BELIZE CITY, Sat. Feb 27th, 2020– Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health and Wellness shared details about their vaccine rollout program as the GOB continues to source COVID-19 vaccines for Belize’s immunization process. According to the Ministry, the first persons who will be vaccinated in the first phase of the program are healthcare workers, followed by the elderly, and persons with “special conditions” (i.e., those with cancer or HIV and those requiring dialysis). During the second phase, vaccines will be administered to teachers, police officers, the members of the National Assembly and the Judiciary, and those who work in the Customs and Immigration Departments.
Over the weekend, however, the Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, Hon. Anthony Mahler, told members of the media that among those who will be prioritized during the initial phases of the rollout are eight thousand frontline tourism stakeholders who are expected to be vaccinated when Belize receives its first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from COVAX. Hon. Mahler believes this is an important step to solidifying the country’s status as a safe destination for travel as Belize tries to revive its tourism industry.
The Minister also discussed new programs he believes the country should consider establishing as we seek to gain competitive footing among other popular tourist destinations. These were his sentiments during his press briefing on Tuesday:
“All destinations throughout the world will want to get their share of the market, so we have to be ready, and so we are looking at our competitiveness as a destination as we move forward. We are looking at two programs, a long-stay programme and the qualified retirement programme, whereby we are adjusting those legislations to invite people to come and work here, digital nomads, and retired persons, who want to come to Belize to retire. We are adjusting those legislations to make it easier for them to invest and come live in Belize.”
Hon. Mahler stated that the Ministry has already spoken to the Prime Minister regarding the Ministry’s aim to vaccinate frontline tourism stakeholders as soon as possible. The Prime Minister has apparently given his commitment to the project.