As the COVID-19 number of infections decreases in the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) daily reports, the number of vaccinated Belizeans is rising. As of Thursday, December 2nd, over 63% of the country’s population (ages 12 years of age and above) are fully vaccinated. This milestone is expected to see the country containing the spread of the disease as more Belizeans become immunized. However, the government has no plans to remove the current curfew.
MOHW’s Minister, Honourable Michel Chebat, said this mark is a great accomplishment but still underscores the need to do more. “We need to encourage everybody who is not yet vaccinated to please come out and do so,” said Chebat. Although the COVID-19 positivity rate is below 10%, Chebat said the government would prefer it to be below 5% or below for two consecutive weeks. “What science has shown us is that once we are at that level for two weeks, it means that the virus is under control,” said Chebat. “We are going in the right direction, but we still need to keep our guard up, observe the public health measures, and get vaccinated.”
Curfew will continue
On Friday, December 3rd, during the sitting of the House of Representatives, Chebat was asked why a nation curfew persists even when more than half of the population is fully vaccinated. Chebat said curfew must remain in place to continue the protection of the public. According to Chebat, with new variants spreading, the level of the vaccinated is not good enough.
The MOHW’s minister instead pointed to the increase in testing and vaccination. He said that health workers are now going to people’s homes to vaccinate them. He continued the call to those who have yet to get the vaccine because it is the only safe path to combat the pandemic and get back to complete normalcy.
The current curfew, which will be re-visited before its expiration on January 15, 2022, starts at 10PM Sundays through Thursdays. While on Fridays and Saturdays, the curfew starts at 11PM.
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