Georgia teen released from Cayman Islands prison after violating COVID-19 rules
Skylar Mack was supposed to quarantine for 14 days but took off a COVID monitorinig bracelet to watch her boyfriend compete in a jet ski race
A Georgia teen is back home after spending time in jail in the Cayman Islands.
Skylar Mack was arrested after she violated the island’s strict COVID-19 regulations.
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The 18-year-old returned to Atlanta on Friday after spending a little over a month behind bars, per WSB TV.
“The stress, scared, she [was] scared to death over there,” said Rebecca Burt, Skyler’s mother, about her daughter’s experience. “She’s by herself – there’s no family there whatsoever to speak of.”
The teen went to the Cayman Islands back in November to see her boyfriend Caymanian Vanjae Ramgeet.
Mack reportedly was supposed to quarantine for 14 days but took off a government-issued monitoring bracelet to watch Ramgeet compete in a jet ski race.
Both were arrested and jailed for violating Cayman’s COVID-19 regulations. They were initially sentenced to 40 hours of community service and a $2,600 fine, according to The Cayman Compass. But the Grand Court saw the sentence as too lenient and they were sentenced to four months in prison.
After the couple appealed the decision, they were then sentenced to two months.
Mack is barred from entering the Cayman Islands as long as the borders are closed due to the pandemic.
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Mack’s grandmother reportedly reached out to President Donald Trump for help and received a response that he would forward the message to the correct government agency.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands government requires visitors to test negative for the virus upon entry, quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, and to comply with the rules. Any violations can lead to $10,000 and/or imprisonment for two years.
The British territory made up of three islands, has seen only 374 infections and two COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic started.
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