Waking Up to Another S.I., Some Relief for Northern Communities

A new Statutory Instrument has come into effect which sees a relaxation of the states of emergency in several communities within the Orange Walk and Corozal districts.  With the new SI, however, are other regulations which come with stiffer penalties for offenses such as bribery and extortion.  In the villages of Santa Marta, Guinea Grass and Shipyard life will return to some state of normalcy, notwithstanding the existing curfew. Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte shares the details.

Michael Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“It’s a very simple amendment that was made, simple amendment but with major implications.  Remember I had said you have one set of rules that apply to the entire country of Belize, however, there was a special set of rules that applied to San Pedro, Santa Marta, Guinea Grass and Shipyard.  So those four areas that I just mentioned, San Pedro, Guinea Grass, Santa Marta and Shipyard, those were in a special lockdown type of situation with their own extra strict rules and then you have rules that applied to the rest of the country that were not so strict.  What happened yesterday is that the SI was amended to have Santa Marta, Guinea Grass and Shipyard to be removed or be relieved of those extra strict conditions and they will come under the same rules as the rest of the country, except San Pedro that will remain in that special lockdown under those special restrictions.  So as we speak, there are two sets of rules really, one that applies to San Pedro that is extra strict, extra lockdown situation and then there’s one to the entire rest of the country that’s just one set of rules.”