PM Addresses Nation on New COVID Measures

John Briceño

As most Belizeans already know, a new set of COVID regulations will come into effect on Sunday. Those rules are the latest attempt by the Briceno administration to stem the spread of the virus across the country, but more so in Belize District where the number of daily infections has skyrocketed over the past few weeks.  On Wednesday night, Prime Minister John Briceno addressed the nation in a recorded statement during which he stressed stringent measures have to be put in place to meaningfully address the scourge.

Prime Minister John Briceno

“For the second year in a row, our national celebrations have been greatly curtailed by this pandemic.  Of course, where COVID-19 is concerned we are not alone.  The world over is dealing with the daily challenges caused by infections and death.  Together as Belizeans, many of us have worked hard to limit infections and to follow the advice of the experts at home and abroad.  Yet, even with the best efforts of many, we find ourselves in the midst of the third wave of the virus, one that is aggressive and is causing infections at a more rapid pace.  For those of you who have not been taking this matter seriously, let me address you directly.  The current situation in Belize is indeed alarming.  The last report from the Ministry of Health shows that the daily new confirmed COVID cases have been increasing dramatically.  Yesterday alone, there were two hundred new confirmed cases with a positivity rate of sixteen point four percent.  As of yesterday, there were one thousand, four hundred and sixteen active cases in the country.”