COVID crunch squeezes Berrydale residents

Berrydale, Portland:

Residents and business operators in Berrydale, Portland, are feeling the pinch as the ravishing effects of COVID-19 have crippled their ability to earn a living.

The situation is further compounded by the near shutdown of rafting on the Rio Grande, Portland’s premiere tourist attraction, as money earned by raft operators, which had a trickle-down effect on commercial activities in the community, has dried up

“Boy, it really tough now and mi can hardly meet my bills dem a month time,” said Melanie Miller, a bar operator.

“I have been running this bar for about six years now and, from about March or April last year, business has been very slow. I used to open at 7 a.m. and leave here about 10 p.m., but now I open at 11 a.m. and close up by 3 p.m. It is that bad. Sometimes when I make a little money, light bill take weh everything. Other times, I caan find di money fi pay di light bill and my family help me out.

“Right now, di light bill a $13,000 and mi can find it. Mi affi go seek help from family. I used to get good support from the raft men, but all a dat change as there is no business for them. Mi not even see tourist a pass through anymore. It really rough pon wi up here so,” Miller added.

Other business operators, including Dahlia McFarlane and Doris Hamilton, who operate a grocery store and wholesale store, respectively, both agree that, since the emergence of the global pandemic, business has basically shut down, as sales have declined by approximately 98 per cent, which according to them, does not augur well for the future.

Meanwhile, George Thomas, who worked full-time planting trees in the Berrydale area and elsewhere, said that, since September last year, he has not worked or earned a dollar, as tree-planting activities have since ceased.

Out of Work

“I was working full-time for years planting trees, but now I am out of a job,” Thomas said.

“I have a daughter in school and a family to feed, but no job. About 10 of us used to work planting lumber trees in the forest. I used to plant more than a hundred trees per day – seven days a week. But now we have no work. Only a likkle hustling we manage to get from time to time, allow us to eat a piece of chicken back and two dumplings.

“And it look like it a go get worse before it get any better, cause dem people yah a hide and keep party, and dat only a result in more COVID all over Jamaica. It really tough inna Berrydale, and even di business people hardly a sell anything,” he added.

Persons like Janet Sinclair, a store clerk, Marcia Dennis, a hairdresser, and Franklin Parchment, a chef, are now jobless, as they were laid off as aresult of the downturn in business brought about by the deadly virus.