Further Relaxation of S.O.E. Measures Come Monday
On June first, a new round of relaxed measures will come into effect across the country, as Belize continues to remain free of new coronavirus cases. This morning, PM Barrow prefaced what can be expected during the weekend edition of Ask the Experts, where Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte is expected to elaborate on the eased regulations. Nonetheless, for some, there is little comfort in an hour-long curfew extension on Friday and Saturday; the restriction on movement, the prime minister admits, has seen a drastic reduction in crime and violence. The PM provided a cursory look at the measures to be relaxed as of Monday morning.
Dean Barrow
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“When you wake up Monday morning, the SI would be extant and would usher in the following: the number allowed for gatherings with social distancing will increase from ten to forty. In particular, our places of worship with the requisite space would be physically to host congregations of that size. Tacos and other street vendors can get back to business, but will need to comply with certain sanitary protocols. Those protocols are being finalized and will be handed to those who have emerged as the leaders of the street vendor community between today and tomorrow. The permission to operate already given to open-air restaurants will now be extended to all restaurants. This again, is on condition that the physical distancing and other rules will still apply. The sale of Boledo, much anticipated at least in some quarters, will restart and casinos will also be allowed to reopen. Neither smoking nor alcohol consumption is to be allowed in the casinos. Approval is being given for gyms in accordance with the strict guidelines ratified by the National Oversight Committee (NOC) in accordance with those guidelines, gyms can now reopen. All non-contact open-air sports are to be permitted for practice and exercise purposes and in fact exercise hours are no longer restricted to the five a.m. to eight a.m. time slot. Sport fishing is also allowed. General curfew hours are being broadened only for Fridays and Saturdays, thus on those two days, curfew will be from nine p.m. to five a.m. All other days will remain at eight p.m. to five a.m.”
The PM also announced that the children’s curfew stays generally at six p.m. to eight a.m., but minors can move about from five a.m. up to eight p.m. on weekdays and nine p.m. on weekends if, and only if, they are accompanied by a responsible adult.
