Doctors treat 35 Covid-19 patients in Cuenca, Mining camp attacked, Home deliveries allowed until 7 p.m., Street vendors back on the streets

Lunes, 30/3/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

Librerías (bookstores) – Bookstores are finding alternatives so people can continue to read. Angi Tapia, owner of “Used Books” bookstore, has reserved los miércoles for taking orders via social networks for books. LibriMundi Cuenca is using technology and social networks; and it organized a story writing contest for children, has virtual gatherings on various subjects, recipes with medicinal plants, and story reading via Facebook Live. Palier Café Libro, which is in the CCE, delivers books to your house. They publish a list of recommendations each day for novels, stories, poetry and other genres. You can order them from their Facebook page.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Lucha por supervivencia en medio de la pandemia (Fight for survival amidst the pandemic) – Vendors and street performers are reappearing in various areas of the city in spite of government prohibitions. Without a regular job or fixed income, they need to earn money for food and rent. <I’m one of the lucky ones – my fight is for sanity amidst the pandemic, although plenty of people will say I lost that fight a long time ago.>

Curfew violators are arrested in El Centro.

Héroes (heros) – The 35 doctors treating coronavirus patients at the regional hospital have saved the lives of 4 who were critically ill and helped another 7 who have been discharged into home isolation. Currently they are caring for 10 patients. the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital has 12 beds equipped for critical patients and is hoping to increase that capacity to 40 beds. Up to the weekend, 4 beds are occupied by patients on ventilators, which the hospital has been trying to buy more of, but without success so far.

Prices at farms not changing – Because of the health emergency and especially the transportation restrictions, there has been some scarcity of some agricultural products. The marketing processes need to be reorganized, and days and hours adjusted. But according to growers, this is not a reason to raise prices. Armando Aucay, a grower in Santa Isabel said growers are not changing the prices and called for controls on speculations by intermediaries. He said that agricultural work hasn’t stopped although workers are taking precautions by not going into the cities and are staying on their land. Many of them are caring for elderly parents. Aucay said he was called by Agrokawsay and made his first sale to them. He represents an association with 10 members. Growers in different areas of the canton also exchange products with each other.

Classes start at UDA – The U. of Azuay started classes today, but in a virtual and paulatina (gradual – your word for the day) manner. The U. is starting by having professors contact each student and get their particular situation in terms of health, emotional and family state, technological resources and connectivity. There will be a period to familiarize everyone with the virtual environment and tools available for academic activities. <Why would I think the students would be much more comfortable and able to navigate a virtual U. than the professors?>

Neighbors against depression and stress – A group of 10 people living in the same building in the center of Cuenca decided to share activities on a terrace. They started with a bailoterapia session, shared some refreshments, and ended with a prayer. In that group, only one person goes out during the week to buy food for the other neighbors. They clean the terrace and entrances daily with alcohol, bleach and vinegar.

Toque de queda (curfew) – The sanctions for violating the curfew which runs from 2 pm to 5 am are a $100 fine for the first time, $400 for the second time, and prison for 1-3 years for the 3d violation. <Just a reminder not to take it casually.>

Home delivery – Guillermo Rodríguez, undersecretary of Control y Orden Público of the Ministerio de Gobierno, announced that in order to encourage food businesses, the curfew will be extended to 7 pm for home deliveries of food and groceries. The general curfew will still start at 2 pm.

Attack on mining camp – The operator of ExplorCobres in San Juan Bosco canton in Morona Santiago reported a violent attack on La Esperanza mining camp early Sat. morning. In addition to violating the curfew, the “delinquentes” (delincuents) burned buildings, equipment and a vehicle. The mine was rejected by the people in the area which forced the company to suspend construction.

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. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.