COVID Chronicles: Celebrating a Second COVID Christmas
Despite limited resources, Belizeans are preparing to spend yet another Christmas holiday during the COVID-19 pandemic. It comes with economic challenges, but also spending that family-oriented festivity without that loved one who has lost his or her battle with the virus. The way we traditionally celebrated Christmas has changed and the quarantine regulations and safety guidelines – not to mention price gouging – are not making things easier. In tonight’s episode of COVID Chronicles, News Five’s Duane Moody asks people about their preparations for Christmas 2021.
Duane Moody
Duane Moody
“Christmas Day is exactly one month away, but the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way how we celebrate this festive holiday. Whether it may be economically in being able to purchase those basic goods for your turkey dinner or even gifts for your loved ones. And then, it’s the way we traditionally socialise with our families.”
Diane Montejo
Diane Montejo, Belize City Resident
“We can’t go to the family and sit down and have that wonderful meal weh we use the have and all the children dehn miss everything. People can’t go to each other cause it is a risk to take to go to a family and expose ourselves and them exposed to us. I can’t tell yo how we wah do it yet because we still deh ina di coronavirus moment. So in order for we fuh do that, we have to stay home, so we could be safe.”
Kay Ramsey, Belize City Resident
Kay Ramsey
“Yo can’t spend time with yo family and what’s not. It change a lot, but you have to adjust to it, especially with the pandemic.”
It’s been twenty months since Belize has been hit by the pandemic – tens of thousands of persons have lost their jobs, while others are still on a pay cut, so residents have had to make every cent count. Some say that the cost of living is up and food items are more expensive so they are not too sure how merry this 2021 Christmas is going to be.
Nicolie Flores
Nicolie Flores, Belize City Resident
“I noh really ready, but we wah try wah thing because at the end of the day, we wah still have life so we wah try wah thing.”
Duane Moody
“How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way how you celebrate Christmas?”
Nicolie Flores
“Well ih really rough cause a lot of people noh have finance and everything di go up – the gas di raise, everything di raise so ih really kinda rough.”
Diane Montejo
“I noh even prepare nothing yet because I noh even di see the Christmas money. Weh this time so hard, everything di go up, di go up, di go up, di go up and people noh have no job. If yo walk di street out yah, yo could see that nobody hardly have any money and who have, just di pinch wah lee money.”
Rose Gibson, Belize City Resident
Rose Gibson
“The people that selling the stuff need to come down a bit. The business people need to come down especially when it comes to the food. The prices are very high so they need to come down a little bit. I know everybody is taking a hard time, but try work with us as the poor people because we know we like our little Christmas and we will find our little money to buy our little stuff, but nothing like having a Christmas because you don’t know if you will have another one next year.”
For many, the tradition of the holiday is about relatives within a family unit coming together at the family home to spend quality time. While it is the second Christmas during a pandemic, there are some households that are a member short as COVID-related deaths are in the hundreds and the number continues to increase. Crime has dealt many of us a double blow. Nevertheless, most families plan to make the best of it, while staying safe.
Rose Gibson
“I have a death. Camron Hernandez, he is burying tomorrow. He was shot in Mahogany Heights. But coming together, we have to realise that this is a serious thing. COVID is nothing to play with and so we have to understand that. We don’t need to be jamming up. You can get on the phone and say happy Christmas or if you want to send something over to somebody, leave it at their gate.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
