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Also worried is city-based tour operator John Pollard, Pollard usually a candid critic of government policy, was today singing a slightly different and ultimately supportive tune. We caught up with him as he picked up some last-minute supplies and he had a message for a Belizeans:" This thing is for real".

When Will Strandees Get Off The Island?

And as you heard just now, San Pedro residents are having a hard time coping with a loss of jobs, a loss of buying power, and an island-wide state of emergency.

But what about the folks who are stuck on the island? As we have been reporting, when the state of emergency for the island was declared last week and it stopped all flights and ferries, many got stranded on the island.

So now that the whole country is about to go under a state of emergency - can they return to the mainland? Today at the Ask The Experts session, Manzanero said, not so fast:...

Dr. Marvin Manzanero - Director of Health Services
"Can individual stranded in Ambergris Caye return to their homes on the mainland and quarantine self-isolate there? That's also a tricky question, because what guarantee do we have that you are going to be able to quarantine and self-isolate when you reach mainland. We are already following a vast amount of of people that makes it difficult for health staff to be able to monitor, so I don't know if I have a straight answer for that."

Tropic Air's Big Scale-down

And while they aren't able to come back - one of the main carriers to the island say they aren't able to continue providing many services.

Tropic Air is reporting tonight that they have scaled back operations significantly to cope with the loss in business, due to the crisis in domestic and international travel.

Cargo flights to and from San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Belize City, Placencia, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda will now take place on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only.

The hours for their airport offies have also been cut back sharply, and Passenger Flights between Belize City, Placencia, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda will be available only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The terminal hours for the Belize City Municipal Airport are from 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

The terminal hours for Placencia, Dangriga and Punta Gorda are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Flights in San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Corozal are temporarily suspended, but for services from the Philip Goldson International Airport, customers can contact Tropic Air's reservations team via telephone.

All flights to Orange Walk, San Ignacio, Belmopan, Cancun, Roatan & Flores have been suspended until further notice.

San Pedro Spraydown

But for those who call San Pedro home, there's nowhere to escape to. This morning San Pedranos made efforts to sanitize the few areas that even under the state of emergency are still being frequented by islanders.

That means the areas around and in front of grocery stores where people are made to stand one behind the other, the idea is that despite social distancing they may leave behind contaminated surfaces. This morning's washdown was an attempt by the business community and the Association of tour operators to disinfect the streets and do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 on the island that became Belize's ground zero for the disease.

President of the tour operators told us about the effort to disinfect San Pedro's Streets:

WHO Manual For Saving All

And while that disinfection effort may not quite meet WHO standards - it is a try.

This Morning the Director-General of the World Health Organization released a manual filled with guidelines to help countries balance the demands of responding directly to COVID-19 while maintaining essential health services.

This manual is especially instructive for countries like Belize who have a very limited window in which to bring struggling and sub-par health systems up to scratch.

Here are a few of The Director General's opening remarks at this morning's media briefing. He took special care to highlight the rapidly increasing demand on health facilities and health workers which he says have the extremely unfortunate side effect of leaving some health systems overstretched and unable to operate effectively.

Tedros Adahom Ghebreysus, Director, World Health Organization
"Even though we're in the midst of a crisis, essential health services must continue. Babies are still being born, vaccines must still be delivered, and people still need life-saving treatment for a range of other diseases.WHO has published guidelines to help countries balance the demands of responding directly to COVID-19 while maintaining essential health services."

"To help countries manage the surge in COVID-19 cases while maintaining essential services, WHO has also published a detailed, practical manual on how to set up and manage treatment centers for COVID-19. The manual covers three major interventions: First, how to set up screening and triage at health facilities, using a repurposed building or a tent. Second, how to set up community facilities to care for mild patients; And third, how to set up a treatment center, by repurposing hospital wards or entire hospitals, or by setting up a new hospital in a tent."

"We understand that many countries are implementing measures that restrict the movement of people. In implementing these measures, it's vital to respect the dignity and welfare of all people. It's also important that governments keep their people informed about the intended duration of measures, and to provide support for older people, refugees, and other vulnerable groups. Governments need to ensure the welfare of people who have lost their income and are in desperate need of food, sanitation, and other essential services. Countries should work hand-in-hand with communities to build trust and support resilience and mental health."

"We continue to be encouraged by the signs of global solidarity to confront and overcome this common threat. The commitment of G20 countries to work together to improve the production and equitable supply of essential products shows that the world is coming together."

"Yesterday I sent a tweet with a single word: humility. Some people asked me why. COVID-19 is reminding us how vulnerable we are, how connected we are and how dependent we are on each other. In the eye of a storm like COVID, scientific and public health tools are essential, but so are humility and kindness. With solidarity, humility and assuming the best of each other, we can - and will - overcome this together."

Impressive Tent Clinics On San Pedro

And in accordance with those guidelines. The San Pedro Clinic has set up both a screening tent and a community facility to care for mild patients. This morning Dion Vansen from the San Pedro Sun got a tour of San Pedro's COVID-19 and flu clinics. He talked to Dr. Javier Canul, doctor and surveillance officer who is working despite limited resources on the island. Canul says that his work isolates those who may test positive from the rest of the population.

The isolation unit has 30 beds distributed into five rooms. Each room has its own entrance and exit. The building is also equipped with surveillance cameras, staff room, kitchenette, storeroom and a changing room for medical personnel in which they can don their PPE's.

34 Contacts, Only 7 Tests?

Turning back now to the "Ask The Experts" Session, and the contact tracing being down with the three cases confirmed in country so far…we asked DHS Manzanero why all 34 contacts who were traced to patient zero were not tested:

Never Again Normal

Manzanero, who is also known to wax philosophical from time to time also gave another rumination on the state of normalcy which all of us long for, but which we all see slipping away like a helium filled balloon disappearing into infinity:…