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One idea was that they could come on US flights bound for Belize to pickup American who are stranded here. Those flights are leaving the US empty. The ambassador SAID IT IS A possibility for as early as Friday:

Dorian Pakeman
"Would the government of Belize consider arranging, not necessarily paying for, but arranging a flight or flights for Belizeans to come from the USA?"

H. E. Ambassador Lou-Anne Burns Martinez- CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"We understand we have to be flexible and we know that there are Belizeans not only in the USA but in Europe, in Guyana, in Barbados, in Cuba, in just about every part of the world. So, where possible we will coordinate. So, where we can coordinate and people are able to pay for their own way home, we will absolutely do that. And be assured because I know there are some concerns that some of the flights are not moving in the way that they normally do. So how do you get home if you are in the US or some part of the US. So, yes we will coordinate. We are aware that there is an existing repatriation flight leaving Belize with United Airways on Friday the 22nd. So, people, don't be alarmed. That won't be the only flight and there may be an opportunity for a group [inaudible] flight. There will be other opportunities coming up for people to return. We also must realize that there is no way that could be a full flight home. It would certainly have to be a group that is designated vulnerable and is most in need and it will be a very limited number."

Quarantine Centres To Be In City

And once they get here, where will Belizeans be quarantined? The PM had said it would be close to their towns, cities or villages of residence. But, so far, it seems like it will start off in Belize City:

H. E. Ambassador Lou-Anne Burns Martinez- CEO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
"Initially, I think in the early phases we will need to concentrate on having people quarantined in specific areas. For their own safety and for the safety of others. Initially it is most probable, it is most likely that we would have those who return in the earlier stages in one or two locations in Belize City, preferably one."

Bze Musicians Singing The Blues Right Now

And switching topics now…we turn to music. While technology allows us to continue to enjoy music in quarantine, the experience of a live show, or DJ set has become just one more sacrifice we've made to the pestilence that is COVID-19.

And what is a musician without the roar of a crowd? Well, they aren't exactly thriving, and this afternoon Cherisse Halsall spoke to four musicians to find out how they're keeping the music alive while on lockdown.

You can catch Gilharry 7 in their virtual father's day concert at 2:00 p.m. on June 14th. As for Cocono Bwai and TR Shine they will both perform in Belize's second Virtual music festival.

FFB Stadium Steps Up With New Bleachers

Earlier in the news, we shared the comments of Education Minister Patrick Faber on a number of important national topics.

We caught up with him at a ground-breaking ceremony for Football Federation of Belize. They are about to make a 2 million-dollar upgrade to the bleachers of their stadium, which is located at their Belmopan Headquarters. This upgrade will complement its state-of-the-art football pitch. According to the football executives, when the works are fully completed, their FFB stadium will be at the highest FIFA standards. It will allow the FFB to lobby for big international tournaments to be hosted in Belize

Here's how the FFB President described it today:

Sergio Chuc - FFB President
"This project is going is going to take several years to complete. We'll do the first phase which is the bleachers on the western and the eastern side, but after that we have other phase coming which will entail VIP facilities which will entail also a shed. So that will definitely take some years and what I want to remark here is that in Belize we need to think long-term. Last year we completed the pitch behind us, you could see it. The federation invested a million Belize dollars in this world-class pitch. This is one of the best there is not only in Belize or Central America, but it is one of the best around the world. This is what FIFA refers to as the FIFA pro pitch. We are investing over 2.44 million dollars Belize currency into this project and before anybody starts saying that the government could invest their money elsewhere, I need to make this abundantly clear this not a cent of this money is coming from the government of Belize. This is a FIFA finance project that we've been working for the last year. I see football as an industry and this is going to bring jobs and money to Belize."

Hon. Patrick Faber - Minister of Sports
"It's very important, and I congratulate the FFB. We thank FIFA Forward, of course, for their support for the FFB and this initiative. As has been mentioned here today, it is an investment, not only in the sporting discipline of football but also in economy. When there is construction, there is a lot of spending, and employment happening. And so, for us, that is a step in a positive direction, especially in this time of crisis in our country. I think the level of this project shows the FFB Executives' forward-thinking. They want to ensure that football has a longstanding place in here in Belize, and that can only go well with what it is our agenda is in the wider government, and in particular, the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture."

The contract for the construction was awarded to Steven Coleman of Coleman Construction. It is being funded by FIFA.

Mental Health, More Important Now Than Ever

May is being observed internationally as Mental Health Awareness Month.

Right now the issue is in sharp focus because COVID 19 has us all stressed out in one way or the other, and just managing that is a strain on your mental health.

That's why Education Minister Patrick Faber made a public call this afternoon for Belizeans to pay attention to their mental health, especially at this time of crisis:

All across Belize today, those who support mental health awareness wore green in solidarity.

Through The Botes Backdoor?

Police have quarantined a Mexican man who was caught near Santa Cruz village, across thew river from smuggling hotspot Rotes, Mexico.

He has been placed under quarantine pending charges. Contrary to what was reported earlier, he was not linked to the over 3 kilos of marijuana found nearby - and that has been labelled found property.

CTV-3 reports that the drugs were found abandoned on then roadside between Yo Creek and San Antonio village.

Stealing Power Leads to Fires

Last week, we told you about the house fire which devastated Hattieville resident Dorian Garnett. On the night of May 9th, his home in the Windmill area of the village completely burnt down.

It's the kind of distress that no one needs to endure, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but an investigation from the National Fire Service has indicated that the misery is self-inflicted. That's because, according to the experts, he was stealing power from BEL.

Yesterday, we got a chance to speak with a BEL spokesperson about the dangers of stealing electricity from their the national power grid under these circumstances:

Belize Confounded COVID With Science?

Belize is the only country on the American mainland that has managed to avoid a confirmed case for more than a month.

Now, a Canadian Newspaper is claiming that technology is at the forefront of Belize's COVID-19 efforts. An article published on Monday claims that a secret weapon developed locally, which drove decisions on a day-to-day basis.

It goes on to say that quote: "a small group of software developers, statisticians, and health professionals got together and designed their own in-house tracking, tracing, and reporting platform for Covid19, possibly one of the earliest such integrated efforts in the Americas." End quote.

But do we really have a group of unsung expert techies to thank for the flattening of our curve? Our sources say it's not likely and that instead, the BTB's new PR company placed the slightly misleading article to drum up interest in post COVID tourism.

Director of Health Services Marvin Manzanero who is said to not be pleased with the narrative, calling the story exaggerated.

But According to the Statistical Institute of Belize, they have been providing a great deal of technical support behind the scenes, developing mapping, forecasting, and contact tracing applications. We're told that 5 full-time programmers have spent the past two months working with the Ministry of Health's epidemiology team to develop data collection and management software for the coordination of the response effort.