Interpol arrest warrants requested for Correa, other fugitives; Tourism hopes; Local hospitals are still full; Political rallies are banned because of pandemic

Jueves, 8/10/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Nada.

Otras cosas –

Titular – El Azuay abre sus puertas al turismo (Azuay opens its doors to tourism) – Self-care and security measures are the basis for opening Cuenca up to tourists during the national holiday that starts mañana. The director of the Fundación Turismo para Cuenca, Maria Angélica León, said that tourists have made hotel reservations, and asked about rooms for the Independence of Cuenca holiday in noviembre. Nationally, there will be no vehicular restrictions during the holiday and transit agents will be controlling for drinking and use of masks. EMOV agents and the Guardia Ciudadana will be deployed around the city to check for compliance with biosecurity measures. Bars and restaurants serving alcohol along with food can stay open until 0:00.

The city is betting on rural tourism and promoting routes to the hills of the city, the Cajas, and parishes with their gastronomy as a biosecure alternate for visitors. There will also be healthy routes for bicyclists and walkers along the riverbanks and parks. Other cantons are opting for ecotourism to reactivate their tourism sectors.

Cuenca’s public hospitals remain at full capacity.

Preocupación en hospitales (Concern in hospitals) – In the past week, the number of critical coronavirus patients has increased. Patients on respirators went from 53 to 58 with ICU beds staying full. On the other hand, this is the second week with fewer cases than the last two months with less than half the number of infections per day. Patients who do not need respirators have decreased from 144 to 130 in the last week.

Se necesita permiso para propaganda (Permission is required for advertising) – Political organizations need to get permission from the City of Cuenca to display election advertising in the city and pay a fee. There will be no permission given for public political rallies as there was in 2019 due to the pandemic.

Planteles educativos alistan retorno (Educational facilities ready return) – Three schools planned to present their Plan Institucional de Continuidad Educativa (PICE – Institutional Educational Continuity Plan) today. The Colegio Alemán, Unidad Educativa Bilingue Interamericana and the Unidad Educativa Cedin Down have prepared the campuses so students can return to the classroom if their plans are approved. Parents are not obligated to send their kids back to brick and mortar schools and the PICE should have a plan for hybrid classes to teach kids in person and virtually. In Zone 6, there are 53 schools with one or two teachers, mainly in rural areas, that can return to classes. There is a demand from parents since the lack of connectivity deprives their children of a decent education. Personnel of the Coordinación Zonal de Educación need to inspect these schools and take into account if there is potable water and the number of Covid infections. <I have a feeling that a hose with one end sitting in a creek upstream and the other end hooked into a chain link fence won’t count as potable water.>

Roban joyería (Jewelry stolen) – Last Tuesday night, robbers broke into a store selling sweets on Gran Colombia y Padre Aguirre, then punched a hole in the wall to the jewelry store next door, and stole $18,000 worth of jewelry. <Maybe that’s why walls here are so often masonry. You can’t bust a brick wall with your foot like you can a sheetrock wall. Well, maybe Jackie Chan could, but he wouldn’t need the jewelry.>

M. Pozo asume Finanzas con un plan de reformas (M. Pozo assumes Finance with a reform plan) – Minister of Economy and Finances Richard Martínez accepted the position of Vicepresidencia de Países at the Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID). He will be replaced by Mauricio Pozo, an economist who served in the same position under President Lucio Guitíerrez. Included in Pozo’s main plans are reforms of labor and taxes, IESS, and sticking with the dollar. He rejected raising the IVA for now and said that the agreement with the IMF is not mandatory, but the country should improve its economy to avoid these drastic measures.

Juez solicita el arresto de Correa y otros (Juez solicita el arresto de Correa y otros) – Iván León of La Corte Nacional de Justicia ordered a request be made to the international police agency Interpol for the arrest of ex-president Rafael Correa and 14 others who were sentenced in the corruption case and who are not in the country.

Ecuador demanda a Odebrecht (Ecuador sues Odebrecht) – Because of failures in the construction of the Pascuales-Cuenca pipeline and millions in overpricing, Petroecuador and the Attorney General of Ecuador sued Odebrecht for breach of contract and damages of $280 million.

Descuentos y compras –

Colineal – Warehouse liquidation with 50% off everything – 8-14/10 a las 11-18:00 – Octavio Chácon 2-100 in the Parque Industrial – *reduced occupancy, *Los niños se quedan en casa (Leave the kids at home) <Or pay for all the broken knick-knacks and stained furniture from sticky fingers.>

And that´s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne