Home Affairs Minister on Mask Wearing

The Center for Disease Control in the United States announced this week that once Americans are vaccinated, there is no need for them to continue wearing a facemask. But, this is not the case here in Belize where authorities are continuing mask protocols. Being in public without a facemask is still a ticket able offense and if you are caught, you can be fined up to five hundred dollars. While the C.D.C.’s recommendations may be implemented in Belize sometime in the future, Minister Kareem Musa reminded us today that masks have been effective in Belize. Additionally, most Belizeans have only received their first jab.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

Kareem Musa

“We will of course take our direction and guidance from the Ministry of Health. I know that the CDC has put that information out there. If it is that our local Ministry of Health that is the proper thing to do absolutely, we will move in that direction to implement it. But what we must remember is that a lot of our population is still not vaccinated. I would want to encourage everybody that it is still the law. Please wear a face mask. It is a buffer; it is a protection. Not just for you and your loved ones but for other members of the public. It does work as you can see from the reduced numbers that we have been having. We are a special case. Everywhere else in the world, Costa Rica, India, the United States, they are seeing a surge. I think we have managed to find what I would consider a perfect balance, in a pandemic whereby we have been able to keep our numbers below one hundred. I would want to see that continue.”