ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the writer relays the pandemic experience through the lens of an island resident. The common thread of chaos and crisis, as reflected in the analogy of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, is woven into the essay to depict the consequences of both the hurricane and the pandemic, and the government and citizens’ response to these crises. It relates the impact of Hurricane Dorian on the islands only six months prior to the onslaught of the pandemic. The measures taken by the government to combat COVID-19 are then assessed in light of their impact on the population, and how the pandemic affected various sectors of the economy, including culture and education. The chapter ends with a prescriptive but brief discourse on possible actions to move the country beyond the crisis of the pandemic and encourage entrepreneurial initiatives to foster sustainable growth and development.
