WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Camille Ebanks-Foster and her four children spent the day at home in Petersfield on Wednesday and none of them were happy about it. With no water in the pipes as a result of the strike by the State-run National Water Commission (NWC), she had managed to buy a bottle of water and used it to prepare breakfast. She had no idea how she would make dinner.

The single mother, who lost her husband last year, was also worried that if the strike dragged on she would have to miss work for a second day. That was before news broke that NWC workers will be back to work on the night shift Wednesday.

“It has affected me real bad because the kids can’t go to school and I can’t go to work,” said Ebanks-Foster.

While she empathises with the NWC workers who stayed off the job for two days, she believes everyone did not have to suffer.

The schools Ebanks-Foster’s children attend were among those that closed their doors in Westmoreland on Wednesday. Mazie Pitterkin sent her grandchildren to Petersfield Primary School, only to see them return home earlier than usual.

“Better dem come home, cause me secure water at home for them,” she said.

Some schools that use the shift system only managed to accommodate morning classes. Among them was Savanna-la-Mar Primary school, whose Principal, Meghan Berry told OBSERVER ONLINE that the school had water stored that allowed the first shift to run smoothly. Students for the second shift were told to do classes online.

At Petersfield High school, students on the morning shift were sent home after lunch. The school sent out a notice advising parents of the changes. Other Westmoreland schools that did not have classes included Manning’s and Belmont Academy.

Kimberley Peddie