All Borders Remain Closed Indefinitely

Dean Barrow

Belize’s land borders are also to remain closed indefinitely. PM Barrow pointed to a spike in coronavirus cases in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.  Those countries which abut Belize in the north, west, and south, respectively, have seen significant increases in reported cases of COVID-19 over the past week alone, forcing government to further postpone the opening up of Belize’s frontier points.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“This question of the external reopening; I make clear at once that an early loosening of entry prohibition at our land borders was never on the cards.  That is because only in last week the number of COVID-19 cases has surged in the countries surrounding us.  Mexico went up by twenty-five percent, from fifty-six thousand to seventy-five thousand; Guatemala by eighty percent, from two thousand, two hundred to four thousand; Honduras by fifty percent, from three thousand to four thousand, four hundred; El Salvador, from one thousand, six hundred to two thousand, one hundred.  In the case of Mexico, questions have arisen as to whether there is underreporting.  That notwithstanding, Mexico is now globally the seventeenth most infected out of two hundred countries and territories.  It is in that context we agreed that there would likely be a considerable wait before we could unseal our land borders.  On the other hand, there has been the most anxious searching and intense debate at both the N.O.C. and Cabinet over a possible standalone reopening of the P.G.I.A.  It is no secret that we have, since around a month ago, been aiming for a July first recommencement of operations at our only international airport.  Indeed, by majority vote at both the Cabinet and the N.O.C., the decision was made to confirm that July first date, subject to certain conditions being put in place.”