Friday, February 26, 2021 Issue No 631 50¢ INSIDE THIS ISSUE Big Splash at Hog Sty Bay LOCAL NEWS — Page 3
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Caymanian Thank You Page 12 Friday, February 26, 2021 Issue No 631 www.caymaniantimes.ky 50¢ INSIDE THIS ISSUE Big splash at Hog Sty Bay LOCAL NEWS — page 3 ASTER CAYMAN MED CITY CLOSER TO REALITY ELECTION CENTRE — page 5 Full story on page 4 >> X A big splash and lots of fun, just like in the old days Barbara Conolly runs again HON TARA RIVERS EXITS POLITICS GOVERNMENT — page 9 After almost a decade as People’s Progressive Move- the representative for West ment(PPM)-led administra- Bay South and Minister of tion in two ministries during Government across two her two terms in govern- terms, Tara Rivers, is hanging ment. upon her political boots and She said her reason for stepping away from politics. stepping down from active Although rumoured for politics was in line with a the past few days, the con- commitment she had given her West Bay South constitu- conference called by the de- ents to serve two terms and partingfirmation MP came and Ministerin a press at a personal choice not to be a a joint press conference on career politician. Wednesday with Premier Al- “I believe it’s time to con- den McLaughlin. tinue my journey creating Ms Rivers served as an in- CHANGE OF COURSE FOR TOURISM dependent in the Premier’s SEE TARA RIVERS, Page 10 1 2 3 4 3' – 6' Let’s Keep Working Together Vaccine Protect yourself and your community against COVID-19. continue safe consider wearing continue frequent consider getting distances from a mask around hand washing vaccinated others in public the elderly and when eligible www.gov.ky/covid19-vaccine vulnerable 2 Issue No 631 | Friday, February 26, 2021 | Caymanian Times E�itorial / COVID-19 EDITORIAL HOPE AMIDST THE POLITICS OF COVID'S THE PANDEMIC IN HEARTBREAKING ELECTION SEASON: MILESTONES The United Kingdom and REALITY VERSUS the United States crossed sombre milestones in the past few days as the COV- RHETORIC ID-19 crisis continues an un- relenting sweep across the From Cayman to elsewhere in the world, slowed only by the Caribbean and beyond, there is a roll-out of vaccines. deepening and palpable degree of The US marked half a mil- anxiety over how best to balance lion deaths (500,000) from - or at best tip the balance - in the the virus - the highest in the debate over public health and eco- nomic survival. the UK topped 120,000 - the This issue has come to dominate mostworld in - Europewhile theand figurethe high- in the political agenda and has been est death rate globally. evident in election campaigns in Flags on US federal government build- leading those countries to intensify local the midst of the pandemic. restrictions on movement. A quarantine The outcomes are also speaking breach in Montserrat which hasn’t had a volumes; with a tendency to favour thising were week ordered and the bellsto be offlown The Nationalat half-mast Ca- COVID case since last July forced the coun- the tried and proven over the un- thedralfor the infive Washington days from tolled Monday 500 to times Friday on try into lockdown with seven reported tested on the one hand, while on Monday evening to honour the lives lost. cases this month. the other, the wholesale discarding President Joe Biden remarked that the Vaccination programmes are getting un- of the failed. loss of life in the US attributed to the dis- derway in the region with drugs donated How well governments have so far In some countries in the region, bor- ease was more than American fatalities in by the UK and other countries and also via managed the crisis, is the deciding yard- der openings have been linked to an up- the two World Wars and the Vietnam war the World Health Organisation’s COVAX stick by which their overall stewardship surge in COVID-19 cases adding further combined. scheme. and political survival are measured and strain to already stretched health and He called it “a heartbreaking milestone”. The number of deaths attributed world- determined. other resources. The UK passed over 120,000 COV- wide to COVID-19 was heading towards As evidence elsewhere has shown the But it’s widely accepted that the longer 2.5 million with 2.47 million people re- two are intertwined. this continued state of COVID-induced tion of an ominous warning issued by sci- ported to have succumbed to the virus Management of the pandemic is by entistsID-19-related last July deaths that the this country week, faced a reflec- that earlier this week. extension management of the economy. be to recover as economic inertia sets in. prospect. The health over wealth/lives over live- limboThis continues, is where astute, the more careful difficult and itexpe- will Following a spike in January into earlier CAYMAN MOVING IN THE lihoods debate has now morphed into a rienced political, management and lead- this month, the rates of infection and fatal- RIGHT DIRECTION single multi-faceted political hydra. ership skills are required. ities are now declining. Here in the Cayman Islands, a vaccina- The challenge of keeping the public This pandemic has given real-life Both the US and UK are ramping their tion target indicated by Hon. Premier Al- safe, reducing mortality rates, testing, meaning to what might have been the vaccine roll-out with the UK taking a glob- den McLaughlin as a gauge for further reo- tracing, quarantining and vaccinat- previously abstract concept of ‘a new al lead in approving and embarking on its pening, was edging closer this week. ing must work in tandem with a clear world order’. vaccination programme. The Premier had recently stated that roadmap of getting economies back on The world as we knew it has become This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson having 90 per cent of persons over 60 track. discombobulated from the effects of unveiled the UK’s roadmap out of lock- years of age receiving at least one dose of Arguably many economies will need COVID-19. down with a phased easing of restrictions the vaccine would be a reference point for to run on different tracks emerging from This is indeed a new and different starting with the reopening of schools relaxing more of the current COVID proto- the pandemic as it’s already becoming world and its impact is local and it's planned for March 8th with a timeline for cols. clear that some ‘pillars’ of the economy where - and why - leaders and innova- business and social gatherings through to A reduction of the current mandatory tors are most needed. the summer. quarantine period from 14 to 10 days was rebuilt and systems put in place to safely Judging from the pattern across the However, the Prime Minister cautioned handlewill take their a long return. time for confidence to be Caribbean and elsewhere, the voters are that each phase would be assessed "based Close to 90 per cent of persons aged Case in point; cruise tourism which taking no prisoners. It’s their lives and data not dates”. overstated 70 as years a first and step more in the than process. 80 per cent pre-pandemic was on an unprecedented livelihoods that are at stake..and at risk. of persons over 60 have now had at least growth spurt. While the jab might do the job, are the CARIBBEAN CONCERN one vaccination shot. Some countries are cautiously dipping politicians up to the challenge of the task Several Caribbean countries are cur- With the continuing good response to their toes back into the tourism waters at hand? rently struggling with a spike in infections the vaccination campaign, the total num- with a calculated risk ringfenced by It’s a huge job. Solutions are needed, and deaths linked to the reopening of their ber of COVID-19 vaccines administered hordes of ‘lifeguards of protocols’. not rhetoric and distractions. borders and quarantine breaches. was expected to surpass 20,000 this week Particularly hard hit are Antigua, Bar- with close to two-thirds having received bados, St Lucia, St Maarten and St Vincent, their two doses. Caymanian Caymanian Times Issue # 631 Publisher: Ralph Lewis Company: Lewis Cayman Islands Ltd #19 Walkers Road (next to Tomlinson Furniture) Telephone: 345 916 2000 Email: [email protected], or [email protected] Website: www.caymaniantimes.ky Local News Caymanian Times | Friday, February 26, 2021 | Issue No 631 3 X Hon. Minister for Health, Dwayne Seymour X Gene Thompson, Local Project Director for Aster Cayman Medcity ASTER CAYMAN MED CITY STEPS CLOSER TO REALITY commitment to establishing the Cayman of establishing Cayman as the preferred Islands as the preferred location for ‘desti- destinationAnother significant for medical step tourism towards was a goal re- nation healthcare’, or medical tourism. corded this week with the site selection The company says the target market for for the new Aster Cayman Medcity. its specialised services is the Caribbean - region, North America, Canada, Latin & South America. siteThe in companyWest Bay” has purchasedconfirmed fromthe loca the Hon. Premier Alden McLaughlin re- Darttion asGroup, what for it describesthe CI$350 as million “a significant facility marked that the Aster Cayman Med City which will be built in phases. project - the second major hospital project Actual construction is expected to start by the summer and when all phases are - completed, expected by late 2022/early tionrecently strategy. announced for Cayman - reflects 2023 the facility will feature a 150-bed his administration’s tourism diversifica comprehensive with an integrated assist- our economy, especially into areas as re- ed living facility and a healthcare univer- cession“I have resilient long pursued as healthcare,” diversification the Pre of- sity.