Heading south, on the Hummingbird Highway, the water levels rose to dangerous levels. Construction work had to be halted and commuters heading into the Belmopan area could not make their way through as the force of the water caused debris to drift and obstruct the culvert. By some estimation, the water rose four feet high […]
The Accident and Emergency Wing of the Western Regional Hospital was also flooded today in the capital. This morning, images surfaced on social media of water flushing through that portion of the hospital. Regional Health Manager, Doctor Javier Zuniga told News Five that an overflowing drainage system to the rear of the building spilled in […]
In the west, flash floods also affected the area near Iguana Creek where the water was rising. Near the village of Buena Vista Village, roads there were rendered impassable by the flow of rushing waters. A resident of the area, Ramon Quiroz, provided us footage of the situation there this morning as the rising waters […]
This afternoon, Opposition Leader John Briceño said that his party is reaching out to all affected families in order to provide some sort of assistance to get them back on their feet. Commenting on the flash floods, which compromised the structural integrity of a portion of the George Price Highway, Briceño told News Five that […]
On Wednesday, Financial Secretary Joseph Waight confirmed to News Five that Belize applied for a loan through the IMF at the eleventh hour and is at number eighty-eight on the long list of countries waiting for COVID-19 relief funding. According to Waight, the loan is small and comes with a low interest under the rapid […]
Opposition Leader John Briceño also criticized the government’s move to request from bondholders to defer and capitalize the August interest payment of the superbond. If the bondholders agree to the capitalization, the interest payment will be added to the principal which in a way means that the total amount of interest owed on a long-term asset […]
Four of the recently laid off employees of NICH are tonight responding to their firings announced on Tuesday of this week. NICH laid off twelve members of staff on the grounds that COVID-19 has wiped out majority of its revenues and despite cost-saving measures, they can’t afford to retain them. The four employees, Karen Vernon, […]
It is no secret that the Government of Belize is in dire financial straits due to the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. On June fourth, government, in an effort to raise much needed foreign exchange, launched the first-of-its-kind treasury note in order to raise thirty million U.S. dollars. Earlier today, it announced a […]
A number of countries, including Jamaica, have received loans from the IMF at significantly low interest rates. Belize is on a lengthy waiting list for a loan of thirty-eight million U.S. dollars from the International Monetary Fund for COVID relief. The application was filed sometime in May and while government remains optimistic that it will […]
The payout of loans applied for by government from various international financing institutions, including the Inter-American Development Bank, I.D.B., has been sluggish owing to the many processes that are undertaken following the application. PM Dean Barrow said at the start of the pandemic that he was expecting a hundred million dollars from COVID Relief. Those […]
On Tuesday, the twenty-second case of COVID-19 was detected in Belize. While this is a new case, patient nineteen has recovered. Now, patient twenty-two is a Guatemalan border jumper, who along with two other Guatemalan men and a Belizean was detained over the weekend at a checkpoint in Unitedville Village, Cayo. The four men reportedly […]
The Guatemalans, however, did not remain in the quarantine facility because on Sunday they were whisked away to the western border. Reports surfaced that the Belizean, who was caught with the Guatemalans, contacted a well-known and established Chinese businessman in Belmopan to pull strings for the men to be released. But according to Doctor Manzanero, […]
A few minutes ago the Government issued a press release on the matter of the three Guatemalans who entered Belize illegal. It confirms that the men were arrested at a checkpoint in Unitedville Village after they were entered the country illegally. The men were taken to the San Ignacio Community Hospital to be swabbed for […]
The Belize Hotel Association has released the results of a poll it conducted over the weekend and as much as ninety-seven percent of those who participated in the poll are of the opinion that should rapid testing become available and specific protocols are in place, that the Philip Goldson International Airport should reopen by August […]
In order to reach the largest number of its membership, B.H.A. began its survey on June twelfth. The hotels, based on the results, are willing to take necessary measures to support and revive the economy through tourism. The number of flights, once the Philip Goldson International Airport is reopened has been significantly reduced to fifteen […]
Is there an overlap between the recent poll conducted by the B.T.I.A. and the hotel association’s survey? According to Tejada, only the core membership of B.H.A., those businesses that are actual hotels, were allowed to participate in the survey, eliminating other ancillary businesses that provide support to the hotel sector. Ted Tejada, President, Belize […]
Everywhere the financial crunch is being felt; at the National Institute for Culture and History, termination letters, dated June twelfth, were issued to eleven persons, including two directors as part of its cost-saving measures following a cut in G.O.B.’s subvention as well as a drop in revenue. In May, members of staff were placed on […]
The increase in the price of LPG, which was announced on Monday, is not sitting well for consumers and three former LPG importers as the country battles with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The prices went up by thirty-eight cents per gallon which, combined with a first increase, means that consumers are spending sixty-nine […]
Attorney Audrey Matura, on behalf of Gas Tomza, BWEL and Z Gas, has written to the Director of the Belize Bureau of Standards, Jose Trejo. In a letter dated June fifteenth, eight questions are posed to Trejo. Matura says that the public has the right to know the answers, including the formula used to set […]
The increase of prices for LPG came on the same day of a hike in the price of regular fuel. It was not lost on the People’s United Party, which fired off a press release today. The press release states, “Whenever the price of fuel and associated products go down in the region and around […]
The license of the three importers expired months ago and there was no possibility to renew or extend. Their position is that the government’s move to box them out is illegal and unconstitutional and that case is before the courts. Attorney Audrey Matura is challenging the government’s decision in the courts. According to Matura submissions […]
Last week, reports of a narco plane landing in southern Belize surfaced, the police confirmed it had deployed a team in search of the plane but there was no find. This morning, it was reported in the Mexican media that a white drug plane was tracked and it landed near Javier Rojo Gomez, a city […]
Director of Health Services, Dr. Marvin Manzanero, appeared on today’s episode of Ask the Expert where he responded to a number of questions put forward by members of the public. Prior to the Q&A session, Dr. Manzanero touched on continued testing for COVID-19, acknowledging that last Friday saw the most tests being conducted in a […]
Border jumpers and repatriates present the only external threats of a second wave of COVID-19 in Belize, as the country’s borders and airport remain closed indefinitely. Dangriga is one of two municipalities that have not recorded any cases of coronavirus thus far, though a family of four that recently entered the country from Honduras has […]
As we have reported, the National Institute of Culture and History had been running on financial trouble for months. The Minister of Education Patrick Faber had raised the alarm on May thirteenth and President Sapna Budhrani had said she was putting together a plan to get them out of the hole. When the lockdown started, […]
