KINGSTON, Jamaica – Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, says Jamaicans at home and abroad have been “resilient and strong” in the fight to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was speaking at the Emancipation and Independence thanksgiving service held today at the Portmore Church of God in St Catherine.

The service was held under the 2020 Festival theme, ‘Resilient and Strong…Let’s Celebrate Jamaica 58’.

Grange said that a people’s resilience is demonstrated by their ability to cope with stress and adversity and to bounce back to a previous state of normal functioning.

“We, without a doubt, have been proving ourselves capable of measuring up to what is required in the face of the pandemic. We have done much better than many of the large countries in the world,” she said, while urging Jamaicans not to hesitate to praise the Lord and to give thanks.

She hailed Prime Minister Andrew Holness for “leading the nation in a very powerful way to ensure that we can overcome.”

Meanwhile, Grange said that the restrictions put in place to contain the spread of the virus “will not dampen our spirit and cannot stop us from celebrating our Emancipation and Independence anniversary with enthusiasm.”

She noted that the celebrations will be conducted in a “controlled environment and directed by the protocols that have been established”.

Grange urged Jamaicans to participate in this year’s Jamaica Spirit of Independence competition by decorating buildings and public spaces in the national colours. The rules and guidelines for the competition are available on the JCDC’s website.