The island's business community is not embracing the new 9:00 pm curfew.

It's affecting the service industry, especially restaurant, and vacationers.

The spells pressure for the Belize Rural South Area Rep. said that he has been receiving pockets of disquiet from his constituents. Here are those comments:

Hon. Andre Perez, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
"I think we need to look at the bigger picture, reaching out to people, I'm getting a lot of emails, a lot of messages, people are not happy and I ask them for two weeks to please bear with us and we hear the news today we are extending the same curfews at 9pm until the end of the month for August. I want to reach out to our people that there must be some kind of reason. We must aim and look way ahead of the coming months ahead. We know that we have the September Celebrations coming up ahead and that won't be able to happen as we would like it to be. The coming in of tourist right now is very much robust, but we must be mindful of the figures that are coming up with the covid. We are getting at dangerous levels right now. We are in the middle of going into a third wave, so I think what we need right now is to be cooperative, let's work together in the communities in Caye Caulker and San Pedro, especially in San Pedro we have engage with the association of the JPs, they are there to monitor these restaurants to make sure that we adhere to the protocols and the requirements of the amount of percentage at the levels that is acceptable and I am happy to tell you based on what we get from the JPs is that they do get cooperation with our people and at this point in time it's not good for tourism, but it could have been worst. So we need to look at it as a more positive way that for now it is contained. We are not the road that we are going to lockdown, we continue to be on the vanguard to be cooperating with one another. I think that's the most important thing. But all in all, I think the resident of San Pedro and Caye Caulker understand the good value of what the tourism sector does to these 2 towns, so as compare to last year when it was virtually nothing to where right now I believe we can make a sacrifice for 9pm."

We also asked about enforcement against those island bars that are masquerading as restaurants so that they could open for business. Perez told us that the JP Association is helping police to ensure that this and other COVID safety laws are being obeyed:

Hon. Andre Perez, Area Rep., Belize Rural South
"I think that week right now it has really change to the point where it is being enforced, because we know that the police department alone cannot do it, they are overwhelm, they have other matters to deal with other than just looking at the curfew, looking at the restaurants and checking in. They have other matters to do as well. We have delinquency that is still prevailing all over the place, drug peddlers and all of these things. However, with the coming in of the JP association which I attended the meeting last week, it is making a difference and I do know that they are making their rounds visiting the restaurants they are adhering to it and all these bars that should not be open - they are also being monitored as well. There is very much control this week here in Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker as well."

Channel 7