Firstly,
I wish to thank everyone from all Ministries and the Departments that
have been working with and alongside the Health Services Authority,
Hazard Management Cayman Islands and all our first response agencies
to deal with the COVID-19 challenge we are currently tackling; and in
doing so performing to the high standards expected of a world class
civil service. I also wish to thank The Governor’s Office and UK
SAT Team for their continued support. We are all doing our part and
can be truly proud of what we have achieved to date!

COVID-19
has led to the full-scale activation of the Cayman Islands National
Emergency Operations Centre which has now been fully operational for
well over two months. This is unprecedented for the Cayman Islands.

This
has been an incredibly challenging time for us all, with no clear end
yet in sight. Many of the people in this room have worked tirelessly
and courageously nearly every day since the
beginning. I want you to know that the whole country greatly
appreciates the work you’re all doing, including those on the
frontline. We all depend on you and you have not let us down.

We
are strong, we are willing, we are determined, and we are God
Fearing; and together we are achieving amazing results. We are in the
top 7 in the world for testing, we’ve created field hospitals,
world class communications and excellent resource support. Without
letting up – we are staying focused, even though almost every day
we are presented with never before seen challenges.

Despite
all the difficulties the people of the Cayman Islands have faced this
year, we continue to persevere. On top of what you are currently
facing head on with Coronavirus, yet another hazard looms.

If
we continue to keep COVID-19 at bay, I believe in many ways, our
current activation works in our favour as we approach the start of
the season that presents the number one threat to life and property
in the Cayman Islands.

It
gives us an opportunity to engage with, and also look past, our
current response for COVID and the mitigation measures in place for
other threats and consider our state of readiness. It forces us to
build our resilience and fortitude, and with our whole mechanism
already fully activated, we have probably never been as ready for a
hurricane as we are right now.

This
experience has undoubtably made us all stronger! I want you to resist
the temptation to back down at this point as we look to carry the
momentum we’ve created forward as we prepare for hurricane season.
I ask you to look at this as a tremendous opportunity to make
ourselves more resilient than we have ever been before. If we just
spend a few minutes each day considering that threat, and how it
relates to COVID-19, we will build our capacity and strength as a
team.

Now
is not the time to let up and rest on our laurels. I am challenging
each of us to ask ourselves, our families, and especially our
Emergency Support Teams (ESTs) and Clusters here in the NEOC – what
are we doing to build capacity and resilience?

We
are in a unique position to really start to factor in ways to reduce
our core vulnerabilities and to put our collective minds together to
overcome the challenges – and if we do that - we will get even
stronger.

So,
right now I want us to up the ante and build on the successes we have
already had as a team. Thank you, and God Bless you all and these
fair Cayman Isles.