The COVID-19 pandemic in Cayman Islands was a part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of

coronavirus disease 2019 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

(COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the

British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...

of the

Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

in March 2020.

Background

On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019. The case fatality ratio for COVID-19 has been much lower than SARS of 2003, but the

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

has been significantly greater, with a significant total death toll. From 19 March, Public Health England no longer classified COVID-19 as a "High consequence infectious disease".

Timeline

On 26 February 2020,

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

authorities granted permission for a cruise ship registered in Malta to dock in Cozumel, Quintana Roo, because the ship was carrying a passenger presumed to be infected with the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

. The ship was previously denied access to ports in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Two cases of flu were found. On 12 March 2020, a 68-year-old Italian man in critical condition, who was transferred from the cruise ship to a hospital in the Cayman Islands on 29 February due to heart issues, was announced as the first confirmed coronavirus case. His death was announced two days later. In August of 2020, after community transmission was eliminated, most restrictions, including face mask requirements, were dropped. On 15 November 2020, a second COVID-19 death occurred. The person was a resident of the Cayman Islands who had tested positive after returning from travelling abroad and remained in isolation for some time. After the person's symptoms worsened, they were admitted to the Cayman Islands Hospital on 4 October. It was stated by the Ministry of Health that the person fell into the category of persons at a high risk of developing COVID-19 complications. On 17 December 2020, Mercer University pre-med student Skylar Mack, 18 years old, of Loganville, Georgia, in the United States, and her boyfriend Vanjae Ramgeet, 24 years old, of the Cayman Islands, were sentenced to four months in prison for her violating the island's mandatory two-week quarantine COVID-19 restriction two days after arriving from the United States, and for him aiding and abetting her. She had called the health department to have her location tracker bracelet loosened the day before her breach, and she subsequently removed it. Judge Roger Chapple said during their sentencing that the decision to violate safety measures was born of "selfishness and arrogance," and that Mack spent seven hours in public at a crowded event without a

face mask The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human Personal identity, identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental d ...

or social distancing. Three hundred cases and two COVID deaths had been reported in the country to that point in time. The sentence was later reduced to two months. On 15 January 2021, she was released from prison. Despite the pandemic, a

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

were held on 26 May 2021.

Sabrina Turner Sabrina Theresa Syms Turner (née Fennell) is an independent politician from the Cayman Islands. Turner grew up in George Town. She has been the member of the Parliament of the Cayman Islands for Prospect since the 2021 Caymanian general election ...

became health minister. On September 24, 2021, despite a high vaccination rate, the islands reintroduced pandemic restrictions including mandatory wearing of face masks indoors and gathering restrictions, due to a massive spike in locally transmitted cases. Over 10% of the islands' population would go on to be infected after this, despite the islands largely keeping the pandemic out before this time.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:COVID-19 pandemic in the Cayman Islands coronavirus pandemic coronavirus pandemic

Disease outbreaks in the Cayman Islands

Background

Timeline

See also

References

External links