Cuenca Covid deaths total 529; Quito mayor accused of purchasing PCR tests illegally; Hotel occupancy reaches 65%; New hydro-electric plant near Cuenca

Miércoles, 17/2/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Nada.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Exigen celeridad al CNE ante conflicto electoral (Speed demanded from the CNE in the face of electoral conflict) – This article is already outdated – see Wednesday’s CHL article for story.

Ocupación hotelera fue del 65% en el feriado (Hotel occupancy was 65% during the holiday) – Juan Pablo Vintimilla, a representative of the Asociación Hotelera del Azuay rated the past holiday positively with 65% occupancy in its establishments. The highest occupancies were el sábado y domingo with the following days reaching 30% & 40%. He said that the tourism and hotel sector were the hardest hit by the pandemic. The city has discounted taxes and patentes (?), and the Ministerio de Trabajo is allowing flexibility in labor contracts, but these measures are too small relative to the effects on the sector. The association has asked the feds for help, especially with long term credit and lower taxes.

27,400 personas viajaron en feriado (27,400 people traveled on holidays) – Data from the Empresa Pública de Movilidad, Tránsito y Transporte (EMOV EP) showed that 27,400 people traveled to and from the Terminal Terrestre in Cuenca with the most el viernes, 12/2 when there were 8,500 passengers. This was followed by 7,200 el sábado, 6.300 el domingo, y 5,400 el lunes. EMOV increased its mechanical inspections of the buses to check tires, lights and windshields, and if the vehicles had passed the Revisión Técnica Vehicular inspections. <My mind would rest easier if they checked the brakes.>

Elections Council Vice President Enrique Pita explained Wednesday why he did vote to begin a presidential election recount. (El Comercio)

Muertes por COVID-19 aumentan a 529 en Azuay (Deaths from COVID-19 increase to 529 in Azuay) – <Stop reading right now if you’re head is exploding from Covid news.> Deaths in Azuay in hospitals increased to 529 since the beginning of the pandemic with 29 registered between 1-15/2. The province reported a total of 16,750 cases of whih 13,305 were in Cuenca, followed by Paute with 801, Gualaceo with 721, Santa Isabel with 459, and the rest of the cantons with under 300. There are 144 patients in the hospitals in the province with 50 patients in critical condition and 64 in stable condition.

Obras viales para la hidroeléctrica (Road works for the hydroelectric plant) – Elecaustro started the bidding process for 2.86 km. of access roads to the Proyecto Hidroeléctrico Soldados Yanuncay and a 25 m. long concrete bridge. It is also in the phase of studying the improvement of the via Sustag-Soldados and is in design for the vía Soldados-San Carlos de Balao. The vía San Joaquín-Soldados-Chaucha-La Iberia-San Carlos de Balao is 100 km <And runs from the Cuenca Golf and Tennis Club to E25 – another way to get to Guayaquil if you like driving on dirt roads covered in potholes.>
There will be a 42 m. high dam across the Yanuncay and a reservoir with a 21 million cubic meter capacity. There will be two plants in sequence, producing 8 and 15 megawatts of power which will be sent to the Turi substation where it will be redistributed across the country. The dam will not affect the ecological flow of the Quingoyacu River, a tributary of Yanuncay which is used for the Sustag potable water treatment plant.

Prohíben a Jorge Yunda a salir del país (Jorge Yunda prohibited from leaving country) – The mayor of Quito was tied to an alleged irregular purchase of 100,000 PCR tests. The president of the Corte de Justicia de Pichincha forbade him to leave the country, required the use of an electronic ankle moniter, and required him to check in with authorities lunes, miércoles, viernes y domingo. <I think there’s a word or phrase for that – where you have to check in with your parole officer, but I sure can’t remember it.>

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.