More than 25% test positive for Covid; Anti-mining vote has limited reach; Tram-bus coordination; City plans to reduce traffic; Solid waste power generation

Miércoles, 23/9/2020

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Nada.

Otras cosas –

Titular – Consulta minera causa polémica (Mining referendum causes controversy) – According to the Comité Empresarial Ecuatoriano, a business group, the resolution from the Corte Constitucional which gave the go-ahead for the referendum in Cuenca will not be retroactive. If the Sí win, the mining concessions already granted, in whatever phase they are in, quedarán en firme (will remain firm). In Cuenca, there are 22 mining concessions including Río Blanco and Loma Larga. 8 of these are large scale mines.

Reducir vehículos en la calle, objetivo municipal (Reduce vehicles on the street, municipal objective) – According to the Dirección de Gestión de la Movilidad (Mobility Management Department) of the Municipio de Cuenca, there are about 110,000 cars registered in the city, and because of traffic from other cantons and provinces, about 150,000 circulate in the city every day. Guilherme Chalhoub, the department’s director said that this number is unsustainable due to issues of space and that pollution, air contamination, noise and atascos (traffic jams – your word for the day) are increasing. The Municipio is working on projects such as increasing space for bicycles and pedestrians. The City wants to end the year with at least 10 km. of exclusive bike lanes and extend bus only lanes including to outside of the historic center. It is creating superblocks in the Yanuncay parish bounded by Isabel la Católica, Loja, Don Bosco y Américas and in Monay Chico.

Local Covid-19 testing shows a high rate of positive results.

Pacientes negativos duplican los casos positivos de COVID (Negative patients are double the positive cases of COVID) – The Coordinación Zonal 6 de Salud said people who were given PCR tests in Zone 6 by the Ministerio de Salud are testing negative at twice the rate of those who test positive. Of the 37,072 tests given, 12,543 were positive and 24,489 negative. In Azuay the numbers were 14,301 negative and 8,318 positive. Julio Molina, Zone 6 Coordinator, said that people need to keep practicing the preventive measures of use of masks, disinfecting and washing hands, and maintaining social distance.

Inversión de la EMAC genera pérdidas (EMAC investment generates losses) – The Contraloría (Comptroller’s office) issued information that the losses from the EBE mixed business which generates electricity from methane is a cause for its dissolution. The partnership between the BGP consortium from the Low Countries and EMAC lost $535,790 rather than generating revenues. Dora Ordóñez, manager of EMAC said there were problems from the start when the initial investment did not include an extraction well or an additional motor to generate electricity. This caused the need for more money and delayed start of operations. There are no plans to dissolve the business since taking advantage of using solid waste to generate energy is promising. EMAC has not actually lost money, but has not been able to collect money that would come from the sale of methane gas. It is analyzing buying the the whole company. <Is this another case similar to “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man?>

Exitosa operación a un niño en el hospital Vicente Corral (Successful operation on a child at Vicente Corral hospital) – A 19 month old baby from Santo Domingo do Tsáchilas was operated on to remove a tumor from the soft tissues in his neck. The rare tumor with only 200 cases reported worldwide, only affects children under 3 years old. It was fast growing and could compress vessels, nerves, the maxillary region, and deform bones. <That surgery probably makes that medical team one of the world’s experts in this type of tumor.>

Con la integración desaparece línea 100 (With integration, line 100 disappears) – In 60 days, the Movilízate cards will be used to pay both bus and tranvías fares. Until then, the City has implemented a plan that will allow passengers to use both systems with only one fare. Line 100 disappears and is replaced by the Alimentador 2 feeder from Baños in the south, the tranvía, and the Alimentador 1 from Ricaurte. Passengers from Baños can transfer to the tranvía at the Río Tarqui stop near the Súper Stock on Las Américas. They will be given a ticket by a Tranvía employee, and helped across the street to the tram stop. With the ticket which is good for 45 min., and which the passenger needs to keep for the whole trip, you can board the tram. <If you’re fast, you might even be able to do some shopping at the Súper Stock. I’m told they have a good selection of wines.> The northern transfer stop is the Milchichig stop near the Fabían Alarcón bridge. Tram passengers can continue their trip on feeder buses. When you get off the tram, you get a ticket which you need to show the bus driver.

Manolo Solis, president of the CTC said that they are using 6 buses to feed the south stop and 5 in the north. The rest of the buses formerly serving the Line 100 route will be serving different sectors. Riders who do not pay their fare can be fined $120. Before you board the tram you need to buy a ticket or put your Movilízate card into the reader.

Simulacro es parte de prevención de accidentes (Drill is part of accident prevention) – EMOV held a simulation of an accident at Remigio Crespo y Augustín Cueva yeasterday as part of the “Semana de la Movilidad.” A drunk driver ran a red light and hit a cyclist who was knocked to the pavement with serious injuries. Passers-by came to the accident to keep the driver from escaping and called 911. Bottles of liquor were found in the car, and after the injured cyclist was taken in an ambulance, EMOV personnel told the citizens that the accident was a simulation and thanked them for their quick response and help. EMOV statistics show 298 traffic accidents from enero a agosto in 2020 and 531 in the same period of 2019. <Amazing how much Covid has improved traffic safety.>

Crisis afecta a artesanos de guitarras (Crisis affects guitar artisans) – Guitar makers in the San Bartolomé parish in Sígsig canton were hurt by the shut down. The city is readying a plan to strengthen tourism along the Ruta de las Guitarras. It has paved the road, added signage, and georeferential identification for the 11 workshops along the route.

Descuentos y compras –

ETAFASHION – T-shirts for $5.95 for men and women – conditions apply.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne