Blaze Consumes Large Portion of Fantasy Island Resort

Wilmer Guerrero, Roatan’s fire chief, said getting water to Ezekiel Cay, where the hotel is located, was difficult because the wooden bridge leading there could not support heavy water trucks. The hotel opened in 1989, and the 250-foot wooden bridge could not support the 50,000-pound weight of a fire truck carrying 3,000 gallons of water.

At the time of the fire, Fantasy Island was hosting about 60 guests. While guests were safely evacuated to nearby hotels, some lost personal items and documents.

The fire spread because of the high heat and the highly flammable wooden structure of the hotel resort. The buildings formed one continuous structure that allowed the fire to spread with little impediment.

Almost half of the resort was destroyed.

The wind blew from east to west, engulfing the hotel’s wooden structure. The recently renovated lobby, reception area, dining area, kitchen, convention center and discotheque were all consumed by the fire. Also, 36 of the 108 rooms at Fantasy Island were destroyed. In the end, almost half of the resort was destroyed.

The eastern wing of the hotel was spared thanks to heavy machinery. A heavy digger demolished part of the hotel, creating space between the building already on fire and the hotel rooms to the east.

According to Elvin Canales, chief of Fire Department Company B in Dixon Cove, about 900 meters of 2.5-inch water hose was connected to cisterns on the main island. The hotel used two excavators to destroy part of the building so the fire would not spread to the eastern side of the hotel. “Airport firefighters provided the hoses,” Canales said.

The firefighters also placed their only floating water pump, a Kawasaki FJ180V, inside the Fantasy Island swimming pool. Pumping at a rate of 260 gallons of water per minute, the pump was eventually damaged by the intense heat generated by the fire.

There were several devastating fires on Roatan in the past three years. According to Canales, the Fantasy Island fire, alongside the 2024 Roatan Public Hospital fire, are the largest structure fires in Roatan in the 21st century. The French Harbour Hill neighborhood suffered a fire that destroyed 25 to 30 homes in 1990. The Agua Azul packing plant also was destroyed by two fires.

Deadliest Air Disaster in Roatan’s History

Many passengers were thrown out of the fuselage and were floating, often unconscious, with them hip seatbelt attaching them to their seats.

According to some passengers the airplane had behaved as if has issues on the runway before takeoff. “It began moving around and making [excessive] noise,” remembers Liliana Estrada, one of the five passengers who survived the flight.

According to another survivor, a loud bang came from one of the engines as the plane was speeding up before takeoff. The airplane overshot the runway, but was able to become airborne. “From the liftoff to the crash, only around 30 seconds passed.” said one of the survivors, who wanted to remain anonymous for privacy and legal reasons. The pilot most likely made a decision to make a right turn into the open sea, circle around, and land the airplane on the same runway.

“Last thing I remember is being in the water and seeing the flashlight of the fishermen,” said Estrada. “They had to cut my seatbelts with a knife.” Estrada suffered a fractured pelvis, spine, and lacerations, and was transferred to CEMESA hospital for treatment. “It was a surreal experience. I am still in shock. I still cannot comprehend that I was there,” said Estrada.

The front of the fuselage, which held the two pilots, sank quickly. “The people who lost consciousness likely drowned, as they couldn’t keep themselves to keep afloat,” said Estrada.

The crash site was within view of Coxen Hole, the airport tower. There was a fishing boat in the vicinity. One of them was Eduardo Orellana, who was fishing with his friend on his 18 foot open boat called Miss Alaya when he noticed the airplane was in trouble.

They had to cut my seatbelts with a knife.

Orellana noticed the LANHSA airplane rapidly lose altitude from 100-150 meters and crash into the water. “It was flying east and veered to the right,” said Orellana, who was about 100 meters from the crash site. “We got there while the airplane was still floating. There were many bodies floating. It was a terrible site to witness,” said Orellana. “We saw the tail of the plane and heard people calling for help.”

When Orellana arrived at the crash site, the plane’s tail section was above water. Orellana called other boats for assistance and began rescuing survivors. “We pulled out the four that grabbed onto the boat,” said Orellana. The fifth person was calmer and floating without effort, and was left to be picked up by other boats.

There was no dock for the victims, so Orellana brought the survivors to the rocky eastern edge of the airport’s runway. According to Orellana, authorities arrived around 20 minutes after the crash. “The airport boat never came. Who came was the boat from Anthony’s Key and [Honduran] Navy, [in] around 30 minutes,” said Orellana.

People were floating with their heads down stuck by their seatbelts. “[For some] we had to cut seatbelts to free them,” said Orellana. “We still don’t know if the victims died on impact or drowned.”

Orellana believes that more people could have been rescued if airport rescue services were in place. “The airport was not prepared for this type of accident,” said Orellana. “There were no boats, no divers. The only boat they had was on land.” In fact, even the basics were not there: No boats ready to deploy, no dock set up to bring in crash victims. “They should have various [rescue] options. If one side would not work, they should have another site. At least sea was calm that night.”

According to Orellana and survivors the crash exposed lack of preparedness of several local authorities. The airport representative however said the airport rescue crews acted well. “Our response time to the scene was even faster than what’s on the norm,” said Fernando García, manager of the Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport.

The site where the plane crashed was identified that night with sonar, as more fishing boats arrived on the crash scene. Some rescue workers had hope that there were still survivors, and that they had perhaps stayed alive breathing out of an air pocket. A decision was made to attempt to rescue any possible victims trapped in the airplane.

In the evening, authorities contacted Monty Graham, a TDI trimix instructor with Roatan Tec Center Coconut Tree Divers, to attempt to retrieve the body of the last missing person. He decided it was too dangerous for what was most likely a body recovery operation.

To recover a body at night is extremely dangerous.

“They called me that night,” remembers Graham, who decided not to dive at night. “You are putting other people in danger. To recover a body at night is extremely dangerous. They are making impulse decisions,” said Graham. “It’s not a big enough aircraft to create any air pockets.”

The next morning, however, Graham dove to the wreck to retrieve the body of the last unaccounted passenger. Graham descended 48 meters about 1 kilometer south of the concrete barriers of the east end of the runway strip. He found the front of the cockpit completely destroyed and separated from the fuselage.

The fuselage was upside down and pointing west. “The nose was completely torn off the plane,” said Graham. “There was no more cockpit.” This finding suggested a very hard crash landing, but it is not known if the airplane flipped upside down before the crash or after impact with the water.

The plane was resting upside down on a short, sloping ledge. “We tried to open the back door. It was jammed,” said Graham, who had to leave his tanks behind and dive holding his breath to the back of the plane to retrieve the last body. “We had to take out a couple seats [as] the lady was all the way in the back.”

The airplane that was operated by LANHSA was a 35-year-old twin engine British Aerospace Jetstream 32. The motors powering the aircraft were turbo prop TPE331. The accident is under investigation by the airplane manufacturer. Línea Aérea Nacional de Honduras [LANHSA] A 2011 launched airline operating the plane, has ceased operations on April 2 for an indefinite period of time.

The pilot of the LANHSA aircraft was Luis Ángel Araya and his co-pilot was Francisco Lagos. Both of them died in the crash. One of the 12 passengers who died was the former congressman for Atlántida and Garifuna, musician Aurelio Martínez.

Roatan has seen an increase in air traffic and in- air accidents, several of them deadly. In May 2019, a single engine Piper Cherokee Six with the pilot and four passengers on board crashed right after takeoff from Roatan International Airport. The five died after the plane flipped upside down in three feet of water. The reasons for the plane’s engine failure and subsequent crash were undermined.

The most deadly crash until now took place in March 1990, when SAHSA airlines Douglas C-47 crashed on Roatan on a flight from Guanaja. An investigation determined that the aircraft, manufactured in 1944, encountered strong crosswinds and veered off the airport runway, and crashing into the sea.

Bay Islands Attorneys Vote

The favorite to win was the Patria y Justicia [Fatherland and Justice] movement, headed by Gustavo Solórzano. “He is a personal friend of mine, we were classmates in Law School,” said Alejandro Tugliani, who ran on the FJ ticket in Roatan. “There are two philosophies – the collective interest of the chapter and personal interest of everybody. I represent the collectivity.”

The vote followed the February 3 internal vote within the movement. “Two years ago it was more friendly, this was more hostile,” remembers Tugliani. “I think the other side is a bit self-motivated. (…) There was a lot of political interference.”

CAH is a political entity, as it proposes 15 candidates for the Honduran Supreme court every seven years. The CAH’s power to appoint candidates for the Supreme Court then has tremendous command, as the Supreme Court appoints nine appellate judges, 66 first instance courts, and 325 justices of the peace. “Some people [within CAH] have political motivations,” said Tugliani.

The CAH Roatan began in 2012 and there are currently around 250 attorneys in the Roatan CAH. “We are a small chapter, but strong,” said Paula Bonilla, running as second vocal in the Vindicator Democratic Front.

Officially, four movements took part in the primaries and three of them formed an informal coalition under the Frente Reivindicador Democrático [FRD] umbrella. “We started late, but we have them sweating,” said Paula Bonilla. “We are winners. That is our joy, that is our pride.”

Two years ago it was more friendly, this was more hostile.

“I worked at the supreme court of justice for 12 years,” said Breisy Banegas, who has been residing on Roatan for two-and-a-half-years. “Now I am “Juez de Letras” in the Bay Islands.”

The winner needed 50% of the votes plus one. After the voting closed at 5 p.m., the votes reflected 129 cast for Alejandro Tugliani and 58 for Breisy Banegas. “Ever attorney who was on Roatan did vote,” said Tugliani. “I am very happy that we inspired everybody to come,” said Tugliani.

In the national elections, Gustavo Solórzano ended up winning. His competitor, Karla Alegria, national leader of the FRD came in second. She was offered the position as vice president.

After just 12 years of existence, the CAH Roatan chapter is gaining influence at the national level. Bay Islands is a place where big real estate deals are done, and some sizable companies on a national scale are based: RECO, BIP, Galaxy Wave, and Sun Corporation to name a few.

Roatan’s Mayor Arrested in Island’s Biggest Drug Bust Ever

ATIC (Technical Criminal Investigation Agency) police agents performed the arrest after received information about major drug shipment arriving on the island via sea and being transferred to another location where they would be picked up to continue their journey north. ATIC road block in Brick Bay stopped a red water truck suspected to carry the drugs and a red Toyota Land Cruiser that fallowed it and attempted to make a U-turn.

The water truck was driven by Efraín Santos, Francisco Henríquez and Jorge Rosales and the Toyota was driven by Mayor Hynds. Instead of 2,000 gallons of water the truck’s cistern contained 2,000 kilos of cocaine and the four suspects were arrested.

Mayor Hynds was allowed to remain in his vehicle, but was eventually handcuffed and transferred to the Honduran Naval Station in French Harbour. The water truck with license plates AAM 7220 and Liberal Party 2021 election sticker on its dashboard was moved to the Honduran Naval station in French Harbor. The intercepted cocaine represents roughly two days of cocaine consumption in the US, were unloaded and inventoried.

The next day the four suspects and some of the drugs were flown by military plane to Tegucigalpa for further investigation. Mayor Hynds owns several large waterfront island businesses and properties including Island Shipping, Roatan Shipyard and is partner in the Mahogany Bay cruise ship port. ATIC agents began searches of some of these businesses.

The bust is timed as Hurricane Ida moved north of Roatan towards the Gulf of Mexico just hours prior to the bust. Drug smugglers often use rough weather and moonless nights to facilitate their operations.

Honduras has been on a cocaine trafficking route to US since circa 1974 when CIA’s pilot Barry Seal established a series of landing strips and beacons from Colombia through Panama and onto Louisiana and later Mena, Arkansas. Seal also begun the history of cocaine busts on Roatan when his twin-engine Merlin plane was apprehended at the island’s airport with 40 kg of cocaine in 1979.

While Island’s Herd Immunity from the Wuhan Virus was Likely Achieved in late 2020, Islanders Continue to Live in Fear and Abandonment of Freedoms

Two Roatan medical professionals now believe that the island has reached herd immunity. 

The inflated Honduran government statistics show that since the imposed lockdown in the Bay Islands in March 2020, in 455 days, 47 people died of the Wuhan virus. Major indicators and two Roatan medical professionals now believe that the island has reached herd immunity from the Wuhan virus sometime in December 2020, six months after it was brought to the island from the mainland by 11 Honduran National Police officers. Yet, since no one has dared to announce the herd immunity, Bay Islanders continue to follow curfew, wear masks, keep their children away from schools and stay away from churches. This behavior in psychology is called “the lemming effect.” 

There are several strong indications that like H1N1 of 2010, the Wuhan flue spreads across the tight knit, small island communities within several months. As fall of 2020 several Bay Islands employers reported that almost all of their staff tested positive for the Wuhan virus antibodies. “I think we are heading for herd immunity,” said in October 2020 Kenny McNab, owner of Bay Islands Petroleum (BIP) and Utila Dream. “Just about everyone in the office had it.” 

Another indicator of achieved herd immunity is the minuscule number of positive tests received in clinics testing travelers departing Roatan for US. Since February 2021 “Island Med” clinic in Coxen Hole has administered several thousand of Wuhan virus antigen tests required for people heading out to USA. “Eleven of these tests came out positive. Two of those were false positives,” says Dr. Angel Banegas, owner of Island Med. The positive cases were minuscule – less 0.1% of the tested travelers.

 Minuscule number of positive tests received in clinics testing travelers departing Roatan for US.

Still another indicator of herd immunity to Wuhan virus was the closing of the French Harbour COVID center due to the lack of sick. The long forgotten medical goal from year ago of “flattening the curve” to avoid overwhelming medical facilities has not only been achieved but it flat-lined. The facility opened doors on August 15, and by December 15 nature run its course and COVID center was closed.

Most people, 86% in fact, that are exposed to the Wuhan virus never really have any symptoms. “We have sun with vitamin D, we are at sea level so we have plenty of oxygen,” says Dr. Banegas. “I’ve never seen a construction worker, or a fisherman fall sick with COVID.”

There is plenty of money to be made in the COVID reshuffle, on the expensive vaccines, and bio-security contracts.  

The knowledge and information about the Wuhan virus testing and treatment coming from private clinics and hospitals thought Honduras has been ignored by government statistics. “No one speaks of COVID tests done in the private clinics,” says Dr. Banegas. The government has applied a consistent policy of ignoring private health providers during the Wuhan flue crisis. No government officials had proclaimed the increasingly obvious good news, in part because there is plenty of money to be made in the COVID reshuffle, on the expensive vaccines, and bio-security contracts.  

The fact that Wuhan virus is a treatable virus and “One of the great difference was handing out 10,000 maiz packs,” said Peggy Stanges, founder of Clinica Esperanza in Sandy Bay who also believes herd immunity was also achieved sometime in 2020. Maiz helped hundreds of lives. “It cost 50 dollars for a test and we could treat people for 5 dollars,” said Stranges. “That doesn’t make sense.” Actually, it makes plenty of sense.

There are plenty of people making money on COVID tests that cost $50-$300 on the island. There will be money being made on “bio security” enforcement and experimental vaccines at $30-$50 courtesy of WHO or Honduran government and no chance of recourse once you suffer adverse effects of the experimental drugs. 

Now that Bay Islands have achieved natural, side effects free and cost free immunity from the Wuhan virus, the department is receiving experimental vaccines and experimental gene therapies to the tune of $50 a pop. The corporations manufacturing them developed them in nine months and skipped the animal trials, vaccination challenge and phase III of human trials. The experimental vaccines went into circulation because of Emergency Use Authorization.

There are now hundreds of thousands of people in the US that have been injured by these experimental injections and as of May 24, US Center for Disease Control has registered voluntarily reporting of  4,863 deaths “side effect” due to experimental COVID vaccines. The voluntary nature of the gathering these statistics greatly under counts the actual death count after the administered. The effect of these injections on infertility, birth defects or Alzheimer will not be known for years.

Maneuvering La Ceiba Harbor has become a Risky Gable for Roatan Vessels

On November 10 Roatan based cargo boat Monica sank exiting La Ceiba harbor. Much of its cargo of animals and goods bound for Roatan was taken by looters. On November 24 the 75 foot Capt. Bambino got stuck on the sea floor leaving La Ceiba harbor and heavy swell pushed her further aground and onto Monica’s wreck. “Sometimes they [the boats] touch [the bottom] and they push through, this time they stuck. When they have dead swell it’s most dangerous,” said about boats leaving La Ceiba harbor Sharon Carter, owner of Captain Bambino. “They have to take chances when the tide is high. We keep risking our boats and risking lives.”

In order to have the La Ceiba port accessible its entrance needs to continually dredged. “It was shallow before, but the two hurricanes made it worse,” said Carter. The trade winds, and stormy weather, move sand into the port’s entrance to the point where it is now only 7 feet deep. The channel depth that is advertised should be 36 feet.

“They have to take chances when the hide is high. We keep risking our boats and risking lives.”

To make things worse the La Ceiba port has no dredger and no tug boat to pull out vessels that find themselves in distress. This is a recipe for disaster and four boats sank in the last three years: Captain Duggy sunk in 2017; in 2016 Captain Sanchez sunk and in 2020 it was Monica’s and Captain Bambino’s turn.

Carter says that instead the needed channel working depth of 15-18 feet, the dredging is done only to a depth of 8-9 feet. “They never dredge it to depth they supposed to,” said Carter, who’s two boats: Captain Bambino and Captain Bambino II have been carrying cargo between la Ceiba and Bay Islands for 15 years. The two boats pay a hefty fee to the Port of La Ceiba for the service: between Lps. 8,000 and 12,000 per week for each boat. Little of that money goes towards maintaining the entrance at a safe depth.  

In the last few years it became less clear who is actually in charge of the La Ceiba port that serves as commercial access hub for Bay Islands and Misquito coast. In 2016 La Ceiba Municipality took over operations of the port from Honduras’ Empresa Nacional Portuaria, but La Ceiba’s mayor Jerry Sabio says that the city’s debt of $50 million doesn’t allow it the expense to dredge the port.

The La Ceiba port has no dredger and no tug boat. 

Private companies approached the La Ceiba port management to solve the crisis several times. Both Galaxy and Island Shipping offered to dredge the port in exchange for reduction of their docking fees. “We offered the city of La Ceiba to buy a dredger and dredge the port ourselves (…), but they refused,” said John McNab, owner of Galaxy. “The port of La Ceiba estimated it could be a three-million-dollar dredging operation.”

The situation at the port entrance has gotten so bad that some boat captains are looking at moving operations to the Municipality of El Porvenir, Atlantida, just west of La Ceiba. “We have been pleading and asking for help, but they have been ignoring us,” said Carter. Some boat owners using La Ceiba port are now looking at suing the La Ceiba municipality and the La Ceiba port for negligence and reckless endangerment.

While Hondurans have gotten used to the idea that they can’t count on their government to keep them safe from crime, alert them of imminent flooding, or providing their children a decent education now they are finding out they can’t count on government to keep one of its biggest maritime ports safe for navigations either.

Hurricane Eta Batters Mainland Honduras Leaving Disaster on Scale with Mitch

When the wind and rain subsided Roatanians swiftly reached out with help to their compatriots in need. Many groups including Little Friends Foundation, Seventh Day Adventist Church collected emergency items and shipped to the mainlanders in need. Bay Islands Petroleum offered free shipping of the aid to Puerto Cortes.

Roatanians swiftly reached out with help to their compatriots in need.

When Hurricane Eta, the 29th hurricane of the 2020 season, approached Misquito coast of Nicaragua its strength increased quickly from category one to category four or like some sources report five. On November 3 Eta made landfall near Nicaraguan town of Puerto Cabezas and begun affecting central Honduras dumping as much as three feet of rain, life-threatening amounts of water that filled up dams, rivers and flooded valleys.

Honduran government was not only unprepared for the disaster, its delayed calls for evacuating areas at risk of flooding causing confusion and loss of life. While Honduran government forbid Easter celebrations in April citing Covid-19 fears, it made every effort to encourage Hondurans to celebrate week of Francisco Morazan, of November 1-7 and to travel en masse around the country. As Hurricane Eta was already ravishing Nicaragua, at 8 pm on Monday, November 2, Honduran government called that the “vacations should be done responsibly.” At 10 pm on Monday November 2, Honduran government finally cancelled the Morazanic Week celebrations, but by that time the national disaster was already unfolding.

On Tuesday, November 3 Tela, Ceiba, Olanchito and southern portion of Sula Valley experienced floods. On Wednesday, November 4 water rushed into Sula Valley flooding over a hundred thousand homes. The levies around canal Maya in La Lima municipality gave way to water and thousands of people were trapped on roofs of their homes and on bridges. On Thursday, 5th, the Permanent Contingency Commission (COPECO) ordered a “mandatory evacuation of population living in flood areas of Ulua river.” This was too little, too late. While government currently reports 68 dead, many bodies have not yet been found.

Honduran government finally cancelled the Morazanic Week celebrations, but by that time the national disaster was already unfolding.

Almost every department in Honduras has been hit hard with Honduras’ staple coffee and banana crops damaged or destroyed. “Eighty percent of Copán Ruinas road network has been damaged, almost all of its agricultural production – corn, beans, and vegetable crops – was destroyed,” wrote Sandra Guerra of Copan Ruinas. “Coffee growers are also in danger of losing this year’s coffee crop.”

Honduran government estimates the economic loss for the country equivalent to $8 billion, or 33% of its GDP. 300,000 Honduran homes were flooded and over a million Hondurans had to evacuate their homes almost in every Honduran department.

After 228 days of Restrictions Roatan Sees Drastic Drop in Covid-19 Patients

The local business community leaders are taking notice. “I think we are heading for herd immunity,” said Kenny McNab, owner of Bay Islands Petroleum (BIP) and Utila Dream. “Just about everyone in the office had it.” One person working in BIP, an older employee in his sixties, had to be hospitalized but was sent home after a brief stay.

By December the majority of us should have had the virus and should have the antibodies.

Samir Galindo, GM of Anthony’s Key Resort noticed a trend of fewer patients seeking help at the resort’s clinic that is open to the public. In Augusts and September, the AKR’s health clinic was averaging 100 patients a day. In October these averages dropped to around 30 patients. “By December the majority of us should have had the virus and should have the antibodies. We should have the herd immunity,” said Galindo.

Roatan’s main COVID-19 exam and treatment center in French Harbour has also seen a drastic drop in patients. “There are 10 patients at the French Harbor Covid center, while a month ago there were as many as 60,” said Steven Guillen, president of the Little Friends Foundation that maintains the French Harbour COVID-19 center.

It looks like herd immunity on the island could be reached much faster that in urban areas on the mainland where population has a variety of options where to get food and where to go for medical care. This good news is not reflected in the media reports, or government policies.

The controlled media’s reports of constant “jumps in cases” actually describe the Covid-19 virus’ natural progression towards extinguishing itself out in herd immunity. Any virus needs to constantly find new hosts to survive. When it has no more people to infect, the then it dies out.

Looks like herd immunity on the island could be reached much faster that in urban areas on the mainland.

The Honduran government has never even discussed the strategy of isolating the vulnerable to the virus and providing food and medicine delivery services to the elderly, and the sick. Unlike Sweden, South Dakota or Belorussia, Honduras has fallowed in the footsteps of countries that has shut down and isolated the healthy preventing them from going about their lives.

The Honduran government decree 58-2020 that mandates wearing masks for anyone over three years of age in groups of five people or more. While mask wearing law was supposed to “flatten the curve,” it never meant to stop the virus completely.

“Social distancing is counterproductive. If you mingle you get exposed to different diseases on a smaller scale. And you build up resistance,” says nurse Peggy Stranges, founder of Clinic Esperanza in Sandy Bay. Stranges echoes the many health professionals that are critical of the “shut down and mask” policies. These professional voices have been systematically censored and ridiculed by the controlled media.  “Masks don’t control viruses, they control you,” said Dr. Lee Merritt of the Frontline Doctors group that is fighting the controlled media narrative.

The Honduran government has never even discussed the strategy of isolating the vulnerable to the virus and providing food and medicine delivery services to the elderly, and the sick.

Bay Islanders are finally getting an accurate view of how deadly the virus was in their community. The government’s exaggerated and unreliable statistics reported that 38 Bay Islanders died of COVID-19 since March. Bay Islands department with over 130,000 people has an annual death rate of over 1,000 and 38 deaths fall within statistical margin of error.

The Honduran government has never conducted a cost benefit analysis of the possible death by COVID-19 versus death from the policy of lockdown, forced mask wearing and deferred medical treatment. As a consequence of the lockdown hundreds of Roatanians have decided to defer treatment of cancer, hypertension or diabetes out of fear of going to place where they come in contact with COVID-19. The repercussions of this government “miscalculation” will be felt for generations to come.

Roatan Police Steps Up Enforcing Nonsensical ‘Mask Laws’ and Punishes Mask Refuseniks

The law forces children over the age of three to wear masks, even at home and when they are sleeping if there are more than five people present. “I witnessed a man doing hard physical labor covered in sweat no one close and wearing a mask. Common sense needs to take precedence over mask rules,” said Paul Kendall, a Roatan resident. Sadly, common sense is in increasingly in short supply. “Evil appears as good in the minds of those whom god leads to destruction,” wrote ancient playwright Sophocles.

Hondurans are much more complicit in allowing being deprived of freedoms to worship, travel and personal property. Unlike almost daily protests against mask wearing that are taking place in Australia, UK and Germany, Hondurans have remained silent.

Law forces children over the age of three to wear masks, even at home and when they are sleeping if there are more than five people present. 

The 58-2020 decree specifies a 200 Lps. fine or “social work for six hours” for first time mask refuseniks. The second violation is punishable by a 12-hour arrest and “habitual violators” are to be deprived of Honduran social programs and fiscal incentives. The Honduran mask law is basically a simplified Chinese “social credit system” that turned China into an open-air prison.

With the decree the notoriously corrupt Honduran police force was given a cash cow they are likely to milk dry. National Police on the island has been fining first time mask refuseniks 300 Lps, instead of 200 Lps. that the decree specifies, or arresting them without giving them option to pay the fine in the first place. “They are only bothering people that walk by. Look for thieves and murderers instead,” wrote about the police on social media Karen Norales.

“Habitual violators” are to be deprived of Honduran social programs and fiscal incentives. The Honduran mask law is basically a simplified Chinese “Social credit system” 

Honduran national police increasingly “protects and serves” their own and oligarchic interests. Roatan Police fines private vehicle drivers for not wearing masks even thou the law 58-2020 in article 13 exempts them from wearing masks. “If you leave on public roads you have to wear masks and practice social distancing,” said Sub Commissioner Serrano Nieto, Bay Islands police chief.

Making wearing masks in vehicles is not only illegal, it can be dangerous. “I almost last control of my motorcycle and crashed as my mask blew up and covered my eyes,” says Kennely Ordóñez, resident of Jose Santos Guardiola.

Forcing healthy people to wear masks are means of enforcing conformity and an instrument of control. Some Roatanians see the ironies that many of the 30-or-so police officers who brought the COVID-19 virus with them in July are now are making others to wear masks.

The COVID-19 Restrictions Cause Havoc and Presents Opportunities

According to Roatan’s multiple listing service (MLS) records the home and land sales in the Bay Islands have declined 82% since the March COVID-19 lockdown. “The first two-and-a-half months were especially bad,” says Steve Hasz, owner of Roatan Life Real Estate. “It’s been catastrophic.” While the Roatan MLS showed 122 closings between March 21 and September 9 of 2019, in the same period in 2020 only 22 properties were closed.

To reach out to potential clients stranded in the US and Canada Roatan Life invested in virtual tour system that helps in convincing the buyers to invest in Roatan. “We are doing this by using state of the art 3D virtual tour software for virtual walkthroughs and by doing live stream open houses,” says Hasz. 

There are some now type of people interested in moving to Roatan as Hasz is starting to see buyers fleeing the US political climate and COVID-19 restrictions. Hasz is not alone in seeing improved sales on the horizon. “Buyers are rethinking their lifestyle choices, core values. Since working from somewhere specific is no longer needed we can expect to see massive moves to lifestyle destinations to live and work remotely,” said Anna Moskowitz, owner of Lux Roatan Real Estate who believes that Roatan is in line to benefit from an influx of American home buyers. “Face time virtual tours we are using for a more personal approach is working. We have had unprecedented sight-unseen sales that are continuing.”

The home and land sales in the Bay Islands have declined 82% since the March COVID-19 lockdown.

The COVID-19 travel restrictions have prevented many potential buyers from coming to the island. While it was almost impossible to travel to Roatan from April till August things are now getting easier.

American Airlines is offering a weekly connection with US via Miami and other airlines are not far behind. United Airlines pushes back its comeback to Roatan from October to early November and Avianca plans on coming back its flight from San Salvador on October 25. Delta has cancelled coming back too Roatan until 2021. “We do need flights to be back in full swing to get our sales numbers up though,” said Hasz.

In 2019 local business community working through Bay islands Tourism Bureau and with Roatan Municipalities hired Campbell-Hill Aviation Group, a Washington DC lobbyist that helped Belize securing a flight on Southwest Airline. “We spent $44,000 and the money will pay itself back in the local economy many times over,” said Hasz. Two budget airlines have put Roatan on their schedules: Canada’s West Jet in 2019 and Sun Country plans connecting its Minneapolis hub with Roatan in 2020.