Small business owners have been given the opportunity to showcase their talent and locally manufactured produce in the newly-launched Christmas District which spans the area from the Peeble’s Park to the Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard (Bayfront) in Roseau.
The Christmas District was launched with a tree lighting ceremony on the weekend.
According to Parliamentary Representative for the Roseau Central Constituency, Melissa Poponne- Skerrit, this will allow more space for vendors and visitors and facilitate social distancing.
She said the change also takes into consideration that there is a very active cruise ship season this year.
“For the first time, the tourists will be able to actively participate in our Christmas traditions by observing our practices and tasting our delectable foods,” Poponne-Skerrit stated. “Our local talents will also be at the forefront for their listening pleasure.”
The tourists, she added, will also have the opportunity to observe the island’s different bush and spices.
The Roseau MP said she ensured that the Bayfront vendors were not displaced, noting that the small business sector has been the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic which, according to her, stifled opportunities to operate effectively.
“I remembered the success of the Christmas Village held at the promenade last year and we really did not anticipate such a big turnout then, but amazingly, some of the vendors sold out on the very first day,” Poponne- Skerrit revealed. “This propelled me to continue into this year to expand and provide opportunity to over 50 resilient local business owners to showcase their products and services at this Santa’s Mall.”
Meantime, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said there are plans for the development of “many structures” as part of the redevelopment of the Dame Eugenia Charles Boulevard (Bayfront).
“…We will be constructing as part of the redevelopment of the Bayfront many structures, but for me, the most important structure will be a facility where we will showcase only local stuff produced here and manufactured here in Dominica so that mall businesses can have a space where they can showcase their talent and their produce, all manufactured here in Dominica, so that we can boost and build the small business community in our country,” he stated.
Skerrit called on the public to be mindful of the fact that the country is still in the pandemic period and would like to see the numbers go down and more people getting vaccinated, because that is the only sure way to help fight this pandemic.
“It is important that we get vaccinated and tonight I am happy and throughout the two weeks there will be a bus with vaccines,” the Prime Minister revealed. “Our children are having great difficulties with online learning and our parents as well who have to go to work and no one to care for their children during the working period, but the vaccination rate among children, 12 to 17, we need to bring it up to 100%, so that come January children can go back to the classroom and have face-to-face learning,” the prime minister said.
He said the AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Pfizer vaccines are available in Dominica.
beautiful, well done
Vaccinated or not you still can get covid and spread it..so what is his point about goin back to classroom being vaccinated????? That’s just goin to spread this thing more..
@Trucker, his point is that, with the vaccination, the chances of being infected by the virus are slimmer.
Those who are vaccinated and still get the virus may be because they take things for granted and stop following the protocols because they are vaccinated–that is the problem–because they roam among the nonvaccinated who will definitely get the virus and pass it on.
The unvaccinated are the reason this deadly virus continues to have its ways against us. Deal with that truth and stop that nonsense you spoke above.
…The unvaccinated are the reason this deadly virus continues to have its ways against us……
Better you go back to school …your damas.
slight correction to your explanation regarding the virus. Whether you are fully vaccinated or not, once exposed to the virus, the vaccine doesn’t prevent you from getting the virus. What it does though, is that it lessens the effect of the virus on the fully vaccinated as opposed to the unvaccinated. It means that your chances of getting seriously ill, hospitalised, or dying from the virus is lesser than other persons who are unvaccinated. It is similar to getting the flu jab. The flu jab doesn’t prevent you from getting the flu but it protects you from getting seriously during the flu season.
Gucci, could this perhaps be an excuse to have another Christmas party? After all, last year you and your supporters got away with it last year.
Lovely ambition!!! Hopefully the manger scene is central to this initiative. If CHRIST is not central to any CHRISTmas initiative, it’s just another vacuous hoopla.