There are thirty more COVID-19 cases to report tonight. The Ministry of Health says that the new cases came out of a batch of over two hundred and fifty samples. If you saw the infographics earlier today, you would have noticed that the number of deaths increased by one, bringing the total to eleven. That […]
Back to the eleventh death. That victim is fifty-year-old Teresita ‘Tely’ Cruz of San Felipe. We reported on Cruz’s case on Tuesday – and as we shared from our interview with her son – Cruz was swabbed after she died. The housewife and mother of five experienced some fever and shortness of breath last week […]
Two suspected COVID-19 patients from San Pedro were rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital late this evening. According to a colleague on the ground in San Pedro, two elderly persons were experiencing respiratory complications and needed to be emergency lifted from the island and taken to the national referral hospital. In these images captured […]
The People’s United Party launched its health plan this morning and we will come to that later in the newscast. This morning, the virtual event included experts in the sector discussing various elements of its blueprint. But the elephant in the room was the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, there are a myriad of complaints on the […]
A new Statutory Instrument has come into effect which sees a relaxation of the states of emergency in several communities within the Orange Walk and Corozal districts. With the new SI, however, are other regulations which come with stiffer penalties for offenses such as bribery and extortion. In the villages of Santa Marta, Guinea Grass […]
The COVID-19 situation remains fluid and the National Oversight Committee has had to remain on the ball on an hourly basis. That’s according to AG Peyrefitte who sits on the N.O.C. He says that monitoring the increase takes place on the hour. Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General “We analyze them on a daily basis and […]
As the coronavirus pandemic batters the health system, the People’s United Party this morning rolled out a health plan that it says will make healthcare efficient, affordable and accessible to all. The plans seeks to first and foremost roll out the national health insurance programme across the country , the upgrade of the K.H.M.H. and […]
While the P.U.P.’s health plan is broad, covering ten primary areas; how would it tackle COVID-19? The party plans on investing in technology and human capital by building epidemiological and laboratory capacities and improving the supply chain management to respond to the country’s needs during health security threats. Public Health Specialist, Doctor Daisy Garcia says […]
Prime Minister in waiting, John Briceño says that when the P.U.P. assumes control of the government, the COVID-19 plans take effect immediately to ensure that there are ample medical supplies and equipment to respond adequately to the pandemic. This includes working with the Government of Taiwan for best practices to overcome COVID-19. John Briceño, […]
John Briceño says that the P.U.P. recognises the need to address mental health challenges across the country. Technology must be used to develop professional virtual mental wellness services in partnership with advocacy groups, N.G.O.s and schools. But Briceño says that investment must also be made in the health facilities in the Punta Gorda and Belmopan […]
There is grim economic news tonight; the economy contracted by twenty-three point three percent in the second quarter. That is the highest contraction we’ve seen in the past two decades. In fact, it is the largest quarterly decline to date. The decline reflects the effects of COVID-19 on economies across the region through external and […]
The primary sector contracted by twenty point two percent during the second quarter of the year, from eighty point six million to seventy point eight million dollars. Sugarcane production declined considerably by fourteen percent and this is due to the 2019 drought which affected harvesting. Livestock production fell by thirty-six point nine percent. Jacqueline […]
In the secondary sector, a decline of nineteen point five percent over the three-month period was recorded. Within this sector, the ‘Manufacturing and Mining’ industry saw output fall by twenty-two point five percent. Beverage production suffered immensely from the lack of tourist visitors to the country, as well as the closure of restaurants and bars […]
The most recent figures from the Statistical Institute of Belize’s monthly Consumer Price Index show that on average Belizean households saw the overall cost of regularly purchased goods and services rise by zero point one percent, when compared to the same month last year. Statistician Daysi Montero says this was the result of higher home rental […]
According to the Acting Director General Diana Castillo-Trejo, the price collection basket used to determine the Consumer Price Index is an old model. The updated model was not used and it begs the question: are the C.P.I. figures a true representation of what consumers pay on the ground? Diana Castillo-Trejo, Acting Director General, S.I.B. “We […]
External trade decreased significantly due to COVID-19 for July 2020. In July, the country imported goods valuing one hundred and nineteen million dollars, a decrease of thirty-seven point eight percent. According to Statistician Tiffany Vasquez, this represents the third consecutive month that imports declined by more than one-third, signalling the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as […]
One year in prison for bribing an officer to give you a break for not wearing your mask is also the same jail time officers will receive should they coerce you into paying them if you’re found without the face covering. That part of the latest Statutory Instrument comes on the heels of an incident […]
While we had the AG, we asked if the two-week curfew period is sufficient for the mounting COVID-19 infections to be brought under control given the ever increasing report of new cases. While the National Oversight Committee awaits reports from the Director of Health Services, the Barrow administration is prepared to return to parliament for […]
So, as you heard just now, the Attorney General announced the lifting of the lockdown of three communities in the north – one of them being Guinea Grass. As we have reported, the villagers were up in arms about the extension of the lockdown and protested against it because they said they needed to work […]
“Overcoming Adversity, Creating Opportunity. Belizeans: Unite for Prosperity” – that’s the theme for this year’s September celebrations. The theme was chosen from among a record breaking three hundred and twelve submissions. According to Chair of the Theme Sub-Committee of the National Celebrations Commission, one hundred and thirty-one persons participated in the competition. The announcement of […]
The winning theme was submitted by a thirteen-year-old second form student from Sacred Heart College in San Ignacio. Precious Martinez is the youngest to win the competition. Today, she shared what inspired the winning theme. Precious Martinez, Submitted Winning Theme “I got the idea that overcoming adversities would probably mean thinking about Belize during […]
