Ordinance targets ‘chaos’ in the markets; Hospital receives more Covid meds; Wildfires wreak havoc; Bicentennial coin goes on sale; A run on passports

Miércoles, 11/11/2020

Actividades –
De la pagina cultural –

200 monedas recordarán el bicentenario de Cuenca (200 coins will commemorate the bicentennial of Cuenca) – The Asociación de Numismáticos del Azuay has designed a coin to celebrate Cuenca’s Independence. The bronze colored coin is based on the Sucre with a profile of Antonio José de Sucre and “un sucre” written on one side and the Catedral de La Inmaculada Concepción, the name of the association, and “BICENTENARIO” on the other. 100 of the coins have already been sold to collectors. The coins will be available at cost el 16/11 for $12, numbered and with a certificate of authenticity. If you are interested in joining this group of coin collectors, call 099 056 7594.

A Cuenca bicentennial coin is on sale.

Tres días con “El último espécimen” (Three days with “The Last Specimen”) – This theatrical work written by Isidro Luna, directed by Diego Carrasco, and starring “Pancho” Aguirre will be staged el 12, 13, & 14/11 a las 19:00 in the Sala “Alfonso Carrasco” in the CCE. For tickets call 099 298 9191 or 099 614 6001. Cost: $10.00.

Organizan taller sobre cómic japonés (Workshop on Japanese comics organized) – The Japanese embassy is organizing a series of cultural activities this month including a manga workshop. The workshops are in video format on the Facebook page of the embassy. You can learn how to draw face, bodies and famous characters. The next workshops are related to martial arts and will be from 16-20/11. Register on the embassy’s Facebook page. <I guess for most people it’s common knowledge how to find a Facebook page. For me it would be like building a rocket to the moon.>

Otras cosas –

Titular – Parado el alquiler de trajes navideños (Christmas costume rental stopped) – The suspension of the Pase del Niño Viajero and other traditional mass assemblies during Navidad, Fin de Año and Mascaradas has put those businesses that rent the typical costumes at risk. Their sales have been reduced by at least 90%. Businesses are hoping that the economy will reactivate at least partially next month with families organizing masses and parades in small groups. <I wonder how well a fake beard would function as a mask, not that you’d want to wear a fake beard someone else has already worn right now.> Also suffering are merchants who decorate the carros alegoricos (floats) in the Paseo del Niño parade.

Cuenca’s Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital reports it now has a sufficient supply of sedatives and more are on the way. (El Mercurio)

Crece demanda de pasaportes (Demand for passports grows) – An inusitada (unusual – your word for the day) demand for passports started in abril 2020 and the Registro Civil expects this demand to continue to diciembre. <And where did everyone think they were going during the middle of the lockdown when you could barely leave the house to say nothing about leaving the country?> The Registry has increased its hours to 6:00 – 20:00, 7 days a week, and is issuing an average of 190 to 200 biometric passports every day. The back cover of the passports has a chip with biographic and biometric information about the holder, and will allow Ecuadorians to enter the 26 Schengen countries without a visa. The zone 6 coordinator said that 85% of the people getting passports want to enter the US using coyotes.

One applicant for a passport said that there is not enough control of tramitadors (processors – facilitators?), some of whom are offering fake appointments and charging their clients (victims?) $250 for a document that costs $90 directly. <I guess given a complicated enough bureaucracy, even native Spanish speakers need facilitators.>

Un improvisado mercado genera caos en Narancay (An improvised market generates chaos in Narancay) – There are permanent weekly controls when a team from the department of Control Urbano visits Narancay. Informal vendors have set up on the streets and sidewalks causing residents in the sector to complain about rodents, flies and traffic. The Urban Control teams notify the vendors that they need to regularize, but there are problems. First is the huge number of procedures at in Urban Control, due to land use infractions by people selling fresh produce and prepared food from their front yards and garages without permission.

Council member Roque Ordóñez who is on the Comisión de Servicios Públicos, said that an ordinance regulating plazas and mercados is almost ready. The commission is also working with the Government of Azuay, intendencia (military), Police, and Guardia Ciudadana to improve services in plazas and mercados. Vicemayor Pablo Burbano commented that the council is waiting for the 2nd debate on a planning ordinance which will allow sanctions against those who violate land use and occupancy rules. This ordinance will allow the city to control not only Narancay, but zones such as the Plaza Cívica next to the mercado 9 de octubre, and the Terminal Terrestre where hostals have been converted to brothels.

Hospital adquiere medicación para COVID (Hospital acquires medication for COVID) – After an alert by doctors worried about the stock of sedatives needed to intubate patients, Iván Feicán, manager of the Vicente Corral Moscoso hospital said that there is an adequate supply and more is being ordered. The supply problem was in hospitals in Quito and Guayaquil where there has been an increase in critical patients. This increase has not been seen in Cuenca <Yet?> where occupation of ICU beds is fluctuating between 50 & 60%.

Devastación por incendios en el Azuay (Devastation by fires in Azuay) – So far this year, the Servicio Nacional de Gestión de Riesgos y Emergencias (SNGRE – National Service for Risk and Emergency Management) reports that 2,236.35 hectares have been affected by forest fires in Azuay and Cañar with noviembre leading in the number of incidents. 1,959 hectares have burned in Azuay with 336 in Santa Isabel, 225 in San Fernando, and 25 in Cuenca. As of yesterday there was an active fire in Molleturo with firefighters and residents of the community working at the site.

Agenda –

sábado – 14 de noviembre:

8:00 – Cuenca camina: Plazoleta la Merced, Pumapungo, Quinta Bolívar, Casa de Chaguarchimbana (Cuenca walks: Plazoleta la Merced, Pumapungo, Quinta Bolívar, Casa de Chaguarchimbana) – register at dascaribay@cuenca.gob.ec.

10:00 – 16:00 – Visitas guiadas al Museo de las Conceptas (Guided visits to the Museum of Conceptas) – Hermano Miguel 6-33 – limited capacity.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne