Ministry of International Trade, Investments, Aviation and Maritime Affairs Resumes Normal Operations

08 October 2020, 05:24 AM

Politics & Government

For three months between July 1 and October 1, the Ministry of International Trade, Aviation and Maritime Affairs (MITIAMA) ran “TravelTime”. TravelTime was approved by Cabinet as an interim process to manage travel in tandem with availability of local isolation centers for a mandatory 15 day quarantine.

Through the border closure combined with Government policies, the Cayman Islands has protected itself from community transmission of Covid-19. The management of inbound repatriation travel by the TravelTime team has been a key part in retaining this status.

A new system, called TravelCayman* (see below), is now managing inbound travel, inclusive of the deployment of the new “Quarantine at Residence” option, which enables individuals to quarantine for 15 days at an approved residence. All individuals enrolled in this option must agree to a protocol of monitoring and surveillance that will continue to prioritize and protect public safety in the Cayman Islands.

Referring to the Ministry’s work in establishing and operating TravelTime, Chief Officer Eric Bush stated: “On behalf of Ministry, I commend the Travel Time team for its high level of public engagement, its diligent work processing thousands of travel requests, seven days a week, and for the crucial role that it has played in keeping the Cayman Islands safe during the unfolding of the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

CO Bush continued, “The Ministry is now resuming its normal business. We are looking forward to building on our success this year and last to achieve our strategic objectives that revolve around bringing Cayman to the world, and the world to Cayman. That work, with a focus on international trade and investments into the Cayman Islands, is now more important than ever before as we begin a journey to rebuild our economy after the negative impact of the pandemic.”

The strategic objectives of MITIAMA are:

To help advance the reputation of the Cayman Islands
To advance the economic and political interest of the government, the people and the business community, and
To make it easier for potential overseas investors to do business in the Cayman economy.