But what about those specialized care services offered by doctors at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital? While those with insurance may be able to access these services at private healthcare facilities, those who cannot would do consultations at the national referral hospital. Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that the K.H.M.H. Authority has contracts with specialists and […]
We have reported that a number of medical items in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic ordered from U.S. suppliers have been blocked from arriving at the Bahamas, Barbados and the Cayman Islands. This is because the U.S. Customs and Homeland Security Departments are preventing U.S. companies from exporting respirators, ventilators, surgical masks, gloves and personal […]
Across the globe, there is a call for more testing to determine as much as possible the number of persons carrying the virus and to contain its spread. Even persons who are staying at home are encouraged to test if they are showing symptoms of the virus. But in many places there is a shortage […]
Since we reported on Wednesday on the COVID Relief Programme, the number of applications submitted has increased by another two thousand persons, though the number of applications has now tapered. By midday today, sixty-five thousand, seven hundred and sixty-two persons had applied to benefit from the assistance. Twenty-three thousand, two hundred and sixty-four applications were […]
The recording of an interview between Aaron Humes of Belize Breaking News and Dough Singh, formerly of the Social Security Board, has triggered a passionate debate about public accountability, the right of the public to know and journalism ethics. Since its release, the audio recording has unleashed a storm on social media because as a […]
U.D.P. Chairman Michael Peyrefitte has not had a chance to speak with former S.S.B. Chairman Doug Singh, however, in an interview with News Five this afternoon; he said that Singh’s prompt resignation was the right decision in light of the unfortunate remarks. The focus, says Peyrefitte, should remain on government’s efforts to get the people […]
The question most people are asking is whether it was unethical or illegal for the journalist to record former S.S.B. Chair Doug Singh? Was it a breach of privacy? It is known from the recording that Aaron Humes had indicated to Singh that he is trying to clarify information about the COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Fund, […]
Attorney Audrey Matura asserts that there are no privacy laws in regards to the recording of conversations and that there was no mention of confidentiality. Humes did not include Singh’s disparaging comments in his article, which was soon removed from the Breaking Belize news site—we are told it was at the request of Singh to […]
Up to Tuesday afternoon, more than sixty-thousand applications were lodged for the COVID-19 Unemployment Relief Programme and just a little over seven thousand were approved and forwarded to the Social Security to disburse payment. That seven thousand plus has almost tripled to twenty-three thousand approved up to today’s date and disbursement of payment was also […]
Some twenty-three thousand have been approved, which represents over thirty-five percent. While, those figures grew significantly over the past few days, several have been clamoring that the help is not reaching them fast enough. Today, we asked Co-Chair Coye about this issue. He says he doesn’t believe it is moving too slowly, but that there […]
There are no new cases of COVID-19 to report today. Eighteen persons have been affected and two have died. So far, six hundred and twenty-nine persons have been screened; six hundred and eleven returned negative and forty-six are under investigation. Those are the statistics up to three p.m. today. Now, despite a state of emergency, […]
Late this evening, Chairman of the S.S.B. Doug Singh stepped down from the post. The consummate U.D.P. insider also resigned as the chairman of the Elections and Boundaries commission and as a director of B.T.L. His letter of resignation is addressed to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, thanking him for offering the opportunity to serve. Now, […]
The number of persons infected by COVID 19 doubled over the Easter weekend. As of this afternoon, six hundred and twenty-nine persons have been tested; of that amount eighteen persons are positive. Notably so far, the Orange Walk, Stann Creek and Toledo Districts have not reported any confirmed case but the Belize District accounts for […]
The burial of Conrad Everett took place over the weekend in line with protocols established with the World Health Organization. Now, the cluster of persons that also tested positive includes family members who worked at different establishments. The Belize Health care Partners where he was first hospitalized closed and is to re-open on Wednesday. In […]
This afternoon, Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero provided an update on the positive cases of COVID-19. Speaking on Ask the Experts, Doctor Manzanero says that so far, there are two clusters each involving the two casualties, Everett as well as Hubert Pipersburgh, who died a week ago. In the case of Everett, the […]
The economy is coming to a grinding halt and being the largest employer in the country, the Government of Belize is looking to cut down on spending. With tens of millions dollars in revenue being lost as the weeks go by, the government is struggling to find funds to pay public officers. Government ministries, offices, […]
Financial Secretary Joseph Waight told President Smith that the government is seeking to identify and implement potential cost savings measures. One of those measures includes the proposed freezing of salary increments for public officers including teachers and members of the security forces. Waight says that the government is also proposing to temporarily discontinue the monthly […]
Just after he made those unsavory comments on who gets funds under the COVID Relief programme, Doug Singh spoke in a much saner tone to News Five. Now, one of the big issues coming out of the handling of the COVID-19 response is the unemployment relief programme; that programme is managed by the Economic Oversight […]
As we start the Easter weekend, the novel coronavirus continues to spread. Ministry of Health today confirmed the ninth case of the deadly COVID-19. The patient is a female minor who is in self-isolation at home in San Ignacio and is showing no symptoms. This brings the total cases of COVID-19 in the Cayo District […]
On Wednesday it came to light that Belize has rejected thousands of test kits that countries from the Central American Integration System were getting from the South Korean government. The Koreans gifted the kits under SICA’s Regional Contingency Plan to combat the novel coronavirus in the region and was signed on to by Deputy Prime […]
Opposition Leader John Briceño, who is the co-chair of the National Oversight Committee, says that the ministry made a mistake by refusing the test kits from SICA. Briceño says that he is at a loss for words as to why Belize would not accept the items, especially since that specific equipment along with viral swabs […]
Flu clinics have been set up across the country as part of the efforts to identify COVID-19 cases. In San Ignacio, the clinic was partially set up at the San Ignacio Hospital. But a video recorded by one a doctor shows the shocking state of the western flu clinic. In the video, the doctor describes […]
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 […]
Leader of the Opposition John Briceño says that as many as sixty thousand applications for unemployment relief from Belizeans who have been have been left jobless due to the corona virus, have been submitted online under the Government Corona Virus Unemployment Relief Fund. As you heard, one thousand four hundred applications have been processed so […]
A two-minute video posted online by the U.D.P. Standard Bearer for Orange Walk Central, Denny Grijalva is being shot down by the Leader of the Opposition and Orange Walk Central Area Representative John Briceño. In the video, a masked Grijalva tells viewers that his team is working on reaching out to residents and offer relief […]
