 Culture Minister Senator Fortuna Belrose says the scale-down Creole Heritage Month celebration this year is in keeping with the true spirit of the tradition. As she appealed for adherence to the protocols during the observance, the minister says keeping Juniquial celebrations within the family unit is consistent with Creole Heritage promotion. Details in this report. The pandemic has impacted the way cultures all over the world observe customs that draw mass crowds. Disconcerting yet necessary postponements and cancellations of traditional events are being made to mitigate COVID-19 transmission risks. Fortunately, organizers of Creole Heritage Month here in St. Lucia have found a way to observe the 2020 celebrations in adherence to national protocols by targeting the cornerstone of society, the family unit. Juniquial Lacainou is this year's event theme, encouraging residents in St. Lucia to celebrate with their relatives. Minister in the Ministry of Culture and Creative Industries, Senator Fortuna Belrose says this approach is not only COVID conscious but is fundamental to Creole Heritage promotion. If you know the history of Juniquial when it was initially designed and thought of by the Fokrisad Centre, what they planned was always to reach the point where families embrace this, you know, and the true spirit of community came through. And I think what we're seeing this year with the advent of COVID and the build-up over the years is a design, you know, to make that happen. So this year, hopefully we will see lots of families gathering and participating but keeping it within families. Officials are not opposed to a family from multiple households celebrating together once they observe the protocols. Since the island registered an increase in local cases of COVID-19, the protocols have been reviewed. Mass crowd events have been reduced from 500 to 100 persons. I expect families to invite each other to come to their homes, but I think we must be mindful of the protocols with respect to the COVID. We encourage people to ensure that they have below 100 persons in their activities. That is the rule. Our police will also be very vigilant on that day. We've been told in terms of ensuring that there are no mass gatherings beyond 100 people. But the focus, like we say, we want you to encourage and to push is that we celebrate within our communities. So it is not unusual for families to move from Souffre to Vieux Forte to Daimere to go and celebrate with their family, but we want them to keep it within the family and maintain the numbers. Complimenting the family size, the Juniqui All Celebrations, Creole Heritage Month organizers are now also rolling out a slate of virtual events and activities to promote Creole Heritage in St. Lucia.