, a declaration or a medical certiﬁ cate in the event of an emergency situation or in exceptional circumstances. The medical ofﬁ cer of health is required to provide Cabinet with a report on such exemptions at least once every three months. Also, Cabinet has discretion to exempt individuals. Who checks the vaccination records? Documentation relating to proof of vaccination; declarations stating that a vaccination will be done within 40 days of application or arrival (depending on whether it’s a work-permit renewal or new grant, respectively); or medical certiﬁ cates exempting a person from getting a vaccine must be submitted to WORC/Customs and Border Control at the time of making an application. I have permanent residency but I’ve changed my occupation and need to make an amendment in my annual declaration. Must I be vaccinated? Permanent residents, including those making changes to their annual PR declarations, are not mandated to be vaccinated. Only those applying for permanent residence must supply proof of vaccination. Do I need to be vaccinated to apply for status? No, you do not. The original version of the bill amendments seemed to include people related to or married to Caymanians. What has happened to that? A number of amendments were made to both bills during the committee stage, in which the lawmakers went through and tweaked individual clauses of the legislation. During that stage, references to children and dependents of Caymanians, who were applying to reside in the Cayman Islands were removed. Additionally, the requirement for surviving spouse or civil partner of a Caymanian to be vaccinated was also removed. The government said this was in response to feedback from the Opposition and members of the public during the consultation period. Explainer: Mandatory vaccines QA& Editor’s note: The ﬁ nal version of the amended legislation has yet to be published. This story will be updated online, if necessary, once it is available. of the community “untenable”. He said the bills were constitutionally sound and would “withstand legal scrutiny”. Kattina Anglin, of the Christian Association for Civics and Public Education, on whose behalf KSG sent a ‘letter before action’ stating that the organisation would legally challenge the mandatory vaccine legislation if the bills passed, told the Compass on Thursday that the group intended to press ahead with a judicial review. “We will take legal action against whatever measures the government makes that will force vaccinations on so many ... residents of this country. It’s against human rights and we will not support it,” she said. Quarantine breaches Premier Wayne Panton refuted suggestions made during the debate that the reason Cayman now has growing numbers of community transition is due to his government’s decision to lower the quarantine period to ﬁ ve days for veriﬁ able vaccinated travellers. While acknowledging that the source of the outbreaks had not been found, he said investigations had indicated that the original local cases had no travel history or reported contact with travellers. He said it was most likely related to people who had visited a person in quarantine and then spread the virus in the community. The premier also maintained that community spread of the virus had occurred because people had become complacent after a year and a half of adhering to COVID-suppression rules. “While there’s been a lot of criticism about pushing vaccinations, about requiring changes to the law that means that someone who is coming into the country has to be vaccinated – [someone] on a work permit who is coming in, or somebody who is here, or someone who is even a permanent resident, I don’t think that we should be apologising for trying our utmost to try to get the vaccinations as high as possible in this country,” he said. Panton: ‘Safest way forward’ He also pointed to local COVID outbreaks in Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands, saying Cayman was doing all it could to ensure that there were no local deaths or serious illnesses due to the virus here. He accused members of the Opposition of fearmongering and undermining conﬁ dence about the vaccinations, which he noted had been administered to billions. More than 3.6 billion people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to World in Data statistics. Panton said maximising vaccinations in Cayman “is the safest way” to move forward with border reopening. During the debate, the premier said his government intended to give the country a month’s notice before moving to the next phase of reopening, which had originally been scheduled for 14 Oct., but which was put on pause following local transmission of the virus. He insisted that, contrary to suggestions made by Opposition members, the government was not exercising its power to mandate vaccinations just because it can, and pointed out that his administration was taking this step to ensure that, as more people enter Cayman in the months and years to come, the islands can maintain their high vaccination rate. “We have thought about these issues. In other circumstances, we would prefer not to have to think about having to do something like this, but the truth is, as high as our vaccination rate is, it needs to be maintained, and it needs to be improved,” he said. As of 7 Oct., 78% of the population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 74% has received both doses. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 Lawmakers pass bills mandating vaccines cayman compass 6 news N news FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2021WITH A LITTLE H E L P GET CI$400,000 WITH UP TO 30 YEARS TO REPAY! HOME OWNERSHIP MADE EASY! e Improve Your Home's Energy Efficiency and $ave Money! 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NORMA CONNOLLY nconnolly@compassmedia.ky Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said, as head of the civil service, he would not be requiring mandatory vaccinations for Caymanian civil servants, including frontline workers, but provisions may be put in place mandating vaccines for non-Caymanian civil servants. Speaking during a debate into bills that mandate vaccines for expatriates and visitors on 5 Oct., Manderson said that he would be looking at revising the Public Service Management Act to require non-Caymanian public service employees who are newly hired or renewing their contracts to be vaccinated. The bills debated in Parliament on 4 and 5 Oct. relate to non- Caymanians renewing or being granted work permits, as well as several other categories of individuals living on island or seeking permission to reside here. Manderson said he felt Cayman should not have “two separate systems, where the private sector is treated one way and persons in the civil service treated another way”. Frontline workers He added that, despite being concerned that frontline workers, including many in Travel Cayman and the Customs and Border Control department who deal with incoming travellers daily, were not vaccinated, there were no plans in the civil service to require those workers to be mandatorily vaccinated. The deputy governor acknowledged that vaccination levels within those frontline units were “low”. “However,” he said, “I think, listening to the elected leaders where they said they don’t support forcing Caymanians to be vaccinated, and while the terms and conditions of the civil service is a matter for His Excellency [Governor Martyn Roper] and myself, we are certainly not going to push forward legislation as serious as this without the support of my colleagues in Cabinet.” He added that this did not mean that he was not worried about Caymanian frontline workers “putting themselves and their families and colleagues at serious risk when they are not vaccinated” while, in the line of their work, they are being exposed to potentially COVID-positive individuals. He urged those who were “dogmatic” in their refusal to take the vaccine not to forward YouTube videos or social media posts from unknown people to their friends and colleagues and try to influence them not to get vaccinated. Civil service to mirror private sector vaccination rules Deputy Governor Franz Manderson Cayman should not have “two separate systems, where the private sector is treated one way and persons in the civil service treated another way”. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson 84% Percentage of Cayman’s estimated population over 12 who have completed a two dose vaccination course, per government update on 5 Oct. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson said he would look at the Public Service Management Act to require newly hired non-Caymanian public servants, or those renewing their contracts, to be vaccinated. – Photo: Taneos Ramsay cayman compass 8 news N news FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 202113. 12. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 2. 1. cayman compass 9 FRIDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2021Next >