AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Living in Belize Popular Shopping Mall in Chetumal Closed

"Earlier this week health officials in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico closed the mall "Plaza Las Americas", after the drainage system and the sewage waters overflowed in the back part of the restaurant and dining area of the building. The move was done by officials at the Protecci�n Contra Riesgos Sanitarios or the Protection Against Health Risks department. The situation is apparently serious as officials indicate that they observed feces on the parking lot area that was naturally accompanied by a foul odor. The situation posed serious health risks, officials said since rodents, insects and other pests became visible. The recent rains have also caused flooding in the area compounding the health risks. As a result the mall was shut down. Media outlets in Chetumal City indicate that health officials had warned the mall's administration that the drainage system was not secure and recommended the situation be addressed but nothing was done. How is this relevant to Belizeans, well let's go back to figures received from the Honorary Council's office earlier this year on the entries recorded for the year 2012. One million three hundred thousand entries from Belize were registered. Per month this translates to over one hundred and eighty thousand three hundred entries, if each spent twenty dollars there, a total of two million six hundred dollars per month is injected into the state's economy. Granted this is not all spent at the Plaza Las Americas but a significant chunk is. However, there is no guarantee that that money remains in Belize; it can very well be spent elsewhere in Chetumal."