As per the announcement from the Minister of Health and Wellness, the Honourable Michel Chebat, as of today, Monday, November 22nd, the COVID-19 curfew will start at 10PM. The new 10PM-4AM curfew is in effect Sundays through Thursdays, and on Fridays and Saturdays, the curfew will start 11PM.
Minister Chebat made this announced on November 10th while attending the Belize Investment Summit in San Pedro Town. San Pedranos have long awaited this change to the curfew. Many stakeholders on the island were concerned that the 9PM curfew would negatively affect the upcoming tourism season. San Pedro depends heavily on tourism, and with a promising high season, the amendment was more than welcome. Many hotels are reporting a high occupancy rate, and restaurants operating via reservations only mentioned they are booked for Thanksgiving, and bookings for the Christmas holidays continue to increase.
Another amendment to the regulations indicates that people/patrons would no longer be required to have a vaccine card to enter a restaurant, diners, or other similar places. Chebat added that after discussions with tourism stakeholders, they realized that the regulation was causing a lot of difficulty to the businesses. He also recognized that there was a problem with enforcement. The requirement for 50% indoor dining and 75% outdoor dining occupancy remains in place.
Another possible amendment to the government’s rules is to move the curfew from 10PM to 11PM for Christmas from Sundays to Thursdays. A midnight curfew would then apply to Fridays and Saturdays. However, it all depends on if the number of COVID-19 infections continues to decline. The daily reports over the past weeks have shown a decline in positive cases and more recoveries. With such consistent results, the COVID-19 regulations could see further changes in the future.
