We need your help, we need this to be an entire community effort - it is imperative that we all understand that we will not be able to simply jump right back into life as it was before COVID-19.

As we see more businesses open up this week I thought it was important to share a bit of an eye-opening article with you that I read last month and shared with my strategic team as well.

The article detailed the group known informally as the "first movers" which is being led by Austria and is comparing notes on the response to the pandemic.

Other countries involved include Greece, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Israel, Norway and New Zealand. New Zealand being a country you have heard the Premier praise for its fast, disciplined and life-saving resolve to do the right thing by its people.

The leaders of these countries have swapped notes and experiences on the need to reopen economies safely, including schools, how to manage localised outbreaks, the importance of rigorous tracing and testing, keeping supply chains open, and scientific cooperation. All of which I can reassure the public the government of the Cayman Islands is doing as well.

Australia, who has succeeded in suppressing the coronavirus, with just 493 active cases as of this morning - is the latest member to be invited to the group this week. Overall to date there are 7,221 coronavirus infections reported in Australia - which has a population of 25,499,884 in its 2020 census - this equals to a very minute figure. To date they have had 102 deaths.

Around the world, there have been over 6 million confirmed infections and more and over 300,000 confirmed deaths. This fatality rate has been compared to other deadly events and in America the projections have been said to be "as deadly, and in some cases deadlier than, some of the worst battles in US history."

With that perspective it is a blessing to be able to say that in the Cayman Islands we have had no community acquired deaths - this is a wonderful record we intend to keep.

However, the next challenge for many other countries including our own is how to re-open parts of the economy without prompting a dangerous "second wave"- something parts of Asia are now having to deal with.

It is important to note that countries who were once applauded for being a first mover are now also amongst those suffering from second waves.

We all want to rebuild, re-open and restart the economy, but we must not return to a lockdown situation as we have witnessed in other countries, where by opening too quickly, too soon caused a second wave of increased numbers of cases and caused more loss of revenues for businesses and government.

And even though we want to see families and friends together again, for example at restaurants, at retail stores or going on staycations; we must remain vigilant. We cannot become complacent; we must follow the guidelines painstakingly put together by our medical experts, policy advisors, and by Cabinet.

It has been proven that following the prescribed protocols has created healthy communities in other countries and we too can maintain healthy communities in the Cayman Islands if we work as a team.

Going forward we must accept a "NEW NORMAL" and that includes the continued use of physical distancing, mask wearing, proper sneezing and coughing hygiene, proper handwashing hygiene, the use of hand sanitizers, the continued sanitizing of groceries, not only to ward off the novel coronavirus but other possible communicable diseases.

As Minister of Health I am encouraging business owners or employers to put in place internal company policies which encourage physical distancing of the prescribed six feet inside their properties and guidelines that require employees, and customers to wash their hands and to cover coughs and sneezes through use of masks in any shared space.

Employers will need to consider how to manage safely the process of returning employees to the workplace. I dare say, it is the responsibility of all business owners to take time to educate and train staff on health and safety measures to reopen their businesses.

Here are seven steps to ensure your business follows the government's Health and Safety Measures in preventing the spread of COVID-19:

- Conduct a risk assessment
- Employ a Health monitoring and safety management system
- Reduce physical interaction and ensure safe distancing
- Ensure safe distancing while using shared transportation
- Provide PPE and encourage good personal hygiene
- Ensure cleanliness of workplace premises
- Perform health checks and implement protocols to manage potential cases.
- You can find the detailed guidance on the government website www.gov.ky/coronavirus.

I am urging employers; for the health and safety of employees and customers - to ensure workspaces are routinely sanitized; and to continue using video chats or other technological advances that have made it easier to meet virtually and put less people at risk of contracting the virus.

Employers I am also asking that for the foreseeable future, you consider keeping in place a work-from-home status of any staff who can do so.

Once again, all employers will find the Health and Safety Measures Guidance as well as other resources for re-opening your business on our website www.gov.ky/coronavirus.

In closing, I have a few additional shout outs. As many of you know this past Sunday was World No Tobacco Day and I would like to applaud the work of the Public Health Department for their relentless efforts in offering ongoing anti-smoking intervention and support programmes to the residents of the Cayman Islands, the National Drug Council for their close collaboration with the at-risk youths in our school across the Islands educating them on substance abuse, the Cayman Islands Cancer Society and the Cayman Heart Fund for all their work in the community through education and public outreach on tobacco smoking.

Finally, I encourage everyone, youth and adults alike to become educated, increase your awareness of the dangers of smoking, share your knowledge and let's create a tobacco-free generation.