In recent weeks, there has been a spike in gun violence in Dangriga where four persons were injured in separate shootings. The incidents, according to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, were the result of rivalry between two groups in that southern municipality. Well since then, several operations were carried out in the south of the […]
At the top of the newscast, Director of Health Services, Doctor Marvin Manzanero shared that Belize has contained its first wave of the COVID-19, but the number of cases are increasing in the region. Despite the fact that everyone is now required to wear a mask and practice physical distancing, the risk of a second […]
Doctor Manzanero says that it’s not likely that they will recommend for an opening for the borders. As you know, Belize is the only country in Central America with no active cases of COVID-19. During today’s webcast, one viewer asked if we can expect to see the borders or the airport open by July of […]
And on the topic of testing, the Central Medical Lab will not be doing daily COVID-19 testing, with the country’s first wave contained. Director of Health Services Marvin Manzanero outlines when tests will be conducted and what’s the future of the CPR testing. Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services “To date, we have […]
A doctor was criminally charged in the San Ignacio Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Doctor Fausto Alvin Pineda of Benque Viejo del Carmen was arrested and charged for ‘Engaging in Private Practice, While Prohibited from Doing So.’ Pineda works at the San Ignacio Community Hospital, but also runs a private practice and he was found to […]
In a separate, but health related matter, the Belize Dental and Medical Association also called on the Ministry of Health to look into a case of what they deem victimization of a doctor employed at the Southern Regional Hospital. The B.M.D.A. says that they have received a report that a medical doctor was being transferred […]
During today’s Ask the Experts webcast, Lizette Bell of the Policy, Planning and Project Management Unit provided a list of funding and donation committed to Belize for COVID-19. The total expenditure, according to Director of Health Services, is about six million dollars, two thirds of which was drawn directly from government. The Ministry of Health […]
Almost two weeks ago we reported on a Kinkajou that was injured up north and was receiving treatment at the Belize Wildlife Referral Clinic. Well, the sad news tonight is that the Kinkajou, called Fuego, didn’t survive the injuries. He passed away on Sunday night while receiving treatment at the clinic. On April twenty-eighth, the […]
May ninth is recognized as European Union Day and this year the occasion highlighted the impact that the novel coronavirus is having on Europe and other countries that enjoy bilateral relations with the union. To commemorate Europe Day 2020, the Head of European Union Delegation to Belize, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska and Minister of Foreign Affairs, […]
Two major issues occupied the prime minister’s press conference today. The dismal state of the economy and the deadlock with the Public Service Union are both pressing matters. The government is broke, not one penny has come from the International Financial Institutions and revenues to the treasury have plummeted in March and April. So Prime […]
While government’s monthly operating expenses sit at roughly ninety million dollars, the steep plummet in May will leave a sixty million dollar deficit. In the context of cuts being made in the private sector and elsewhere in the public sectors, PM Barrow says that the Public Service Union is being rather unreasonable since others are […]
To further emphasize make the point that the P.S.U. is being irrational by rejecting government’s proposal to waive increments, PM Barrow says that when the economy rebounds other public sector workers will not be receiving monies that they have since relinquished. Conversely, the P.S.U. has proposed a deferral which would mean that government would still […]
Following the PM’s press conference, the Leader of the Opposition John Briceño made comments on the dismal state of affairs. While all are expected to make sacrifices, given the economic crunch caused by COVID-19, Briceño says there are many areas, other than salaries, where the government can apply cost-saving measures. The exercise entails looking at […]
The threat of an amendment to the existing Public Service Regulations looms over the Public Service Union as a last-ditch effort by the Minister of Finance to get public officers to surrender their increments. While the P.S.U. contends that the prime minister does not have the legal authority to make a one-sided decision regarding that […]
A letter from the Ministry of Finance to the Public Service Union, earlier this week, Financial Secretary Joseph Waight first sounded the ultimatum that the PM can well proceed to amend the Public Service Regulations to forgo the increments of public officers for the fiscal year starting April first, 2020 and ending March thirty-first, 2021. […]
Belize’s economy, knocked down by the debilitating fiscal impact of COVID-19, is on its knees and will take a lot from the public and private sectors to get it standing firmly once the threat of the coronavirus has subsided. In painting a grim picture of the country’s financial affairs, Prime Minister Dean Barrow laid out […]
Since the beginning of the week, there has been an ease on restrictions of the state of emergency and the businesses are reopening except for places such as casinos, gyms and restaurants. Briceño, a businessman himself, sees the need to spur economic activity, but says it has to be measured to prevent the re-emergence of […]
Back to the issue of the public service. In this morning’s press conference, Prime Minister Barrow pledged that he will borrow until the very last to ensure that their substantial salaries are met and committed that there will not be retrenchment. Today, Opposition Leader John Briceño also responded to that proposition by referring to political […]
Government is out of cash in the treasury and debt will continue to grow as government looks to borrow and borrow to meet its wage bill and other obligations. Briceño, in a one-on-one interview with News Five, asserts that for twelve years the government has mismanaged the country and its finance and now a heavy […]
Well wishes flowed today for the quick recovery of former Prime Minister Said Musa and sitting Area Representative for Fort George Division. The former PM is recuperating after a mild stroke that landed him in the hospital overnight. The seventy-six year old started feeling discomfort in the afternoon on Thursday and was taken to a […]
Belize is nearing the end of the twenty-eight day incubation period since the last publicly reported confirmed case of COVID-19. While we prepare to breathe a collective sigh of relief and anticipate further relaxation of regulations under the existing state of emergency, we are not completely out of the woods. Monday officially marks the end […]
The Ministry of Health has carried out one thousand one hundred and fifty-nine COVID-19 tests. That’s the figure on Thursday’s infographics which provides a quick overview of Belize’s COVID-19 situation. When he appeared on today’s live webcast of Ask the Experts, Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero broke down those numbers. Dr. Marvin […]
If no new COVID-19 case is reported over the next thirty hours, Sunday will mark twenty-eight days straight since no case of COVID-19 confirmed in Belize. It will mean then that we have recovered from the first wave of the virus, but DHS Marvin Manzanero points out that it may not want to claim the […]
And when it comes to testing, Doctor Marvin Manzanero notes that daily testing is not taking place. He outlines some of the industries and frontline workers who will be captured in random testing to be undertaken. Dr. Marvin Manzanero, Director of Health Services “As we move along, we should also specify that we are […]
Everyone has to wear a mask in public, but you are allowed not to use one if you are travelling in a private vehicle. Doctor Marvin Manzanero spoke today about why it is important that this personal protective gear is used properly. He says that other hygienic practices must also be carried out when using […]
