What About a National Lockdown, ComPol?
From an adjustment on curfew hours for the holidays to a national lockdown – will it help Belize to address the growing number of COVID-19 cases? That’s what one C.E.O. believes. Over the weekend, C.E.O. in the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, Kennedy Carillo called for one on Facebook. Carillo wrote, “the people are calling for a national lockdown. Lockdown equals containment.” She went on to point out the various groups that are being affected by the lockdown to say, “our mothers and fathers are dying. Our family members are suffering. The new strategy to scale up testing will be successful, but this strategy needs to happen in a controlled setting. The only setting that can provide this is at least a month lockdown.” And so today, the Commissioner of Police was asked for his take on a national lockdown, considering that his officers are on the frontline working to ensure that people adhere to the regulations.
Reporter
“One of the topics in the public discourse at this time is a lockdown. Are you able to speak as to where you stand and if you perhaps have given any recommendations where that is concerned?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Many of our people do not want to live under a lockdown. Many of our people complain by just hearing of a lockdown while there are some who are calling for a lockdown. My thing is that if it is that we do not want a lockdown we can make sure there is none. We just simply need to adhere to the regulations – simply as that. The issue of lockdown is not one that I am going to speak to. It is a matter for the government to decide and the government is going to decide that based on how public respond to the regulations. But if it is that we do not want a lockdown, we want to enjoy moving around, then for Christ sake’s let us make some responsible decision in terms of how we do things and follow the regulations. That is all we need to do and if we do that we will be in a better position than we are today.”
