Just a few days before one of Christianity’s biggest celebrations, the COVID-19 shutdown has left persons with no other option but to celebrate Easter at home.
While the usually warm weather for the four-day Easter weekend would promise a fun and relaxed time for both parents and children, this year many persons will have to leave kite flying and excursions out of the equation due to the nationwide shutdown. The closure of popular kite-flying spots such as urban parks and the seawalls has left many persons no other choice but to stay home, but according to the winner of the Teen Miss India pageant, Yashmini Sarjoo, there are lots of fun activities persons can do while being at home. Speaking with Stabroek News, she said, “This year’s Easter will be spent a bit differently.
As per tradition, everyone would go to the seawalls during the afternoon period to fly their kites and have some quality family time. But sadly, this year I’ll be spending Easter indoors with my family.” She also shared her plans for Easter Monday, “I think it’s a good opportunity for all of us to try new things with our families and bond more. This year I’ll be arranging an Easter egg hunt with my family which will be done right in our yard and we will be painting a few of those eggs as well. I’ll try to get my little sister’s kite up right in our yard but I’m not sure how that will go.” She added that her mother will be preparing numerous meals like she always does, while her dad is expected to assist her with organizing the egg hunt, “I know this year a lot of people will be saddened about the fact that we won’t be able to go outside and have fun, but you can have fun indoors too. Arrange an Easter egg hunt, paint eggs, make Easter hats and even have a little fashion show with the hats. These are the moments we must make use of and bond with our family members.” Sarjoo suggested that people make use of the time and have fun rather than ponder about what Easter would have been like if it was safe to go outside and advised that persons try to have the best time with their loved ones.
The president of the Heart to Heart Foundation also spoke with Stabroek News. During an interview, Shamacia Johnson explained that while the foundation was scheduled to host an Easter ‘kite camp’ at an orphanage, they had to cancel because of COVID-19. “We can’t leave our homes, more so interact with children. This broke my heart because my group was so excited to teach the kids to make kites …We don’t have anything planned now and I’m not about to put my members at risk [so] we’re just hoping that this is all over before our next activity in August.” Johnson added that the foundation might consider having the children fly their kites in June if things change by then, even though she admitted that it would be a bit odd to fly kites in the middle of the year.
Like the orphans who will no longer be getting their camp, University of Southern Caribbean student, Desnatha Croker also had to cancel her plans for the holiday. She told Stabroek News that originally, she was going on a mission trip to St Lucia with the university and had planned to leave on April 7 and return on April 12, however, the trip has been postponed until the next semester and fresh arrangements would depend on the pandemic. She said that since international students were advised to return home, she was lucky to catch a flight home just before the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri was shut down, as a measure against the coronavirus. Croker has since been staying at her Pattensen, Turkeyen, home and intends to remain there until it is safe to return to university.
La Shelle Williams also spoke with Stabroek News about how the closure is heavily affecting her family but that they are keeping their spirits up. “So my family is commonly known for selling barbecue and drinks at Joe Vieira Park on the West side,” she disclosed, “We would also have games, which my extended family recently started. With these activities, we would make money which would help to boost the family profits and also bring us back from the debts we had from the Christmas holiday,” adding that because of the pandemic, her family cannot continue their usual plans, which they all enjoy. However, Williams said that while they are being affected economically, her family is still using the time at home to promote bonding, given that her family is an extended one. “So it’s not all bad because everyone is communicating and working better together,” she said.
Cheyenne Jordan said that her family will be using their time at home to bond, “I’m excited to bake cross buns with them [her family]” she said. The University of Guyana student said that since the university’s closure, she has returned to Bartica, the home of the annual Bartica Regatta. This year, the Regatta was cancelled due to Covid-19 and Cheyenne lamented that she was looking forward to the football competitions, boat and bike racing, j’ouverts and gospel concerts that would take place during the Easter Holiday but even though it’s sad the Regatta was cancelled, she is keeping a positive attitude. Jordan said that persons will have to abide with the health protocols and wait for the next year which she hopes will be better.
While the persons Stabroek News spoke with have their plans decided on and will continue living under stay-at-home orders, others, like kite sellers and candy shops, are suffering losses since buyers are not flocking to purchase items they don’t really need.
Speaking with two kite sellers, Stabroek News was told that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic was greatly affecting the kite making/selling business. Semi, only name given, who has been selling his kites on the corner at Robb and Camp streets for the last 25 years, told Stabroek News that due to the shutdown, his business is stifling but he still continues trying to get his kites sold because of the time he took to make them. “All the places shut down and nothing ain’t really doing but you know, we still gotta come and try to put out the effort,” he explained, adding that the kite-making process started last year but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sales are being greatly affected.
A few steps away from Semi, another kite maker/seller, Trevon Smith, has set up shop just outside the City Mall, opposite Republic Bank. There, the kite seller of 41 years told Stabroek News that even with the pandemic, his love for kite-making gives him enough reason to showcase his 2020 kite creations. “I am a lover of making kites and I just want to present the 2020 creation to persons who love flying kites… It [coronavirus] has taken the world by storm, the energy we know where Easter is concerned, and the vibrant energy of connecting with our religion, that’s totally out.” he said, as he spoke about the reduction in sales he has experienced. The kite maker explained that he usually interacts with persons during the Easter Holiday and tells them about his love for making kites, but now is unable to say what will take place on Easter Monday. He hopes persons will see his work and be inspired to buy his kites, adding that his prices remain the same as they have over the years, ranging from a thousand dollars to fifteen hundred dollars. However, Smith suggested that persons get in touch with their religion during this time, rather than be frustrated.
But the kites are not the only items suffering from the slowdown in sales. Confectionary shops are also losing sales, given that most of them are to be closed as part of the lockdown against the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. A confectionary saleswoman in the Bourda Market, who has requested anonymity, said that of her six years vending in the market, this is the worst year that she has experienced. When Stabroek News visited Candy Corner, a popular confectionary store at the corner of Camp Street and North Road, it observed that there were not many persons shopping at a time when candy is demanded by and for children. One of the store’s representatives told this reporter that the sales are definitely a little slower now that most persons are at home.
