Ray of hope
Reporting on the Covid-19 outbreak currently gripping the territory has been quite depressing for a Beaconite, so he was delighted to see a ray of hope this weekend in the form of the drive-through vaccination effort at the Festival Village Grounds. The Beaconite was forwarded some photos of the line of cars full of people waiting to be vaccinated early Saturday morning, but he figured that the crowd would have tapered off by the time he arrived in the early afternoon. He was happy to be proven wrong. In the time he spent taking photos of the vaccination drive, the line of cars only seemed to grow, and indeed by the end of the weekend almost 900 people had gotten a dose of the vaccine. Though the territory still has far to go before reaching herd immunity, this effort was a tremendous step in the right direction, and he applauds the government and community agencies who put it together and sincerely hopes they keep it going until the territory reaches the 80 percent vaccination rate that health officials said is likely needed to stem the spread of the disease. Then, a return to normal might be truly feasible.
Library update
It’s been a while since a Beaconite has shared any news about the community library project she helped launch. Turtle Dove Library has been temporarily closed during the surge in Covid-19 cases. The transmission risk was minimal given that only a few people are typically in the library at a time, but it seemed like the smartest course of action to shut the doors for now. But in the meantime, she’s been working to expand the collection, particularly in the Spanish section — though it could still use some work. The Beaconite hasn’t heard much recently about plans announced in January for a national public library and museum, but she wasn’t surprised given how busy this year has been. She was glad to visit the East End public library that reopened not long ago and encourages community members to check it out when it’s safe to do so. The reporter is hopeful the Covid-19 situation stabilises soon for many reasons, but especially to host some library activities leading up to August Emancipation Festival.
COI ‘season’
As the first thrilling “season” of the Commission of Inquiry comes to an end, one unexpected breakout star has emerged: Counsel Bilal Rawat. He may seem unassuming, but a Beaconite and a few of her friends who have spent the last month glued to the livestreamed proceedings have found themselves strangely drawn to his quirky, self-effacing demeanour; his dry, subtle wit; his distinguished mane of silver hair; and his posh, soothing voice that they can (and do) enjoy listening to for hours on end. Moreover, they especially admire how he never loses his cool in the face of recalcitrant witnesses, calmly continuing on with his questioning, clearly believing his tireless efforts will speak for themselves. The Virgin Islands chapter of the Bilal Rawat Fan Club can’t wait to watch the further adventures of this unexpected matinee idol when he returns to their screens.
Be nice, please
Beaconites have noticed a deterioration in manners on social media in recent weeks, particularly surrounding Covid-19 and the vaccine. They understand that emotions run high at a time like this, but they would like to remind everyone that it is possible to disagree without being disrespectful. Yes, civility is still possible, even in a pandemic.