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Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"So American tourists and Belizeans coming back from the States should have no trouble bringing an Abbott test with them. This thing is so portable. I don't want for them to test in the States and then bring us the results of their 15 minute Abbott test. I want them to bring the test and have the test administered right there at the airport so we can see. There won't be any logistical problem because this is 15 minutes and you are good to go, but what it means whether they use the Abbott test in the States before they get here or whether they use it as I would prefer, once they reach Belize and disembarked this should cut at least by half any worry` we previously had about being able to find sufficient tests to be administered by us at the PGIA. That Abbott breakthrough should also mean a 2020 restart to cruise ship calls, since it will be so easy for the cruise lines to test passengers before they board. You know that the majority of the cruise lines, certainly all of them that come to Belize have said that they will not start cruising again until 2021, but that was before this Abbott test breakthrough. They are headquartered in America, so they will have access to the Abbott rapid test and that should mean they are able to test every passenger. I terms of the numbers that Abbott is saying the way in which they will mass produce this test, it should be no problem for the cruise lines to be able to test everybody before they board a cruise ship and so it strikes me that this will have to mean a reversion to 2020 restart for the cruise industry. It would then mean if I am right that the Abbott test breakthrough should also have an influence, also incentivize and earlier start for the return to cruise, that basically we are beginning to see a comprehensive, at least the possibility of a comprehensive reset for the entirety of our tourism product."

We note that there has not been an announcement by the Cruise Industry as regards this type of testing.