May 26, 2021
Bomb Threat at Government Offices in the City
Services were interrupted for about four hours today at the Belize Tax Service and Treasury Departments following separate bomb threats being made in Belize City this morning. News Five’s Duane Moody was on the ground and files this report.
Duane Moody, Reporting
As the work day began at the Treasury Department on Coney Drive and the Charles Bartlett Hyde Building on Mahogany Street, which houses the Belize Tax Service and the Elections and Boundaries Departments, calls were made to these respective government departments claiming bombs had been planted at these offices. Without much panic, hundreds of employees made their way out of the building a onto the streets and the area cordoned off by police.
Apr 8, 2021
The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Businesses
The COVID-19 pandemic has left many Belizean businesses in limbo, and a recent survey by the Statistical Institute of Belize shows just how significant the impact is across the country. A Business Establishment Survey was carried out by the S.I.B. in November of 2020; two thousand five hundred local businesses were in the sample group, which were registered either with the Social Security Board or the Belize Tax Department. The survey reported an average thirty-five point eight percent decrease in employment between March and November 2020. The steepest decline was seen in Orange Walk District, where business reported a sixty-six point five percent loss of staff. This was followed by the Cayo District, where employment among these businesses fell by forty-eight point four percent. Statistician Jefte Ochaeta shares further details.