What Do Residents Think about the COVID Situation in Belize?
Today, a News Five team took to the streets to take the pulse of the public about the COVID situation in Belize. While one woman we spoke with has still not taken the vaccine, the consensus among those we spoke to was that the situation continues to spiral due to individuals choosing not to adhere to restrictions put in place to minimize the spread of the deadly virus.
Duane Moody, Reporting
What are you doing to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Lisa Montejo
Lisa Montejo, Belize City Resident
“Stay at home; clean everything. Wash down everything, wash up with clorox too because yo know clorox kills germs. Whenever people come dah my house and dehn use cups or whatever utensils, I wash it with clorox and I clean everything. Sweep and mop everyday and just wear mi mask and stay at least six feet away like yo say.”
Duane Moody
“To keep you and your family safe during this COVID?”
John Singh, Belize City Resident
“Stay far from people. I noh want ketch the disease and have to end up because the vaccine noh wah help yo from noh ketch it so the best thing fi do dah stay far from people.”
Mauricio Canelo
Mauricio Canelo, Belize City Resident
“One of the things that I think I am doing myself, but I think Belizeans on a whole – in fact, humans on a whole – is to have self-love. If you love yourself, then you would do what you need to do to keep yourself safe and at large, keep everybody around you safe. So avoid crowds and stuff, perfectly time your outings and stuff – do you really need to go out three times for the week, can you compile it into one? If you go into an establishment and the establishment is totally packed, walk out – go for a walk, come back and see when some people have left. Wear yo mask – over yo nose, over yo mouth. Sanitize, avoid social distancing. I know it is hard and stuff, but you just gotta do what you gotta do.”
Yolanda Molina, Resident
“I serve God so I noh fear corona. It might sound crazy, but I serve my God; my God weh I serve – nor vaccine nor nothing because all dehn thing have to come to past.”
Yolanda Molina
Duane Moody
“So you are not vaccinated? And none of your family members?”
Yolanda Molina
“Well some of my family vaccinated but everybody to dehn own, yo know.”
Many have been charged for violating the quarantine regulations and public health protocols which have been set in place to contain the spread of the virus. But the country is currently experiencing a third wave, with less than twenty percent fully vaccinated. With stricter measures soon to be enforced, including an extension of the current curfew to further restrict movement, what does that mean for residents?
Yolanda Molina
“It noh make no sense because we ketch bus and when we ketch bus, people sit down close to each other and then dah only when yo deh out yah, police deh out there. But ina bus, yo deh right there. Well curfew it noh matter to me cause yon oh have to deh pan di street dah night anyway.”
Lisa Montejo
“The numbers will never reduce until people be responsible for themselves. No matter what type of curfew this government put, it will not work. We have to be responsible for our family and ourselves. If we don’t do it, nothing will change.”
John Singh
John Singh
“The curfew noh matter cause people wah still do weh dehn want. Still wah deh bout, still wah socialise if dehn wahn; dah just di people decision by themselves.”
Mauricio Canelo
“What we are basically doing with this curfew and these lockdowns is that we are creating a cycle. What I mean is that we are going to have stricter regulations for maybe two three weeks, the numbers go down and then we ease up the restrictions and then people go back to the same situation – so we are back to square one. So we either have a lockdown, take the numbers down and then we come out back and start to follow and do what we must, otherwise we’ll go right back to it again. And we will have a third, a fourth, a fifth and a sixth and God forbids, even a tenth wave.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
