Belize and Uruguay are the two countries in this side of the world that are battling the novel coronavirus with success. On the other hand, Brazil has been experiencing an explosion in cases and is recording the second highest number of COVID-19 deaths globally. Now, for more than fifty days, the number of coronavirus cases […]
The quarantine process of persons entering Belize is working to contain the spread of the virus, but there is growing concern over the effectiveness of rapid tests, especially as it relates to the future reopening of borders and the P.G.I.A. to international visitors. News Five has been able to confirm that both patients nineteen and […]
Fifteen persons were on the manifest of the United Airlines flight that landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport on June twelfth. Among them were twelve repatriated Belizeans; the other three included a diplomat and two American nationals, who are relatives of Robert Hurley, the sixty-year-old man who was killed on his farm in San […]
Another group of Belizeans returned to the country early this morning via a cruise ship. The vessel docked at around seven o’clock off the coast of the Old Capital. The group of five was swabbed, samples collected and they were then placed under mandatory quarantine for the next fourteen days. Closer to the fourteenth day, […]
The three recent positive cases of the coronavirus have all been imported and health authorities say the country is not experiencing a second wave. But during a one-on-one interview today with Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero, we asked whether Belize’s health system can manage a second COVID-19 wave, despite assistance from the Cuban […]
A man from Esperanza Village in western Belize remains hospitalized after he came under attack by someone he knew. Isaias Estrada’s hand was severed in a confrontation with Shane Jeal. The incident occurred over the weekend in the village when Estrada went to aid a neighbor, but ended up losing his hand and sustained injuries […]
In the south, the construction of a gas station at a prime location in Punta Gorda is coming into fierce opposition with every passing day. Objection to building of the service station is fueled by the sentiments that local businessmen are being put out of the market by the more affluent Chinese entrepreneurs who are […]
There is some consideration that the Unemployment Relief Programme will re-open as joblessness is on the increase. The initiative closed in April but since then hundreds others feeling the pain of having lost jobs. The biggest chunk of unemployed persons is in the tourism sector, more than five thousand lost their jobs in the food […]
Opposition Leader John Briceño has written to Prime Minister Dean Barrow informing him of his immediate withdrawal from the COVID-19 National Oversight Committee. Briceño sent the letter on Wednesday, the day he held a virtual press conference. The committee was announced on March twelfth and was designed as a bi-partisan approach in addressing the ever-evolving […]
Acting Chief Justice Michelle Arana rendered an oral decision this morning in a claim brought against the Judicial and Legal Services Commission by the Bar Association. During his tenure as president of the J.L.S.C., former Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin sidelined Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl-Lyn Vidal, who also held the post as head of the […]
According to attorney Andrew Marshalleck, the notion that the timeliness of the complaint has a bearing on the consequence sends a wrong message to the Judicial and Legal Services Commission. Andrew Marshalleck, Attorney, Bar Association “Where we are is that while the court acknowledges that the Judicial and Legal Services Commission acted unconstitutionally in […]
Residents of P.G., along with business owners, met outside of the Punta Gorda Town Council building on Thursday evening to raise serious concerns over the construction of another gas station within town limits, two within a one-mile stretch. Their point of contention was that no consultations were held prior to the approval of this project […]
A number of repatriation flights on United Airlines are scheduled for the month of June. U.S. nationals board the United flights to return to the U.S., but Belizeans are also taking advantage of the opportunity to come back to the Jewel. A second group of Belizeans returned today and are now in mandatory quarantine. They […]
The Ministry of Education has tentatively set August tenth as the date when schools are expected to reopen. With the current school year coming to an end this month, Minister of Education Patrick Faber says that while date is earlier than previous years, it gives students and teachers an opportunity to catch up with their […]
President Elena Smith is also questioning the legality of the reopening of schools. Smith contends that the recently enacted statutory instrument does not specifically address to the reopening of schools. Senator Elena Smith, National President, B.N.T.U “There is the concern that our teachers and students returning to school on Monday would be contravening the […]
There was a national sigh of relief today when the lifting of additional restrictions was announced, though the state of emergency remains in place until the end of June. Cabinet acted on the recommendations from the National Oversight Committee. There has been no sign of community transmission of COVID-19 for over fifty days; the two […]
The shortened curfew hours means that businesses will be allowed to open for longer periods. But this only applies to business establishments that are allowed to operate under the State of Emergency Regulations. Businesses that primarily rely on the sale of alcohol are still not allowed to operate. According to Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, those […]
One of the most anticipated decisions involves the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport. That matter was discussed at length this week at the meeting of the National Oversight Committee and Cabinet. The tourism industry, which accounts for forty-five percent of G.D.P., is Belize’s biggest foreign exchange earner and is a major driver of […]
So there is no decision yet on the reopening of the P.G.I.A. The results of a recent survey conducted by the Belize Tourism Industry Association indicate that fifty percent of members who participated in the poll prefer that the Philip Goldson International Airport reopen at a later date than July first. Those dates range from […]
Prohibitions on the use of parks and playgrounds will be lifted and recreational contact sports such as volleyball, basketball and football will be allowed. Gymnasiums and spas will be allowed to open. Private parties, weddings, funerals, receptions, meetings of fraternal societies, social clubs, or civic associations or organizations can be held, following social distancing protocols. […]
According to the Attorney General, the S.I., which comes into effect on Friday, only imposes time restrictions for the curfew. As for public officers, who were reporting to work at nine and working in shifts, Michael Peyrefitte says that stops; starting Friday, they report to work at eight o’clock in the morning. Michael Peyrefitte, […]
One day after the vicious killing of U.S. national Robert Hurley, a man has been charged for his murder. Earlier this morning, the San Ignacio Police levelled the charge and by this afternoon session of the Magistrate’s Court in that jurisdiction, David Valencia was paraded up the stairs and arraigned for the crime. On the […]
There is dispute brewing between the B.B.O.C. and another bus line called the Belize Transit System. The B.B.O.C. operators are saying that the Ministry of Transport is turning a blind eye to the B.T.S. that is operating a run without a road service permit. The B.T.S. is supposed to be conducting runs for uniformed personnel […]
A U.S. national was murdered in the bedroom of his house on the Benque Viejo del Carmen Road on Tuesday night. The man detained in the bizarre murder is the ex of Robert Hurley’s common-law-wife. He is David Valencia, who police say was employed by Hurley and is now in police custody. Hurley and twenty-seven-year-old […]
Two cops are in trouble with the law and are facing charges of extortion. Police was quick to act and the officers were arraigned today in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court. Corporal Raymundo Carillo and Police Constable Marlon Triminius are accused of extracting one hundred dollars from a motorist who was not carrying on him a […]
