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Tacogirl Belize blog Est. in 2007

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Mandatory Belize Travel COVID App and PGIA Reopening in August

by tacogirl 26/06/2020
written by tacogirl 26/06/2020
Belize Travel COVID App and PGIA Reopening

So many of you have been waiting for the news of when the Philip Goldson International Airport (PGIA) is reopening so that you can reschedule or start planning.

Barring any unforeseen dramatic events, our Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced yesterday that PGIA will reopen August 15th. At this time, a decision regarding the reopening of land borders is still off the table. The current primary focus with the opening of our international airport is ensuring the health and safety for all. As a result, travel will be tightly monitored.

We were given details for a comprehensive plan – see live video on GOB Press page. Also discussing the way forward were Ministry of Health CEO, Dr. George Gough, and Director of Health Services Dr. Marvin Manzanero; Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans; Prime Ministers Office Director of Technology, Michael Singh; and Ministry of Human Development and chair of National COVID-19 task force Judith Alpuche.

Currently, American Airlines, Avianca, Delta possibly United Airlines are international flight options. As for in-country, expect your travel to be fun, safe, and a bit different than the old days.

Registration, reporting, and geofencing tracking will be mandatory via the Belize COVID travel app. If you are not familiar with the term, according to WIKI, Geofencing is a location-based service in which an app (or other software) uses GPS, RFID, Wi-Fi or cellular data to trigger a pre-programmed action when a mobile device or RFID tag enters or exits a virtual boundary set up around a geographical location, known as a geofence. Think of it as a virtual perimeter for a real-world geographic area.

Also required, in-country wearing masks for travelers. As for Resorts, Hotels, and Tour Companies they are to meet the new COVID gold standard of 9 checkmarks for health and safety. They must also be full service in order to take international bookings. You will need to use their airport pick up and drop off services and you will not be free to roam Belize at leisure for the time being. They are trying to create a “safe corridor” keeping travelers to set routes and places allowing for easier contact tracing and limiting community involvement. A bit sad as that is why most people come here; to enjoy the Belizean community.

Click through to learn more read the Belize national guidelines for reopening accommodations.

Pre-Travel

All Belize travelers must download the Belize Health App (coming soon) to your mobile phone. After confirming your accommodations and registering everything on the app, you will get a QR code for use upon arrival in Belize.

For fast track arrival plan on coming with a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test within 72 hours of arrival. In some cases, it is a bit longer timeframe (4 days) so be prepared to stay clean after you test negative. You will also be required to upload your results in advance on the Belize COVID travel app.

PGIA Arrival

Those who come tested will still be subject to minor screening including temperature checks, and health app verification.

Anyone coming untested will require you to get yourself in a potential log jam here and get tested at your own (undetermined as of yet) expense when you land. They will be testing about 12 at a time. On the odd chance, you test positive then you must be willing to pay for a 14-day quarantine at an approved place.

All traveler luggage will be sanitized.

During Vacation

While on your Belize vacation, you must adhere to all health and safety protocols which include: mask-wearing guidelines, sanitation procedures, and personal distancing policies. You will also be required to check in daily on the Belize Health App. As mentioned above, you must remain at your chosen accommodations during your stay. For this reason, choosing a nice jungle lodge, like Banana Bank Lodge and Ian Andersons Caves Branch with lots of room to roam onsite is an ideal compromise. Or Victoria House on Ambergris Caye.

More Information

In case you are wondering, the country currently has four active COVID cases. To date, we have handled 23 positive cases of coronavirus in Belize, including two resulting deaths.

For condo owners wanting to return, you must be willing to be 14-day quarantine upon your return.

You may want to get on Matrix Airfare Search and or Google Flights. Google offers flight search tools that make it easy to find the best flight fast. Google Flights can be a great way to find the cheapest tickets not easily discoverable on other sites. Note: Google does let you to actually book the flight, but shows a list of options and gives you links for corresponding booking sites.

If you have a layover while on your way, check out this website. Around Airports makes it easy for frequent travellers to find businesses around airports that are nearest to them.

  • Belize Announces Hospitality Sector Health and Safety Protocols.
  • APSU professor experiences pandemic up close in Belize.
  • Here’s how much it costs to buy out an entire luxury hotel during the pandemic.
  • Tripadvisor launches Travel Safe, travel tools to give you peace of mind for when you’re ready to start planning.
  • EXPOSED: Moody’s predicts up to 50% drop in tourism.

But do not let that worry you, even with our complicated reentry, below are a few pictures of ordinary island life to help.

First off everybody’s favorite; landing in San Pedro. So many shades of blue in Belize. That day the water was close to classic blue the Pantone 2020 color of the year in some spots. I am a fan of deeper rich blues as you can tell by my navy logo.

Belize Travel COVID App and PGIA Reopening

Afternoon traffic on Back Street. Although you may not be able to see it while here you can always find it and other great island pictures on tacogirl.com downtown San Pedro based blog.

COVID in Belize

Looking for lunch? A must-have is the Coconut crusted pork chops from Hungry Grouper. I scored large this week by getting a special order and it was so crispy and yummy. Normally comes with rice but I was not hungry enough so I asked Argyle to skip it.

San Pedro Restaurant

After a Wednesday afternoon errand to Tropic Cargo, I decided to make a quick stop for a few veggies on my way home. Love that she walked around the corner to her house to get a knife so I could buy half the cauliflower.

Grocery shopping in Belize

I also love that minding the family business this is one way to learn math and life skills during COVID.

Grocery shopping in Belize

Before vegetables, was my Mobile Market order, they deliver weekly by air. This week I got meatballs, maple whiskey sausages, shredded pork, sausage patties, and premade dough balls. The limes came in a separate box.

Belize farming

Now back to the beauty in my neighborhood and a view. 😀
I love living on the lagoon side of town.

Downtown San Pedro

Peaceful sunset sky before Saharan dust which you will see later.

Golf cart parked downtown San Pedro

Boats parked in my neighborhood.

Downtown San Pedro

Quiet walk along the lagoon at dusk – Nurse Shark St.

Boats in Belize

Saharan dust cloud sunset from the Thunderbolt dock.

Thunderbolt water taxi dock

Related

tacogirl

Laurie Norton grew up dyslexic and was very challenged by the school. She never dreamed she would move to Belize and become a writer. A year after her move to Ambergris Caye, Laurie became an entrepreneur and professional writer starting tacogirl blog in 2007. Since then she has helped many people plan their vacations or move. She also has been published in Great Destinations Belize Guidebook, Moon Guide to Living in Belize, Insight Guides, Island Magazine several times and USA Today. Currently Laurie resides in downtown San Pedro and enjoys being a "city girl" on a tropical island.

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6 comments

James Pittman 22/12/2020 - 12:06 pm

I plan on bringing my grandchildren and their significant others to Belize between June 2021 and May 2022. Could you help me plan some outings?

Reply
JungleMama 09/07/2020 - 4:29 pm

What about for us American Expats (non citizens but Permanent Residents) wanting to return to our own homes in Belize? Are we free to do so? How will that work? I have attempted contacting US Embassy there to no avail- no callbacks…

Reply
Mesha 05/07/2020 - 12:56 am

I would like to stay with family for the 30 days I paying for for my ticket getting the test 72 hour I would love to come but it feels like I am a prisoner

Reply
Vanessa 29/06/2020 - 10:22 pm

My husband live in Belize and i want to come and see him but I don’t want to have to pay for a room when I can stay at our house and quarantine for the 14 days they plan on staying the whole 30 days

Reply
Brad 26/06/2020 - 1:44 pm

Are you saying you can’t come and stay with a friend

Reply
tacogirl 26/06/2020 - 1:51 pm

Judging by the rules they set so far, I would say friend homestays are not on the table yet. It could be that they have not addressed that option yet and will not at the start.

If friends homestay allowed, it would involve a 14-day quarantine like condo owners have to do. However, the point of all the strictness is that they do not want travelers who are all coming from highly COVID infected places compared to Belize freely roaming around right now. This will keep the community spread to a minimum and allow for easier contact tracing should any positive vacation-related cases happen.

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Laurie was super helpful in providing places to eat, things to do and best yet had ongoing blogs that allowed us to... look back on other places that she pointed out. A fantastic resource for both first time and return visitors of Ambergris Caye!read more
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Fantastic service .I needed to find a place where I could buy a local sim card as my UK sim doesnt work in belize and... Tacogirl put me on the right path .Decided to walk across town and discovered so much more in beautiful San Pedro.Many thanks.BWread more
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We have been using TacoGirl for what feels like decades when planning our trips to Belize! It has only been a few... years but she is the first place we stop to see what is happening in our favorite vacation spot. She knows all the best spots to get away and do so many fun things - whether it is relaxing or exploring! We are planning our next trip with our twins and she was the first person I reached out to. Knowing we have a resource like her, makes trip planning a breeze!read more
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D Zep
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Found tacogirl while doing some research on an upcoming trip to Belize. This is the place for all the information you... need to plan your vacation. Incredibly helpful and responsive. I sent an email with lots of questions and received a very quick and detailed response that helped us finalize our plans.read more
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We have been following TacoGirl for years now and before booking any trip to San Pedro we check to see what is... currently happening. We love the emails to let us know when a new blog has been posted. Keep up the great work Laurie, we feel like we know you.read more
Pamela Nixon
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I first got my Passport in 2012 and Taco Girl was my first connection back then Great then and Marvelous Now! She's... blossomed and developed into a wonderful contact for any and all information Belize. She goes above & beyond to respond with information that you need whether visiting Belize or relocating! I wasn't able to fund the move then but now that I have much more equity I am doing it.This time she was the 1st person I reached out to! Now I am selling and moving to Belize. She responds immediately! Like I do in my Pet Sitting Business! I was so impressed I followed her all this time. And was not disappointed!Pamela Nixonread more
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Wanted to give a shout-out to tacogirl belize for helping us! She is a plethora of knowledge and was super helpful and... responsive in helping us find longer term stay on the island. Thank you so much for your help!read more
Ty Willingham
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I've spent the last month exploring Belize. I'm retired & seriously considering moving down to Belize permanently from... the US. I contacted the local San Pedro expert "Taco Girl" to help me get started in finding an apartment to rent. With her help, I've located several places that meet my needs & budget requirements. Thank you Laurie!read more
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I am very glad I found you and asked you a question about a spice in Belize. You helped me figure out the name of it... and where i could buy it. You went above and beyond to help. Thanks again.read more
Katherine Jones
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I am so grateful for the time and energy Laurie has taken to share about her experiences traveling to and living in... Belize as well as provide thorough recommendations for planning a trip there. I was so thankful (and honestly surprised) that Laurie took the time to respond to several of my questions via email. I highly recommend reading Laurie's blogs and helping to support her business. Thank you Laurie!!read more
Greg R
Greg R
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tacogirl was very nice to share her knowledge with us and assisted with planning our trip to Belize; thank you for the... help and info, it was helpful and allowed us to plan utilize our time accordingly while both on the mainland and islands of this great country.read more
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As a Canadian—tired of long winters—I cannot wait to spend some time in Belize. I haven't set foot yet, but I am... yearning for lots of Caribbean adventure. Thanks so much to tacogirl for her endless enthusiasm and generosity of spirit. She is a constant stream of up-to-date information. Her knowledge and love of the area is priceless, and I will need her expertise for future endeavours!read more
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We started coming to Ambergis Caye in 2014 and stumble on to Tacogirls blog, so glad we did! We used her 15% discount... at The Premier Duty-Free shop in the airport! It worked great all we did was let them know we read it on her blog . She has great information awesome pictures, we have tried several places she has recommended, all were amazing. Highly recommend reading her blog. Kathleenread more
ksniegoc1
ksniegoc1
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It was my first time visiting Belize and San Pedro so naturally I had a ton of questions when it came time to planning... the travel. Taco Gril's blog was an invaluable source of information for all the travel questions in Ambergris Caye. I was able to learn a lot of basic information, as well as many tips and tricks. In addition when I reached out to Taco Girl for advice on finding a local photographer and a restaurant recommendation, she was very quick to respond and gave me many helpful suggestions. She also provided a lot more information from a local's point of view, which was much for valuable than than a typical guidebook. Thanks to her helpful suggestions we were able to celebrate my daughter's birthday at a nice restaurant, and had a great photo family session with a local photographer. I'm very thankful for all her resources and knowledge.read more
Myra F
Myra F
01:30 25 Mar 21
I started coming to San Pedro Belize in 2007 and that is when I met the online presence of Taco Girl. Her blogs on the... island and area are very personable and informative. She gives out promo codes from time to time so watch out for those. You cannot go wrong with someone who was a tourist and now lives here for quality info. Thanks Taco Girl for helping make my trips memorable!read more
Corey Holm
Corey Holm
04:38 25 Feb 20
I take the seniors from our academy to Belize every year for their senior trip. One of the first people I contact when... I start planning the trip is Laurie with TacoGirl Belize. She knows the island of San Pedro better than anyone else out there. Trust me, I have looked. If you are looking for the best restaurants, hang outs and shops then Laurie help plan your vacation.read more
Carol Taylor
Carol Taylor
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Love Taco Girl Blog @LaurieNorton!I've been reading this blog since I started visiting Ambergris Caye in Belize almost... 10 years ago. It is filled with helpful up-to-date information and recommendations that I wouldn't necessarily find on my own. Laurie Norton's knowledge and extensive network on the island provides her with the ability to share perks/discounts/coupons with her readers, which come in handy year after year. Things on the island change daily - new businesses pop up constantly and LaurieNortonstays on top of these developments. Whenever I plan my return trip to the island, I always check her blog first - and I recommend you do the same. Trip Advisor ain't got nuttin' on Taco Girl!read more
Heidi
Heidi
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Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice... to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. There is so much information it's amazing! Thank you Laurie!!!read more
Nick Goodman
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I am considering a move to Belize and I have serendipitously found tacogirl.....what a treasure! She is full of great... advice, helpful hints.....knows everybody on Ambergris Caye and has a thousand useful recommendations and suggestions. Whether you are planning a vacation or relocating, you should make use of the many services she has to offer…..read more
KellyDivePhotography
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I’m so pleased to see tacogirl's blog on Google. Laurie's blog is my official “go to” source for tourist and local... information on San Pedro. Of course, it’s always nice to see her guides on “what to do” in San Pedro, but I also appreciate her “insider” advice and human interest stories on what it’s like living as a local on the island. I especially enjoy her guest articles, providing a different perspective of all things San Pedro. Her tipping quide is a classic, and don’t forget her Tropic Air flight code and on-island discounts. You’re not up-to-date with what’s going on in San Pedro if you’re not regularly reading tacogirl's blog.read more
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I have known Laurie (Taco Girl) for several years. She has been a wealth of good information for me in all of my... pursuits in Belize. I highly recommend her for any services you may require.read more
William Jones
William Jones
13:39 06 May 19
Do yourself a favor. Read this BEFORE any trip to San Pedro - Ambergris Caye or Belize in general. Not saying “do what... everyone else says”, but Laurie has frank and honest info which will make your stay in country a little more fun, a little more informative, and often at a great cost savings. Best thing: it’s unbiased, honest, and factual. Personal note: thank you for your personal tailored help in answering mine (and my wife’s) questions.read more
Kimberly Robinson
Kimberly Robinson
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Taco Girl (Laurie) is amazing. She has so much knowledge about Belize and has great connections with many of the... businesses in Belize. Because of her connections she is able to offer many perks and discounts that you wouldn't have been able to find otherwise. She is super responsive and I always go to her for all my travel needs. From golf cart rentals, to spas, to places to eat. She's got the inside scoop on all!read more
Michael Rieck
Michael Rieck
20:22 21 Apr 19
Since 2003, my wife and I have been to Ambergris at least once a year to experience the fantastic diving. About twelve... years ago we me Tacogirl on a blog giving us discounts on golf carts, local airfares, and restaurants. Over the years we have grown a friendship and I look forward to her weekly blogs about he changes on my favorite home away from home. The island changes every year, and she always shows you what to see, do, and eat.read more
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Belize Blog Est. 2007

belize travel specialist

ABOUT ME

I took the plunge and moved to San Pedro Town on the Island of Ambergris Caye, off the coast of Belize, Central America. Originally from Canada, I made the life-changing move to escape winter for good (in 2006) after one three week vacation. If you have any questions or want Belize help planning and booking, please feel free to contact me.

SPARKING MY DESIRE

A few childhood memories that shaped my desire to move to Belize from a young age. Sailing in the Virgin Islands, seeing a rainbow out the window of an island hopper as we flew from Virgin Islands to Puerto Rico, Christmas in Hawaii and many trips to Florida.

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