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My fellow Caymanians and Residents, Good day to you all.

The increasingly high level of COVID-19 community spread within our Islands is a huge concern for everyone. We in the Opposition share that concern. I pray that everyone who is ill will quickly recover and that time passes quickly for those in isolation.

If you are not yet vaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as you can. The vaccine provides the best opportunity to avoid the worst of the virus. And if you qualify for the vaccine booster, please get it as soon as possible.

Just as we did from the start of this pandemic, my colleagues and I lead by example. I am happy to report that the George Town Opposition members who qualify for the booster attended the Lion's Community Center early on Thursday for our booster shot. Our other colleagues will get their vaccination booster in November.

We must be as fully protected as possible, not only from the current community infection of the virus but also as the Government moves to re-open the borders on November 20th.

Regarding border re-opening, my colleagues and I met with Premier Panton and Minister Turner on Wednesday morning, October 27th. We received a presentation from the Deputy Governor and his colleagues on the Government's "COVID-19 Critical Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan". I again thank the Premier for arranging the presentation.

We asked questions about what was presented to us, and we also provided helpful feedback. However, as they acknowledged, the Government still has a lot of work to finalise their plan. Therefore, we could not ask questions on the work that is not yet complete or that the Government may not have fully shared with us.

Non-the-less it was good to have some additional insight into the thinking of the Government as it moves to re-open the border. We certainly appreciated the meeting, and we encourage more of the same.

We look forward to seeing, along with the broader public, a full update on the completed re-opening preparedness plan and the assurance that all the Government's agencies are ready for re-opening. More important than the plan on paper is how it translates to preparedness on the ground.

I thank you for listening to me.

May God be with you, and may He continue to bless and protect our beloved Cayman Islands.