London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Private aircraft to collect 200,000 testing kits for Cayman

Private aircraft to collect 200,000 testing kits for Cayman

Government has secured a private aircraft to deliver 200,000 COVID-19 testing kits from South Korea, Governor Martyn Roper said Friday.

“We are hopeful that that will happen within the next week, which is clearly very good news,” Roper said Friday afternoon as he updated Cayman on the latest developments with the shipment of the urgently needed kits.

Roper said the order has been confirmed and will be paid for by the Cayman Islands government.

The governor declined to share the total cost of the kits until the transaction is completed.

“I’d rather wait until we’ve definitely got these goods here. It’s a very fluid and challenging global situation, so I think we just need to be a bit cautious on that,” he said, in response to queries from the Cayman Compass.

He said the kits would be ready from Wednesday to be collected by the aircraft.

On Thursday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Lee clarified that the kits that will be arriving in Cayman are the same polymerase chain reaction or PCR test, which is currently being used “as the gold standard to say whether you have active disease or not”.

He said once the kits arrive on island, Cayman will have the capacity to do more testing, which will be run on either the Health Services Authority or the CTMH Doctors Hospital machine, which is being prepped for COVID-19 testing.

Roper explained that 200,000 was the minimum amount of kits Cayman was able to purchase.

“Many countries across the world are buying far more in greater bulk than that, and we had to negotiate a special deal to buy 200,000. I also want to clarify that this does not mean we are seeking to test everybody on the island, but it does give us the capacity to test everybody on the island, and we’ll need to work out the most appropriate policy for testing moving forward,” he said.

Premier Alden McLaughlin welcomed the significant boost in testing supplies, but emphasised that following the heath guidelines, such as washing hands frequently, staying indoors and practising social distancing, can greatly assist in reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19.

He said, with the arrival of the kits, Cayman will be able to test frontline staff, such as healthcare workers, police and supermarket workers “as a priority”.

On Tuesday, a specially arranged British Airways flight is expected to touch down in Cayman carrying a further 1,700 testing kits, as well as various personal protective equipment for frontline health personnel.

At least 60 Caymanians are also expected to arrive on that flight, all of whom will be immediately quarantined at government’s isolation facilities.


Local testing ‘robust’

On Friday, Lee reported on the results of 10 test samples sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency for cross-checking and confirmation.

Cayman has been sending all its positive samples, as well as one in every 10 negative tests, for confirmation to the agency.

He said CARPHA has “corroborated” the 10 samples that were recently sent for checking.

“There were five positives and five at a random sample of our negatives, all which CARPHA have concurred with the results produced by the Health Services Authority laboratory,” he said.

Roper welcomed the findings, saying it was reassuring that CARPHA has confirmed the tests that have been done here.

“So we can be very certain that we have a robust testing system on these islands,” he added.


Navy ship to render help

Roper also announced that Royal Navy ship RFA Argus, which is now on the way to the Caribbean, will be available to help Overseas Territories with any COVID-19 issues, if required.

The ship, he said, was coming primarily for hurricane support.

“It does have a fully equipped sort of hospital on board, a hundred beds, operating theatres, a critical care unit. So, that again is another really important asset for us in the region,” he said.

Roper added that next Wednesday he will be conducting a virtual teleconference with many departments in London around security issues in Cayman.

Through the discussions, he said, they will be looking at contingency planning on security and talking through possible scenarios to be clear “where the UK might help us or might need to help us depending on how things develop”.

“But at the moment, everything remains very stable on law and order. And yet again, I’m very grateful to the police commissioner and his force for maintaining that,” Roper said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×