BREAKING: Government to extend national State of Emergency

By Aaron Humes: At today’s meeting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan, the Government is to table a motion to extend the ongoing state of emergency for another 14 days from the 20th of August, taking it into September.

With the exponential increase of cases of COVID-19 from 57 to 322 and counting in the last week, the Prime Minister and his administration are, unhappily, satisfied that a period of public emergency exists in all of Belize.

Note that there is no similar extension to the much stricter state of emergency for three villages in Orange Walk and Ambergris Caye.

Also before the House are various amendments to legislation include a further general revenue supplementary appropriation.

The Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act is to be amended to expand the offences for which a Magistrate shall not grant bail.

The Customs Regulations Act is to be amended to remove the imposition of fines as a penalty for offences, to be replaced with mandatory imprisonment.

And the Labour Act is to be amended to provide for employers to reduce wages where the working hours of an employee have been reduced in special circumstances; to provide for leave of absence without pay in special circumstances, and to provide for exemptions from the period of night rest.

We’ll have more as the day progresses.

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