But, even with all that, Belize remains open for business - even if the customers are slowing to a trickle as a result of the global scare.  Today, one local cruise ship tour operator said they are already feeling the diminished returns:

John Pollard - Tour Operator
"Corona virus has had a very great effect because the ships are coming but much people didn't coming off except for the ones who are booked, those are the personnel coming off the ship. Normally we would be seeing people flowing on the outside; today we have two Carnival, the Carnival Freedom and the Carnival Conquest. This morning time has change, it is a different time span for them now, so we started this morning from 6:30 in doing ships today but the effect from the Corona is trickling down to us."

Reporter
"How do you feel it's going to affect your income moving forward and the income of the entire tourist industry?"

John Pollard
"Well before Corona came about, cruise tourism here for us on the outside here is dead already for the past year and a half going on two years, this dead. So this is just putting a more terrible effect on us because like I said to you, we have two ship but look at the results for two ships out here? This is like a cemetery; this is like some had died out here."

Reporter
"For your guests, when they tell you that they're concerned about the corona virus in the country, what do you tell them about how to protect themselves?"

John Pollard
"Protecting yourself is simply sanitise the right way. I am ensuring that personnel working out this side here, walk with their little hand sanitisers. Let us try avoid handshakes as much. If we're going to great, let us to a little punch out you understand that I'm saying and don't try to get too close to people, give them space when you're talking to them because you don't know who is who and what is what."