And that is why Belize is under a National State of Emergency and curfew tonight - to make sure we contain the COVID contagion by staying home and keeping social distance.
And so, today, tens of thousands of Belizeans, workers, students and those hustling in the margins to survive, stayed home, and stayed safe.
But, it is not a complete lockdown like we've seen in other countries. We're calling it a soft lockdown since many businesses were allowed to open, and regular folks were allowed to go about their business without much police interference.
But, in Belize city, those numbers were few. Cherisse Halsall was on the street beat today:..
At 8:00 am police mobiles were the only traffic on North Front Street and coming over Swing bridge we were met not by a morning rush but more of a morning yawn.
And while we were stopped by the police, they were very agreeable. Traffic was also sparse on North front street
And later
It's the height of the midday rush and on a normal day this area would be teeming with traffic and pedestrians but today, the first day of the national state of emergency, this area is virtually empty.
But on the south side, there was traffic up and down Mahogany street. We caught sight of city buses still circulating.
A further cruise down central American boulevard took us back to
88 shopping Center where yesterday crowds had to be regulated by the police. Lines were shorter today, but the junction was still bustling with traffic, people were clearly on the move.
And, you can't forget the staples, Tortillas and, of course, kick Down Fence was still open for business.
Back on Albert street, you can see straight down from one end to the other proving that at least so far Belizeans are respecting the state of emergency regulations.
And while that's how it looked in Belize City, in Orange Walk Town, the main drag had Sunday type traffic, a few pedestrians, and the businesses were shuttered, including the legendary taco stands, which were all abandoned - since tacos making was judged not to be an essential service. We have this footage courtesy CTV-3.
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