Lorna Perez, Surveillance Officer
"We will be changing our strategy somewhat and this goes for the people in San Pedro, I know you are anxious, you want to be tested, but Doc, maybe you could clarify, because we will be looking at other potential areas. Belize City is a place of concern. Right now we have over 100 people waiting to be screened with the cases that came up there are so many more, but the priority is shifting. We need to contained and so we need to look at other areas of potential exposures."

Dr. Russell Manzanero, Epidemiologist, Ministry of Health
"The concern that Nurse Perez is saying about Belize City is the fact that it is one of the most populated areas in the country that once you start having the possibility spread in such a large urban area is of great concern, because there are so many contacts in such a small dense area. That is the reason why we are trying to enhance our surveillance in the area of Belize City. For now those in San Pedro are actually - there is much anxiety as who wants to be tested and swabbed for Covid19. We do understand that there is much concern. However, at this point given the ongoing transmission and so many individual who are displaying symptoms we need to be cautious of how we want to actually go around and test those individuals. 1) for example if you are talking about individuals who are in a home, we have been in discussions of who were to be swabbed from one specific household and we are not going to go and swabbed every member of that household. Our recommendation for the people in San Pedro is if in deed you are ill, that you would stay at home and you should call the number that is being provided for guidance, even if you are displaying some symptoms it might be a mild form, so we are asking that you stay there and get that guidance - somebody will call you back and ask some pertinent questions as to how you would be classified and then later on swabbed."