Maya Island Air Installs COVID Testing Clinic at San Pedro Location
With the new U.S. travel regulations that came into effect on January twenty-sixth, all persons entering the United States must present negative test results. Local airline Maya Island Air has taken up the challenge of installing COVID-19 Testing Clinics at its locations across the country. Over the weekend, the Caring Hands Clinic – Antigen Test Center was officially opened for services on Ambergris Caye. News Five’s Duane Moody reports from San Pedro Town.
Duane Moody, Reporting
In San Pedro, visitors to the island who are in the process of returning to their countries of origin can now breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to acquiring the requisite COVID-19 test needed to board their flights. Maya Island Air has taken on the initiative of installing antigen test centres at its locations across the country. Since January twenty-second, they opened Caring Hands Clinic.
Shanna Pott
Dr. Shanna Pott, Medical Practitioner
“Their interest is based on the safety of travellers and ensuring that we get tourism back up and running, but in a safe manner. I have dealt with COVID-19 at every stage; from testing to examining to dealing with the patients who’ve had to be hospitalized, intubated patients; just at every stage. It’s not just about testing and getting it going, I mean although it is a very straight forward process, but we want to also have first world facilities where people feel safe.”
Doctor Shanna Pott of Belize Healthcare Partners Limited is among hundreds of frontline workers in the country who have been fully engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. So she’s making sure that the facility is well equipped.
Dr. Shanna Pott
“We wanted to create a first world facility where people feel safe and know that we can treat them at every step, at every phase. And so here we will be doing consultations as well and we have the pharmacy in the event that somebody needs any medication; it is fully stocked.”
Traffic to the centre has been slow as there are not many tourists on the island, as would typically be the case during this traditional high season. The testing process is carried out quickly, ensuring efficiency and safety at the same time.
Cora Guillen
Cora Guillen, Registered Nurse
“When the guest comes in, we check them in, we make sure that their name and birthdays are correct and all their information for their flight is correct so that they can enter the United States. I then get fully gowned up so that I am fully protected and then I administer the nasal swab test, then I pass it off to my lab tech who then runs the test. It takes about ten to fifteen minutes to process and then after that, we relay those information to the administrator and he then provides that to the guest.”
Duane Moody
“So the guest would be waiting while this is taking place?”
Cora Guillen
“That is really up to them so they could either wait – it takes about maybe twenty minutes total time – or they can go ahead and go on with their day and we can email them their results.”
American citizen Jana Gilbert recently migrated to Belize along with her husband and they are in the process of completing their home on Ambergris Caye. Due to unfortunate circumstances, she must make a trip back to North Carolina in two days’ time.
Jana Gilbert
Jana Gilbert, Tourist
“I feel like it is very smooth. We made a call and set up an appointment to get a test and they got me in and everything was just taken care of. No problems; everything was just very smooth and very organized.”
But the centre is not limited to tourists alone. Doctor Pott says that residents can also access the facility for a test.
Dr. Shanna Pott
“We are still open to just about anyone who wants to be tested. This is not just a facility that is for tourism alone, or just Americans or whoever it travelling to the U.S. But if you believe that you have had contact with a positive person, if you would like to know your COVID-19 status because remember that there can be asymptomatic cases and you want to protect the people around you, come over an get tested.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
Facilities are being set up in Dangriga, Placencia and Belize City. The test will be available at these centres for seventy-five U.S. or one hundred and fifty Belize dollars.
