Premier Alden McLaughlin at Wednesday’s press briefing

(CNS): Eight ventilators, 50,000 face masks, other personal protective equipment and medical supplies bound for the Cayman Islands from the United States were seized on Tuesday by US authorities, in line with the Trump administration’s policy of no longer allowing equipment related to the COVID-19 pandemic out of that country. Premier Alden McLaughlin said that before the cargo ship left the US, the container with the supplies purchased by the Cayman government was removed from the vessel.

Answering a question from Felicia Rankin at Radio Cayman about the rumour, which has been circulating over the last day or so, that medical supplies had been seized, the premier said it was true. He said the container was seized yesterday as a result of the new US policy regarding PPE and ventilators.

“That has been a huge disappointment to us. All of those things were produced and purchased in the United States,” he said. When asked if the equipment would eventually get here, he said that work was going on through diplomatic channels but the policy appeared to be related to the shortages and pressures in the US with the coronavirus.

McLaughlin said he did not have the full details of what happened surrounding the removal of the supplies from the ship. “We are going to do everything we can,” he said.

At least five countries so far have been impacted by the US policy, whereby they have not just seized goods in the United States but also diverted supplies from ports around the world that were heading to other countries. Over the last week Germany, France and Brazil have all claimed that their medical supply orders from China were diverted in suspicious circumstances.

The government of Barbados said that US officials blocked the export of 20 ventilators that had been donated to the island from the US. Canada also raised concerns when one of its consignments of masks was considerably smaller than the amount ordered when it actually arrived.

At the weekend German officials accused the US of “modern piracy” when its shipment of masks was intercepted in Thailand and diverted to the US. The masks were reportedly acquired from the US manufacturer 3M, which has come under criticism from the White House for selling to overseas customers.

The US authorities and President Donald Trump have, however, denied seizing any of these shipments.