There is also the concern that any case of swine flu confirmed for
Belize will have some effect on the tourism industry in particular cruise tourism.
Today however it was business as usual as three ships docked in Belize. Because
of the swine flu outbreak in neighbouring Mexico, the ships did not anchor in
Cozumel, Cancun and Mahawal the three traditional routes taken by the ships
before anchoring in Belizean waters. And while the cruise ships remain on schedule
there remains the presence of a heightened awareness onboard. According to the
Deputy Director of Health Services Dr. Jorge Polanco there is now in place a
procedure that those onboard the cruise ships must follow when it comes to ensuring
the health of not only their passengers but Belizeans and visitors onshore as
well.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Deputy Director
“If there is a sick person on any cruise ship, that sick person will
not be allowed to land in Belize. On the other hand, all the cruise ships have
their own medical clinics and on landing they provide a report to the authorities
including the public health inspector and any sick person identified there is
not allowed to come out of the ship. In this case they will be very vigilant
to ensure that the medical personnel within the cruise ship comply with that.”
Dr. Michael Pitts,
“And if you believe there is significant transmission on board that
ship then that ship would be quarantined. This is not new, this is what they
used to do with ships coming from Europe into New York and it is based on a
full assessment. But the international public health regulations require that
you have an assessment of the state of health onboard any ship. It is not just
for influenza but for any illness whatsoever. So once we get that, you make
a decision as to how to move.”
And as we look forward to long holiday weekend, many plans involving
public gatherings have been cancelled and health officials are advising the
general public to use the next three days as downtime – not going out
time. Edwards explains.
Dr. Paul Edwards,
“What we want to recommend, it is going to be a long weekend and people
have plans. The ideal situation is for you to stay indoors, stay at home, various
things you can do that we want recommend. Get a nice book and read. Play games
with your family, watch movies together with your family. That is what is highly
recommended. Now inevitably people might want to go out. We’re saying
as best as possible and recommending, try to avoid mass gatherings. I like the
example that Dr. Pitts has used throughout, if you know there is a fire, you
know what are the repercussions and that is the message we are trying to throw
out.”
Of course, we’ll have more on the swine flu scare later on in
the news – as Keith Swift shows us how it’s affecting regular folks
in the course of their day.
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