March 2020. I remember standing on the beach looking out at the Caribbean Sea, terrified of what would lie ahead. I’d just heard on the news that the world was shutting down, and we didn’t know when it would start back up again.
I thought of Saint Lucia, an island that had become a second home to me and wondered when I would get to return. The Covid-19 pandemic brought an immediate and strict lockdown and Saint Lucia shut down before many other nations. Borders were closed, curfews were in place and – apart from supermarkets and other essential shops – all businesses were shut.
As a young conservationist, I worried what the lockdown would mean for the wildlife I was working to protect, as well as for the communities I was helping to support – communities which, like many living in the Caribbean, largely relied on tourism for their income.
Like the rest of the world, people in Saint Lucia and across the Caribbean feared the unknown, concerned about when this might end and how many lives would be lost. But we also remained hopeful – feeling blessed that we call such a beautiful place home – and we started to innovate.