Villagers say that they will no longer tolerate neglect and call on the powers that be to give them what they say rightfully belongs to them. Resident, San Marcus Village “We won’t make other people from far come and take what is for us. This is for us. We are young people. We are […]
The lockdown of the villages of Santa Martha, Shipyard, and Guinea Grass along with Ambergris Caye came into effect today. That is after the Ministry of Health confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in these communities with confirmation of a community spread in Santa Martha Village. Residents of these communities are under strict quarantine for fourteen days […]
While those three areas remain under strict quarantine, a State of Emergency has been announced for the rest of the country. As announced by Prime Minister Dean Barrow on Thursday, a curfew is now in place and several establishments are not allowed to open. The Attorney General explains. Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General “So tomorrow […]
According to Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte the fullest extent of the law will be brought down on any and everybody who flaunts the law. He says that law enforcement officers have been directed to be aggressive with individuals who do not comply with the law. Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General “I am trying to contain […]
Three senior police officers were placed on administrative leave following the chaos at the Port of Belize compound on July twenty-fourth. Eastern Division Commander and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alden Dawson; Region One Commander, Senior Superintendent Daniel Dawson and Commander of the Gang Suppression Unit, Assistant Superintendent Edlin Lorenzo were placed on leave immediately for […]
In June, the C.E.O. in National Security told News Five that government had sold four aircrafts for a million dollars. The money was most welcome given the financial crunch and the ministry was happy to get the planes off their hands. The aircrafts were confiscated at clandestine airstrips during drug busts. As it turns out […]
On Thursday, the Police Department, in its bi-annual COMSTAT meeting held in Belmopan reviewed the crime statistics for the first half of 2020. As we reported, major crimes decreased by twenty-two point seven percent with murders down by twenty-four point one percent; that’s fifteen murders less in 2020, when compared to the same period last […]
COVID-19 cases continue on the rise which means that if more community transmission is confirmed, the possibility of a countrywide lockdown is likely. While it is a decision that the Prime Minister is not hasty to make, it is one that could be very well made in the coming days. The P.G.I.A. remains closed indefinitely […]
Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero announced today that several frontline workers have been infected with COVID-19. Three police officers, two nurses and three doctors are confirmed to have been affected by the deadly coronavirus. When the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Belize months ago, Minister of Finance and Prime Minister, Dean […]
As part of COVID-19 measures to contain the virus; C.E.O. George Lovell also spoke about a centralized quarantine facility. He says that this will assist in containing border jumpers. Lovell says that Cabinet has given the go-ahead for a facility to be identified where all border jumpers will be housed. The thinking is that consolidating […]
While government is looking at have one facility for border jumpers for better control, it will also be relying on a devise to track tourists whenever they arrive. The nine-one-one enforcer is a tracking device that will be used to monitor the movement of visitors. The device is not only water and shockproof but it […]
The Belize Coast Guard today launched Operation Blue Lightning. The operation is geared at keeping Belize’s maritime border closed during this crucial battle against COVID-19. While the B.D.F. and police officers secure the terrestrial borders, coast guard officers are tasked in securing the maritime borders. The Coast Guard has been working around the clock up […]
The University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union is reporting tonight that their attempt to negotiations with the Board of Trustees and President of the UB has stalled. The union says that only today they received a letter of response to their request for negotiations to begin for their members. They also just recently received […]
Five years ago, in August 2015, the Government of Belize and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) signed a loan agreement for the Belize Integral Security Programme. The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to improving the quality of life of Belizeans and to support regional efforts that seek to combat crime. […]
The U.S. Embassy handed over half-a-million Belize dollars for the implementation of a COVID-19 awareness and prevention plan. UNICEF Belize is the local implementing partner and the work will target vulnerable communities, primarily children and youths. The monies were handed over at a ceremony in Belmopan on Thursday. Here’s the story. Andrea Polanco, Reporting […]
Strident measures are being imposed across the country due to an exploding number of cases of corona virus. There are more than fifty active cases as of now. First, we can say that there is community transmission in San Pedro which is now under lockdown as are three villages in the Orange Walk District for […]
Now in the case of San Pedro, hundreds have been leaving the island. Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced today that Ambergris Caye, where there is community spread and two COVID-19 clusters, will go under total lockdown. So for the second time, Belize’s top tourist destination will be cut off from the rest of the country. […]
Turning to Orange Walk….the villages of Santa Martha, Shipyard and Guinea Grass will also go into lockdown at midnight. Santa Martha is of particular concern because a cluster has been identified there. Cases have also been detected in Shipyard and Guinea Grass, so those two communities go under lockdown as well. The rest of the […]
What led to the lockdown and curfew is an additional fourteen cases of COVID-19 that were identified overnight, bringing the total number of active cases of the virus in Belize to fifty-three. An additional thirteen cases were from San Pedro and one in Belmopan. Of the thirteen in San Pedro, ten were linked to the […]
Contact tracing for the positive case in Belmopan begins; that person is linked to the Santa Martha case in the north. The mapping exercise continues for the clusters in San Pedro and elsewhere. In his presentation today, Doctor Manzanero stressed that non-essential travel across the country must be avoided to contain any spread of the […]
Border jumpers are giving rise to an increase in the number of cases especially so in bordering communities. Government will also be going to the House to amend legislation to curb the contraband hustle. The full force of the law will come down on anyone caught with contraband goods; these persons will be charged as […]
On Wednesday we reported on a boating incident that happened off the coast of Caye Caulker and left a teenager critical. Well, tonight we report that the victim Fifteen-year-old student Kyle Carias of Caye Caulker died while receiving treatment at the hospital on Wednesday night. Kyle suffered a large cut to the forehead when he […]
A frontline worker was attacked by a resident who refused to wear a mask. This morning, Inspector Keith Clarke was scalded with boiling water near the Pound Yard Bridge when the officer informed an individual that the person was violating the quarantine rules, as it relates to the use of face masks. Unfortunately the officer […]
Border jumpers and contraband go together; the illegal activity continues to flourish in border communities in the north where there is an insatiable appetite for Mexican goods, with beer at the top of the list. But the practice has resulted in the increase of cases of the coronavirus and the limited number of law enforcement […]
The authorities are still trying to track down the border jumper who escaped from the quarantine facility in the west. Jose David Perez, a villager of Duck Run, escaped from mandatory quarantine. He fled the Victor Galvez Stadium facility on Wednesday evening. Today, Commissioner Chester Williams says that he has received information that there was […]
