Georgia college student jailed in Cayman Islands for violating its COVID-19-related restrictions
Photo: Skylar Mack/Facebook
By Curt Yeomans
[email protected]
A Mercer University student from Loganville and her boyfriend are facing four months in a Cayman Islands prison for violating public health rules put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cayman News Service reported Skylar Mack, 18, and competitive Jet Ski rider, and Cayman Islands native, Vanjae “VJ” Ramgeet, 24, were initially sentenced by a magistrate judge to serve 40 hours of community service.
Officials in the Cayman Islands government appealed that sentence, which resulted in another judge, from the island nation’s Grand Court, overturning it and sentencing the pair to spend four months in prison.
The Cayman News Service described Mack as being a “medical student in the U.S.” The incident which landed her and her boyfriend in prison reportedly stems from her attendance at a jet ski competition that Ramgeet was participating in.
Mack reportedly attended the competition at South Sound Beach on Nov. 29, two days after arriving in the Cayman Islands, despite local law mandating that she quarantine for 14 days after arriving in the country, according to the Cayman Compass news outlet.
The outlet also reported that Mack did not wear a face mask and did not practice social distancing at the event, where she reportedly spent seven hours.
The Cayman News Service reported that Mack had complained about a tracking bracelet being too tight, which prompted health officials to visit her to re-fit it. After that, she was reportedly able to slip it off so she could attend the competition.
The Cayman Islands Watercraft Association reportedly called local authorities after being made aware that she was in attendance and not following public health guidelines.
Both Mack and Ramgeet have reportedly pled guilty.
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