During the week of 26 October, Dr. Ronya Foy Connor, Gender Development Coordinator of Gender Affairs Anguilla, Ministry of Social Development and Education, delivered face masks to Front Office, Housekeeping and Maintenance staff at the “Charming Escape” and “Boutique Hotels” in Anguilla. Almost 100 masks were collectively donated to Anguilla Great House, Fountain Residences, La Vue, Paradise Cove, Patsy’s Seaside Villas and Shoal Bay Villas. The porters of Blowing Point also received masks to enable their interaction with guests and luggage.
As part of co-facilitating the “Well-being in the Workplace” training sessions, along with Dr. Olufunmike Banks-Devonish, Hyacinth Bradley, Pastor Rodwell Grant and Jennyville Smith, Dr. Foy Connor noticed that there were a number of our hospitality frontline workers who felt ill prepared to re-enter the workforce in a COVID-19 environment. Through the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Team (MHPSS), hundreds of workers were trained to cope under the “new normal.” However, major concerns over basic safety measures and protection for self, co-workers and family members were still a concern.
Thanks to Gender Affairs Anguilla, in partnership with UN Women and Mrs. Gilda Gumbs-Samuel, reusable face masks were donated to offer a little extra safety to hospitality workers. Dr. Foy Connor stated, “I am pleased that, thanks to the hard work and handicraft of Mrs. Gilda Gumbs-Samuel (no stranger to the hospitality and tourism industry), and the financial support of UN Women, Gender Affairs Anguilla can provide just a small token of security to our frontline professionals.”
She continued: “I hope that this gesture shows that we care, we are thinking of each of our frontline workers and we wish for their safety and success during our new and unique tourist season.”
Gender Affairs Anguilla is committed to the ongoing measures to prepare hospitality workers for the reopening of Anguilla after the nearly eight-month shutdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The largest part of the preparation, and the least talked about, is the well-being aspect of readiness. This includes preparing mind, body and soul to operate effectively in an environment of the unknown. The masks donations will hopefully support the transition into the “new normal” of working in an environment of heightened safety procedures while managing personal fears, concerns and anxieties.
