Starting next week, travellers going to the United States will no longer need a COVID test to get into the US.
So no more testing requirement means that tourists who visited Belize - won't need to get a test 24 hours before they fly out - thus killing off a cash cow which has fed millions of dollars into the private healthcare system - actually funding a new industry just for COVID testing.
But, truth be told that opportunity for income generation was created by the US who instituted that requirement. We asked one leading medical practitioner to look back at the COVID testing era:
Dr Fernando Cuellar, Internist, Belize Medical Associates
"Indeed it came out today that the testing requirement for people leaving the country has now been discontinued and that is primarily because of US policy, where the US has also dropped their requirement of requiring a rapid test or a PCR or some sort of testing to enter their country. So if they don't require it then we don't need to do it here in Belize as people leave the country. So that's the bottom line, noh."
Cherisse Halsall:
"This type of testing has been the biggest boon for the medical industry since anti-biotics. How has that gone over the pandemic and how do you think it will affect the bottom line of a lot of these clinics now."
Dr Fernando Cuellar, Internist, Belize Medical Associates
"Well, to be quite truthful it will affect it very adversely. It was a huge source of income for the businesses, no bullshitting generating funds for the different private companies including ourselves honestly. So if that is gone then they are definitely looking forward to an option in business in terms of testing for going out so that is what will happen for private testing."
Cherisse Halsall:
"One thing that will be affected though doc, is the positivity rate, many have said we've had a false positivity rate for many months so we'll have a true one now."
Dr Fernando Cuellar, Internist, Belize Medical Associates
"Yeah, well that can be the benefit of it that that will see indeed our genuine local positivity rate instead of those pieces that were picked up because of travel ok but we'll see what it says over the next couple of weeks."
Today's positivity rate was 14.5%. But that is hardly a deterrent for travelers - who with this news - now have one less COVID deterrent against travel. I spoke to the president of the Belize Hotel Association:
Alina Saldivar, President, BHA
"Yes, absolutely it is a very big relief. It's a relief for us because the destination does look more attractive now or travelling I should say does look more attractive now because it's less expensive so all of a sudden it's almost $100 US less to travel now so it's definitely great news for us if you have a family of 5 at 75 USD per person just to leave at the end of the vacation. So that's great news that's more money that can now be spent on tours on food and so it's definitely and just the hassle of it I think a lot of the hotels did a great job at making it convenient but it really isn't. It wasn't the best way to end your vacation to have to worry about going to a clinic and getting a test so it's now it can go back to normal and concentrate on ending that vacation on a much happier note. So it is great news all around."
And while all COVID requirements fall by the wayside, Belize still imposes the dubious travellers health insurance - which remains anomalously in place. We asked the Minister of Tourism for comment on it today - but he has yet to respond.
