Are You Wearing Your Mask in the Public?

The cost of not wearing a mask in public can cost you five thousand dollars – it is a hefty fine to pay when reusable masks are going for as low as five dollars in some places.  But there are still some who are not adhering to the new law. Today, when we spoke with Belize Territorial Volunteers Leader Wil Maheia, he told us that while many residents in Toledo have been complying to the rules, there are still quite a few who are not using the protective gear in public. Maheia appealed to the residents in his town to protect themselves and also called on the police to take action against those who are not complying.

Wil Maheia, Leader, BTV

“Definitely there is a lot more people on the streets. A lot more people coming into town. I just want to encourage everybody to wear their masks. I think the mask is very important. I also want to encourage the police that if they see people without the mask to bring in the law and start to do some arrest so that people take it seriously. I think some people take it serious but there are still a number of people I saw out who didn’t have their mask on and it is important that every one of us wear our mask. I want to applaud the police for the job they are doing but I want to encourage them to really be strict with the law.”

Andrea Polanco

“Have people been adhering to the social distancing or the physical distancing rule down there?”

Wil Maheia

“I would say yes, pretty much. The majority of people have been adhering to the rules. They are social distancing. I want to applaud Belize Bank and Scotia Bank for ensuring that people maintain social distance; Punta Gorda Credit Union and a lot of the stores have marks where people can stand in line which is the five or six feet away from each other. I think that people down here are really trying their best and doing their best to adhere to rules.   The Punta Gorda people have been alert and as soon as they see something they call into the news station to say for us to investigate this or that. The villagers themselves are also helping to man the borders to ensure that there are no illegal crossings so once they see something that looks like illegal crossing they take action. So, all in all people are doing all they can to prevent COVID from coming in this area.”