Cabinet Briefed on Important National Issues

The new government under Prime Minister John Briceño held its inaugural cabinet meeting on Tuesday and the first order of business was to be updated on national issues affecting the country.  Sixteen elected ministers, six elected ministers of state and three senate ministers were briefed on four important topics. On matters of national security, Cabinet was briefed by Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, Belize Defence Force Brigadier General Steven Ortega and Acting Vice Commander of the Belize Coast Guard Lieutenant Gregory Soberanis.  In the area of public finance and the economy, Financial Secretary Joseph Waight, along with Central Bank Governor Joy Grant and her deputy Kareem Michael briefed the cabinet ministers.  The impacts of Hurricane Eta and floods were also part of the briefing. Presenting the details was National Disaster Coordinator for the National Emergency Management Organization, Colonel Shelton Defour.  Cabinet was also briefed on the most important issue affecting more than two hundred countries and territories: the COVID-19 pandemic.  That presentation was made by Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero and Central Health Region Manager, Melinda Guerra.  There are more than two thousand active COVID-19 cases spread across the country with ninety-four deaths and those figures are climbing.  The Briceño administration is planning to revisit the government’s strategy in handling the COVID-19 breakout.  Minister of Health and Wellness, Michel Chebat, on Monday, said that it is no longer going to be a one-man show.

Michel Chebat

Michel Chebat, Minister of Health and Wellness

“I think one of the things we need to understand is that we have a new government in place and so there is going to be a new approach. We are not going to be sticking to the same old. We have a lot of experts and we have a lot of expertise and so as many people that we need to bring forward to calm and to reassure the Belizean public that we are doing, and getting the job done. As many as we need will be brought forward. This is no longer a one man show.”

Hipolito Novelo

“Are you looking at a total shift of the education campaign?”

Michel Chebat

“Obviously I think that is one of the areas we’ve failed, in the education and educating the public about COVID and not only about COVID, the disease itself, but about the management and the steps they need to take. I think we need to undertake immediately a massive education campaign.  Test, test, test has been the methodology that has worked across the world. Obviously we are constraint by cost but we are looking at that and we are looking to see how we can amplify the numbers of testing. We do understand that unless you know your status we are in problems.”