At the top of the news, we told you about the announcement from the Prime Minister that the Philip Goldson International Airport will not open on August 15th, as had been planned. That's after a sudden spike in the number of coronavirus cases in Corozal, Orange Walk, and San Pedro, which has health authorities concerned that there is possibly a community spread of the deadly and contagious virus.
Although the Airport will not open in 10 days, the authorities are still preparing for the day when it will actually happen. This evening, we got a chance to speak with Mike Singh, the Chief Technology Officer from the Government's Central Information Technology Office, about the plan, which would have been implemented, had the government moved ahead with the August 15th reopening. Here's what he told Daniel Ortiz about the COVID protocol that visitors will have to abide by when that day finally comes:
Mike Singh - Chief Technology Officer, CITO
"The intent on opening the airport, whenever that happens, is for us to treat the two different types of travelers differently. So, you'll have tourists on 1 side, and then, you have returning Belizeans and people that will be - the easiest way to say it is people who will be re-entering the community, being a regular part of the community."
For the tourists, this is the intended plan for how the Tourism and Health authorities will keep track of them, for the safety of the visitor, and locals.
Mike Singh
"A tourist coming to Belize is only here for a very short stay, and their intent is for leisure."
"The plan is that anybody visiting for leisure will be kept in a safe corridor. So, the monitoring and the management of that person will be within that safe corridor. From the minute that they land at the airport until they depart at the end of their stay, the idea is to maintain them within safe corridors and safe practices and to make sure that we know where they are, and what they're doing at any given point in time. Those people arriving at the airport will be required to download an app that is called the Belize Health Travel App. That app will allow them to report their health condition. It'll allow them to report their history, of where they've been. And it will also allow us to communicate with them on a two-way basis on an ongoing basis while they're in-country."
"You would then be required to check in on a daily basis, using this technology, and to report your health condition, whether you have any symptoms, how do you feel. And the health authorities will be able to communicate back with you. And if you don't report, you'll be prompted to say, hey, Daniel, where are you? How are you feeling? So, that app itself is really a management app, to help them to stay in touch with the health authorities, and for us ascertain where they are within that safe corridor, and to ensure they don't leave the safe corridor."
Tune in to tomorrow's newscast, when we will tell you what the plan is for returning Belizeans, which is a little more strict.
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