From the Ministry of Health and Wellness

Grand Cayman, 8 April 2022 – Government has further amended restrictions on visitors to the Cayman Islands, in three areas:

• restrictions on all travellers from Countries with a vaccination rate lower 60% for the first dose of an approved vaccine to quarantine;
• restrictions on unaccompanied unvaccinated children to quarantine;
• and the payment for quarantine facilities by Government.

Under the amended regulations which came into effect today the current requirement to quarantine for visitors with vaccination certificates that cannot be securely verified and who have not spent the past 14 days in a country with a vaccination rate over 60% for the first dose of an approved vaccine has been removed. The result of this amendment is: 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;
• Complete and submit a travel declaration to  Travel Cayman no less than 72 hours prior to departing; and
• Provide evidence of the travel declaration when requested to do so by a CBC Officer.

            Visiting unaccompanied children under the age of 12 years, 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”.

            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 the below circumstances:

• 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 the purposes of 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 travelled overseas in order to obtain medical services;
• a person who is a parent, guardian or caregiver who provides evidence that the person travelled overseas for the purposes of taking the person’s child, or a child in the person’s care to —
  1. (i) an overseas educational institution; or
  2. represent the Islands in a sporting event as part of a national team; and
• a person who provides evidence that the person had 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.PDFand http://gazettes.gov.ky/portal/pls/portal/docs/1/13156556.PDF.