By F. Lennox Campello Covidian? …Covidism? …Covidnineteenism?…Coronaism? A couple of months ago I wrote about some help lines for artists as the Coronavirulization of the art world, another victim of the planetary infection in what I now call The Covidian Age, was in full attack. It is now June, and like everything else in the DMV, anything related to the virus (responses, tactics, techniques, even those “models” that are always and inexplicably waaaay wrong) has become political. As such, it won’t be long before more and more Covidian Age art gets dubbed Covidism? Or less likely Covidnineteenism? Coronaism? I’m meandering, In the nation, the pandemic has had an interesting, if not unexpected American twist: it has become a political issue of sorts. The angry left blames the President – just the President – for everything, and the angry right mirrors it right back to whoever is/are the leaders of the Democrat party these days. Leave it to artists to actually do something positive not only with these two political interpretations of a disease, but also with a myriad of interpretations of the Covidian Age and Covidism – and I suspect that a millennia from now, when perhaps even more dark events have been survived by the human race, it is the First Covidian Age artwork which will truly tell the story and mark the crowning spot (pun intended) of the Coronavirulization of art. There is no artist on planet Earth more qualified and sensitized to creating artwork about COVID-19 than Michele Banks. For years if not decades now, Banks has been creating terrifyingly beautiful works of art based on viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other such disturbing subject matter. In her talented hands, these co-inhabitants of our planet and often our bodies are depicted with ethereal splendor and become permanent works…
By Caribbean Journal Staff From the Bahamas to St. Lucia – The Islands Plan Their Reopening For the last few months, we’ve been featuring Caribbean beaches to visit digitally; for the first time, we’re now able to include a handful of beaches you will soon be able to visit in person, as destinations like Aruba and Saint Lucia have already announced planned tourism re-openings. Aruba has signaled its intent to reopen its borders for tourism as early as June 15, and now the destination has unveiled a stringent new health and safety program called the “Aruba Health and Happiness Code.” The cleaning and hygiene program will be mandatory for all tourism-related businesses across the country, according to a statement from the Aruba Tourism Authority. “As we prepare to reopen our borders, it is critical to evolve and innovate as a tourism destination to protect our local community and future travelers once they reach our shores,” said Danguillaume Oduber, Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, Public Health and Sport. “We want all visitors to feel reassured in traveling to our one happy island, knowing we worked together as a nation to implement the highest health and safety protocols through every step of their journey.” The certification will include a seal of approval “displayed prominently on all tourism-related businesses.” The program will begin at the airport, where the Aruba Airport Authority has been working to adapt its own practices for the return of tourists. That will include new measures like screening, temperature checks, on-site medical professionals, social distance markers, mandatory PPE training for staff and other safeguards at the airport. It’s not yet clear what specific requirements Aruba will have for inbound travelers; the first Caribbean destination to announce such a plan was Saint Lucia, which will require, among other conditions, a certificate of a negative…