Cabinet Give Update on Schools, OMICRON and Climate Change

In Cabinet news, schools will be allowed to reopen for some level of in-person learning in January, but they must apply for green light status from the Ministry of Education first. With the start of the 2021 tourism season, Cabinet gave the approval for the Ministry of the Blue Economy and Civil Aviation to employ eight new persons to begin training as air traffic controllers. A motion will be introduced at Friday’s Sitting of the House of Representatives, for a two point five million US dollars loan from the Caribbean Development Bank to assist government with emergency restoration of critical infrastructure.  Cabinet welcomed the report on Belize’s participation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Twenty-Sixth Conference of Parties (COP26) that was held in Glasgow, Scotland. In COVID news, there will be free testing for all students returning home during the month of December through the land borders only.  With the discovery of the new COVID-19 variant, OMICRON, Cabinet says new regulations will be implemented for persons from countries where this new variant has been detected who want to enter Belize. These will be a part of the updated Public Health Regulations which will be released later this week. Viewers should note this statement was issued before the first OMICRON case was detected in the US in San Francisco. The United States is where the vast majority of our arrivals originate. Finally, as the holiday season draws near, Cabinet continues to encourage those not yet vaccinated to do so, and reminds Belizeans who have been fully vaccinated for more than five months, that booster shots are now available. The public is reminded to maintain physical distance, wash hands regularly, and wear a mask or face covering in public.