(CMR) The Cayman Islands Government has further amended restrictions on visitors, allowing persons with vaccination certificates which cannot be securely verified and who may have traveled to countries with vaccination rates lower than 60 percent in the last 14 days to forego quarantine.
This is expected to benefit travelers from countries like Jamaica, where the vaccination rate is not high.
Under the amended regulations, which came into effect today, Friday, 8 April, any vaccinated person may travel to the Islands without being subject to quarantine on arrival if they complete the pre-arrival test, complete a medical and travel questionnaire and undergo a medical examination if a Customs and Border Control (CBC) Officer considers it necessary.
They will also need to complete and submit a travel declaration to Travel Cayman no less than 72 hours before departing and provide evidence of the travel declaration when requested by a CBC Officer.
Visiting unaccompanied children under the age of 12, even if unvaccinated, will not be required to quarantine under certain conditions. The changes are expected to increase airline and visitor traffic at Owen Roberts International Airport by supporting more family travel this summer.
This relaxation change means an unaccompanied unvaccinated child (under the age of 12 years) – who is a Caymanian, resident, or person with close ties – will not be required to quarantine on arrival in the Islands if they intend to reside at a place where all other occupants, 12 years and over, are vaccinated.
However, the unaccompanied unvaccinated child will be required to quarantine if they intend to reside in a place where an unvaccinated person over the age of 12 years is also residing. Unaccompanied unvaccinated tourist visitor children are still not allowed to travel to the Islands.
Minister of Health & Wellness, Hon. Sabrina Turner urged, “as we welcome the relaxation of additional travel restrictions, we cannot disregard how much compliance with COVID-19 regulations has contributed to us arriving to this juncture.”
“With more persons arriving to our shores daily, I urge the public to remain aware by getting their COVID-19 vaccinations including boosters and following public health guidelines to prevent infection,” she added.
Additionally, a change to Regulation 13 now means that Government is no longer required to pay the costs of accommodation at a quarantine facility or isolation under certain circumstances.
The Government will not be required to pay for:
-a person who provides evidence that the person is a student attending an educational institution outside the Islands and is returning home;
-a person who provides evidence that the person's travel was for government business;
-a person who provides evidence that the purpose of the person's travel was to represent the Islands in a sporting event as part of a national team;
-a person who provides a medical certificate signed by a medical practitioner that the person traveled overseas to obtain medical services;
-a person who is a parent, guardian, or caregiver who provides evidence that theY traveled overseas to take their child or a child in the person's care to an overseas educational institution; or to represent the Islands in a sporting event as part of a national team;
-a person who provides evidence that the person had the responsibility to take a child or an adult overseas to obtain medical services.
The Control of COVID-19 (Travel) (No. 2) Regulations 2022 are scheduled to expire on 31 May 2022 and can be viewed at: http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/13156555.PDF and http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/13156556.PDF.
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