(Stock Photo)

Ten healthcare and law enforcement workers who have gone “above and beyond the call of duty” during the COVID-19 pandemic will be rewarded for their outstanding service.

This was announced by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Kerrie Symmonds, during a recent online launch of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s (BTMI) We Care initiative.

Under the outreach, Barbadians are invited to share positive stories of their experiences with healthcare workers and police officers during the pandemic, and to nominate these frontline heroes to win a seven-night staycation or a trip to anywhere that Barbados has direct air service when commercial flights recommence. The successful persons will also get to take a guest on their holiday of choice. 

The We Care nomination period has started and will remain open until May 22.  Winners will be announced in June.

Minister Symmonds said although frontline workers were being celebrated in Barbados every Wednesday, the We Care initiative sought to take that a bit further.

“When we see people like our healthcare workers and our security personnel, such as the police, on the front line dedicating themselves in the middle of this COVID-19 environment, where is it is exceptionally difficult and dangerous, I think that it is very important that we pause, take stock of the effort that they are making and reflect on how best we can signal in a very real and tangible way our appreciation for that which they do. The effort made by our frontline workers literally is the risking of their lives in order to preserve an infrastructure, and to resuscitate the opportunity to ensuring the livelihoods of about 50,000 Barbadians, whose living is directly or indirectly related to the tourism sector being resuscitated.

Therefore, they have demonstrated how much they care in taking care of us, and now it is our turn to want to take care of them and demonstrate a willingness to do so,” he explained.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI)

The Tourism Minister acknowledged that while there were many essential workers on the frontline of COVID-19, the initiative would currently focus on police and healthcare professionals. 

He stressed that these two categories of workers play a huge role in maintaining the island’s safety, which was important for this destination.           

“What we wanted to do was to single out the more stellar and inspirational stories, and the reason is simply that Barbados sells itself internationally along a number of core brand elements, and perhaps the most important of those brand elements that we share with the world is the message how safe this place is. That safety is not just in the context of traditional security, but how we can preserve a person’s wellbeing in terms of their health. The healthcare workers in Barbados are preserving not only the nation’s wellbeing but preserving the wellbeing of those people in tourism …,” he reasoned.

Members of the public are invited to nominate the outstanding frontline workers in any of the following ways:

  1. Social media photo entry of themselves making the heart symbol with their hands on Instagram or Facebook, along with a caption telling how the nominee has gone above and beyond.
  2. Social media video entry on Instagram or Facebook stating how the nominee has gone above and beyond.
  3. Website entry on www.wecare246.com.
  4. Letter entry telling the nominee’s story in no more than 100 words.

The social media promotional hashtag is #wecare246.  For more information, persons should visit www.wecare246.com.

shamkoe.pile@barbados.gov.bb 

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