A dispatch on the current state of affairs!
Well here we are, weeks and weeks into the CoronaVirus pandemic that is sweeping the globe and affecting everyone in every corner of the planet.
The global economy is shaken and uncertainty as to what the future looks like is something that is weighing heavily on everyone’s mind.
Across planet Earth we shelter in place, maintain social distancing and abide by our particular state or country’s set of pandemic policies. We’re all hunkering down and trying to surmise what the new world will look like in the coming days, weeks, months and likely years.
How are things in the Cayman Islands? Well, that’s what I’m about to tell you…
First off, life is certainly different than it was pre-virus. Long since gone are the cruise ships, tourists and beach-goers. No longer are the restaurants packed or do we see boats in the water. Very few planes land anymore (save for the various air bridge flights). Marine wildlife is moving closer to shore in the absence of man. The air seems cleaner than ever before as people refrain from driving and shelter in place. Life is, well, a bit slower and people are struggling, but others that can volunteer and provide help are doing just that. Government is helping those in need and we are seeing daily examples of just what it means to be CaymanKind…
Life in these isles isn’t nearly as bad as it is in most any other place in the world. I would proffer that Cayman is the best place in the world to be right now.
We are insulated from the rest of the world and our Government, the honorable Premier and his Excellency the Governor, have done an amazing job of getting us out ahead of this thing.
At the medical guidance of Dr. Lee, they have been placing stringent policies and laws in place to combat the virus. As I pen this update we have had 73 confirmed cases, 10 persons fully recovered and only one death. That person was a cruise ship passenger that arrived with the virus and was immediately quarantined. We have astonishingly had no Caymanians or expats expire due to COVID-19 and I find that to be an amazing figure and a testament to the fact that the Cayman Islands is doing things right.
Though things have drastically changed some industries remain working. The financial sector has been chugging away – though many of them are now working from home. Local restaurants have shifted their business models to offer curbside takeout and delivery and many are weathering the storm. Essential businesses and services remain active. There is also talk of the slow reopening of many industries beginning as soon as next week. I myself am writing from the dining room table but it sounds like we are gradually pulling out of this thing – and the test data seems to be supporting that trend.
Real estate is also chugging right along, albeit a bit slower than normal. The Government and select attorneys have made it possible to continue to complete real estate transactions and the CIREBA brokers and agents are all standing by to assist persons wanting to buy and sell homes. Though the daily grind looks a bit different than pre-COVID times, we are still doing business and many great properties are out there for the taking! They say whenever a door closes a window opens, and right now those of us on the ball are jumping right through that metaphorical window and cracking on with it.
The world is experiencing massive change right now and things will likely never get back to exactly the way they were before. But maybe that’s not necessarily a bad thing?
We are never more aware than we are right now about just how fragile the human condition is. Never more aware of just how fragile our comfortable/technologically advanced way of life is. Never more aware of just how much we, as a species, affect this blue planet we call home.
Maybe we can take this as a “coachable moment” for all of humanity and learn how we can push forward to make the environment, the economy and our daily lives better? Maybe we’ll emerge a more enlightened, thoughtful bunch and take the lessons we’ve learned during these trying times? I’d like to think that from where I sit, I see Cayman’s people doing just that. I also see a big school of fish moving through the shallows – but that’s for a different blog post…
Stay safe. Be well. Help thy neighbor. We’ll get through this. #caymankind