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And while public officers and teachers are forgoing their increments, will they face retrenchment? At his press conference last week, the Prime Minister said he will borrow as long as he can to avoid retrenchment. But PM Barrow predicted that whoever succeeds him as Prime Minister will have to speak to the IMF and IFIs […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The Possibility of Retrenchment in the Public Sector is Real
COVID-19 has had a severe impact on the economy resulting in massive layoffs especially so in the tourism industry. The B.T.B. was among the first to cut back on its staff, and this week, the local Tropic Air is sending home hundreds of employees. In some Caribbean countries such as the Bahamas and Barbados, tourism […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The Impact of COVID-19 on Belize’s Tourism Industry
Last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced a tentative date for the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport to allow for international visitors to resume travel to Belize. July first is the earliest date on which the airport can reopen. Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that the reopening of this port […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Travel |
Comments Off on Reopening the P.G.I.A. Will Pose a Challenge…
While health experts foresee challenges with the reopening of the Philip Goldson International Airport, there is optimism at the Belize Tourism Board about international tourists being able to return to the Jewel. In fact, they have launched the dear Belize website that allows for persons in the main markets for the country—the U.S., Canada and […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on …But B.T.B. Keeping International Visitors Engaged
With the borders and the international airport still closed, local tourism is being promoted across the country as a first step before international visitors begin making their way back to Belize. On May fifteenth, the B.T.B. launched its plan to have heads in bed as the tourism industry attempts to rebound from COVID-19. Here is […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Belizean Traveller Campaign is Launched to Boost Domestic Tourism
As the Belize Tourism Board promotes local tourism, it is also getting ready for the day when international visitors arrive at the P.G.I.A. It is collaborating with the Ministry of Health, the Belize Hotel Association and other industry partners to develop a property manual that will ensure that hotels and resorts put in place sanitation […]
Written on May 19, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on B.T.B. Developing a Property Manual for Hotels/Resorts
It’s day thirty-five since Belize has recorded a positive case of COVID-19, but the Ministry of Health remains on alert as border communities in neighbouring Central American countries continue spiking. Up north in Mexico, there are forty-nine thousand two hundred and nineteen confirmed cases, with five thousand one hundred and seventy-seven deaths. Meanwhile in Guatemala, […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on 35 Days Since Belize Has Recorded Positive Case of COVID-19
Restaurants resumed on-premises dining on Saturday but the hospitality industry is looking a whole lot different. The use of the face mask by diners and employees is a must and so is the practice of social distancing. On Saturday, the first day of the resumption of business, some were not yet ready to transition to […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Restaurants Resume On-Premises Dining, but Al Fresco
And while some restaurants were able to begin to operate over the weekend, there is another category of restaurant-style businesses that will have to adapt to the regulations. According to the Attorney General, Michael Peyrefitte, business establishments that possess a restaurant license were allowed to operate but those which possess a ‘publican special’ license have […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Statutory Instrument 72 Amended
A crowd of persons showed up at mile forty-four on the George Price Highway on Sunday, lured by the promise of a piece of land. Nigel Petillo, of the Belize Youth Grassroots Empowerment Organization, is attempting a repeat of the Harmonyville Community where he successfully took over acres of land and parcelled it out to […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Pet and Arthur Saldivar Charged After BGYEA Land Meeting in Cotton Tree
So while Petillo and his attorney were both arraigned this morning for matters having to do with social distancing, use of face masks and movement outside of the curfew, their brief time in the holding cell at the Belmopan Police Station contravened all those stipulations. According to the men, they were placed in a very […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Locked Up With No Means of Adhering to Social Distancing
While there has been no official word on whether a deal has been reached, the Public Service Union has re-examined its view of the use of the word “defer” in respect of an agreement with the Government of Belize where increments for public officers are concerned. The original use of the word, as it appeared […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Rethinks Its Position on Increment Agreement
According to Flowers, a formula will be devised to calculate what each public officer will receive in gratuity at the point of retirement which will also factor in what they would have received were this increment to have been included. The use of the term defer, he says, was for simplicity. CC, 1st Vice […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.S.U. Optimistic About Economic Recovery
Friends for Conservation and Development, F.C.D., has been battling for the preservation and conservation of Belize’s forest to the west for many years. For the past few weeks, the environmental group has been challenged with its latest foe, forest fires. Large portions of the Vaca and Chiquibul forests were destroyed by rampant fire; it also […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Environment,
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Comments Off on Rivers of White Ash in the Vaca Forest
F.C.D. has had to take up the responsibility of arresting encroachers and manning the forest to keep it from disappearing. In his article, Rath asks the question, ‘where is our B.D.F.?’ He points out that F.C.D. is not a security organization. Tony Rath, Photographer “For some reason, I am not quite sure why, they […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
Disasters,
Environment,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Guatemalan Farmer Caught Illegally Farming in Belize
The government is making provisions to allow Belizeans in other countries who have been displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic to return home by the end of May. The COVID-19 Controlled Repatriation for Displaced Belizeans Abroad is asking for Belizeans to first seek the approval of the Government before returning to the country. As of today, […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Displaced Belizeans Can Return Home but With G.O.B.’s Approval
As you heard earlier in the news, Nigel Petillo and his attorney Arthur Saldivar have been charged with S.O.E. violations, including a charge for not wearing a mask in public. The two were taken to court today. Now, Seven News Director, Jules Vasquez is coming under fire from the public since he was seen last […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Why Wasn’t Jules Vasquez Not Charge for Failure to Wear Face Mask in Public?
There was a scuffle on Saturday night involving a team of police officers attempting to arrest a colleague, who was reportedly drunk and acting unruly while being apprehended. The incident happened just outside of Camalote Village where Mark Rodriguez was seen driving recklessly along the George Price Highway. According to Assistant Superintendent Aaron Gamboa, who […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Police Officers Fight to Detain a Drunk Colleague in Camalote
For a second time in recent weeks, the San Pedro Town Council is at odds with the state of emergency regulations. Weeks ago, the town council announced measures to be undertaken on the island that went against the state of emergency. Today, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams took a firm stance against the council. With […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Commissioner of Police Warns San Pedro Town Council, Again
Commissioner Chester Williams also took some time to speak on food vendors, who sell items such as the all time favorite tacos and barbecues. Vending is not allowed, but the new relaxed regulations are providing some sort of accommodations for vendors to sell from their houses. Williams says that vendors can now operate at their […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Tacos Vendors Can Sell from Home
And while vendors are now given some leeway to operate from their house, you are allowed to have a social event at your house. But there is one big restriction, and that is that the social event is to only be enjoyed by members of the household. Commissioner Williams says that anyone who does not […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The Rules on Social Events at Home
Guatemala and Mexico are registering an increasing number of positive COVID-19 cases and while our borders are closed, the threat of a spill to this side of the border is still possible. The borders are porous and several persons have already been detained, arrested, and charged for illegal entry. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams says […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Police and B.D.F. Soldiers Patrolling Borders for Border Jumpers
For more than a month now, Belize has not reported any new COVID-19 cases, but a state of emergency remains in place until June and a curfew is in place from eight p.m. to five a.m.; for children they cannot to be out between six p.m. and six a.m. Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams shared […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Over 1,300 Persons Charged So Far for S.O.E. Violations
A complaint was made to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams during his time on Ask the Experts today. According to the complainant, who is a Benque Viejo resident, plain clothes officers on patrol seemed to have been offended after the complainant requested information from them. Now, the Commissioner has reiterated several times that the public […]
Written on May 18, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Police ID Machine Down
There is still no deal between the Belize National Teachers Union, the Public Service Union and the Government of Belize and at news time, the unions are preparing to respond to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, and Financial Secretary Joseph Waight. On Wednesday, it seemed that the parties had agreed on the way forward but on […]
Written on May 15, 2020 | Posted in
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Comments Off on PM Says “Forego;” Unions Say “Defer”
