There is alarming news tonight from the Director of Health Services on the coronavirus. As many as six persons have died over the last twenty-four hours due to COVID-19. The latest death was confirmed during an interview conducted this evening with Director of Health Doctor Marvin Manzanero. This brings the total of persons who have […]
Now, as many as one hundred and twenty-one cases of COVID-19 were indentified on Thursday. That is the largest number of new cases that the country has recorded in one day. Four hundred and fifteen samples were processed which resulted with positivity rate of twenty-nine point two percent. The Corozal district recorded the highest number […]
And the deteriorating COVID situation can get worse; the Ministry of Health is monitoring nineteen banana plantations in the south where COVID-19 clusters are growing at these banana plantations. According to Doctor Manzanero, the virus can thrive in banana farms into larger clusters if face masks are used and other safety measures are ignored […]
With the health services under stress, Doctor Manzanero also addressed disturbing reports of a suspected COVID patient who was refused admission at a private facility in Corozal and at the K.H.M.H. The private facility turned down the patient until a down payment was made or clearance from the Ministry of Health was received. So the […]
With the number of cases out of control, the Ministry of Health today announced its intention to start using antigen rapid testing for COVID-19 using established protocols. Doctor Marvin Manzanero says that after completing a validation exercise with the SD Biosensor Antigen testing kit and following international recommendations, use of this antigen testing kit will only be […]
The spiralling number of COVID-19 cases and the record number of deaths due to the virus have put law enforcement on alert with the weekend activities that are usually associated with Halloween. ComPol Chester Williams is asking parents as well as residents to refrain from trick and treating or they may find themselves tricking in […]
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Orange Walk is increasing by about twenty to thirty new cases daily and with over one thousand one hundred and seventy positive cases identified in that district, it remains the epicentre of the virus. And while the ComPol is looking at enforcement of measures, we were asked the […]
Turning to the prison where the virus has also spread….on Thursday, the news broke that ninety inmates tested positive for COVID-19. Rapid tests were done at the Belize Central Prison where staff and inmates were tested. Today we spoke with C.E.O. of the Kolbe Foundation Virgilio Murillo who says that ninety-seven percent of those afflicted […]
And how does the prison plan to contain the spread? Murillo says that they have implemented an additional fourteen day quarantine which kicked in on Tuesday of this week. So, prison visits and access to the facility are not possible at this time. He notes that those who are positive have been isolated in one […]
With ninety-cases detected in a round of rapid testing – we asked Murillo what is accounting for the spread and how are they handling the cases? He says that the Ministry of Health is providing tremendous support to help the prison contain the spread and he is positive that with the quarantine in place they […]
On a scandal that will not go away, P.U.P. Leader John Briceño has written to PM Barrow on the matter of former Chairman Net Vasquez and his alleged abuse of the corporate credit card at B.T.L. Briceño recalls that when the matter came to light, an audit was announced to determine the extent of the […]
Shipyard in the Orange District is home to a large Mennonite community, who ploughs the land and raises cattle. About fifty of these families are now packing up and leaving the country and heading south to Peru striking a severe blow to the livestock and agricultural sectors. To find out about the large scale migration, […]
A one-acre parcel of land seven miles north of San Pedro Town is causing an uproar among residents of La Isla Bonita because it was sold at rock bottom price to a politically connected individual within days of the elections. Several other parcels of land were sold for two thousand, five hundred dollars to at […]
In the south, there is also a purported land grab of indigenous land. Today, the outgoing Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte responded to a recent statement issued by the tripartite body made up of the Maya Leaders Alliance, the Toledo Alcaldes Association and the Julian Cho Society. On Thursday, MLA spokesperson Cristina Coc told News Five […]
We also asked U.D.P. Leader Patrick Faber about the allegations of land grab in southern Belize, involving indigenous land as claimed by Cristina Coc of the Maya Leaders Alliance. He asked for the evidence; and if so, he would condemn the action. Patrick Faber, Leader, U.D.P. “I listened very carefully as Miss Coc spoke […]
A decision taken by the prime minister to restrict COVID-positive persons from voting in the November eleventh general elections is not sitting well with a number of persons for various reasons. That decision robs persons of their constitutional right to vote. And some feel that in areas like Orange Walk where there are hundreds of […]
Earlier this week, the riot squad was seen training at the compound of the Mexico Sports Centre, located adjacent to the Marion Jones Sporting Complex. Word spread like wildfire that that they are preparing to be deployed, in the event that party supporters refuse to comply with the curfew regulations on election day. ComPol Chester […]
The People’s United Party on Thursday night launched its Plan Belize Tourism in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. It will be a challenging task for any government to stimulate the tourism sector which accounts for forty percent of G.D.P. and thousands of jobs countrywide. But the P.U.P. says that its policy will effectively and successfully […]
The first batch of the long awaited computer tablets are in country. The country-wide distribution for secondary schools began on Thursday and will continue into next week. As we’ve reported, the Ministry of Education is distributing the electronic devices to all high schools and today, ministry officials handed over tablets to the high schools in […]
The Public Utilities Commission on Thursday announced its final decision in respect of the 2020 Full Tariff Review Proceeding for B.E.L. In January of this year, B.E.L. made a submission for a Full Tariff Review Proceeding, recommending an increase in the mean electricity rate from forty-one cents per kilowatt-hour to forty-five cents per kilowatt-hour. The […]
It’s been over two weeks since they escaped from prison – and tonight five of the escapees remain on the run. They are Carlos Montejo; Jaroud Lamb; Michael Faux; Enrique Martinez and Erwin Lanza. We asked C.E.O. of Kolbe Foundation Virgilio Murillo about these inmates who are still at large. Murillo says that he remains […]
The government has announced a curfew on election day saying it is necessary due to the spread of the COVID 19. The curfew starts at eight when votes are traditionally being tallied. The curfew suggestion was initially made last week by a colleague in the media and Cabinet agreed to restrict the movement of persons. […]
With Election Day fast approaching, government is undertaking a number of projects across the country. Today, the police department in San Pedro were celebrating their new living quarters. The Ministers of National Security and Tourism and the Commissioner of Police were out in full force on the island for the inauguration of the facility. News […]
When we last spoke with C.E.O. Virgilio Murillo of the Belize Central Prison a few days ago, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 among inmates stood at nineteen. Tonight, there is alarming news of additional cases behind prison walls, and that is because of one hundred and ninety samples taken on Tuesday, a whopping […]
Eight-year-old Gabriella Corales lost her life on the afternoon of June eighteenth, 2019 when she was ran over while attempting to ride across a pedestrian ramp on her way to school in Belmopan. The tragic accident happened on the East Ring Road where the Standard Two student was making her way back to Our Lady […]
