UNCERTAINTY OVER UK REPATRIATION FLIGHTS

The Cayman Islands Government(CIG) says it is “currently assessing the situation with regards to the new strain of coronavirus identified in the UK.”

There is concern over how the outbreak of the highly contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus now rapidly sweeping throughout the UK will impact the repatriation flights between London and Cayman.

The next commercial inbound repatriation flight is due to arrive from the UK on January 5th.

The Government’s Programme Board which oversees protocols for Travel Cayman, the agency that coordinates the flights, is said to be currently assessing the situation.

Officials say they will put additional measures in place around the flight, as needed, to protect the community.

Deputy Governor, Franz Manderson has said that “If our experts advise that we can manage any additional risk we see the benefit in continuing flights to and from the UK given our close links.

“We have some of the most stringent protocols for quarantine and PCR testing both on arrival and at 14 days anywhere in the world. This puts us in a unique and strong position to protect the community from the virus,” he added.

Several countries have suspended travel with the UK due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 variant.

The British government has intensified its restrictions with several parts of the country now practically in lockdown.

Measures in the UK were expected to be further tightened in the coming days with major implications for international travel.