The group of local business leaders who has been campaigning as ‘Reopen Cayman’ for the reopening of Cayman’s borders on 22 November, today welcomed the Cayman Islands Government’s announcement to prepare for moving to Phase 4 of the reopening plan on 20 November, 2021.

The group has been conducting a public awareness campaign, #Ready2Reopen, which aims to educate and inform the general public that we can safely coexist with COVID-19 in the community and that we must get ready to reopen our borders.

“As a group of Caymanian business leaders representing industries right across the private sector, we are pleased that following the pause, the government has announced that we will now move to Phase 4 of the reopening plan on 20 November, 2021,” said Randy Merren, Hurley’s and a member of the private sector group. 

“We are hugely supportive of the collaborative efforts in recent weeks by the government, the civil service departments and the private sector in developing a plan that allows us to reopen our borders safely. This presents Cayman with our best opportunity to get many businesses up and running again and start down the road of recovery for our communities and our economy. As we move forward to the next phase, we need to ensure we keep safe, social practices top of mind as we share responsibility for each other’s well-being.”

Recognising the government’s delivery on its promise to provide businesses and the wider community at least four-weeks’ notice of the date for reopening the borders, the group further acknowledged that there is more work to do to get ready and prepare the community.

Speaking about the group’s #Ready2Reopen campaign, Paul Pearson of Davenport Development said, “While we appreciate the enormous efforts that have created the opportunity to reopen by ensuring the processes and resources are in place to safely coexist with COVID-19 in the community, we also know there is more to do in the coming weeks to help many in the community prepare.

“The #Ready2Reopen initiative will continue to educate and inform our community that we can reopen safely. We will support the government by sharing information and helping our businesses and communities get ready to reopen. As a group, we along with many others, are ready to reopen on 20 November but we fully recognise that being “ready” to reopen will look and feel different to everyone,” said Pearson.

“The #Ready2Reopen campaign provides the opportunity for individuals, groups and businesses to ‘make the pledge’ to reopen. More than 2,000 have done so already and we encourage everyone to ‘make the pledge’ when they feel ready to do so,” said Pearson. “We need to feel ready as a community and with the pledge we are providing the opportunity for all to have their voices heard when they are ready to reopen.”

To make the pledge visit www.reopencayman.com and follow on Facebook @reopencayman or on Instagram @reopencayman.