BELIZE CITY, Thurs. May 7, 2020– Despite warnings to the public that the country is in a State of Emergency and a curfew is also in place in an effort to force people to stay at home to halt the spread of COVID-19, some persons are still violating the rules.

The regulations also stipulate that persons who violate the regulations and are found guilty in court could pay a fine of $5,000, or they could be sentenced to 2 years in jail.

Today, police announced that yesterday, 61 persons were arrested for violating the curfew and the State of Emergency regulations.

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams also noted that 26 persons were charged today because they were not wearing a mask to protect their mouth and nose in public; 15 persons were charged for breaching the curfew; 14 persons were charged because they could not give an adequate reason for their movements outside of the curfew hours; 3 were charged for cross-district movement; 2 were charged for not conducting social distancing; and 1 person was charged for entering Belize illegally.

Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte announced that when leaving home and going out in public, persons in the country must wear a mask to cover their nose and mouth. He said that wearing a mask is now mandatory, and failure to wear a mask can result in being arrested and charged for violation of the State of Emergency regulations. Those who are found guilty will be fined $5,000, he said.