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Swine Flu Fear Hits The Streets
Wed, April 29, 2009

As we stressed earlier there are four suspected cases of swine flu in Belize. But just the specter of it has the streets buzzing- and when we hit downtown Belize City this evening with the news that the Agriculture Show and Morgan Heritage concert had been cancelled because of the threat – we found concern, and consternation mixed in with some fatalism. Here’s what they told Keith Swift.

Woman #1,
“I am very afraid because I have three children to look after. I can handle it and they cannot and I don’t know why they didn’t close down the border from they heard the news. They will wait until it is too late and its not right because a lot of children will suffer.”

Keith Swift,
Agric got postponed because of it. You agree with that?

Woman #1,
“I totally agree and I disagree that they bring this circus to Belize.”

Woman #2,
“Oh yes I am afraid very much because we don’t know what type of people are here having this problem and first thing, I try to be protected because then who will protect we.”

Keith Swift,
Agric got postponed because of the swine flu, you agree with that?

Woman #2,
“Yes I agree with that because we don’t know what people will eat out there.”

Keith Swift,
You don’t think we are overreacting?

Woman #2,
“Yes we are overreacting because we are scared, that’s why. Mi back my, let me show you, my little hand sanitizer and then if I have to wear my mask I will.”

Man #1,
“Well I am not afraid but I am just concerned about it.”

Keith Swift,
Are you taking any special precautions?

Man #1,
“At this moment no, I just go from home to work and so forth and thing and I don’t feel ill, I am not sick or anything so I don’t really…if it is the case that we have to get a warning that we have to use a mask or something then I will do it.”

Man #2,
“Basically we have to take precautions because we don’t know what’s going to happen. We can’t wait for the last minute and then start to prepare ourselves. We got to start prepare ourselves from now. We start to buy the mask for your face, I work at Brothers Habet and those things are going pretty fast right now, a lot of people are buying them up because they are preparing themselves.”

Man #3,
“I am not afraid of the swine flu because you have to die anyway.”

Keith Swift,
You think we’re overreacting?

Man #3,
“Yes we are overreacting, it doesn’t make sense you cancel everything. It is better to have it and continue. I was going to Croc Land. My mom wanted to go to Chetumal too but I am not sure if she is going again because of this. I already told her to still go but a lot people don’t want to go again.”

Man #4,
“I don’t think I can catch it like that. I think I have to go across the border.”

Keith Swift,
They postponed Agric because of it.

Man #4,
“Cho? But no swine flu is in Belize. We haven’t sent it to the lab and found out the truth. I nuh see no problem of us having swine flu in Belize because I don’t see no result coming out proving that we have the swine flu.”

Man #5,
“Definitely I am afraid of the flu. It is affecting majority part of the world and definitely we have heard about cases here in Belize so to be on the safe side, I have no problem with them postponing the various activities.”

And as some of those people told us – they are preparing for the worse. That means that the hottest items at drug stores the past few days have been gloves, masks, and hand sanitizers. When we checked in at Central Drug Store this evening, manager Delcia Joseph told us they were sold out.

Delcia Joseph, Central Drug Store
“They have been buying masks and hand sanitizers to try to stop the flu from coming into Belize.”

Keith Swift,
So when they come, what are they telling you?

Delcia Joseph,
“Masks and hand sanitizers, from morning that is what we are getting.”

Keith Swift,
Do you have any left right now?

Delcia Joseph,
“No we are out, we are waiting for some to come in at the moment. People desperately want it. Every minute we have calls. In 5 minutes time people are coming back and asking if we have received as yet. So we’re receiving a lot of buyers right now.”

Central Drug Store expected to receive new stock later this evening or first thing in the morning.

And one more item related to swine flu, there have been no cruise ship cancellations to Belize at this time. 3 cruise ships will be in port tomorrow but they will not be going onto Mexico as all stops in that country have been cancelled, meaning no visits to Cozumel Cancun and Mahawal. And while Belize is holding on, depending on the results of tests that are expected tomorrow, that may or may not affect arrivals scheduled for next week.

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