And while restaurants will get a discretionary break - on October 1st they will be the ones having to use their discretion. How will they handle unvaccinated patrons who wish to enter their businesses? We asked two restaurant owners on Friday how they felt about that regulation, and they both gave opposing views.

Mahsun Kelat, Owner, Midtown Restaurant
"I am hundred agree with it and I will do something for my two businesses which is Lucca Restaurant and Midtown. we will ask at least for one dose of vaccinated people to enter our restaurant. Even some of our staff, some of them still worry, especially to taking the vaccine. I told them you don't have to take the vaccine, that's your human right, your personal right, but we will ask you every 7 days to bring PCR test result to come and work with us."

"I have been to many countries during the pandemic and life is almost normal in most countries in Europe and some in Central America. But here we are having really difficult time economically and mentally during the pandemic."


Reporter
"Based on your observations from these other countries, what's something you see here that might may be the cause of this?"

Mahsun Kelat, Owner, Midtown Restaurant
"I would say the vaccination is one the bigger reason we are behind the other countries, because most of our people I can give sample for my friends, my customers, my staff - some of them worry about taking vaccine. We were taking vaccines since we were a child and nothing happened to us and we explain this to our staff and they started to take the vaccine and social distance also the gatherings. People are not listening to rules in Belize. This is the main problem."

Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace
"I believe in the freedom of choice and that's where our democracy lies. If I want to get it, I should be able to say yes or no. We live in a democracy and so I would like to encourage people to go get it, but I would not like to mandate that people have to get it in order to go about. There are measures that all businesses should have, once you come in, you take a temperature test, sanitized, make sure you are separate and try to prevent the spread."

Channel 7