176 Persons Arrested for Quarantine Regulations Violations over Xmas Holiday

Over the long Christmas weekend, one hundred and seventy-six persons were arrested and charged for violating the quarantine regulations. Of that number, eighty-nine persons were arrested after they were caught in public during curfew hours. Seventy-one persons were caught in public without their face masks on and eleven were caught failing to practice social distancing. Two persons were charged for not properly wearing their face masks in public and one person was arrested after he entered the country illegally. One person was charged for operating a business establishment contrary to the COVID-19 Regulations and another for selling after six o’clock. Owner of Pelican Sunset Bar in Caye Caulker Eduardo Arceo was slapped with a similar charge. He is accused of selling liquor after six p.m. on Sunday, December twenty-seventh. In speaking with The Voice of Caye Caulker, Arceo says that he was arrested and charged unfairly. According to Arceo, his customers had ordered the alcoholic beverages before the clock struck six. He says they were simply waiting on food before they were harassed by the police.

Eduardo Arceo, Owner, Pelican Sunset Bar

Eduardo Arceo

“The very first day that the S.I. was implemented which was a Sunday, last week at six-fifteen p.m. I was arrested by the commanding officer itself along with two police officers assisting him. I had around seventeen people that day and they were mostly tourists. Only three of our locals were here. I was preparing dinner for all these people and I was arrested and I was put in jail for almost four hours.

What the commanding officer itself said, it was very clear. I was arrested for serving alcohol after six p.m. It has to do with the new SI in place and I wanted t explain to him the situation but he didn’t grant me that option and therefore I had to call friends to assist. Again, I want to thank Mister Minister Perez for assisting and bailing me out of the station. If it wasn’t for that I would have spent the night there along with other business people on the island. People bought their drinks and they were waiting for food and I have proof of that, receipts of payment for credit cards, a lot of food, seafood mostly. All of them were waiting for food. Some of them were eating. But alcohol was on the table. I want to say, yes alcohol was on the table but they were all eating or waiting for food. The officer made it very clear that I am breaking the law. This happened about sixteen fifteen but my charge sheet says seven-thirty which is a complete lie but I had to sign just to get out of the station. I am not upset they arresting me. I am upset that after I was arrested and being put in a cell block they came here three times and chased my customers, told them that if they don’t leave they would be arrested too. These were all Americans they were talking and dealing with and these are my customers. That is the reason I am upset.”