News

It was announced today, Thursday 15 October 2020, that there will be key changes to the inbound travel process to the Cayman Islands.

Travellers are now able to book repatriation flights directly with the approved airline carriers: Cayman Airways and British Airways. Although Travel Cayman approval is still required prior to entering the Cayman Islands, this will remove the requirement for travellers to seek entry approval before purchasing a ticket to fly from La Ceiba, Honduras; Kingston, Jamaica; or Miami, Florida.

The Travel Cayman management team’s pivotal role is to ensure that quarantine options are managed in relation to inbound travel and the availability of government, private and quarantine at residence options. This also determines the supply of monitoring technology to travellers who require them for safe quarantine protocol.

Applications are prioritised weekly, based on the coming week’s number of travellers, and flight clearances. The public are asked not to call or email unless they are travelling to the Cayman Islands in October. Travellers to the Cayman Islands in October need not reapply.

Note: Some airlines are offering flights to the Cayman Islands and accepting future bookings but only Cayman Airways and British Airways have permission to offer repatriation flights for approved travellers.

New portal in development

A new online portal is in development which will reduce the need to call and email the Travel Cayman team. The new portal will be launched in the coming days allowing travellers to select quarantine arrangements and submit travel plans online, removing the need for manual responses to each query.

November inbound process

Travellers may book flights directly with Cayman Airways for November. For British Airways flights travellers may book directly with British Airways for the approved repatriation flights scheduled on 12 and 26 November 2020.

Travellers may apply for quarantine arrangements via the Travel Cayman portal.

Travellers who have already applied for November arrival are asked to reapply in order to select quarantine options. The public has been asked to wait to apply for quarantine arrangements until the new portal has been launched.

Traveller arrival will be subject to the same quarantine arrangements and persons will have a choice of 3 quarantine options.

1. Quarantine at a Government-Run Facility: This option is available to Caymanians and those with Permanent Residency.
2. Quarantine at a Privately-Run Hotel: If you wish to quarantine at any of these facilities, please contact the facility directly. Once booked, provide Travel Cayman with your reservation number to complete the processing of the application for travel to the Cayman Islands.
3. Quarantine at Residence: The private residence can be the traveller’s home or private residence. This cannot be a shared dwelling. Travellers who agree to the Quarantine at Residence programme, must agree to: wear an iMSafe smart wristband; and undergo COVID-19 testing on arrival at the Owen Roberts International Airport and again on day 15; and remain in isolation for a minimum of 14 days. A day 15 negative test result, sign-off by the Medical Officer of Health and off-boarding by the Mobile Compliance Team will be required in order for the quarantine period to cease. The off-boarding process includes inspection and collection of the smart wrist band and retrieval of the mobile device.

December inbound process

The Cayman Islands Government is currently working with Cayman Airways and British Airways to establish the level of demand and quarantine arrangements required for December. Government continues to caution residents that travel should be limited to essential or medical needs only. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, border decisions will continue to be evaluated and processes are subject to change.

For the latest travel information visit www.exploregov.ky/travel

Travel Cayman contact details: Email at TravelCayman@gov.ky. Call +1 345 743 8463 or 649-6913. Phone lines are open 8.30am to 5pm, Monday through Friday.

Side bar: Quarantine at residence criteria

At this time, October inbound flights are fully booked and availability of quarantine choices has been taken into consideration. The choice of quarantine location is granted if the accommodation meets the following standards:

• Access to running water and electricity.
• Access to bathroom facilities that are in good working order and are not shared with persons outside of the quarantining group, and provide a shower/bath, toilet and sink and a supply of hot and cold water.
• Access to kitchen facilities that are not shared with any persons outside the quarantining group, with access to hot and cold water.
• Adequate ventilation, with a window(s) that can be opened to allow fresh air to circulate.
• Where there is A/C, there is a self-contained air-handling system, which ensures that units do not circulate air to other residences.
• Access to either curb-side pickup for garbage or a central garbage.
• Access for the delivery of foods and medications.
• Access by the Mobile Compliance Team to conduct random checks over the period of quarantine.

The majority of property inspections are completed by the mobile compliance team on behalf of the Medical Officer of Health. In most cases assessments can be made without entry to the property, and if access is required property owners will be contacted for entry.

Persons who are neither Caymanians nor Permanent Residents and do not have a private residence to quarantine in, or whose private residence is not approved will need to book a private facility for quarantine.

Eligibility to enter

Flights to the Cayman Islands are repatriation flights only and at this time are not available to short-term vacationers, as all persons entering are required to complete the mandatory 14-day quarantine with a further COVID-19 PCR test on day 15.

Inbound travel is currently limited to the following persons:

• Caymanians,
• Permanent residents,
• Work permit holders and their families,
• Persons who own residential property in the Cayman Islands,
• Students with a valid visa to study in the Cayman Islands,
• Persons with close family ties to residents or work permit holders - spouses, fiancés, parents, grandparents and siblings.