Week 7 without COVID-19 Cases; Residents Must Remain Health Conscious

In a one-on-one interview, Director of Health Services Doctor Marvin Manzanero said that the good public health measures installed from the onset of the crisis has helped with the containment of the virus. These measures, including the locking down of the borders and closing of the airport as well as the state of emergency and adherence by the Belizean people, have kept Belize for up to seven weeks without new cases.  But going forward, Doctor Manzanero says that residents must remain health conscious.

Marvin Manzanero

Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services

“From the health standpoint, we are trying to get people to understand that now we are living under new norms. That the frequent hand washing, the social/physical distancing that we have been advocating for should remain; that masks, even though it may be for people who are symptomatic and you may argue that we don’t have any case. But I think it is a preparation process because once we start having more cases or if we ever go to a community ongoing transmission, then the use of masks will be playing a vital role especially if you have asymptomatic carriers. So I think it should be a preparation process for everybody. The message needs to continue to be and this is like you started talking widely about seatbelts to prevent further road traffic injuries, when you started to use the notion of condoms and HIV; it is the same thing here. The measures that we are talking about should be part of the new norm. If we go about our business assuming that anybody who we meet on the street is a potential COVID-19 case for the next two years, I think that should pretty much allow us to internalize the message and make sure that we are taking the necessary precautions on an individual and a family basis.”