And while an indefinite curfew is already a huge obstacle for the tourism industry, things are about to get a lot worse.
The industry barely survived the pandemic, and just when things are slowly picking up, the new US President has made an announcement that could deal a deadly blow to an already struggling industry.
Only a day after taking office, President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that not just mandates face masks on public transportation, but also requires international travellers to quarantine for ten days upon return. The executive order is entitled, "Promoting COVID-19 Safety in Domestic and International Travel". In a tweet introducing an address to the people, President Biden said that he will be taking decisive action to get COVID-19 under control in the US.
But what does this mean for Belize? Well if tourists must quarantine when they return to the US, it's not exactly an incentive to travel. With tourists just barely trickling into Belize, this new mandate can thin that already sparse amount. More on this tomorrow.
