Senate Approves 2020-2021 Budget with $25M COVID-19 Assistance Package

Isabel G. Bennett

A Special Sitting of the Senate took place today in Belmopan for senators on both sides of the aisle to approve the General Appropriations Bill 2020-2021. When it went to the House, there was no debate and the budget was expeditiously passed.  Included in the billion-dollar budget for the new fiscal year is twenty-five million dollars that has been earmarked for the tourism industry as a response to the devastating effects of COVID-19.  The millions will go to the employees that are experiencing unemployment due to the closures of hotels, restaurants, resorts and other stakeholders. This is the first tranche of the relief package and will be disbursed in the coming weeks. P.U.P. Senators Isabel Bennett and Michel Chebat weighed in on the contexts of the bill.

Isabel G. Bennett, P.U.P. Senator

“If we had a solid primary healthcare system, if investment was being place under this particular aspect of the Ministry of Health we would have such a much more solid foundation right now having to deal with COVID-19. My colleagues right now nurses, doctors, pharmacist would have as many protective gears that they need to actually attend to the issues right now. But we are giving fifty thousand dollars to primary health care services? I can’t understand that. Hospital services and their CAP two expenditures, zero? CAP three expenditure, zero? Community based services, zero, zero.”

Michel Chebat

Michel Chebat, Lead P.U.P. Senator

“The budget Mister President is far removed from the current reality and necessity we face as a nation. We require a budget that is human centered accompanied by a financial rescue package and we need a budget that reflects these times. But not only must the budget focus on the current needs of our people but it must display a current plan to rebuild our economy once this pandemic has passed. For the past twelve years the government has failed to make meaningful investment in the productive sector and apparently has no plan to change that course of action.”