Santa Isabel tourism is promoted; Project to develop local chocolate industry; Snake oil warning issued; Zaruma mines surveyed; 30% capacity limit enforced

Jueves, 20/12/2022

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –
Nada. <Unless you want to count the article about Santa Isabel below.>

Titular –

Contagios no dan tregua (Contagions don’t let up) – With cases and deaths rising in children, parents are looking for ways to shield their children’s immune systems. Gabriela Auquilla, a pediatrician, said there are actions parents can take. What alarms her is the quantity of children who come in with general or respiratory symptoms which exceed the usual seasonal flu or virus cases. She said symptoms vary and can include fever, vomiting, and diarrhea as well as common respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion, sore throat, and a cough, generally dry with little mucus. If kids have these symptoms, are lethargic and sleep a lot, don’t eat well, tire easily or breathe faster than normally, take them to a doctor.

Cuenca –

A project by local university professors is designed to promote cocoa growing and chocolate production at lower elevations of Azuay and Cañar Provinces.

Instituciones cumplen aforo del 30% (Institutions meet 30% capacity) – The Intendencia General de Policía Azuay started controls ayer to make sure public institutions in the province are complying with the 30% capacity limits ordered by the National COE. These included the offices of the Registro Civil in San Blas and El Batán. The office in the parque de La Libertad is closed until 31/1 because of a staff shortage due to Covid. The IESS hospital and health centers had long lines of patients waiting to get medical certificates validated. There were also lines outside the SRI and ANT offices where authorities checked not only capacity limits, but if people had their vaccination cards and were respecting distancing. <Remember to carry your vaccine card – it would really be aggravating to wait in line for an hour, be the next to get served, and get turned away because you forgot your card.> The City of Cuenca is also applying a 30% capacity for its offices as well as restaurants, movie theaters, bars, theaters, mercados, swimming pools, and more.

Revisan las minas cercanas al socavón (Inspection of mines near sinkhole) – Technicians from the Municipio de Zaruma in El Oro, started a topographic survey of 3 galerías (tunnels – another meaning for galería, and your word for the day) in the area where the sinkhole opened up el 15/12 and destroyed at least 3 houses. The tunnels are south of calle Colón, right in the center of the town. Also participating were personnel from the Agencia de Regulación y Control de Energía y Recursos Naturales no Renovables (ARCERNNR), the highest national authority on mining activity in Ecuador. Air and water ducts were installed in the Bomba de Pacchabamba mine for the safety of the personnel inspecting the mines. <Must take a special kind of courage to go down into mines dug by amateurs where there have already been collapses.>

Sin registro sanitario (Without sanitary registration) – ARCSA announced that the product Lipofit Extreme 2.0 Fat Burner doesn’t have a sanitary registration in Ecuador. The product is being promoted on line.

Apunatan a un cacao de calidad (Aiming for quality cocoa) – 5 years ago, Miriam Briones y Marco Laso, professors and researchers in Food Engineering started looking at chocolate in el Austro from Putucay in Azuay, and Zhucay in Cañar. The project identified a lack of improving production processes and sought to bring recognition to azuayo and cañarense cacao. It then grew to include work to better the fermentation process which is where the texture, color and aroma come from. An agreement was signed with Elecaustro to improve the chocolate from producers in Zhucay. Elecaustro provided the processing equipment equipment, and the first chocolate bars were produced. Currently, professors María Alicia Peña y Rodrigo Carota have started the 3d phase of the project which is looking for a cultivo iniciador (starter crop) to standardize the quality of the cacao. Once this variety of chocolate is found, it can be grown in other communities.

Region –

Turismo, pilar de Santa Isabel (Tourism, pillar of Santa Isabel) – In the past 3 dacades, agriculture and ranching has given way to tourism in Santa Isabel which quietly celebrated its 77th anniversary of cantonization last weekend. Some of the main attractions are the Desierto de Jubones, the Desierto de Sulupali, and the Piedra del Cóndor. If you stay in Santa Isabel, you can visit the Ruta de las Cascadas which extends from Sarayunga to Pasaje. El Chorro de Girón and the Laguna de Busa are also close by. In the Valle de Yunguilla there is also a stopping point to visit the newly discovered ruins of Yacuviñay, an archeological monument in Pacha on the vía a Zaruma. The Isla San Gregorio is an alternative to the beach.

And that´s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne