The Christmas holiday has always been a time when family and friends get together to enjoy each other’s company and celebrate the season to be merry. But 2020 has proven to be a difficult year for many and with the COVID-19 pandemic raging on, social gatherings have been made contrary to the COVID-19 regulations. But while […]
There are new COVID-19 measures being implemented going into the Christmas holidays, including a nightly curfew that will keep most Belizeans inside their homes at eight o’clock. The announcement of new measures came this morning during a press conference held by the ministries of Health and Wellness and Home Affairs. While an existing ten o’clock […]
The use of face masks remains mandatory, despite the penalty for the offense of not having one or wearing it improperly having been reduced to a fine of five hundred dollars. For business owners, the Ministry of Home Affairs emphasizes that customers adhere to all COVID-19 protocols, including social distancing and hand sanitizing and since […]
From the health perspective, the number of active cases has decreased considerably to a little over one thousand, five hundred infections based on a redefined method by the World Health Organization on determining whether a person is recovered. Minister of Health and Wellness Michel Chebat spoke of rapid testing being conducted across the country. As […]
The new statutory instrument that comes into effect this weekend also applies to restaurants and bars, schools, as well as participation in contact sports. Where schools are concerned, they will remain closed indefinitely. Restaurants, however, are allowed to operate at fifty percent of capacity by reservations only. Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs “Restaurants, […]
The sale of liquor is also being prohibited beyond six p.m. daily and that, too, is indefinite. While alcohol can still be consumed in the privacy of one’s home, you are not allowed to purchase beers, wines or hard liquor beyond six o’clock. Inter-district travel has also been banned in the north for the time […]
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief Executive Officer Amalia Mai received a cheque of fifty-nine thousand, five hundred and eighty-four dollars and thirty-nine cents from Mexico’s Ambassador to Belize Martha Ofelia Zamarripa Rivas. A release from the Government Press Office says that the funds will be used to provide humanitarian assistance, specifically […]
The Government of Belize received a donation of humanitarian relief from the Government of Brazil to assist in the aftermath of Tropical Depression Eta and floods caused by Hurricane Iota. The donation package includes food items, hygiene kits, water and mattresses. Minister of Human Development Dolores Balderamos Garcia and Minister of Climate Change and Disaster […]
Today, the Belize Coast Guard held one of its tradition – the annual Christmas luncheon and awards program. The Christmas luncheon for military or service members is a long standing tradition first started in the Belize Defence Force and has since become a part of the Belize Coast Guard’s ritual. It’s an event used to […]
The Government of Belize is expected to announce new quarantine regulations on Friday which will become effective on Saturday. As you will recall, the most recent Statutory Instrument expires this Friday. But going into the Christmas holidays with a large number of COVID-19 cases daily has prompted law makers to institute additional measures. This morning, […]
When that new statutory instrument comes into effect, it will also clamp down on the sale of alcohol. According to Minister Kareem Musa, the public will no longer be able to purchase alcohol after six p.m. Here’s how he explains it. Kareem Musa, Ministry of Home Affairs “That is one of the regulations that […]
As we head into the holidays and new measures are put in place, talk of another lockdown has been swirling in the public. As we told you earlier this week, one government C.E.O. is calling for a lockdown to contain the COVID-19 cases. Today, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa was asked about his stance […]
Late this evening, the Office of the Prime Minister announced the appointment of Doctor Gilroy Middleton as the new Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Immigration. The release says that Doctor Middleton has work experience in the public and private sector and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Management and Social Science […]
Former B.T.L. Chairman Nestor Vasquez has also parted ways with his family business, Tropical Vision Limited, Channel Seven after thirty-nine years of ownership. The move comes in the wake of a scandal at Belize Telemedia Limited where Vasquez racked up a bill of almost a million dollars in personal expenses on the company’s corporate credit […]
A cohort of at least two hundred and twenty-five new police constables is expected to pass out of the Police Training Academy in June 2021, upon completion of a six month course. Their addition to the Belize Police Department is part of the People’s United Party’s mandate in which it is expected that an additional […]
Siblings Brandon and Hubert Baptist and two other Belize City residents were released from police custody earlier today, after being detained by police on Wednesday while they were at home on Police Street. The men told News Five this evening that they were inside their yard when a team of officers from the Gang Suppression […]
Also detained during the sweep was well-known footballer Floyd Jones who says he was at the barbershop inside the family yard when he, too, was taken into custody. According to Jones, the arresting officers insisted that a photograph of himself be taken, along with his fingerprints, despite not being charged for a criminal offense. […]
New guidelines for passenger arrivals at the Philip Goldson International Airport are being developed by a committee led by Minister of the Blue Economy and Civil Aviation, Andre Perez. The need for revised standard operating procedures for entry at the P.G.I.A. is in anticipation of an increase in arrivals during the first few months of […]
Stakeholders in tourism, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises that were hit hardest by COVID-19, will now be able to access financing through a twenty million U.S. dollar loan that Atlantic Bank Limited has received from I.D.B. Invest. It is estimated that M.S.M.E.s generate over seventy percent of private sector employment and income in […]
Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa says that while the laws are in place and cops will help to enforce the laws to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the public must do its part. Musa is calling on the public to use the hotlines to report restricted events. Musa explains that the COVID-19 police task […]
One of the other COVID-19 prevention changes that we can expect will be in public transportation. According to Minister Musa, the crack down on public transportation to cut the spread of COVID-19 will see buses and boats reduce their carrying capacity to fifty percent. This will allow for less overcrowding and reduce chances of virus […]
Since Monday, Fultec Systems Limited has been giving away free packets containing vervain and lemon grass. The packets are boiled and then you drink it as you would a tea. It is said that the tea helps with several of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 and so today, we found residents taking advantage of the […]
The Child Development Foundation launched a campaign that seeks to prevent family violence. The campaign will engage private sector through the use of posters and educational sessions. Executive Director Diana Shaw says that the campaign will help to identify those at risk and help them to access services. Here’s more from Shaw at Wednesday’s virtual […]
The Development Finance Corporation is on its way to become a Green Climate Fund accredited entity. It means that the D.F.C. will be able to provide access to funding for climate resilient related activities and investments. But before they become accredited, they must meet certain standards to be able to disburse funding. And so through […]
2020 has been anything but traditional, so it’s safe to say that we must reconsider all our usual Christmas traditions as we continue battling the pandemic. So with one week to go before Christmas, ‘tis the season for tough choices and safety planning. In tonight’s Healthy Living, we outline some tips to make your Christmas […]
