MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands lawmakers: eternally grateful to those who liberated us and continue to protect our sovereignty

The official picture of the eight elected Members of the Legislative Assembly

This Sunday we will mark Liberation Day, the day when we commemorate, and indeed celebrate, the liberation of these Islands from Argentine invasion in 1982.

 In the course of liberating these Islands, 255 members of the UK Armed Forces made the ultimate sacrifice and many others to this day still bear the physical and mental scars of the war.

We remain eternally grateful to those who liberated us and those who continue to protect our sovereignty and choice to remain a British Overseas Territory.

Today, we face a different challenge; one that had the potential to overwhelm both the civilian and military populations of these Islands.

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has seen both our communities taking extraordinary measures to contain the virus. Whilst there have been challenges along the way; we have been able to work together in a spirit of cooperation to tackle a common enemy.

To date our collective endeavors have resulted in only 13 COVID-19 cases in the Islands, all of whom have fully recovered, and no new cases since 24 April thanks to the measures that have been put in place to protect us all. This is something we can jointly be proud of.

These last few months have not been easy. We recognize that significant sacrifices have been made by those at MPC, including spending additional time away from loved ones who have themselves faced extraordinary challenges back at home.

It is clear that the tireless efforts of the BFSAI ‘Whole Force’ of military, civilian, contractors and families have ensured the Islands remain protected and defended during this crisis.

On behalf of the people of the Falkland Islands we would therefore like to express our gratitude to you and everyone in BFSAI for all you have done, and continue to do, in tackling COVID-19 and your support to the wider Islands at this time.

None of us know what the future holds or when life will fully return to normal.

However, what we do know is that we will continue to work together to tackle COVID-19 because we are one community and we are all in this together.

Thank you.

Members of the Legislative Assembly