Governor General Sir Rodney Williams says he hopes to honour the nameless and faceless heroes behind the scenes as the country battles the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an address to the nation, His Excellency said, one of the many responsibilities of the Governor General is to recognize excellence among our citizens and residents by publicly acknowledging outstanding service and conferring honours upon those persons who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in areas of human endeavour in times like these.
He said, “we know that there are deserving persons who have been facelessly and namelessly contributing behind the scenes. We look forward to receiving submissions of nominations of persons who meet the criteria for the Governor General’s Faithful and Meritorious Service Award and other honours as it relates to the fight against the COVID 19 disease.”
The Governor General also told the nation that he understand that the crisis has been unprecedented.
“Never before has the entire world come to such a grinding halt – stifling powerful economies and snuffing out even the simple social interactions between individuals and communities across the world,” Sir Rodney said.
He said he has been personally involved in providing information to concerned residents.
“As a medical doctor I answered many questions from persons who were gripped with fear, not knowing whether they had acquired the disease. Some persons developed high blood pressure, others suffered from depression and some who are diabetics saw their blood sugar spiral out of control. These responses were likely fueled by the stresses brought on by the pandemic and the isolation experienced by some with the requirement for physical distancing.”
His Excellency has also called on residents to continue to observe COVID-19 protocols.
“Even as our Government extends the State of Public Emergency with a further relaxation of the restrictions, I encourage all to realize that we should not shirk our duty to adhere to the newly established protocols. As one German poet, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe opined, knowing is not enough, we must apply that knowledge; willing is not enough we must do. Take action, yes but we must proceed with caution. Take action yes, but we should never use our present state of affairs as an excuse to engage in less than noble practices or criminal activities. Indeed, there is a delicate balance between saving lives and saving the economy and providing for our livelihood. We must therefore exercise patience and tolerance as our leaders strive to achieve the best combination of policies and programmes for our survival and success.”
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Amm Ammm….is it not a bit too early to “honour” anybody?
I mean we are still in the middle of the battle and the war itself has not even began. Hence, I would suggest to anybody who has a listening ear or a thought process of reading this comment, wait, wait a while before jumping to honour, we have not “truly” survive the battle or even made a dint in the enemy’s (COVID-19) armor. I know and have families and friends who are nurses, doctors, ward assistants, et al who are on the front lines with COVID-19 and all are to be honoured, but they themselves are suggesting we have not even reached no way with this enemy.
Wait, wait for the battle is on the horizon.
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