FOR many Guyanese, Easter is about big family gatherings, picnicking at the park and beach or time spent at church.

But this year, those events are off the table, as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic bears down across the globe.

There will be no church gathering, parks filled with families picnicking, nor the skies filled with a kaleidoscope of kites, due to social distancing. This Easter weekend is flagged as being incredibly important in the fight against coronavirus.

Easter is a Christian holiday which celebrates the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

The Protected Areas and National Parks Commissions have made a decision to close the Parks and beaches across Guyana for the Easter Weekend, in light of the presence of COVED-19 here. The zoo was also closed too.

Also, the Government implemented the curfew and other emergency measures with effect from April 03 to May 03 2020 which brought a curfew from 18:00 hours to 06:00 hours, in an effort to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.

Due to this historically unprecedented change to the celebrations of Easter and Passover, churches across the country have moved their in-person mass or services online, in response to the virus, by using Skype, Zoom, Facebook live and other electronic means.
Meanwhile, for meny kite makers and vendors there has been a decline in sales due to the epidemic.

Trevor Smith, also known as the ‘Original Kite Man’, is now 41 years into the craft of making and selling kites and ply his trade at the intersection of Camp and Regent Streets.
He explained that although the sales have declined, he is remaining optimistic. Smith stressed that regularly most of his sales are from school children, but due to the closure of school because of the virus, sales have been slow.

Another vendor explained that he believes that the coronavirus has affected the trade tremendously since March; he only managed to sell one kite per day.

He explained that many persons would prefer making their own kites at home.

For many, Easter was about family traditions, but 2020 will be about trying something new.
” This is something different, and I’m open to it!… maybe a backyard barbeque with just my small family of four” said Rachelle Abrams.

Abrams explained that every year she would picnic with her family. She recalled the open air with her two kids running around and flying their kites while her husband was busy behind them.

” This year we are indoors and safe,” Abrams said.
Meanwhile, for the youngsters who would be out enjoying the different parties such as “EasterFest” they have taken to party online social media due to bars, and other gatherings being banned. One of the most famous group is known as ” The 1K family” which sees popular DJ and persons going live and hosting parties while everyone remains in the comfort of their own home.