Corozal Free Zone Reopens to Snaking Lines
The Corozal Free Zone reopened for business today following ten months of closure. Discussions about reopening had started soon after the general elections, and there was collaborative planning to ensure area could open for much-needed business in the safest way possible. But when the gates opened today, it was not without its kinks. There were long snaking lines of Belizeans trying to get into the zone for work and lines of Mexicans ready to conduct businesses. News Five’s Duane Moody was there for day-one of business and files this report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
From as early as seven a.m. today, traffic at the northern border with Mexico resumed as the Corozal Free Zone reopened for business. There were snaking lines of persons and vehicular traffic for more than a mile outside its entrance as foreign nationals, primarily Mexicans accessed the zone.
Neri Ramirez
Neri Ramirez, C.E.O., Corozal Free Zone
“This morning was a traffic jam and they were following a list provided by us, but on that list was only employees that came to renew their ID to work in the free zone. If you were not on the list, they were not allowing you. So upon coming to work today, I was one of them on the line. As I came to the office, I called Miss Baptist and explained the situation and she addressed it immediately. So we are working together with the Immigration Department to see how best we can channel the traffic flow coming to the Corozal Free Zone. As you know the borders are closed.”
In order to cross the Immigration Border on the Belize side, you have to be an employee or an investor in the zone. Some eight hundred Belizeans have regained employment so far from what C.E.O. Neri Ramirez says is a soft reopening of the zone. It’s a reigniting of the economy in the north after ten months of inactivity caused by the closure of the borders due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Vinod Badlani
Vinod Badlani, Manager, Electro Metro
“We are excited to open it again because it is a long time we are home. And if there is no profit, no life. So right now, we are feeling like we are getting power to earn some money and give some good product to this country. Ten months is a really big deal. We lost December also which is a really good season. February is the lowest month of any year and we are opening in this month. It’s kinda telling for us.”
Neri Ramirez
“To date, there are over eight hundred employees who have registered or renewed their IDs which means that they are going to start to work already. So this is very happy to say because this will actually do salaries alone which will do over seven hundred thousand dollars monthly basis. So this will stimulate the local economy in the north.”
But it was a ghost town in the zone today; the volume of people and activity is not what it used to be. Electro Metro is one of a little over a hundred businesses that have reopened due to compliance with mandatory safety requirements imposed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness for approval to operate.
Neri Ramirez
“As of January twenty-eighth, the health department already had inspected one hundred and five businesses. But out of that hundred and five inspected, not all of them were approved. About forty-six of them, which is forty-eight point eight percent of them were approved immediately because they already complied with the requirements. The remaining ones were given a recommendation on what needs to be done to comply and they will open shortly after that. Before you enter the gate, you have a compliance officer checking temperatures if you are okay, if above the prescribed limit, they will not allow you to come into the free zone. Secondly, they have to sanitize your hands, and thirdly, you have to walk in through the tunnel.”
…and even before they get to the entrance of the free zone, foreign vehicles entering the country via the Chactemal Bridge must go through a fumigation tunnel. This is manned by OIRSA.
Juan Patt
Juan Patt, Quarantine Officer, OIRSA
“There at the front there is an immigration officer along with one of our OIRSA staff. They ask for their IDs, they take down their names. Once all of them are adults, because children are not allowed, they are allowed to come in. we make the spraying with the chemical and they wait for four vehicles and then four of them spray and they come in.”
Duane Moody
“Is there any cost associated with this?”
Juan Patt
“No, no, no, no. Vehicles that are entering into the free zone, they do not need to pay for the spraying. Today was a holiday in Mexico so the cargo trucks, most of them were not allowed to come into Belize. But tomorrow, we expect cargo to be entering so that will be a much difficulty task to deal with.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
