Email

Print

Toady, we spoke via video conference to the officer commanding about it:

Supt. Chris Noble, OC, San Pedro
"We have 5 infected, 3 are on the island, 2 are off the island. They were symptomatic, they are now asymptomatic and I have 9 more that presented flu symptoms, 3 presented flu symptoms today. We had 6 that presented over the weekend. We have isolated all officers."

Jules Vasquez
"How did all these officers get infected? You have any idea? What it one location, what's the theory?"

Supt. Chris Noble, OC, San Pedro
"Theory - it could be one of lots of things. My opinion is we were out and we got caught because we were out."

Jules Vasquez
"We know there are 3 clusters that have been identified: the construction site, the nightclub Allure and the church. Did these officers have specific contact with any one from these establishments?"

Supt. Chris Noble, OC, San Pedro
"I'll tell you that officers that were swabbed and they came back negative, had conversation with persons who have tested positive, so it's not something where its either the church or the nightclub. The nightclub has a vibrant nightlife, so off-duty officers would attend these events, off-duty officers would moonlight at these events."

Jules Vasquez
"But so you are contact with your officers, you are providing them assistance both material and oral, like you are talking to them. What is their frame of mind? Are they in a panic? Are they calm, because the symptoms are fading away?"

Supt. Chris Noble, OC, San Pedro
"Speaking from one of the officers yesterday, he is saying from the day when I spoke to you when I wasn't feeling well, I am up and ready to go. The only thing is I am to be kept inside and it plays on your psyche. What the officers have been doing is staying home. What we've implemented for those officers is some sort of support. Assigning officers to make checks on them at least 3 times a day. When necessary or in the case of an officer that's isolated we've been providing the meals and the basic necessities to go along with that."

Jules Vasquez
"We saw a post from one officer who was in a state of alarm it appears - Manuel Caliz."

Supt. Chris Noble, OC, San Pedro
"Manuel is an officer attached to San Pedro. I saw the post as him trying to reach out to somebody for some sort of assistance. As a matter of fact, I just spoke to Manuel and the closest I can come to is that I was chastising him about behavior. But that is not to say that everybody follows in the same. I can't say why he would have made the post, I cant say what made him make the post. I want to guide you people towards the good gentleman and see what made him make that post, because he is since been in quarantine or in isolation for about 2 days because he got back his results yesterday which is why we put together a check to some extent to those officers where somebody is assigned to make sure they have a meal at every meal time and the all have access directly to me."

And, on Saturday, BEL confirmed that one of its employees in the San Pedro Service area tested positive for COVID-19. The company says it is providing full support to our employee and his family. The company adds that its Customer Service Center in San Pedro has remained closed to the public since April 6, 2020. The employee, who tested positive, had been working on rotation in an isolated area in the office since that time and had minimal contact with other employees working in San Pedro.

And, in Belize City, according to an internal memo that has been leaked. a BPO employee has reportedly tested positive for COVID 19 on Friday, August 7th.