Covid-19 and Cayman travel...

[mi000ke]

I read it to be a health monitoring device - probably worn on the wrist. Is it for you to check certain body measurements (heart rate, temp - I don't know what all they can measure) or would it be remotely monitored by someone else? Seems to be a pretty expensive measure.

I think the device is a location tracker rather than a health status checker, based on the comment about geofencing. It’s essentially a limited house arrest device, I bet.

It is a device that the Chief Medical Officer has been wearing/testing for a couple of weeks. He showed it on camera at one of the briefings. It attaches to the chest. It measures temperature, heart rate, and respiration. It is not clear if there is a location tracking component, but I assume they will be able to track location as well. It has to be worn during and after the 5 day quarantine but it is not clear how much longer. The Tourism Minister implied that it would be worn up to (and therefore in place of) the 14 day quarantine period currently in place. Btw, the CMO said he went swimming with his and it continued to transmit data. I would not hesitate to dive with it, and if it craps out they will just have to give out a new one.

If all goes well in this first "soft opening" (to quote the Premier) the next phase (guessing in two months) will not require quarantine, but you will have to wear the health monitor, and again the Minister implied that it would be for 14 days, then "you would be released into the bubble."

Visitors will be charged a fee for the monitor. I think I recall reading somewhere that it was about $50.

 

[Jcp2]

Well if it’s diveable or if it’s not too expensive for me to replace when it breaks from diving, then I’ll put GC back on the list of Xmas destinations. I had planned trying out dive tech this year before everything when bonkers.

 

[mi000ke]

It is a device that the Chief Medical Officer has been wearing/testing for a couple of weeks. He showed it on camera at one of the briefings. It attaches to the chest. It measures temperature, heart rate, and respiration. It is not clear if there is a location tracking component, but I assume they will be able to track location as well. It has to be worn during and after the 5 day quarantine but it is not clear how much longer. The Tourism Minister implied that it would be worn up to (and therefore in place of) the 14 day quarantine period currently in place. Btw, the CMO said he went swimming with his and it continued to transmit data. I would not hesitate to dive with it, and if it craps out they will just have to give out a new one.

If all goes well in this first "soft opening" (to quote the Premier) the next phase (guessing in two months) will not require quarantine, but you will have to wear the health monitor, and again the Minister implied that it would be for 14 days, then "you would be released into the bubble."

Visitors will be charged a fee for the monitor. I think I recall reading somewhere that it was about $50.

minor updates:

The device does have a geofencing capability and will alert the authorities if you leave your condo or hotel during your 5 day quarantine.

The quarantine will take place in your place of residence.

There will be a one-time fee per person of about “a couple of hundred dollars” (per tourism minister) to cover the application to visit, the monitoring device,the monitoring service, and a COVID test after the five days before being released from self-isolation.

The tourism board expects and will prioritize longer-stay visitors (property owners, returning citizens and residents) during the soft opening. They don't expect many short-term visitors to want to come under these conditions. And only government-arranged flights via Cayman Air and BA will be running during Phase 1

The government will be reevaluating the soft opening in October, to see if they can move to Phase 2, which is no quarantine but still need to wear a monitor - presumably for the same 14 days or so. And travel will open up to all commercial airlines.

 

[caydiver]

Mi000ke. Thank you so much for the clarity your post offers. There is so much BS about all of this especially on TA it is incredible. This is a good thing (although very sad it is even necessary) which might lead to other parts of the world being able to reopen in gradual safe ways as well. It is not permanent and their will be a severe lack of flights anyway so this controlled approach might actually work! Fingers crossed

 

[Joneill]

Mi000ke. Thank you so much for the clarity your post offers. There is so much BS about all of this especially on TA it is incredible.

Not incredible at all... it’s what happens these days when you don’t put out complete and clear info.

The only info that comes up on a google search is the Compass article - which leaves many things unanswered. Mi000ke shouldn’t have to clarify (but it’s appreciated) - just put out a complete press release with answers to easily anticipated questions and you’ll avoid all of the crazy the speculation from frustrated folks who want to get back out and travel.

 

[caydiver]

They said at the press conference that the details would be coming out this week I don’t look to a newspaper’s for accurate info either. I totally agree one should’ve have to. However there are many who do not go directly to source where they would have seen that the details were still being worked out and more info would come next week after they were able to meet with all the stakeholders. This was a preliminary outline for a soft open not the detailed plan. It never claimed to be anything else. The people who are posting misinformation are not doing anyone a favor. Unless someone has a dire emergency (which would be dealt with differently) they don’t need to make travel plans before the logistics are worked out. They clearly stated they are meeting with CIAA, Cayman Airways, hotel/condo reps and those in transport (taxi and rental car) and CITA and DOT next week. When the plan is more than an outline it will be available. Business owners in the tourism industry who are paying staff, insurance, rent etc are desperate to know but we get that we cannot know until the details are worked out. I appreciate that mi00ke attempted to point out the details that are currently available. He could have quoted from gov.ky but perhaps thought the Compass was an easier read. Just really don’t understand the problem that we were given the good news that there is a basic plan and the details are being hammered out. In fact I am really relieved and grateful for my business and more importantly that I may see my kid.

 

[Dogbowl]

Actually, I’m now eyeing Cayman as my next travel destination because of their strict measures. Although it is pretty clear that Phase 1 is too restrictive for me as a 1-week vacationer, I’ll be patient and wait to see what Phase 2 re-opening will look like. But I’ll be honest, it’s a waiting game really as things can change in a matter of days. A couple of weeks ago I thought I was going to Cozumel. That plan is very unlikely at this point. I wish Cayman luck with its soft re-opening and continued re-opening.

 

[Joneill]

They said at the press conference that the details would be coming out this week I don’t look to a newspaper’s for accurate info either. I totally agree one should’ve have to. However there are many who do not go directly to source where they would have seen that the details were still being worked out and more info would come next week after they were able to meet with all the stakeholders. This was a preliminary outline for a soft open not the detailed plan. It never claimed to be anything else. The people who are posting misinformation are not doing anyone a favor. Unless someone has a dire emergency (which would be dealt with differently) they don’t need to make travel plans before the logistics are worked out. They clearly stated they are meeting with CIAA, Cayman Airways, hotel/condo reps and those in transport (taxi and rental car) and CITA and DOT next week. When the plan is more than an outline it will be available. Business owners in the tourism industry who are paying staff, insurance, rent etc are desperate to know but we get that we cannot know until the details are worked out. I appreciate that mi00ke attempted to point out the details that are currently available. He could have quoted from gov.ky but perhaps thought the Compass was an easier read. Just really don’t understand the problem that we were given the good news that there is a basic plan and the details are being hammered out. In fact I am really relieved and grateful for my business and more importantly that I may see my kid.

I don’t disagree but the 2020 reality of 24/7 connectivity/constant new cycles coupled with a huge population that’s been quarantined for months has created an environment where folks are stir crazy and desperate for info as to when they can get back out and travel to tropical destinations.

So, it’s pretty obvious you’ll get all sorts of speculation going on from many folks who are entirely unreasonable. TA has always been full of misinformation - I take it all with a grain of salt as, from experience, a lot of the info posted there is flat out wrong, from people with an axe to grind or people with incredibly unrealistic expectations.

This looks like good news for Cayman as a first step towards reopening - but it’s not the wider opening for a quick dive vacation that many were hoping for (unrealistically, imo). I don’t see that happening until next year.

 

[tridacna]

My two weeks at LCBR in Oct 21 is looking better and better!

 

[aviator8]

My two weeks at LCBR in Oct 21 is looking better and better!

Any Idea if they let you transit through to Little Cayman for the 5 days, or do you have to complete the 5 days on GC?