(CNS): The legal requirement for non-Caymanian residents and their dependents to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 has been lifted. From Friday, applicants for work permits (new and renewals), permanent residency, specialist caregiver certificates, student visas or Cabinet entry permits, as well as dependents no longer need to prove they are vaccinated, according to government officials.

The last restriction relating to the pandemic has been lifted more than month after the World Health Organization (WHO) re-categorised the situation as an ongoing health issue, which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. Nevertheless, Chief Medical Officer Nick Gent said that SARS-CoV-2 has been circulating widely and will continue to do so, and that the situation is evolving.

“When the provision for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for work permit holders and permanent residency applicants was created, it made sense as a public health measure at the time,” he said. “However, as we have all seen, much has changed in the last three years since the start of the pandemic. Immunisation remains a vital tool in protecting the population against severe disease, and recency of immunisation is key to maximise the benefits from vaccines.”

Ensuring that recent arrivals to the Cayman Islands have access to vaccines and boosters as a public health programme is far more beneficial than relying on immunisations that have been given prior to their arrival, he noted. “It is important that our public health measures evolve and adapt to ensure that they remain effective in light of the changing reality of the pandemic.”

Border Control Minister Dwayne Seymour thanked his Cabinet colleagues for agreeing to lift the legal requirements for vaccinations. “The decision was made after careful consideration of the advice from the medical officer of health, and the Cayman Islands now joins a number of international countries transitioning to a post-COVID reality,” he said

Those submitting applications to Workforce Opportunities and Residency Cayman (WORC) or people seeking student visas through Customs and Border Control can download the necessary applications, which have been amended to reflect the removal of the vaccine requirement, by visiting the WORC or CBC websites.