It's been a gruelling 2-year pandemic journey for Belize's service industry, and for one of Belize City's premier hotels, the Radisson, that meant becoming a quarantine centre at the height of the pandemic.
It proved a challenge to their employees who had to make the switch from hospitality to borderline hospital care, but they were up for it.
And today during a recognition ceremony for their staff, the management of the Radisson gave special mention to those who went above and beyond the call of duty at the height of Covid.
We spoke to three of those employees earlier today:
Delvorine Bonner, Chef Delvo
"We had to take our tests every day to make sure that no one is sick or had a fever and we had to make sure that the kitchen is well sanitized you know well cleaned and everything is well washed. So, we have to be on top of the everyday morning, and evening each shift to make sure everywhere is sanitized."
"The time I would remember most is when the time they had a curfew because there are times when we had to you know go home at a certain time so our boss Mr Trapp would have to ask the police to give us a pass and once they see a Radisson pass then we could have passed but that was the difficult time for us during the curfew time."
Walter Everett, Employee, Radisson
"Well it's just being observant with the people that come in, the Cubans came to stay at the hotel and you know be vigilant with how they work. How they come across and how they move so when they got the basins set aside for them prepared to sanitize their hands and make sure they walk across properly not touching stuff and just guide them in the rest of the way to direct them where when they are coming into the stores and to Le Petit and to tell them to wash their hands and take care of their feet and budget them how many people can go into Le Petit like 10 at a time."
"How they come into the hotel, open doors for them so that they didn't have to touch the doors too much."
Kamarie Lemmott, Bartender, Radission
"We had the doctors as everyone knows but it was an experience, a learning experience to deal with people who had Covid and the procedures we had to go through."
"It was good because they were really friendly when let's say some of them come off quarantine they would come around, they were really nice and they were very thankful for our service and you know our warm hospitality."
