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The group of local business leaders who have been working together under the ‘Reopen Cayman’ umbrella say they, and the country, are ready to welcome back visitors, friends and family.

The group has been supporting Cayman Islands Government efforts to educate and inform the general public that we can safely reopen our borders to visitors while coexisting with COVID-19 in the community.

With the country now in Phase 4 of the Government’s reopening plan, the group is looking forward, understanding that the business community and the public must continue to follow the protocols to limit the spread of the virus and reduce the risk of serious illness.

“Reopening the borders to visitors is great news for all of Cayman. Businesses and their employees can begin to rebuild and over time our economy and communities will thrive again,” says Michael Tibbetts of the Clearly Cayman Resorts, founding member of the Reopen Cayman group.

“We must remember that as Minister of Health Sabrina Turner recently noted, the greatest risk of further spread comes from within the community and not from vaccinated and tested visitors. We need to keep emphasizing the practices that are proven to reduce risk: getting vaccinated, taking the booster when eligible, wearing masks, hand-sanitising and practicing social distancing where we should,” he continues.

The group also points out that while getting to Phase 4 is an important step, they look forward to a firm date being announced for Phase 5 and the return of family travel for tourists and residents with younger children.

Fellow group member, James Bovell of RE/MAX said: “It is only by working together that we will successfully manage COVID-19 and learn to coexist with the virus. This will take time and there will undoubtedly be teething problems which are hard to identify until they arise in practice. As we have seen around the world, there is no template for managing COVID-19 and every country that has reopened before us has had its’ own unique circumstances to deal with.

The Cayman Islands is no different and so we must be patient and work together to adjust to our own version of a ‘new normal’. If ever there was a time for us to show ourselves and the rest of the world what it means to be ‘Caymankind’, this is it.”

For more information on Reopen Cayman visit www.reopencayman.com and follow on Facebook @reopencayman or on Instagram @reopencayman.