CAYMAN CORONAVIRUS CASES INCREASE

A further eight cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Cayman Islands bringing the total as at Wednesday April 1st to 22.

In giving the daily update on Wednesday, Chief Medical Officer Dr John Lee said all of the persons tested positive have either fully recovered or are only showing mild symptoms.

He said 251 tests have been conducted so far of which 228 have been negative.

The persons tested positive are from a combination of households and persons who have returned to the territory.

Dr Lee's prognosis is that the numbers are likely to increase as testing and contact tracing continues.

He advised that this is why it’s important for residents to adhere to the various protocols and advisories to maintain social distance, stay at home unless necessary to be out, and to be extremely careful when handling items including goods being delivered.

Hon. Premier Alden McLaughlin said although he was not surprised by the increased figures they nevertheless put Cayman a very dangerous position.

He again urged that people stay at home to reduce the risk of themselves becoming infected and subsequently spreading the virus in their homes and in the community.

Noting that cases were reported “from east to west” across the territory, Premier said it was an indication of more cases emerging in areas and households throughout the territory.

However, he noted that while the numbers of positive test results were small comparatively, it indicated the strong likelihood of more positive tests coming through.

Mr McLaughlin said it was therefore paramount that people “stay at home to reduce the risk of putting themselves and the community at risk."

Regarding the 'Stay Home Cayman' drive, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne indicated that he would be recommending that the overnight 7pm to 5am hard curfew be extended beyond this Friday when it’s due to expire.

The Hon. Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour said with the number of confirmed cases on the rise, it was even more vital for people to stick to the protocols and stay at home unless they had acceptable reasons to be out.

In drawing a comparison with other countries to suggest that while the numbers in Cayman while concerning, might not be alarming, he noted:

“In some places there are more deaths than negatives, and in some others, they are reporting more positives than negatives.”

With 22 positive results reported in Cayman to date, there has only been one death and 228 negative results from 251 tests - but still cause for concern as emphasised by Mr Seymour and the other officials.