Festivals to reactivate tourism but some events will require vaccines; Car sales rebound; Disinfect your hands to visit the dead; Border dispute unresolved

Martes, 12/10/2021

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

See article below on Festividades en Azogues y Cuenca.

Titular –

Se tensan más las relaciones (Relationships become more tense) – See Tuesday’s article in CHL for the story.

Cuenca –

Festividades bio seguro en Azogues y Cuenca (Bio-safe festivities in Azogues and Cuenca) – There are high expectations that the upcoming feriadas celebrating the Día de Los Difuntos and the Independence of Cuenca and Azogues will reactivate tourism. The mayor of Azogues visited Cuenca ayer to promote the festival agenda which has 90 activities. These include the concierto Directo al Corazón with Andrés Cepeda and Jessi Uribe el 1/11 a las 20:00 in the estadio Jorge Andrade Cantos.

Cuenca’s independence festival is expected to attract big crowds.

Biosecurity measures will include limited capacity and attendees will need to show their vaccination certificates to buy tickets as well as to enter the venue. Use of masks will be obligatory and no beverages can be sold or consumed in the stadium. Tickets will be available in Cuenca at Batán Shopping, Doña Menestra and Monay Shopping el jueves.

Free events in the Jorge Andrade Cantos stadium will include Los Panchos, Los Iracundos, y Los Jayac el 2/11; and on 3/11 Los Adolescentes, Don Medardo y sus Players y La Sonora Dinamita. The show on el 4/11 will have Paulina Tamayo y Los Búfalos.

Diego Vidal, Zone 6 director of the Ministerio de Turismo, said that people should maintain biosecurity measures in the runup to the festivities. He said that although it isn’t part of the protocols, he will suggest that organizers of private events ask for vaccinations certificates to enter the different activities. Current projections support the expectations of 100% occupancy in Cuenca hotels.

CTE dejará vías a la EMOV EP (CTE will leave roads to the EMOV EP) – The av. Enríquez Arízaga, known as the autopista Medio Ejido, Panamericana Sur and the vía Cuenca-Azogues are no longer controlled by the agents of the Comisión de Tránsito de Ecuador (CTE). The agents will be replaced by those of the Empresa de Movilidad (EMOV EP) from the Municipio (Municipality) of Cuenca. The two entitities have been meeting to insure that the changeover will be progressive, orderly, and planned to reduce accidents. <I think the main change for the average driver will be the cop giving you that speeding ticket will be wearing a different uniform.>

Plan para Día de los Difuntos (All Souls Day Plan) – The Empresa de Cementerios y Exequias de Cuenca (EMUCE EP – Cuenca Cemetery and Funeral Company) has a plan for visitors to the Cementerio General de Cuenca on the Día de los Difuntos celebrated on 2/11. Visiters must schedule an appointment for their visit by calling 280 1023 between 8:00 and 18:00 starting el 25/10. The appointments are to avoid crowding. Other biosecurity measures include maintaining social distancing and using hand disinfectants. EMUCE EP is also asking citizens who owe money to pay their bills by 31/11. This can be done in the EMUCE EP offices on calles Octavio Díaz y Vicente Rocafuerte.

Region –

Limites: piden nulidad y consulta (Limits: request for nullification and referendum) – The provincial governments of both Azuay and Cañar are united in seeking to nullify the 6 year old agreements on provincial boundaries, especially the boundaries with Guayas. The prefects are planning a referendum as the only alternative for the discrepancies. Cecilia Mendéz (Azuay) and Byron Pacheco (Cañar) explained that the agreements signed in 2015 were made without the participation of the communities involved. They are asking the President and the Asamblea Nacional that the legislative process be suspended and that the maps the Government is using be suspended as well since those boundaries still have not been approved by the Legislature.

The dispute between Azuay and Guayas centers on 608 sq. km where there are 23 communities in the Molleturo parish of Cuenca <Didn’t know that Cuenca cantonal (city) limits went all the way down to Molleturo? Look at a map some day.> According to Méndez, it’s a social problem that needs to be resolved since residents in these zones are not on the property registers for Azuay or Guayas so they can’t register their land. <But what do you want to bet both provinces want to collect taxes.> She said that Azuay has been providing potable water, road work, garbage collection and other services. She also pointed out that the boundary line that was drawn divides houses so that the kitchen could be in Guayas and the bedroom in Azuay. She called it absurd. In Cañar, the 2015 agreement affected 96 sq. km. in Cañar, and a 2017 law affected another 180 sq. km.

Negocios –

Venta de vehículos se recuperan tras año crítico por pandemia (Vehicle sales recover after critical year due to pandemic) – The pandemic hit the automotive sector, but the last 3 months of the year bode well for an increase in sales. The number of sales has recovered compared to the previous year with a projection for an almost total recovery in 2022. The worst month was abril, 2020 with sales of barely 700 vehicles compared with average monthly sales of 10-11,000 vehicles before the pandemic. Pandemic related problems included a scarcity of vehicle components and therefore a scarcity of cars; and Covid cases were detected on the cargo ships causing the whole ship with its cargo to be placed in quarantine.
Nationally, there were 85,818 units sold in Ecuador in 2020, compared with 132,208 sold in 2019 – a 40% drop. So far in 2021, 88,165 units have been sold with the hope of reaching 110,000 by the end of the year. The pandemic also affected used vehicle sales. Óscar Mogrovejo, owner of Alfa Motors on Héroes de Verdeloma, said sales have been up and down over the year. He said the cost of cars has dropped, especially for high cylinder vehicles because of their fuel consumption. The best selling used cars are Vitara and Suzuki in all models. There was also higher demand for pickup trucks during the pandemic with people getting them for their businesses.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne