With each passing day, the times are getting even more critical. We are a little more than a couple weeks into a new administration and adapting to a new government, but truth be told, that’s secondary right now. You know what is primary? How COVID-19 continues to spread seemingly unabated in our small country, registering increasingly high numbers and racking up its death toll.
While many countries in the region and across the world are lauding Belize for our excellent display of democracy and the peaceful and seamless transfer of power, there is something silently brewing out of that democratic process. Election Day 2020 in Belize may have been one of the biggest COVID-19 super-spreaders since the start of the pandemic.
As I drove around the city on election day, I couldn’t help but notice the large masses of people who lined up to cast their ballots. While the people were exercising their sovereign democratic right in some constituencies across the city, there was little to no adherence to social distancing and to the protocols and procedures set in place by the Ministry of Health.
More than that, in some instances, large crowds gathered under tents in support of their candidates, with little to no social distancing and adherence to protocols and procedures.
As the results were called in, there were sporadic celebrations across the country as we witnessed a new day being dawned. It was a scary phenomenon to watch and take in, and well, now the numbers are in.
Over the past week, we have seen a steady increase of positive cases, with 60 – 100 new cases being reported around the country daily.
Additionally, the hospitals and healthcare facilities are overwhelmed with critically ill patients who require more attention. More daunting is that we are now averaging 4 deaths per day. That is alarming, to say the least.
This COVID-19 situation is completely out of control, and whether we live or die now is up to us. The facts are in front of us, and with an overwhelmed healthcare system, with steady increases in numbers and the rising death toll, we have got to get back to the basics: adhere to the procedures in place and take care of ourselves. Failure to do this will result in us being a statistic, and clearly, it can go either way.
We are in a precarious position, and if we don’t take heed immediately, we will start to fall at an ever more rapid rate. It’s so sad to say, but if we don’t take charge and take this virus seriously, we might very well be swamped with sick and dying people in the parking lots of our healthcare facilities.
The time to slow the pace is now; take heed, or face the harsh reality of COVID-19.
God Bless Belize!