Earlier on, you heard the Director of Health Services Dr. Michael Pitts explain that there’s nothing to worry about really in the north. He described the H1N1 as mild and the five confirmed cases as a few. Well, seems that was news to only us, because when we visited the casinos at the northern border today, they were carefree; matter of fact, they were almost oblivious. Here’s more.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
There are 3 Casinos on the periphery on the free zone: A pair of Princess casinos one beside the other – and the Las Vegas Casino. At the Princess pair which are situated at the foot of the Belize Mexico bridge we weren’t allowed inside and no one would gives us an interview. A representative told us that they don’t know anything at all about the five cases. We were told only the manager could speak and he wouldn’t be in until 9:00 this evening.
At Las Vegas Casino which is about half a mile away and closer to the entrance of the Free Zone again, we weren’t allowed to tape inside, but a representative did agree to speak to us – but inexplicably she would only
do it off camera – so we had to focus our lens on the ceramic lion that guards the entrance.
Las Vegas Casino Rep.
“As far as we know, the cases are not from our casino. We also are taking measures so that we don’t have a contamination in the casino. As you saw Jules, we have sanitizers, we have hot water, we have everything in there that people can take advantage of to take care of themselves.”
Jules Vasquez,
Can you say with certainty that no one from your casino is out right now with cold or flu symptoms?
Las Vegas Casino Rep.
“Not that I know of at this point. Since May 9th, I think the date we reopened the casino after like a 9 days closing, we have instituted measures where employees are not allowed to come to work with a flu and we’ve been enforcing that ever since. Likewise with the patrons, if we know you have a flu, fever, or any of the symptoms of the H1N1 we ask you not to come to the casino and we in fact turn you back if you have that.
We are wiping down the machines every two hours with some concentrate of Clorox, I am not sure what percentage it is but it is the instructions that we got from the Ministry. It is as per their instruction.”
And indeed inside both casinos we saw sanitizers, and wipes readily available, but patrons were under no compulsion to actually use them. And inside the Princess not one of the 12 patrons who entered while I was there even looked at the sanitizer. And that carefree attitude was also manifest in the free zone, where we didn’t see anyone – from security to storeowners – wearing gloves or masks. As from what we could tell there was no discernible worry.
Marion Ali, News 5
“I didn’t observe health official at the entry to the Free Zone. Could you tell us what measures are in place?”
David Akierman, Chairman - Free Zone
“Well we are in constant contact with the Ministry of Health. So far they have put some preventative measures for the casinos. We are sort of operating
more in the open space. Casinos are more in the closed place so it has not been decided yet to put any preventative parameters as yet, as what we had before.”
Jules Vasquez,
Who makes that decision, Ministry of Health or Free Zone Management?
David Akierman,
“Usually these decisions, we tend to go with the professional advice from the medical people. We are aware that the H1N1 is here to stay, it is like the Aids. The human beings will have to learn to live with it and we have to continue reminding the people how to deal with it.”
And that resignation to what appears to be the inevitable advance of H1N1 is really where it’s at. You see, the considerations here is economic – and it has to be, this is the busy season fro the zone where Mexicans from all parts of that country will be flooding in and to close now would mean substantial losses and the bottom line is…
David Akierman,
“At no point we are planning to close the zone, at least that is not the direction we want to take. The holidays have just broken open in Mexico. So we are seeing a tendency of visitors now. Starting from this weekend we had approximately, between Saturday and Sunday, we had 8,000 visitors in the zone. So we need to continue monitoring and making public awareness. We will not stop.”
Raul Rosado, CEO – Free Zone
“We have done all the education program that we could have done. We still have masks and gloves and it is up to the people now. We cannot go and force them to take the measures. We have done what we could have done. Why we did it is because we did not want to be in this situation that we are in now. But I guess everybody has learnt what are the preventative methods and everybody has to learn to live with the influenza. If we close the zone or we don’t close the zone it does not stop the virus, we as people, as individuals who have to be proactive and take the necessary steps to avoid acquiring….”
Jules Vasquez,
A lot of people are saying, the doctors themselves have said that it is not as deadly a flu as they originally thought and while it has caused deaths, those have mostly been in cases where they’ve been complications. So really the flu isn’t that bad, it is another flu. Is that the consideration you are taking?
David Akierman,
“Well yes it is another flu but yet by not taking the preventative measures in time.”
Jules Vasquez,
But you all aren’t taking the preventative measures, let’s be honest. Nobody here has on a mask, a glove….
David Akierman,
“Jules they had a second surge in Chetumal Quintana Roo, this was about a month ago where there was a second surge in the schools in the ages between 6 and 16. I went to the mall over the weekend, 80% of the visitors at the mall last week over the weekend in Chetumal was from where, from Belize. Now where is the sort of sense about the worry.”
Well the worry isn’t here or down the way in these casinos – where customers are still streaming in.
Las Vegas Casino Rep.
“I think that by now the Ministry of Health knows that the issues, the cases are not as deadly as we thought they were at one point and I think that we are doing pretty good in terms of keeping it contained.”
David Akierman,
“We have to live with it. I think it is becoming part of our culture now.”
