CAYMAN
ISLANDS (GIS)–
In
light of the global spread of the coronavirus, the Cayman Islands
government has announced a temporary ban on all public gathering of
50 people or more.

The
ban is in effect immediately and will stay in effect until further
notice. Excluded from the ban are hospitals, pharmacists and
supermarkets.

Work
sites are not considered public gatherings. Therefore, offices,
construction sites and other work places are not included in the ban.
Employers are strongly encouraged to implement flexible working
arrangements.

The
ban means government events such as inter-school sports days, Cayman
Brac Agriculture Show and the Deputy Governor’s 5K will be
postponed or cancelled.

Other
community gatherings such as sporting events, church services,
cinemas, bars and restaurants with more than 50 people will also no
longer be allowed as part of the ban to protect the public.

Coming
into close contact with someone who has coronavirus increases the
chances of a healthy person catching the disease.

Advice
from the Ministry of Health is that limiting opportunities for large
groups to congregate is one way to halt the spread of the virus.

The
strategy aims to delay the peak of confirmed cases in order to lessen
the strain on the health sector. A sudden increase in the number of
people who need to be hospitalised will add additional pressure to
hospitals to respond. Attached to this release, is a graph which
illustrates this approach, which is known as “flattening the
curve”.

Several
other countries and US cities have employed this same strategy to
contain the spread of the virus. Evidence shows that this approach
has slowed the spread in countries where it has been implemented.

Commenting
from a tourism perspective, Deputy
Premier and Minister for District Administration Tourism and
Transport, Hon. Moses Kirkconnell said: “While we are aware that
cancelling events will have an impact on our tourism sector,
government’s first priority is the health and well-being of our
people and the protection of our borders.”

He
added, “The Cayman Islands has been preparing for the onset of the
Coronavirus over the past weeks. The Cayman Islands does not take
this decision lightly.  However, in the best interests of the
people of the Cayman Islands this decision will ensure that the
Cayman Islands is able to welcome cruise business in the long term
when the current threat level has passed.”

He
added, “The Cayman Islands has been preparing for the onset of the
Coronavirus over the past weeks. With one case confirmed to date,
Government has taken the decision to ban all cruise ships calling on
the Cayman Islands as of Monday, 16 March 2020, for a period of 60
days. The Cayman Islands does not take this decision lightly. 
However, in the best interests of the people of the Cayman Islands
this decision will ensure that the Cayman Islands is able to welcome
cruise business in the long term when the current threat level has
passed.”

The
Premier, Hon. Alden McLaughlin, JP said: “The Cayman Islands is
known to be a very close community. Visiting church or attending one
of our many community events is an important part of our culture. We
all need to change this behaviour in the face of a virus that knows
no borders or cultural boundaries. I want to emphasize to the public
that these measures have been put in place for everyone’s
protection. I encourage all church goers to instead worship at home
and keep in touch with friends and family via telephone or social
media.”

He continued, “The people of the Cayman Islands have faced many struggles in the past. At this time, we need to support one another to minimise the impact of coronavirus across our islands.”