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 […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is the cause of worldwide instability. Huge chunks of economies are shutting down, businesses are closing and the unemployment figures continue to rise. It is estimated that as many as twenty thousand persons have already been left jobless in Belize. The local bus industry is taking a hit, already operating in a […]
Public transportation is necessary for the movement of people who go to work or shop. Ewart Metzgen says that one of the requests being made by the Belize Bus Association is for the government to subsidize fuel in order for the bus operations to meet the operational cost. Ewart Metzgen, Secretary, BBA “We are […]
Meanwhile, in San Pedro Town, the business community has partnered with the San Pedro Tour Operators Association to sanitize public areas. With the approval and supervision of the Ministry of Health, water mixed with Clorox is being used to wash certain spots around the town. The initiative began today and Chairman of the Association, Roberto […]
A number of Belizean students, who were studying overseas, have returned home and are in self-isolation due to the novel coronavirus. There is a fourteen-day incubation period for the virus so during that time there should not be contact with other persons. During this time, public health officers also monitor to determine if persons develop […]
Bryton Codd returned home from Canada on March seventeenth; at the time, that country had seventeen confirmed cases of COVID-19 and schools were closing as a form of containment. On arrival, however, Codd says, he had concerns on the screening process he observed at the Philip Goldson International Airport and the risky behaviour of persons […]
Isolation comes with huge challenges since it is an abrupt departure from normal life to no contact with family members and friends. Successful self-isolation is a battle more of the mind than a physical one in a period of fourteen days that feels more like a lifetime. While there is no guidebook, there are many […]
Tonight, Belize has three confirmed cases of COVID-19. The first was confirmed on Sunday, March twenty-second. The patient is a thirty-eight-year-old Belizean female, who is currently in self isolation in San Pedro Town. She arrived in Belize on Thursday, March nineteenth from Los Angeles. The patient’s mother was later infected, prompting the government to extend […]
There were a number of new quarantine measures put in place over the weekend. During today’s Ask the Experts segment, Doctor Marvin Manzanero was joined by John Bodden. He is the Principal Public Health Inspector and according to Bodden, any Belizean entering the country will be quarantined for twenty-one days at different facilities. And for […]
Tonight, the country remains on the yellow phase, which is phase one of COVID-19. There are still only two confirmed cases of the virus in Belize and both are in San Pedro and involves a thirty-eight-year-old woman and her mother. The Ministry of Health says that the tests done between Thursday and today are all […]
So, as you heard just now, there are no new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The index patient and her mom remain in isolation on San Pedro. As you know, those two cases resulted in the state of emergency on the island. At this time, the ministry says the two patients are not exhibiting serious symptoms […]
Another issue covered today by the health experts was the matter of testing kits and other medical supplies that were known to be in limited quantity. Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero says a shipment of test kits and personal protective equipment is on the way to Belize. He outlined the schedule of arrival, […]
The Cuban government has been deploying teams of doctors and nurses to fight the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. With considerable experience in combating deadly diseases, the Cuban health personnel are in demand, even in wealthy countries. This afternoon, a second brigade of health personnel arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and will join thirty-two […]
Minister of Health, Pablo Marin told News Five that today’s group will be assigned to the isolation area and intensive care unit at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. Minister Marin says that today is a great day because of the almost ninety tests done in the country, only two have been positive up to now. […]
If you have been checking at stores and pharmacies, you would be out of luck for hand sanitizers. The item has sold out just about everywhere, as consumers prepare for COVID-19. But the folks at Travellers Liquors have come to the rescue since they already had in stock the main ingredient—high-proof alcohol. Relying on a formula […]
There are two cases of COVID-19 in Belize, but the deadly virus is already having a toll on the way of life. It is an enemy that attacks everyone from rich to poor from reds to blues; across the landscape, the people are all vulnerable to the contagious virus for which there is no cure. […]
Almost ninety samples from across the country have been tested for COVID-19. The samples are sent exclusively to the Central Medical Laboratory in Belize City, which is the only certified medical facility that is carrying out the COVID-19 testing. The Ministry of Health, however, is looking at other ways of testing in the near future. […]
The Ask the Experts session by the Ministry of Health is a good source for COVID-19 updates. One of the issues that came up a couple times was the compensation available for frontline workers, such as nurses. The Nurses Association has sent out a release with at least six concerns of the profession. They say […]
Doctor Marvin Manzanero also raised concerns about health workers facing discrimination, as well as being aggressed by members of the public. He says that there are reported cases in the west and north where health workers are having problems accessing stores and public transportation. He calls on the public to refrain from these acts and […]
And while many of us may be tired and frustrated by all the new measures put in place, they are necessary. Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that we may have to hold out a little longer because the situation outside of our borders is worsening for some countries. He points out that predictive models in the […]
The novel coronavirus has spread so quickly that the United States is now the country with the highest number of cases and the pandemic is wreaking havoc with the death toll climbing rapidly. The Ministry of Health here has been preparing to contain any outbreak of COVID-19 and all hands are on deck as we […]
There is no national shutdown, but government today instituted strict safety measures country to prevent the spread of the deadly corona virus. The COVID-19 crisis has paralyzed chunks of Belize’s economy and threatens widespread devastation. Countries like Spain, Italy, Iran, and even the great United States have been experiencing a losing battle against the novel […]
The new normal includes safety measures such as the closure of many business establishments such as casinos, beauty salons, gyms, bars, and restaurants. Groceries stores will remain open, but owners and managers are asked to adhere to the social distancing rules. Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General “Every business shall ensure that all customers and staff […]
The first COVID-19 case was imported; it involves a thirty-eight-year-old woman who entered the country after leaving Los Angeles last week Thursday. The Belizean woman was expected to self isolate but after landing on the island, she made some errands and visited her mother who was confirmed to be the second case of COVID-19. The […]
Public Service Union of Belize is calling on government to close all non-essential government offices across the country. Some ministries and departments have decided to close doors due to while others remain open. The P.S.U. is saying “amid this growing health and economic crisis, coupled with a depleted and unsafe transport system, the Union calls […]
