7 News Belize

Many Versions to The Western Border Situation
posted (March 19, 2020)

Social media went wild today when a leaked voice note from Ambassador Said Badi Guerra went viral.  It tells the story of how two Guatemalan residents who may be COVID-infected - and are Canadian nationals - used the Belize Airport to get back to Guatemala.  

Our information is that they arrived at the PGIA at 11:00 am, and with the facilitation of the Guatemalan Embassy in Belize, were supposed to be taken straight over the Melchor.  Even though that border is closed - they are still letting nationals and residents in.  

Guerra explains in his voice note how the deal went down and how it went wrong - followed by the Ministry of Health’s version given this morning:

Said Badi Guerra - Ambassador
"Yesterday, there was an agreement between the government of Belize and the Ambassador of Guatemala to allow4 people, Guatemalan nationals to come into Belize and that the counsel of Guatemala would pick them up at the airport and transport them directly to the Western Boarder nonstop because what we did not want is for people to come out and go stores of restaurants and come in touch with our Belizean people. This was not so, the Guatemalan Counsel was waiting at the airport but we did not know that he had already hired a taxi driver from Arenal to pick them up and take them to the Western Boarder. Now, we don't what happened on the way from Belize City, the airport to the Western Boarder. I was alerted by our health people at the Western Boarder and Immigration Western Boarder about the situation. It was not until they arrived at the Western Boarder that we got notice from the nurse there that the 2 Guatemalans crossed into Guatemala and they put in Quarantine in Guatemala upon crossing the Melchor Boarder. Now, we remain with the problem because our taxi driver, 25 years old, of Arenal he was put in quarantine and so was his taxi. Now the issue is, that we have a family now that will stay without an income due to this happening and he was escorted by police and our health inspector to Arenal. His wife was notified that she must abandoned her house immediately before he arrived. He was now been put in quarantined for 14 days on his own, his wife has moved to her parent's house. It was also brought up to our attention that when the wife went to take food for him, she left it at the gate because she cannot come in contact with him, she left it by the gate and the Arenal people stoned her. I have advised by CEO as well, that is time that we close that airport fully, completely. Not allowing any Guatemalan to come in from a 3rd country because they have to travel the whole of Belize. He did not comply with this agreement and that is what has upset. It hope it is not too late as yet and I just pray that this man is not infected."

Dr. Marvin Manzanero - Director of Health Services
"What we were told there's apparently a taxi that drove Guatemalans from the PGIA through the border crossing into Guatemala. I don't know where the term suspect came from, I think it's just Guatemalans who were trying to go back home and they had no other means of getting there. Nobody is under quarantine for that regard because don't know that these people were actually ill, it's just because of the fact that they were Guatemalans coming."

And while Manzanero may dispute it, BDF sources confirm that its soldiers are being deployed to support this quarantined individual tomorrow. They say the soldiers have been given NO special protection, and they are in fear for their safety. 

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