Celebrating Mother’s Day in a Time of COVID-19
This Mother’s Day will be different for families across the country. Restaurants are not open to the public, travelling across district lines is not allowed, gatherings are limited in numbers, imported flowers are in shortage and you will have to social distance to show your love to that important person. So to celebrate you will have to be creative. Duane Moody looks at ways to mark a COVID Mother’s Day.
Duane Moody, Reporting
May tenth is recognised annually as Mother’s Day; in the religious setting, it is the second Sunday in the month of May. But with COVID-19 and the restrictions on movement, residents would either not be able to spend the day with their mother and may have to find creative ways to celebrate the day. Today, some were out doing shopping, while others were planning a treat for their mother.
Brijana
Brijana, Resident
“I wah cook up a lee something fi my ma; only that.”
Duane Moody
“They say yo can’t even go visit with yo parents or anything like that. How you wah spend di day?”
Brijana
“I live dah village sir so I could go; dehn noh wah see me.”
Brianna Flowers
Brianna Flowers, Resident
“Right now I di shop fi mi ma; yo dig, so money di spend.”
Duane Moody
“You’re going to visit with her this weekend?”
Brianna Flowers
“Well we live together so that’s a must. Around this time, dah special time for unu parents, so unu make sure unu make the best of it and spend pan unu ma.”
The option of purchasing a floral arrangement for your mother is still available at this time, however, floral shops have not been able to import flowers from neighbouring Guatemala and Mexico. Losing access to ninety percent of the imported flowers has tremendously impacted Selflora Designs, but Selbert Butler say that he is resorting to tropical floral arrangements during this time.
Selbert Butler
Selbert Butler, Owner, Selflora Designs
“It should be one of our busiest days, but because of the virus, we can’t import flowers which ninety percent of the business we deal with flowers that are imported. For some reason, some Belizeans don’t find tropical flowers to be interesting. So we are trying to do something to give to some people who wish to have them still yet. So just that we are working on.”
Electronic devices are an accessory and are perfect for practicing social distancing while still being able to connect visually with your loved one. Smart Belize has deals on phones and even firesticks for your mother.
Adelaide Sabido
Adelaide Sabido, PR & Branding Officer, Smart Belize
“Ending of March, we celebrated our fifteenth anniversary and had a number of devices on promotion. We have extended that and done some tweaking here and there and we do have a sale that is ongoing for Mother’s Day. And it ties in very well with the circumstance that we are facing right now where we are at home. Most people are still at home, some are at work but have relatives at home. And so we want to encourage them to come out to the showrooms country to check these devices and take advantage of the promotions that are ongoing.”
And in the spirit of the moment, residents took the opportunity to send a shout out to their moms.
Brijana
“Ma, Kia Garbutt, big up, big up! Yo di old and thing; happy mother’s day in advance. Oh and mi mother-in-law and sister-in-law; I wah still big up ahn.”
Brianna Flowers
“I just want send wah lee shout out to all mi auntie dehn weh got pickney; mi ma and everybody else. Yo done know. Big Up! Big Up!”
Adelaide Sabido
“On behalf of Smart, I would like to wish all the mothers in Belize, the grandmothers, the aunts and those who are not mothers, but give motherly advice and motherly comfort and love to many, a happy and safe Mother’s Day.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
