BELIZE CITY, Sat. Dec. 19, 2020– The new SI 175 of 2020 requires that business establishments ensure that the number of persons inside their office or building does not go beyond 50% of its total capacity. A similar regulation has been put in place for public and private transportation: Buses and water taxis are mandated to transport only 50% of the number of passengers that can fit inside these vessels at any given time.

As was the case under previous COVID-19-related regulations, full social distancing measures are still in place; and business owners are mandated to lay out 6-foot markers and see to it that customers follow those regulations both inside and outside the establishment.

A new feature that has been added to the regulations that businesses must comply with, is that “peace officers” should be contracted, at the cost of each business establishment, to ensure that social distancing and mask-wearing protocols are being adhered to by both the customers and the owners. These persons must be appointed by a Justice of the Peace.

Restaurants with open-air facilities are allowed to serve just 50% percent of the total number of customers they are capable of accommodating, and those customers must make reservations; other restaurants are restricted to providing take-out only. Also, street vendors must still sell from a private location.

Section 16 of the new SI states,” Every employer of a public or private business that is not an essential business shall implement a shift system for the employees of that business.” Additionally, Section 17 mandates employers to implement measures to allow employees to work from home where possible.

Employees who work from home should be available for work during normal work hours, stay at home and observe social distancing protocols, and report to the employer as is required or instructed. Persons who must be at the workplace to execute their duties are allowed to be physically present at an establishment.

And if the closure of bars, rum shops and casinos were not enough, the new SI also places a curfew on the sale of intoxicating beverages. Section 19 of the new SI orders that, “No person shall sell liquor during the hours of six o’clock p.m. to five o’clock a.m. on the following morning.”

Section 18 (2) of SI 175 states, “The provision of public transportation or private transportation is limited to fifty per centum of the seating capacity of the public or private transportation.”

So, no vehicle, public or private, should have more than 50% of its seating capacity filled.

All previous measures for public transportation remain in place. Owners, operators, and conductors must sanitize buses or water taxis at each terminal point and ensure that they sanitize each passenger as well. They must also ensure that all commuters wear a mask.