(CMR) Cayman Marl Road has spoken exclusively to a representative from the Governor's office to address a voice note in circulation this evening accusing Governor Martyn Roper of arranging Tuesday's British Airways airbridge flight for personal reasons.
The voice note began going viral shortly after 6:00 pm and was received by numerous times. It elected an immediate and hateful response from anyone who heard it. It alleges that Governor Roper is going to extraordinary means to get his wife here, who is in the UK at the moment. However, the truth is that his wife is not returning on that fight, nor is she returning in the immediate future. She is in the UK, tending to her elderly parents, that are unwell.
The British Airways “air bridge” flight is allowing some 400 persons from multiple jurisdictions to be able to get back home and be reunited with their loved ones. In fact, some 120 Bermudians are returning home from the UK as well as 60 Caymanians. Anyone coming to this country will be placed in immediate mandatory isolation at the local quarantine hotels for 14 days and not be permitted to leave under any circumstances. We feel confident they will also be subjected to immediate testing by the respective medical authorities.
Additionally, some 20 Bermudians and another 120 persons leaving the Cayman Islands and returning to the UK will be taking advantage of the air bridge. There are a number of government workers from Turks and Caicos that will also be able to get back home as a result of this UK government-sponsored chartered plane. The plane will also carry some medical supplies, COVID-19 testing components, and even grocery supplies coming into the islands.
The arrangement is nothing unique to the Cayman Islands as on March 30 it was announced that tens of thousands of Britons that were stranded all over the world because of coronavirus lockdowns would be rescued after an agreement was reached between the government and commercial airlines.
The UK government had negotiated with airlines, including British Airways, Virgin, easyJet, Jet2 and Titan, to fly home “tens of thousands” of stranded British travelers. The government would provide up to £75 million in financial support to enable special charter flights to bring home stranded Britons from places where commercial routes do not exist.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has arranged for UK British nationals to be able to take such planes to return home from various jurisdictions around the world. For example, 400 British and Irish citizens were stranded in Peru recently amid a government shutdown there. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had secured permission for a UK-organised flight to leave Peru last week.
There was a similar arrangement in Ghana recently as well. The same £500 ticket price was in place for them that people must pay to come in on the British Airways flight next week. This is nothing unique to the Cayman Islands, and the governor does not have that type of power.
CMR felt so strongly about both the serious allegations contained in the voice note as well as the emotions that are as strung up because of the delivery and tone of voice that we decided to conduct an urgent live stream this evening to discuss. Watch at the link below:
Mario Ranin's, alter ego (Opposition Loser Leader) immediately responded to our live stream with the following:
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid
