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Press Release, Ministry of Health, Belmopan. June 9, 2020. 4:45 p.m. - As a result of a revised protocol that came into effect this week, persons entering Belize either legally or illegally are being swabbed and tested for COVID-19. That process identified a positive case for COVID-19 in a 22-year-old female who was caught entering Belize illegally on Sunday, June 7th.

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Press Release - On Sunday, June 7, 2020, at about 6:00 p.m., Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) Forest Rangers were conducting a routine exercise mounting cameras to monitor the poaching of endangered scarlet macaws 1.2 kilometres east of the border, in area of Caracol, in the Chiquibul National Park.

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Usually this week the San Pedro Lobster Festival committee is crazy busy making its final plans and arrangements for one of the most exciting annual festivals in Belize. Sadly this year the San Pedro Lobster Festival will not take place on Ambergris Caye. Lobster season in Belize opens on June 15. The COVID-19 pandemic made sure that none of all three lobster festivals will take place this year in Belize. The festival committees in Caye Caulker and Placencia have also made announcements of the cancellations of their festivals for 2020.

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San Pedro High School is set to graduate 139 seniors by mid month and this week the school announced the top students of the graduating class. Manuel Casasola took the top honors of Valedictorian while Rachel Alamilla will be the Salutatorian and the Vote of Thanks will be given by Stephanie Usher. Like most graduations ceremonies this year, San Pedro High has planned an unconventional ceremony that includes a broadcast of the speeches and certain parts of the ceremony that will be recorded and broadcasted live through Reef TV on June 18.  

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Belize Children's Assistance Organization was created by Ms Yamilet Tzib to assist jobless parents with basic grocery items. She then pushed forward to assist single parents with baby products such as diapers, formula and wipes, to name a few. With the help of Mrs. Debbie Howell Reed and Mrs. Sheila Midgett Mark and their GoFundme pages the Organization has been assisting the needy on San Pedro and on the mainland with weekly grocery packages since April 10, 2020.

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Today, Monday, June 1, marks the beginning of the 2020 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin. The season runs from June 1 to November 30 each year. However the formation of tropical cyclones is possible at any time of the year, as shown by the formation of  tropical storm Arthur on May 16 and tropical storm Bertha on May 27. The formation of these systems marks the sixth consecutive year a storm has developed before the official start of the season.

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Although Belize continues to be free of any active COVID-19 cases, the country is still under a national shutdown, with all its borders and airport closed, an evening curfew in effect and under laws of social distancing and use of masks in public. The global pandemic is wreaking havoc on its tourism industry and crippling the country’s economy that is 65% dependent on tourism.

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The Island Academy is the first school on Ambergris Caye to hold it’s graduation ceremony for 2020, but there was nothing typical of the occasion as the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the school to hold it’s ceremony online, probably the first in the country.

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The COVID19 virus has crippled the world. It has done untold damage to our physical health, our mental health and our financial health. But, here on San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize, Isla Bonita, the damage is almost beyond measure. Ambergris Caye's only industry is tourism. With the closing of the borders, we instantly had a large number of people who could no longer feed themselves.

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The Hol Chan Marine Reserve (HCMR) has been monitoring the Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) since last year, which has now been spotted in several locations within the reserve on Ambergris Caye, Belize. This week the management team of the marine reserve made the announcement to the general public that the Hol Chan Marine Reserve re-opened on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. However, the Hol Chan Channel will remain closed until June 16, 2020 due to treatment being administered to the coral at the Channel.

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As of  yesterday, Tuesday, May 20, 2020,Belize is only country in mainland America with zero COVID-19 cases after Suriname reported a new case. Belize’s Ministry of Health reported last night that a further 33 samples were tested yesterday and all came out negative.

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- Press Release - The sun shines bright on the island of Caye Caulker as businesses and individuals unite to form a feeding program that supports much of the island’s residents that are in need. Caye Caulker has always been and remains COVID-19 free. However, with no tourists here to enjoy the tropical paradise, even to date as Belize has opened itself up, the unemployment is in the 85% range.

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The San Pedro Town Council today announced its selection of Mother of the Year for San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. Mayor Daniel Guerrero, the San Pedro Town Council and Staff congratulate Mother of the Year 2020-2021, Ms. Evarista Badillo. The Mother’s Day event of the island was cancelled, along with other major events of the island, this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, via REEF RADIO/TV a new Mother of the Year was selected at random from nominations made by the viewers and listeners on Friday, May 8th, 2020.

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This afternoon, Belize’s Ministry of Health has made the announcement that the country is once again back to zero active COVID-19 cases with the last two active cases having recovered after testing negative on their second test. This marks the 7th week since it was announced that Belize had its first COVID-19 case, a 38-year-old female, Belizean national who resides in San Pedro. Belize is going into a 4th week since the last case was diagnosed but Belizeans are urged that they CANNOT lose sight of the fact that our neighbors are having escalating numbers in terms of cases and deaths.

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in Belize, Ambergris Caye residents have been following additional rules and regulations separate from the rest of the country, set by Mayor Daniel Guerrero and Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr. (Area Representative and Minister of Tourism) along with the task force of the Emergency Operation Center. Their explanation has been that the island needs different rules from the rest of the country in order to protect its residents.

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Supporting the Fight Against COVID-19 - (Press Release) - Bowen & Bowen and Companies (B&B) has pledged support to the Ministry of Health (“MOH”) and all Belizeans through a donation of much needed medical supplies. Tomorrow the company will be delivering to the MOH 20 hospital beds with mattresses and 5000 surgical masks. The CEO / President of Bowen & Bowen, Ltd, Michael H. M.

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Press Release, San Pedro Town Council, Ambergris Caye, Belize - Tuesday, April 28, 2020 – Based on the Statutory Instrument No. 62 of 2020 which came into effect on April 26, 2020, the San Pedro Town Council, Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. and the EOC have made modifications to further ensure the safety of all residents in Ambergris Caye. The modifications will be fully enforced and are effective immediately.

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The management of the Dr. Otto Rodriquez San Pedro Polyclinic II has made announcement that after close consultation with Central Health Region, Ministry of Health, it has made the difficult decision to postpone the Vaccinations Scheduled. Being in the state of emergency, the Ministry of Health has advices them to further discuss and strategize how they will administer the vaccines in a method that will not put the mothers, babies and nurses in harm's way.

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The Ministry of Finance has announced that on Saturday, April 25, 2020 the pump price for regular gasoline will decrease by $2.97 from $10.23 to $7.26 per gallon. The prices for premium gasoline, kerosene, and diesel will remain unchanged at $10.92, $5.43, and $8.25 per gallon, respectively.

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