Belize City Traffic Officer Tests Positive for COVID-19
The Belize City Council today confirmed that one of their own tested positive for COVID-19 and so it is closing the traffic department. The patient is a male traffic officer whose last day at work was on August seventh. He is the second employee to test positive at City Hall; in the first case, Hubert Pipersburgh succumbed. It is believed that the traffic officer got infected when he came in contact with a family member. In a release, the City Council says that it continues to work closely with the Ministry of Health to support contact tracing so that the process is smooth and effective. Reporter Hipolito Novelo has the story.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
The traffic department office of the Belize City Council closed today until further notice. That’s because a male traffic officer has tested positive for COVID-19. Councilor in charge for traffic, Allan Pollard says that the City Council received confirmation this morning.
Allan Pollard
Allan Pollard, Belize City Councilor Responsible for Traffic
“We are currently working with the ministry to ensure that whatever they need from us in terms of information for mapping that we have that at their disposal and to ensure that it is a smooth process and to ensure that anybody who may had been in contact with the individual to firstly get into quarantine and tested also.”
The officer, according to the City Council, may not have contracted the virus in the line of duty and employees who have had close contact with the patient have been asked to go on quarantine for a two-week period.
Allan Pollard
“We also encourage within the office to sanitize themselves, to wear their mask properly when they are delving with the public f they are issuing tickets or anything like that to ensure they have their sanitizers, to make sure their masks are worn properly. In terms of that standpoint, I have confidence that our officers had taken responsibility upon themselves to make sure that they are protected and the people they deal with everyday.”
The offices are being sanitized and disinfected. The patient’s last day of work was two Fridays ago. He is asymptomatic and according to Pollard, he is recovering pretty well.
Allan Pollard
“His last day of work was the seventh of August. I believe that is a Friday.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Okay because we had received information that he was in and out of office recently?”
Allan Pollard
“Well not recently. The last day of work was the seventh of August. If he was not on duty then he has no reason to be a department. All of our officers have to check in at the base to get their time schedule for the day and get instructions for their supervisors for the day. So up until the seventh that had to happen.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Do you know if this individual was asymptomatic or showing signs?”
Allan Pollard
“He is symptomatic. Some mild symptoms. He had the fever. I spoke to him because know him personally. He is improving. He had a really bad fever at the time. He also has a family member who was also sick.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
