Minister of Health on Reopening Borders

On May thirty-first, land borders will officially open to international tourists only. The decision taken by the cabinet has been met with mixed reviews, especially so because the COVID-19 numbers in neighbouring Quintana Roo are spiking and there is concern that the reopening may trigger another wave in Belize, including variant strains that have been detected in Mexico. Today, News Five quizzed Health and Wellness Minister Michel Chebat about the decision and the rationale behind it. 

Michel Chebat, Minister of Health & Wellness

“We are going to be opening the North and the West and the San Pedro and the South as well, but it is going to be a phased opening; in the initial stages it is just gonna be opened for tourists wanting to come into the country. I can tell you that this has been a joint effort of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health making sure that we have the correct protocols in place and to try to continue safeguarding the citizenry of Belize.”

Michel Chebat

Duane Moody

“Sir, it is a move that is getting mixed reviews primarily because in Cancun, or in Quintana Roo, they’ve been spiking. There is also a threat of a lockdown in that area. Is there a concern there?”

Michel Chebat

“Correctly so. That was a concern; that was a matter that we discussed and we raised in the discussions when we were deciding whether or not to open the borders. But we feel we have sufficient safeguards within our country and we are going to have sufficient safeguards with our borders to try to stem and to keep away as much as that as we can.”