In T-minus 12 days, the land borders will be reopening and Belizeans are dusting off their passports and digging up any old pesos they might have lingering from their last Chet trip.
But the government has still not issued the full list of requirements needed to cross the border, though the PM is hoping to get that done sooner than later. Still, with Omicron right next door in Mexico, it seems like a risk to reopen the borders. But according to the PM, we can't stay locked up forever.
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well, there are a number of measures, but I will be having a meeting with the minister of health on Wednesday afternoon and the minister of immigration to be able to have a better understanding as to what we are to do. Obviously, we have to be very cautious and be very careful with the Omicron virus. But the point is that it is going to come here. We can't run away from it, we can't afford to lockdown the entire country like we did before. It's going to set us back even more. So we just have to open up and continue to be as cautious as we possibly can and the most important thing get vaccinated. Thats the only way we can help you and those that have already gotten vaccinated get your booster shots. Covid19 is a flu and that's what people don't understand. The flu you get it every year if you're not careful and you could get it today and then 1-2 months later you could get it again, Thats Covid19. It's so much more deadlier and the only way we can protect ourselves it is getting vaccinated."
Reporter
"We know that the borders has to open, this is life, it has to move on, but do you feel Belize's economy will suffer because people will spend their money over at Chet?"
Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Well it is obvious that more and more people will be able to go and spend their money in Chetumal, but we just have to do as business people to do more to get our people to stay home and giving them less incentives to go to buy in Chetumal, but we can't stay locked up forever and that's the reality."
