And while the food program for COVID patients should be getting underway, the food assistance program for those who've lost their jobs due to COVID has been suspended. Why? The funds are done! Today, the Prime Minister said it was all used up:
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"All funds were spent before November 11th. They left $1 million dollars for the food pantry or the grocery bags or whatever it is you want to call it. They left $1 million. The $10.5 million that has just come in towards that, the government had already spent it, they borrowed it from Central Bank. So that has to be paid. So we just decided in Cabinet that we are going to make the monies available to continue that program at least until the end of this financial year. The unemployment relief, they spent everything. They even gave three months in advance just before the election to people when it's supposed to be something that is given either bi-monthly or at least once a month. They gave everything. There are a number of top up cards that did not get the funding and it's simply because they went with everything. So, now we have to find how we are going to source these monies. We have to talk to our international partners and the IFI's and do our very best to get the funds to be able to continue to help our Belizeans that are in distress through no fault of theirs."
