McKenzie: No infirmary visits or treats for Christmas, but donations welcome - Digicel gifts phones to keep residents and families connected during season
Published:Thursday | December 17, 2020 | 12:28 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Local Government and Rural Development Minister Desmond McKenzie yesterday said that while charities and well-wishers will not be allowed to host Christmas treats and visit with residents of infirmaries due to the pandemic, donations are still welcome.
Speaking at the ministry’s Hagley Park Road offices in St Andrew yesterday, McKenzie said that the annual luncheon for infirmaries has also been cancelled.
“No individuals will be allowed to go in to the infirmaries and to share with the residents at this time … . For Christmas, we would normally get a flood of persons going to these facilities, but while we appreciate the gesture, we are saying provide it, we will pick it up, we will deal with it in the infirmary, but nobody outside of the staff will be allowed to access ... ,” the minister said.
During yesterday’s session, telecoms provider Digicel made a donation of smart phones to keep residents connected with their families this Christmas in light of the suspension of visits.
McKenzie said that the devices, valued at more than $500,000, should help to bridge the gap and heaped praises on the telecoms firm for its continued support to local government.
“This is not the first major work with local government that Digicel has undertaken ... . Digicel spent over some $200 million in refurbishing the Coronation Market ... . In Half-Way Tree, the stalls around Nelson Mandela Park came out of request by me at the time to the then CEO of Digicel,” he said, pointing out some of the initiatives.
The company also gave the local government ministry 28 phones to assist in the various programmes in infirmaries across the island.
“This is a pretty significant donation, not only in terms of the monetary value, but when you consider how important connectivity is, especially during this time when so many of the persons who are housed in infirmaries still need to reach out to their family members. Again, it’s Christmas. Everybody wants to know that a family member is safe, well fed, and is doing alright ... ,” said Elon Parkinson, head of public relations and communications at Digicel.
“All the infirmaries have been doing regular tests almost every other week because of the nature of the infirmaries, and thank God, so far, we have only had one case in Westmoreland. Outside of that, all the persons who were affected by COVID have recovered fully,” McKenzie told The Gleaner.
The minister announced that the Corporate Area soup kitchen at Church Street would come on stream by December 20 to provide hot meals and enhance feeding of the indigent.