World oil prices continue to fall, dipping below thirty dollars a barrel. But despite falling world oil prices, here in Belize, consumers are paying more than ten dollars a gallon. Premium gasoline sells at ten dollars and ninety-two cents while regular and diesel are currently being sold at ten dollars and twenty-three cents and eight […]
One thousand four hundred and eighty-eight applications for the COVID-19 unemployment relief programme have been processed and approved but about five hundred have been disbursed. The number of applications up to Monday morning was forty-four thousand, and with a little less than one thousand five hundred processed, this would be just three point four percent […]
Public officers across the country find themselves without their scheduled salary before the Easter; they will now be paid until April fourteenth. While the government is obligated to pay salaries two times per month, it has been the norm at this time of the year that those in the public service are paid before they […]
Farmers suffered millions of dollars in losses in 2019 due to the drought. They were barely recovering when the COVID-19 started to spread in Belize, bringing economic activity to a halt. The farmers are again losing money and unable to export livestock across the border to Guatemala. But while borders are closed, trade continues. Hundreds […]
Easter is cancelled – that’s the message that Belizeans heard straight from the Prime Minister. This Easter the country will spend under a state of emergency and curfew hours will remain in place, so the usual local travel and across the border will not happen. At this hour, many families would have taken to the […]
There is news tonight which public officers will not be happy about and that is because those members expecting salaries today, for the April fifteenth pay period, are not getting their money until April fourteenth. That is six days late, and after the Easter holidays during which families will be staying at home and will […]
Of the seven confirmed cases, the Cayo District accounts for three COVID-19 infections, including one deceased person. So at eight tonight, that district goes on lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. It means that travel to and from the district will be restricted to essential services. News Five’s Isani Cayetano looks at what […]
Mayors across the country are facing financial problems created by the impact of the COVID-19. Like businesses, councils are not able to conduct business and collect revenues. The entire Cayo District has been placed under enhanced quarantine measures and Mayor of Santa Elena/San Ignacio, Earl Trapp says that his council will not be able to […]
The impact on the economy resulting from the virus is being felt across the country; in fact, one indicator is the number of persons who are jobless and applying for unemployment assistance. That number is up to forty-four thousand, and continues to increase as more businesses bring down their shutters. Today, the Belize Bank issued […]
The economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis is widespread and across the country municipal administrations are feeling the financial crunch. Of the four hundred and twenty employees on staff at the Belize City Council, all of them retain their current posts. The gravity of the existing situation, however, has forced City Hall to reduce its […]
Orange Walk Mayor Kevin Bernard is pleading to Prime Minister Dean Barrow to afford city and town councils across the district financial relief. Most councils have closed down and only providing services of garbage disposal or market vending. Bernard says that the council’s revenue streams are merely trickling, leaving the council on a financial cliff. […]
Up north in Corozal Town, lines formed at supermarkets and banks as residents conducted last minute shopping, prior to the start of the curfew. But on Wednesday, a few miles away at the northern border and inside the Corozal Free Zone, the area was deserted as businesses shuttered. The slowdown on economic activity is on […]
The economic slowdown is not only affecting central government, but the nine municipalities in the country. While G.O.B. can access international funding, the councils require funding for their recurrent expenses. In Corozal, the council currently employs over a hundred persons. So what happens going forward if the council cannot pay its staff? At his most […]
Earlier you heard that municipalities are facing uncertainty on government subventions. Streams of revenue from traffic and property taxes are drying up and collections have dipped considerably. Under the state of emergency, essential services at the councils are limited to waste disposal and market vending. Minister of National Security, Michael Peyrefitte had this to say […]
As part of measures to contain spending in the public sector, the government is cutting fuel allocations for some ministries. The cutback represents a twenty-five percent reduction in allocations to designated ministries. The Financial Secretary, Joseph Waight wrote in a memo that effective today, which is the start of the new financial year; the reductions […]
Supermarkets and select grocery stores will be allowed to remain open during the next thirty days of a national state of emergency. On a needs only basis, persons will be allowed to purchase dry goods, as well as other imported items which means that other businesses within the supply chain would need direct access to […]
During the national shutdown there are going to be several other businesses in various sectors that will be ceasing their operations, forcing employees to go jobless during the thirty-day interim. The fate of those workers will be left hanging in the balance as a result of the urgent decision taken by the state. So how […]
A significant sum of money to be borrowed from at least three international financial institutions, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, CABEI, has been allocated for COVID-19 relief. Those funds are an aggregate of roughly a hundred and forty million dollars and will, […]
The Social Security Board has positioned itself to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The S.S.B. says that it remains committed to safeguarding the health, safety and well-being of its staff, customers and stakeholders. Several measures are in effect including the amendment to the benefits regulation. With thousands of individuals losing their jobs due […]
On Monday afternoon, the Inter-American Development Bank held a webinar to talk about COVID-19 and the implications on the Caribbean. During the live online show, Therese Turner Jones of the Caribbean Country Department spoke about the multi-lateral institution’s position on offering support to its members in the region. Turner-Jones outlines the priority areas of support […]
The private sector arm of the Inter-American Development Bank, the IDB Invest, was also a part of the webcast discussion. C.E.O. James Scriven spoke about how they are engaging their partners during this pandemic and the level of support that they can offer the region: James P. Scriven, C.E.O., I.D.B. Invest “We have across […]
As of Wednesday night, the restriction of free movement of citizens across the country will come into full effect as part of the state of emergency. Only persons who are deemed essential service workers, including law enforcement officers and health professionals, will be allowed to go about their respective duties outside of the imposed curfew. […]
Are there sufficient medical equipment and supplies to take us through this period of national shutdown, amid the COVID-19 crisis? According to PM Barrow, there is enough to last the country for a six-month period. As far as financial aid, in the form of loans from the Inter-American Development Bank, the prime minister admits that […]
To tide Belizeans over while funding from the international financial institutions is made available, government will be drawing down on monies that have been earmarked from its majority-owned utility companies, as well as the Social Security Board. Plans are also in place to bolster existing initiatives such as the BOOST and food pantry programmes. […]
There are more details tonight on the ten million-dollar donation granted by Lord Michael Ashcroft to the government to assist in the combat against COVID-19. The donation has been deposited with the Belize Bank in the name of “The Belize COVID-19 Response Fund” and is designated for the health and economic sectors. The Ministry of […]
