Belize City Mayor on Surviving COVID-19

Bernard Wagner

Everywhere, everyone is struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early months of the pandemic, the Belize City Council had to cut staff salaries by fifty percent as the revenue stream into city hall dried up.  As restrictions were relaxed and businesses were allowed to reopen, things have picked up at the council. Mayor Bernard explains how the council is surviving these last few months, given the COVID-19 situation.

Bernard Wagner, Belize City Mayor

“COVID-19 has disrupted everything in the council. I would say that we would go down in history, this council, as the only council that only had two years to serve. The third year was a crisis management term that we did. It has been totally crisis management. We cannot plan for the next month, we can’t plan for the next three months; it is just a day to day exercise. But we are coping with it and we have full confidence that with the foundation that we have laid has enabled us to be able to survive. Many people don’t understand what this council has been able to do. We have not terminated one staff; not even one. And the salaries that were not paid during the three months, some of them already got back half of the salary. People don’t understand that and people are on the side speaking like oh weh this council di do. This is what this council has been doing. Garbage collection; yo noh hear no quarrel about garbage collection. Garbage collection during COVID-19 continued right through. Many a times, we don’t toot wi horn, but these are some of the things weh people just have to say dehn bwai yah di do wah good job.”