As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect many Saint Lucians, Do-Nation Foundation has teamed up with Freewinds for a Stay Well campaign.
The Stay Well campaign is essentially to educate people on the practical ways to prevent contracting and/or spreading COVID-19.
On Saturday, February 19, Freewinds crew members hosted a one-hour seminar in Castries to explain to Do-Nation Foundation members the ways to stay safe in a COVID-19 era. Attendees learned, among other things, what bacteria are and how they are spread; why prevention is important; how to wear a face mask properly; and how to prepare when leaving and returning home.
The activity was a train-the-trainer session that will equip the Do-Nation Foundation members with the information they need as they spread the word to others via the Stay Well campaign.
Ken Weber, crew member of the Freewinds, said the purpose of this seminar was to learn how to stay well and how to do things properly in the COVID-19 era.
“Putting that message out there is something we have to do all the time and something we need to make a part of our lives,” he said. “Things could get better as the COVID-19 numbers go down, and we hope those numbers stay down. But whether it’s COVID-19 or any other situation, it’s the best practices we have to preach.”
To that end, Freewinds has made available a booklet entitled “How To Keep Yourself & Others Well”, which is available for free. The booklet can also be downloaded at: https://www.scientology.org/staywell/booklets/how-to-keep-yourself-others-well/#flipbook
According to Weber, more than 98,000 copies of the booklet have already been distributed in Aruba, adding that millions of copies would have already been distributed worldwide. Do-Nation Foundation will soon receive nearly 16,000 copies of the booklet for local distribution to households, organizations and offices.
Weber said that while he does acknowledge that some people might be apprehensive about considering the information provided in the booklet, they should nevertheless be mindful that responsibility is key in fighting the pandemic. An ounce of prevention, he added, is worth a tonne of cure.
“I want to tell them that they do have the freedom to make their own decisions,” he stated. “It’s your health, but you must consider protecting others. Maybe you don’t want to wear a mask, that’s a personal decision. But what’s the risk of spreading COVID-19 to someone else? So be a little more responsible and think about the other person.”
Meanwhile, Yealeen Corneau, Do-Nation Foundation’s Community Liaison Officer, says the Foundation’s members will soon be visiting various communities and schools to reach as many people as possible during the campaign.
“We want to start by sensitizing people on how to stay well,” said Corneau. “The main challenge at this time is the adherence to the established protocols due to COVID-19. Therefore, we will start by reinforcing the need to stay safe by educating people on how to sanitize and observe the safety protocols.”
Since the first COVID-19 case was recorded in March 2020, there have been 22,627 confirmed cases in Saint Lucia as of February 24, 2022, with 269 COVID-19 deaths and 90 COVID19-related deaths. Corneau says despite people’s varying opinions about the pandemic, staying safe remains paramount.
“By now, we should all know that COVID-19 is very real. In the early stage, many people were a bit skeptical about; however, we now know that COVID-19 is very real. Therefore, understanding the seriousness of this pandemic, Do-Nation Foundation is playing its part in the education process and reminding people to stay safe and stay well.”
The Freewinds ship, which made its maiden visit to Saint Lucia in 1988, have since then returned to the island periodically to undertake philanthropic work here.
Do-Nation Foundation, which was formed over a year ago, has since then been involved in various relief and counseling activities for many underprivileged people.