Minister who lost sister to COVID urges ‘sensible’ celebrations amidst pandemic

Among those who have lost loved ones to COVID-19 this year is Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, whose older sister, Patricia Cummings, succumbed while in hospital.

Cummings, 60, who was the country’s 143rd death, died last month.

“My sister was so scared of COVID. She wasn’t going anywhere,” said Edghill, who during an interview emphasised that the respiratory disease is real and that people need to take precautions.

Edghill noted that he and Cummings, grew up in a two-bedroom “mansion” that housed eight children and their parents. He said they lived in that house up until their parents separated, after which the siblings moved with their mother.