“Have a great Jounen Kwéyòl!”- PM Chastanet

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet has wished Saint Lucians a great Jounen Kwéyòl weekend but urges members of the public to follow the COVID-19 protocols. On Friday morning, the Ministry of Health announced that 6 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded, bringing the total number of active cases to 21. In a video posted to his Facebook page, Chastanet said that there is community spread of the virus and that all individuals must practice the proper protocols.

“Wear your face mask, continue to practice social distancing and make sure you’re hand sanitizing at all times. Now this is very important because we’re coming up to Jounen Kwéyòl, and it means that the temptation to get out and start socializing more and maybe drop our guard a little bit, is going to be there,” Chastanet said.

“We all want you to have a great weekend but I’m asking all of us… when you’re having your home parties, please continue to practice proper protocols. Try to keep your mask on as much as possible, make sure that you’re social distancing and try to wash your hands as often as possible, and make sure that we have a great weekend.”

He went on: “Saint Lucia, we have a fight on our hands but we can win this fight! We’ve shown that we can do it and we can do it again, but it’s going to require all of us to be each others’ keeper.”

Chastanet noted that the country’s elderly, vulnerable and breadwinners, must be protected. Many of us, he said, cannot afford to have the country shutdown again. “So please, let’s work together and make this happen. We can do it! We’re all in this together. Have a great Jounen Kwéyòl!”

Jounen Kwéyòl will be observed much differently this year. On Thursday, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force stated that with the exception of single household gatherings, the hosting of activities for Creole Day is not permitted:https://stluciastar.com/rslpf-warns-the-hosting-of-jounen-kweyol-activities-is-not-permitted/