Belizean Remains in Custody Pending Charges for Smuggling Guats into the Country
So far, there have been twenty-two confirmed cases of COVID 19 in the country. The latest case involves one of three Guatemalans, who was busted for illegal entry into Belize, earlier this week. The men were caught in the company of a Belizean who facilitated their movement through the western border. That individual remains in mandatory quarantine and upon completion of the fourteen-day isolation, should he test negative for coronavirus, will be surrendered to local authorities to face criminal charges. In other news related to the pandemic response, Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero told News Five that test results for persons who were swabbed on Thursday are expected by day‘s end. Depending on the outcome, the D.H.S. says that those five persons are set to be released later today.
Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services
“If you go back also to the first group that arrived which was initially only five, those people were swabbed yesterday and results should be completed today. If they are negative then those five that were initially negative then they would be released from the quarantine facility later on today. I know that the process is a difficult process, it’s a controlled process and I think it serves as an exercise for whenever you open any land border or any airport to see how that flow would potentially be.”
Isani Cayetano
“To round off this week, can you provide us with an update on the individual who was found harboring, if I may, the Guatemalans who were brought into the country earlier that tested positive for COVID-19? Where are we with that and any other cases that are being under consideration, if I may, by the department?”
Dr. Marvin Manzanero
Dr. Marvin Manzanero
“Well the person who was caught with the three Guatemalans, he will have to complete his quarantine process. In his initial swab, he is negative so closer to the fourteen days he will have to be swabbed again. If he is negative then he is released from the Ministry of Health’s standpoint. From the health standpoint you can go. If he has a legal process to do with whoever: immigration, police, whatever, that’s a separate matter. We will only be responsible until day fourteen and after that he has to go through that process. I don’t know that we have caught any other bigger groups of illegal persons this week. Smaller numbers of people coming in through the northern border, I believe it’s four only and only one through the western border.”
