While the COVID numbers have been on what seems to be an everlasting upward trend, the numbers have begun to show a downturn in the Belize District. This is significant because Belize City is one of the areas where the Delta variant was spreading rampantly. But Deputy Regional Manager for the Central Health Region, Dr. […]
Last night we told you about Cabinet’s approval for booster shots. Currently, these are being made available for persons sixty years and older, persons with co-morbidities, and health care workers. A booster shot is basically a third shot of COVID-19 vaccine taken five months after taking the first two doses of vaccine. And, soon enough, […]
Belize is not the only country recommending booster shots for its citizens. Countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Africa and North America are administering booster shots among their most vulnerable populations, including those who are sixty years and older. Deaths among vaccinated persons are the highest among the sixty to eighty year old […]
Currently booster shots are being recommended for persons who have taken two doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines. We also asked Dr. Beer about the studies behind mixing and matching vaccines for the booster shot. Both the CDC and the FDA have reportedly given the green light for mixing and matching. It is an […]
Two cyclists lost their lives in traffic accidents on Thursday evening. As we reported on last night’s newscast, an elderly man was knocked down by a passenger van in Silk Grass Village. Today, police issued official details saying that the RTA occurred between miles seven and eight on the Southern Highway. The body of eighty-one-year-old […]
An hour and a half later, there was another road traffic accident; this time, up north on the Philip Goldson Highway in Corozal. Ezequiel Bermudez was riding his bicycle between miles seventy-five and seventy-six on the highway, when he was knocked down by a car driven by police constable Lazaro Catch. The impact sent Bermudez […]
A delegation from Belize will be attending the Climate Change Conference of Parties, or COP26, in Glasglow, Scotland that begins this weekend. The Prime Minister, John Briceño will be attending the World Leaders Summit to deliver a statement on behalf of the Belizean people. He will highlight the impact of climate change on our country […]
While the Office of the Prime Minister has issued its statement on the delegation heading to COP26 and the funding agencies involved, today the Public Service Union expressed its disapproval over the size of the delegation and wants cost details. The PSU says that given the current economic crisis and austerity measures they are “appalled” […]
While the number of new infections in the Belize District is now on the decline, the Central Health Region has now started to see an increase in the number of fake vaccination cards being presented and circulated. Dr Musa revealed that several surfaced over the past few weeks and were detected when health officials cross-checked […]
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has also begun to replace lost or damaged vaccination cards for people who have received their COVID vaccination. Those who show up to the vaccination points and request replacement vaccination cards will be given new ones, but are urged to take care of them. Dr. Melissa Musa, Deputy […]
On Tuesday, the Briceno administration introduced a motion, via a proposed legislation, to effectively do away with the office of the Director of Health Services. This would be achieved by bifurcating the role of the DHS. Two new senior positions would instead be created, including the offices of the Director of Hospital Services and the […]
Also opposing the motion by raising the concern that the proposed legislation seeks to circumvent the Public Service Commission, was NTUCB President Luke Martinez who sat in place of Senator Elena Smith at Thursday’s senate meeting. While the bill to include a union member on the board of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority is […]
Thirteenth senator Osmany Salas, who also spoke against the bill, agrees that the manner in which government is seeking to abolish the role of the DHS is questionable and that the lack of leadership in the public health sector is cause for serious concern amid the pandemic. Osmany Salas, NGO Senator “I think that […]
The post of Director of Health Services has been abolished and two new posts have been created in its place within the Ministry of Health and Wellness. These are Director of Public Health and Wellness and Director of Hospital Services. One month after the administration of Prime Minister John Briceno took office, former DHS, Dr. […]
There is hope in the North that the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and the Belize Sugar Industries will settle their impasse by the end of November. A release from the Association noted that both parties met on Wednesday at the ASR/BSI Conference Room to present their proposals for amendments to the current commercial agreements. […]
In an effort to boost Belizean farmers, GOB is inviting small holder farmers to apply for grants under a new agreement the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Green Climate Fund. According to the Ministry of Economic Development, the programme supports investment in the cultivation of market-driven priority products; vegetables: cabbage, carrots, hot pepper, onion, […]
Two hundred electronic devices for underprivileged students on the south side of Belize City, that’s the objective of drive in Belize and the Diaspora. The items will be distributed on the twentieth of December and on Christmas Eve, respectively. Founder of the Aspire for Greatness Foundation, Orson Picart and Faron Smith of True Belizean Foundation […]
In regional news, a Haitian gang has blocked entrances to fuel ports and is calling for the resignation of that country’s Prime Minister. Some businesses have closed because transportation is being cut off and diesel generators are facing the possibility of shutting down. Leader of G9 Coalition of Gangs in Port-au-Prince, Jimmy Cherizier, said he […]
Oceana Belize held its second virtual Annual General Meeting on Thursday night. Vice President Janelle Chanona highlighted several of the organization’s accomplishments, including the use of technology, the ban on gillnets, and increased monitoring out at sea. But the highlight of the AGM was undoubtedly the recognition of this year’s Wavemakers, those individuals and groups […]
The last shipment of corn to Guatemala was exported thirteen years ago. Since then, the movement of wholesale grain across the western border had been dormant, despite the existence of a preferential trade agreement between Belize and Guatemala being signed in 2006 and coming into effect in 2010. When that external market was cut off […]
The steadily rising cost of fuel has remained a bread and butter issue for many people whose livelihoods depend on that commodity. Aside from the booked tours, today only eight certified tour operators and tour guides work outside the gates at the Belize Tourism Village. But before they even attempted to seek out clients today, […]
The Stake Bank causeway has been controversial with FECTAB tour operators airing their side last week. While we were speaking to the tour guides out protesting gas prices today, we asked John Pollard of Big John Tours for his view on the causeway. He says he supports the project for income generation and any concerns […]
Cabinet has asked Chief Environmental Officer, Martin Alegria, to submit a report on the approval process for the Stake Bank causeway and Northern Drowned Caye Development. The approvals and permissions granted to these developments are the subject of an active review to determine validity, including a purported 2019 ECP that is yet to be made […]
This evening, there was a fatal traffic accident in the south. Reports are that a fifteen-seater passenger van ran over an elderly Hispanic man on the Southern Highway in Silk Grass Village. An amateur clip of the incident was sent to News Five as police officers navigated the flow of traffic on the thoroughfare. The […]
The Upper House met in special session today in a marathon sitting that’s reminiscent of Monday’s extended House Meeting. Among the bundle of bills brought before the Senate for approval was a proposed piece of law that makes way for the arrival of the Blue Bond, a unique financial configuration that will see the disposal […]
