In order to mitigate the massive layoffs in the local hospitality industry and the uncertainty as to when tourism-related businesses will be bustling again due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Jumby Bay is among properties that have rolled out exemplary relief initiatives.
The Jumby Bay Fund and homeowners have donated over $1 million in supplies to the new Infectious Disease Control Centre (IDC), as well as a medical compressor and vacuum system, a release said.
Last week, the Fund delivered 1,004 food parcels to less fortunate families across Antigua, covering one percent of the local population. According to CEO of the Jumby Bay Island Company Ltd, Wayne Kafcsak, each food parcel contained enough food to cover a 28-day period, and 27 volunteers were involved in the project.
The resort has also sought to safeguard the wellbeing of its staff by developing work schedules to allow as many employees as possible to work in needed areas until October 2020. Employees who are not scheduled will receive a grant, which will be paid on a fortnightly basis. Further to this, their health insurance will remain intact.
Minister of Tourism Charles Fernandez has labelled the resort as a model corporate entity considering the dire circumstances caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“At a time when most corporate management structures are focused on losses and the uncertainties that lie ahead, I am very pleased that the Jumby Bay Island Company Ltd is joining the national fight against Covid-19,” Minister Fernandez said.
“These efforts ensure not just the sustainability of its human resource assets but the viability of the Antiguan and Barbudan tourism industry overall. We salute you and urge other corporate entities to do the same.”
The management of Jumby Bay Resort said their key focus going forward into the next few months will be to maintain the facility at the highest level in order to be one of the most competitive tourism operations of its kind in the Caribbean at the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.