“Proud that a lockdown was no longer necessary”, Antonio Hughes (49)

“I have been a Red Cross volunteer since 2009. Together with my island colleague Jessica Gumbs, I was the first person on the island to be trained as an instructor. Over the years, I have guided some thirty Sabans towards their Red Cross diploma. I also serve the public cause. Firstly as a fireman; then as an ambulance and school bus driver.”

Child of the Caribbean

“I am a child of the Caribbean. I was born and raised on the Windward Island of St Maarten. As a young person in my twenties, I took the shuttle plane to the neighbouring island to celebrate carnival. Saba, like many other islands, is not yet overrun by tourists and is called the unspoiled queen. I fell in love instantly and that has never left me. It all feels so quiet and peaceful here. That also had a positive effect after the worldwide outbreak of corona.” 

Hard work

“Thanks to Saba’s isolated location and a firm intervention by the authorities, the virus did not have a chance to infect many of the nearly two thousand inhabitants in the early spring of 2020. As soon as one or two people were diagnosed with corona, Saba went into lockdown. We brought the necessary groceries to people’s homes. That way, they didn’t have to go out and we limited the number of contacts of the most vulnerable residents to a minimum. It was hard work, but rewarding. After two weeks, all shops were able to open safely again and a lockdown was no longer necessary. We are quite proud of that. What will always stay with me is how we supported each other and stuck together here on Saba.”