But, the Belize Justice and Rights Movement - led by Zenaida Moya - say that they shouldn't be coerced into being vaccinated; they say they should have the choice.
Of course, the doctors at the KHMH - say they are the ones who have no choice in trying to save the critically ill - the supermajority of whom are not vaccinated.
And, of course, that is the cruz of the dispute: personal choice and liberties versus a public health crisis and collective responsibility.
On Saturday - those two divergent realities came into head on conflict - both out on the highway and here in the city - as those opposing the health regulations launched simultaneous protests.
We start in the city with Moya's group:
Saturday's protest at the Battlefield park started out moderately enough - with a crowd bearing signs in the park and letting their discontent with the new regs be known.
But when they started to spontaneously protest without a permit is when the police had to get involved - and this is what it looked like on Freetown Road near Cinderella Plaza:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Instructions was given to Mr. Rosado to disperse the crowd that were protesting in Belize City. I know for a fact that they were spoken to in the first instance and were asked to disperse, simply because, one: they were in breach of the COVID-19 regulations and, two: they were protesting without a permit. But it would appear that instead of the crowd getting smaller, the crowd got huger and so, again, myself and Mr. Rosado dialogued and I told Mr. Rosado to give them one final warning and if they did not cooperate, then the GI3 must be brought in to ensure that they disperse and that the ringleader of the group must be arrested. It was with that spirit that Zenaida Moya was detained by the police."
Zenaida Moya. Arrested and Charged
"I was walking on the side walk like a regular person would walk when they accosted me and one of the officers, a big GSU officer, he came in front of me and he tried to stop me from walk and I told him I'm just going to walk and then afterwards they came and then they surrounded me, they tried to isolate me. My 2 wrists were - this big GSU officer really man-handled me. he was one of them really man-handled me. He threw me into the back of the vehicle that they had and my two wrists are really messed up, so both hands. I can't even press. They are swollen, black and blue and when he threw me into the vehicle, he hit my head really hard and so I feel that that particular GSU officer they really need to do something about him."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I heard het cry on KREM news this morning, alluding to the fact that she was man-handled by police. Well, I don't know what she had anticipated. If it is that you are resisting arrest and not cooperating with the police if she believed that the police would have just walked away and left her there. The law dictates that the police must use only force that is necessary to detain a person and having looked at the video I saw on social media with her arrest, I could see that the police exercised great restraint in dealing with her, considering how she was behaving and that minimal force was used to detain her. And so I do not see anything wrong done on the part of the police officers who detained her."
Zenaida Moya. Arrested and Charged
"It clearly shows that I was targeted. I guess I was the bullseye out there, because I am a public figure and they see me as that and they targeted me."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"So what we did was we took photographs and video of all those persons who were involved in that illegal demonstration and those persons will be summons to appear in court for the breach of the demonstration law that is to say partaking in an illegal demonstration and they will also be ticketed for covid19 violation offences and will be summons likewise for being a part of that group under the covid19 regulations. So there are things that will continue to go on today to ensure that those persons who were involved are held accountable."
After posting what is known as a sign bail for three charges Moya was still defying the mask mandate:
Reporter
"One of your charges is for not wearing a mask. You come out here and you are still not wearing a mask."
Zenaida Moya. Arrested and Charged
"Yes, because I suffer from sinus, so its persons like me who suffer from that, we can't breathe well in a mask. We simply cannot breathe well, if you know what a sinus is."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I listen to Miss Moya's excuse for not wearing a mask that she suffers from sinus. Well, I have sinus issues too, but I wear my mask and if it is that I reach the point that I cannot wear a mask because of my sinus, then I keep myself at home, I would not be out in public endangering people. Those police officers that she came into contact with on that day, I hope she is not covid19 positive, because if she is, she surely will infect a number of police officers."
And Williams says Moya was not singled out, everyone will be charged:
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"If they believe that the quarantine regulation infringes on their constitutional rights, taking the streets and try to be violent and try to be angry at those who are in favor of the regulation or those that the regulation seeks to protect, is not the proper way to do things. We have seen that - they said that they have an entourage of attorneys, let their attorneys take the matter to court and let the court adjudicate on the matter. Whatever the court says I am sure the government is going to adhere to."
Moya was charged with "hosting a gathering of more than ten persons not from the same household"; "organizing a public procession without a permit; "failure to disperse" and the next day she was also charged with organizing an illegal procession.
