PM Updates the Nation on COVID-19 Response

Dean Barrow

Three more persons have recovered from COVID-19. This brings the number of persons who have recovered to five, leaving eleven persons still battling the novel coronavirus. Unfortunately, two Belizeans died from the virus. Eleven active cases are recovering at their homes and none is hospitalized. According to the official records, it has been ten days since Belize has recorded any new COVID-19 case, but in order for the government to declare the all clear, twenty-eight days have to lapse without a single confirmed case. Via a pre-recorded statement today, Prime Minister Dean Barrow updated the nation on the response against COVID-19. PM Barrow says that random sampling continues and over the weekend, necessary re-agents will be obtained to continue with the necessary testing. With the clusters in San Ignacio and Belize City being contained, health officials are not letting down their guard.  Prime Minister Dean Barrow today declared that there will be no extension of the additional measures put in place to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus. 

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“The mapping and tracing exercises done in San Pedro, San Ignacio, Corozal and Belize City, are just about complete, but random sampling continues. Also, we expect this Saturday out of Miami a resupply of reagents that will enable us to proceed with the full scope of necessary testing. The fact is, though, that we appear for now to have contained the clusters that arose particularly in San Ignacio and Belize City. This, of course, is no reason to let our guard down. Indeed, the opposite is true and our health care professionals will try to build on their success. We have, since about a month ago, implemented the required measures to enforce social distancing, including constraints on business activity. Most recently, when our fear of Coronavirus spread was at its height, we actually enhanced our protective bulwarks. We did this by way of SI No. 55 of 2020, which came into effect at midnight on Holy Saturday. In consequence of that SI, there was the imposition of a complete Sunday lockdown, public transportation was brought to a halt, Government offices were closed to the public and additional private sector businesses were shuttered. Unless extended, these extra barriers were to last until April twenty fifth, 2020, except for the Sunday lockdown. That was to remain until April thitherto, the full life of the rest of SI fifty-five. I am now able to declare officially that there will be no extension of the additional special buffers. They will, therefore, expire at midnight this Saturday.”