Fake Doc Tells B.D.F. Soldiers to Vaccinate or Else

This afternoon, an email purportedly from the B.D.F. Commandant was being circulated among soldiers telling them anyone who does not take the vaccine by August first would be placed on immediate charge.  The email goes on to say that persons who refuse to get vaccinated will be terminated from duty. This has turned out to be a hoax. When News Five reached out to the Commandant, Brigadier General Steven Ortega, this evening he informed us that email did not originate from his office. He says however he has identified one source of the information, and that person has been called in to his office for questioning tomorrow. The Commandant reiterated that the Belize Defense Force’s policy on the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine among B.D.F. officers is in line with the most recent Statutory Instrument and he sent us a copy of the force’s documented position. Viewers will recall that similar allegations of mandatory vaccination for soldiers were made against the commandant only a couple weeks ago. At the time, he also had to dispell those rumors and clarify the position.